The Sopranos - Family Values

Review By Dr. Scott

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Season Five, Episode Two (Episode 54 - RAT PACK)

Review By Dr. Scott

I’ve been a SOPRANOS fanatic for years. This isn’t anything special; There are many people just like me– and, likely, you– all over the place. To start off my run as a critic for THE SOPRANOS’ fifth season here at The-Sopranos.com [Family Values], I thought I’d share a personal anecdote.

If you’ve been watching this series since the beginning, you may recall that the first season began roughly around the time that ANALYZE THIS was released, the Robert "I heard things..." DeNiro and Billy Crystal mafia "comedy". When I first started seeing the promos for HBO’s new series, I remember thinking, "Man, what a shameless ripoff". ANALYZE THIS was hugely successful upon release (enough so to warrant the obligatory terrible sequel that all success in Hollywood merits), and I figured that HBO was possibly riding the coattails of that film’s big box office. Those early promos for THE SOPRANOS all focused on the idea of a mobster going into therapy, which was exactly the premise for the DeNiro/Crystal film, but that’s where the similarities ended.

Funny, though, that all that box office means nothing when compared to the sheer brilliance and inarguable quality of THE SOPRANOS, which may very well be the finest show ever put on television (and, yes, I’m including PERFECT STRANGERS in that observation). THE SOPRANOS is a series of unparalleled talent, in terms of acting, direction, and– most importantly, to me anyway– writing. Whenever I hear someone saying that they haven’t bothered watching THE SOPRANOS because they’re "not into that mafia stuff", I can’t help but shake my head and throw large, heavy objects in the direction of that person. For, THE SOPRANOS is not simply about "mafia stuff"– it’s about everything, with the whole mafia angle serving as a backdrop to the big picture.

Some will tell you that last season’s run wasn’t as good as the seasons that preceded it. Those people are mildly retarded and not to be trusted. Last season was just as good as every other season, and the claims that the show seemed to be "losing its edge" were some of the more inaccurate observations I’ve ever heard lobbed at a series. "Losing its edge"? What about Ralphie’s final confrontation and decapitation at Tony’s hands, or the girl Ralphie killed behind the Bing in a truly repugnant act of murder? What about Gloria Trillo, and the madness she hid from Tony–albeit briefly– while they were, er, "dating"? This show never lost its edge, it just has a deliberate, thoughtful, and realistic pace that people who count themselves as fans of shows like 24 don’t have the patience for.

This season has gotten off to a great start. A whole slew of new cast members have showed up, referred to in the press and in the show as the "Mafia Class of 2004". These are a group of hoods that got sent away back in the late 80's, and it’s inevitable that their return to the streets that Tony has taken control of in their absence will rock the boat. Robert Loggia, who’s made some really terrible films but remains an effective, intimidating character actor, has already gotten "back on his feet", earning cash the Soprano way within several weeks of his release. He’s going to be a problem for Tony and Company, mark my words.

The real story in this group, however, is Tony Blundetto, Tony Soprano’s cousin, who’s been released and manages to get off to a rocky start with the family boss within days of his homecoming. Tony B., as he’ll be referred to from now on, is played by the invaluable character actor Steve Buscemi. I have mixed feelings about his presence on the show. On the one hand, he’s more than earned a spot amongst the main cast with his brilliant direction in what’s one of the most loved episodes for this series, "Pine Barrens", and he’s got talent in spades. On the other hand, I fear that his recognition factor may prove to be a distraction. This second episode was his first appearance on the show, and the whole time I kept thinking, "Hey! Steve Buscemi’s on THE SOPRANOS!" That said, I know that Buscemi has the talent to disappear into this role, and he may be able to make us forget the fact that we’ve seen him in umpteen movies. Only time will tell.

