Soprano Wrap-Up
“The Two Tonys”


Okay here is a feature I want to start on my blog but given that fact that I rarely follow through with my ambitious plans for this little read website I doubt I will do this all 13 weeks. Heck I couldn’t even come up with a title that was remotely original.

Well the layoff for new shows this time was even longer so some fans like Drew jumped off the bandwagon all together. Maybe I can keep him up to speed so he doesn’t have to look at the floor when his law school buddies want to talk about it.

So what I attend to do is comment on what happened on the weeks show and try to make sense out of it.

Narrative:
Well David Chase decided to just give fans little snippets of what happened since we last saw the crime families. Apparently Bobby and Janice are hitched, and we only know his by a brief mention of Janice’s wedding ring. We are not even sure where Tony is really living my guess is either a hotel room or with Janice.

Through conversations between Johnny Sacks and Tony we can estimate that the events of the season finale of season 4 were roughly a year ago. However do to all the delays between seasons, season 4 was for them 2001 ending in spring of 2002 sometime. We can gather this since its only Medow’s 2nd year of college and the events the impression that 9/11 had just happened a few months before the first show of that season for them. So even if it’s been a year for them it should only be 2003.

Plot:

Tony realizes he is now single so he decides to kick his game to his shrink. Despite having erotic dreams about Tony giving her the Old Italian Sausage (or a random body double anyway) she decides to shoot him down when he invites her to dinner. Tony becomes “half a stalker” and tries to take her on a trip somewhere. When she implies that all the murdering, sex with sluts and criminal mischief isn’t what she looks for in a man he calls her a cunt and leaves.

Meanwhile Carmella is living at the house with AJ who may or may not be in college now. AJ attempting to be the next Drew Vogel is apparently now a drummer. One night AJ in his own backyard finds himself nose to nose with a giant black bear that apparently roam randomly roam the streets of North Jersey. This is clearly a metaphor for something. Anyway doesn’t become a midnight snack for the over sized cub the bears is still on the loose. After the authorities tell Carmella not only she can’t shoot him, but they can’t unless he mauls or kills someone first.

Tony and Carmella fight over if it’s safe to have bear showing up occasionally showing thirsty for blood at their home. So Tony decides he will have one of his goons sit on the lawn with a gun waiting to blow the bear’s brains out on sight.

Meanwhile Paulie and Chris bicker over large dinner bills and what really happened in the Pine Barrens a few years ago. After Chris is forced to pay well over a grand for a fancy dinner in Alantic City the two of them huge fight in the parking lot. When the waiter comes out ask why his tip was so lousy Chris gets pissed. When the waiter runs his mouth either Paulie of Chris I forget hurl a brick at the poor guy’s head when he walks away. The waiter falls to the ground and goes into seizure since neither of them are doctors they decide a bullet is the ultimate cure and Paulie sends him to the afterlife. They leave the lifeless corpse there with finger prints all over him. Some guys make up over a beer apparently wiseguys make up over a whacking of a innocent person. The two debate if they will ever get in trouble for the murder, and don’t bother to tell Tony who would likely suspend them for the remainder of the season including the playoffs.

New characters were introduced Tony’s Cousin through video clips and some old guy played by Robert Loggia who tell of his prison days. Both look to be likely to give Tony panic attacks. Oh and Carmine has a stroke much to the delight of the power hungry and most likely to be whacked next Johnny Sacks.

Random Comment:

All 4 previous seasons started with Tony getting his Star Ledger in his bathrobe. Season 2 Pussy was at the end of his driveway, and season 3 the feds were watching him. This season since Tony is ousted from his home the Ledger laid at the end of the driveway only to be run over by Meadow. Thought that was a nice touch.

Rating: B-, well acted could be a good setup for things to come, but a little strange with the bear and I am not a big fan of the whole Tony loves his shrink thing. I do recall thinking to myself when I saw AJ being eyed up by the bear. “MY GOD I THINK THEY JUST JUMPED THE SHARK IN FRONT OF MY EYES!”. Sorry for the caps Drew but the little voice inside my head was shouting at the time.

I don’t care what anyone says it’s still a great show and gives me a reason not to drop a stackable washer/dryer combination on my body working for the 5 hours I have work on the day of the Sabbath.

This Week’s Prediction:

The body in America’s favorite playground comes back to haunt Paulie and Chris. Chris finds out what his girl has been up to for several seasons. AJ get attacked by the bear.