Past Episodes
Pilot
46 Long
Denial, Acceptance, Anger
This episode has its highs and lows, but ultimately is somewhat a lesser Sopranos episode in my mind. For one, showing scenes of Melfi and her family were not great. I did like the contrast between Melfi's family talking about the history of Italian Americans and the Sopranos family talking about it.
The Melfi family seemed to focus on the bad reputation of Italian Americans, which sort of seemed like it came from the creator a little more than a genuine family dinner. I think that scene was redeemed when we saw the Soprano family talk about the great Italian Americans, which seemed much more natural and gave us the contrasting scenes.
I guess it's necessary to show how Melfi's family is resistent to her treating a mob man, a man who is "evil" as her ex-husband says to her. But the scene where they debate whether or not to sell a plot of land really didn't work in my mind. It just made them come off as pretentious assholes.
In other news, Tony does one of those unforgivable things by hiding his stash of money and guns in his mother's nursing home without her knowledge. Well, it'd be unforgivable if Livia was even slightly a good person. If you felt even a twinge of sorrow for her, she made sure to take it away by telling Junior Tony is seeing a psychiatrist. She was trying to tell him last episode, but was interrupted.
Speaking of that scene, we get a funny sequence of a down-on-his-luck comedian whose jokes and Bob Dylan playing is getting literally no response at all. This was a pretty comical episode between Chris trying to write a screenplay full of misspellings, Chris being pissed off that he's not mentioned in the news, Chris... well pretty much every Chris scene was funny in some hilarious or tragic way.
To recap Chris and his lack of an arc, he has guilt over shooting a guy, and unlike a normal, sane person, he thinks it's because the dead guy is trying to say he did something wrong with hiding the body. He might actually realize that it's because of guilt, but he thinks the response to removing that guilt is to move the body instead of... well trying to reform. That's why he has a lack of an arc.
Then the scene between Tony and Chris was brilliant. Tony trying to be sympathetic and trying to relate by asking if he's having similar problems to Tony. However, being tough guys who don't let anything on the inside, Chris brushes it off. It makes you cringe a bit when Chris says he's no mental midget. You can just feel Tony deflate inside. That's how you make a terrible person sympathetic against all odds.
RIP James Gandolfini (First post since his unfortunate death)
Surprise Guest Appearances
None unfortunately
Deaths
None, but I'd be remiss to not mention that Christopher shot a guy in the foot for basically no reason
Quotes
"I thought I was daed, but I manuged to get the drip on him." - Chris' poor spelling - As a side note, I can't imagine he's a good writer.
"No one would ever have ranked him as associate. SOLDIER? Brendan Filone - associate, soldier? Fuck you." - Chris at the apparent mob expert on the news program.
"You motherfucker, you shot my foot!" -- "It happens." - Funny exchange between the donut employee and Chris
"You're telling me you're planning a vacation, but you don't know if you'll go?" -- "Right. Let's put it this way, there's a strong possibility it will happen." - Hilarious exchange as both sides realize he's talking about getting arrested.
"That happens. The more of them you do, the better you'll sleep." - Big Pussy with perhaps not the best advice to get over the guilt of murdering someone
"Is that him?" -- "It'd be some fucking coincidence if it wasn't." - Chris, digging up his most recent murder over fear of doing something wrong
"You know I wipe my ass with your feelings." - Awww! Tony, Chris loves you too
"Now think about it: Why would someone who eats with sticks invent something you need a fork to eat?" - Tony on why the Chinese couldn't have invented spaghetti
Playlists
1. Frank Sinatra - Cake (from this episode)
2. Blood on the Leaves - Kanye West
3. Contact - Daft Punk
4. Ride Wit Me - Nelly
5. My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
3. Contact - Daft Punk
4. Ride Wit Me - Nelly
5. My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
I kind of feel for Chris in the bakery. He's under a time crunch, the guys notice when he is late, and he would have been even later if Gino (vito) filled up. All that stress from writing his script, one more person coming in and showing HIM up, who deserves more respect than Brendan Fillone?
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