In this episode, the focus was mainly on Tony B’s release and homecoming from incarceration. There’s a welcome home party, a gathering of family and friends, and an after-party at The Bing where Tony B got on Tony S’s bad side quite quickly by insulting his weight. The morning after, Tony B shocked "The Boss" (Tony S, not Bruce Springsteen) by telling him that he had no intention of "getting back in the game", and that he’s eyeing a career as a "massage therapist". Tony seems put off by this, but note the scene later in this episode where Tony S gets onto Christopher for suggesting that Tony B be placed in charge of some shady operation; He blows up on Christopher, telling him to leave the guy alone if he wants to go straight. I thought this was very interesting.

Then, there’s the subplots. Like anything else in this series, the subplots are intricate and engaging, and my favorite has to be that of Adriana’s involvement with The Feds. Last season, Adrianna got mixed up with an undercover, female agent who learned quite a bit about the family while in A’s presence, and now they’ve got her on a string. Adrianna is feeling guilty as hell, as she should, and I cannot even begin to predict where this plotline will end up. This episode’s closing scene, wherein Adrianna gave over the name of a fellow gangster’s moll who’s been pilfering money from her employer– and a whole lotta money, at that– seems destined to cause all sorts of problems for Ade.

Another scene in this episode concerning A’s betrayal had me breathless. Carmela has begun a "movie club" at her house each week, where she can get together with the other wives and girlfriends of the Soprano Family men and watch flicks and pound wine, and Adrianna came "this close" to revealing her big secret to this sewing circle of Sicilians (oooh, alliteration!). I was positive that she wouldn’t go through with it...but, hey, this show has caught me off guard on more than one occasion.

Other subplots worthy of note in last night’s episode were: Christopher battling sobriety, as well as the advances of Adrianna’s "bare everywhere" friend (whose name escapes me at the moment); The death of an FBI informant, off-screen; Jan and Bobby exercising no control over their children, one of whom wondered why he’d "never heard of" his uncle Tony B; Tony having more problems with Carmela, this time over taking home theater components out of the house; and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few other things.

While I’m here, why don’t I make a few predictions? For one thing, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the Christopher/Pauley Walnuts rivalry. They buried the hatchet a little bit last week, after a darkly humorous murder of a complaining waiter, but I don’t buy that truce for a second. Furthermore, I’ve been expecting Christopher’s death for some time now. Hardcore fans may recall that, as Christopher was being "sworn in" to the Family, a raven landed on the windowsill outside of the room he was being inducted in. Obviously, this is some strong symbolism, and I’ve been waiting for Chris’ end for some time now. Is it possible that Pauley will finally lose his cool and off Tony’s nephew? Again, only time will tell.

And, what of the Tony/Dr. Melfi "romance"? This development rang a little false to me, and the fact that they didn’t revisit that in any way during this week’s episode makes me wonder if that’s really the last we’ll see of that; It could go either way– them setting it up for a season-long subplot, or something to be forgotten, such as when Artie Bucco declared his unrequited love for Adrianna to Tony in one of the last two season...what was up with that? And remember that episode where it looked like the female tennis instructor was looking to get in Adriana’s tennis shorts? Maybe the point is, everyone wants a piece of Ade; I know I do.

So many subplots, so little time. Speaking of which, wouldn’t it be great if each episode was two hours long? I know that the high point of my week is watching THE SOPRANOS start on Sunday night; The low point of my week is when the credits roll one hour later. Well, at least it’s not the end of the season. Whenever that happens, I go into mourning.

It’s almost impossible to soak in all this show has to offer in one viewing. I thank the webmaster here at The-Sopranos.com for giving me this opportunity to speak my mind each week regarding my favorite show on TV. Usually, I stick to reviewing films (you can read my reviews and film-related articles at www.sellascript.com), but I’m more than happy to try my hand at television if this is what I’ll be writing about. All season, you can count on me giving you folks a recap every Monday, as well as offering my thoughts on what’s going on with all of our favorite characters. So, I guess that’s it until next week, Sopranos fans. Thanks for reading.

Word,

Dr. Scott

If you have comments about this review send them directly to Dr. Scott at until_dark@yahoo.com

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