The Sopranos - Family Values

Junior's Review

Junior's Review
(Episode 67 - JOIN THE CLUB)

"Join the Club" exactly follows the narrative path which was established in the season six premiere. "Members only" introduced us to the theme of death and also to the question what life is about. I think not everyone got it last week but after last nights episode everyone should.

Tony is in a coma and going through a near death experience and David Chase shows us what this experience looks like for Tony. As I was certain Tony would be beginn to question his life. He asks: Who am I and where am I going? Being somewhere between life and death Tony has lost his identity and he can´t find a way out of "Hotel California". He doesn´t talk or act as the selfconfident boss of a mob family anymore. He is a completely different person. He seems to be just a regular guy on a business trip.

I find it very interesting that Tony imagines a life without the mob. I believe the whole coma-sequence will be analyzed by Dr.Melfi in the next episodes and she will certainly point out to Tony that in the hour of life and death he wished for a common life without the mob family. (Naturally we have to wait if Tony does not have other thoughts while being unconscious.) It will be thrilling to see how he reacts. Will he deny it? Will he accept it? And is he able to accept such a bitter truth? If yes, what when? We know what he said to Eugene. There is no way out.

About the voices on the phone, I am not sure, who they belong to, but my guess is that it was mainly Charmeine. She was mentioned by Carme and she represents a totally different type of woman. She is hardworking, she can´t be bribed by bling-bling and cars. She distances herself from Tony and the mob. She is everything, what Carme isn´t - or Tonys other girls. Could be another major step in devoloping Tonys charcter arc. Is he finally able to seek love from a woman which doesn´t resemble his mother? Its purgatory and it will change Tony forever. How, we`ll see.

With this being said I have to add that I was little bit disappointed. For me it was one of the weaker episodes. The cut and editing of the episode didn´t seem right. Tony being not Tony was a bit too long. Also Carme crying and the hospital scenes basically played out as on every other show. Two things that I liked though: Chris in the Masserati and AJ following the footsteps of his father. His hair shows his strenghts, something Carme loved about Tony. Tony weak, AJ (feeling) strong, that´s going to be very interesting.

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