As I mentioned last week, I recently experienced a stint of faux-bachelorhood, as my significant other went off to work in another town for a couple weeks. I’m happier when he’s here, but there are upsides to such temporary separations: falling asleep to music Jake doesn’t like (hello, Neil Young and Wu-Tang Clan!), leaving weird messes around the house and/or embarking on ambitious absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder cleaning projects, and the basic pleasures of once again missing someone you’ve suckered into living with you.
But during this recent stint of non-coupledom, my most extravagant indulgence was a weird, shipped-from-China-and-probably-bootleg-although-I-didn’t-understand-that-when-I-was-ordering-it DVD box set of all six seasons of The Sopranos, which enabled me to fulfill my dream of watching the entire series in not-edited-for-TV format in chronological order.
For the record, Jake is not anti-Sopranos, just nowhere near the Sopranos fan I am. He’s watched dozens of episodes on A&E, offering such feedback as “Guns are loud” and “Those people don’t seem very happy”—true and true. Over the past decade I’ve also watched dozens of Sopranos episodes on A&E and DVD and in HBO-rigged hotel rooms, accepting whatever episode was thrown at me and cumulatively encountering most of the major plot points, but never experiencing the story chronologically, thus never able to directly connect cause and effect between misdeeds and retribution for misdeeds, and most importantly, never knowing exactly when a character was lying—which, as we’re dealing with organized crime, is a lot of the time.
It’s been—duh—amazing. I will not bother reiterating why The Sopranos is both one of the greatest television shows ever made and one of the greatest Mafia-themed entertainments ever made, because everyone who cares already knows. But my chronological, unedited-for-TV viewing has been a 36-hours-and-counting dream. (Seriously, watching Sopranos on A&E, where episodes are edited for both time and content, is practically worthless, with the commercials and cut footage proving far more disruptive than the cussing overdubs; switching “motherfucker” to “bloodsucker” doesn’t cause a fraction of the damage that busting up the show’s cinematic flow does.) Things I must applaud specifically:
*Nancy Marchand, who as Livia Soprano created a villain as monolitically evil as Darth Vader, without getting up from her chair. One of the spookiest performances I’ve ever seen (though that posthumously patched-together “final scene” in Season 3 is total crap.)
*Aida Turturro, who as Janice Soprano does everything in her power to create the most unctuous and repulsive comic villain since that creep who played Mr. Collins in the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice. (You have your comic-villain standard bearers, I have mine.)
*Steve Schirripa, who as Bobby Baccalieri creates my underdog-favorite Sopranos character, and the one that’s most consistently surprising, with his mix of functional toughness and fully open emotionality unprecedented in mob cinema, by my watch.
As of now, I’m at the start of season 4, but as I said, I know the majority of major plot twists from years of sporadic viewing, so spoiler alerts aren’t really an issue. (Stay out of the toy store, Bobby! And smoke that cock, Vito!)
aint no wire
David,
I love your pop culture tastes…almost exactly my own.
Also, I had to look up “unctuous”…and I think it’s great you used it and now I know it. And yes, Janice is quite unctuous.
For everyone else:
[uhngk-choo-uhs]
–adjective
1. characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, esp. in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug.
2. of the nature of or characteristic of an unguent or ointment; oily; greasy.
3. having an oily or soapy feel, as certain minerals.
Do you have the commentaries? Drea de Matteo did the commentary on the episode with the end of Adriana – she said Adriana was the only true innocent in the whole group.
Amazing, heartbreaking show.
Just wait until you start having dreams featuring the various characters – that’s when you’ll know you need a break 🙂 My husband and I watched the series in its entirety a year ago and I needed to take a couple of days after I started having recurring dreams about living next door to Pauly Walnuts and Chrissy.
I thought I’d turn on Bobby Baccala after he ditched the prosthetic belly, but I only loved him more in later seasons. The scene from the final season in which he returns home after his first hit is simply heartbreaking.
I watched the whole series last summer. Not as much depth or polish as The Wire, but it edges out The Shield for second in my book. I pointed two-fingers like Paulie for months after I was done with the show.
Why did Janice never die? WHY?? I wanted her to die so bad.
the most unctuous and repulsive comic villain since that creep who played Mr. Collins in the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice.
I kind of love you right now.
Your boyfriend doesn’t like Neil Young or Wu-Tang??????????
9: He doesn’t appreciate Wu-Tang at sleepytime, and Neil Young’s voice makes him cringe whenever…
If Carmela was guilty (she was) then so was Adriana. They both knew what their partners were doing and took full advantage of the perks. Her only point of redemption was that she tried to flip Chris.
David,
It’s still almost 40 television hours away, but I want you to understand what happens after the screen goes black when you watch the final episode. Because I know what it is. I really do.
As you watch the final season, be sure to learn the last names of AJ’s two hood friends, Jason and Jason. And as you watch the final episode, pay close attention to all the dialog that concerns them and their families.
And then, when you watch that final scene, ask yourself: What if the mysterious dude is a cop?
And therein you will find the super-secret heretofore unrevealed actual meaning of the final scene of the Sopranos finale.
Janice was so terrible! years after watching the show i still get all angry thinking about her! FUCK YOU JANICE! You traitorous bitch!
That said, Aida Turturro is amazing. I might also recommend Romance and Cigarettes directed by John Turturro starring James Gandolfini, Kate Winslett and Aida Turturro among others. It’s a fully bizarre musical. totally twisted and not all that fantastic, but worth a watch for a little Sopranos flavored fun.
Omg, I love series marathons. I once watched the entire series of Sex and the City over the course of one week. My eyes were red and blurry by the end of it, but it was so satisfying. I’ve been thinking about going for the whole Sopranos experience so maybe it’s time…
Man, I don’t even love The Sopranos, but what you’re doing sounds simply amazing. I’m jealous.
We never meant to have a Sopranos marathon, but we started ordering the disks from Netflix, and ended up watching them as fast as they arrived. We finally had to put ourselves on a two-episodes-a-night diet, because we were staying up until 1 a.m. to finish a disk (and we were finishing it off too quickly). The first four seasons are amazing. It got kind of weak near the end, but the first seasons compare favorably with nearly anything ever televised.
That’s no significant other, that’s your husband!
I miss having TV marathons. If you’re going to have one, though, make sure there’s somebody who’s watching with you or at least knows the series. It sucks watching an awesome season finale and having no one to discuss it with.
It’s so obvious how much you miss him from these posts, Sopranos or no Sopranos.
But yes, Sopranos are good. Even though I stopped somewhere in the middle of season 4 and dread starting all over again.
I grew up knowing people like the Sopranos. So that adds to my fondness and disdain for the characters. And though I think James Gandolfini is brilliant in his role as Tony, for whatever reason I am fascinated by the character Paulie. He’s a combination murderous thug and little child. And when he gives “that look” it sends shivers down my spine. I still haven’t seen the episode where Christoher dies.
I’ve seen the full series about 5 times over now, and nothing beats the Pine Barrens episode with Paulie and Chrissy camping out in a van in the snow eating old ketchup packets.