Sopranos Episode Two Discussion ** SPOILERS INSIDE!

[Yeagermeister]

Pretty funny episode. I was on the edge of my seat there at the end, thought they were gonna kill Tony! It was such an incredible scene!

Chris describing his film idea was hilarious

“My idea is Saw meets Godfather 2…Proven track record, both genres…

Young wiseguy, assassin, gets betrayed by his people—they whack him. They leave his body parts in dumpsters all around the city, long story short, he gets put back together by science—or maybe it’s supernatural? [louder] And he gets ****ing payback on everyone who ****ed him over, including the c*** he was engaged to—she was getting porked by his boss the night the hero was killed.”

Gee I wonder who the main character could be be based on? :laugh2:

 

[Gaede]

Also, while AJ can be annoying, it's clear they're moving him in that direction. I hope they do it well without forcing him into the role with too many far-fetched contrivances.

Well put.

AJ has always been so stagnant--he never really seems to care about anything.

I like what they've done so far, I don't ever remember AJ showing any emotion...So the little bits and pieces of anger we've seen so far are intriguing.

But yeah, they can completely screw this up if it's too cheap and cliche.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

I thought it was funny when Silvio (I think it was him) was debating the difference between Michael Myers and Jason lol.

Yeah, that was funny.

Everyone knows Jason is a better killer but Michael is more evil and a more intellectual killer

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

I
Also, while AJ can be annoying, it's clear they're moving him in that direction. I hope they do it well without forcing him into the role with too many far-fetched contrivances.

I just don't see him as a mobster, too much of a weenie.

Now, personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Meadow working the pole at the Bada Bing, but that's just me

 

[Danny White]

Who'd have guessed? Tony comes out of his coma and the show becomes MORE boring.

There are some aspects of this show that are growing VERY thin.

The whole thing with the religious nut coming in to talk with Tony was very weak. I wasn't much more impressed with "Old Man Schwinn" and his philosophizing. And the whole rapper thing was a meaningless distraction.

I thought the Paulie/mother subplot was ok... but in an episode full of subplot it was all too much.

All in all, I think it was the weakest episode this season.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

Who'd have guessed? Tony comes out of his coma and the show becomes MORE boring.

There are some aspects of this show that are growing VERY thin.

The whole thing with the religious nut coming in to talk with Tony was very weak. I wasn't much more impressed with "Old Man Schwinn" and his philosophizing. And the whole rapper thing was a meaningless distraction.

I thought the Paulie/mother subplot was ok... but in an episode full of subplot it was all too much.

All in all, I think it was the weakest episode this season.

I'm with you. It was a "meh episode."

So when Bobby Bacala shot that other rapper in the butt cheeks and didn't kill him, does that mean he's in trouble now? Because let me tell ya, I am rooting for him to be the next family member to bite the dust. What bothers me is he doesn't feel like a mafioso, but most important, I've never seen an actor live off of five minutes in one television show as viciously as that guy. It could be Regis & "whatever her name is now," The Tony Danza Show, or the third spot on David Letterman, that guy is always on TV promoting some new cookbook, self-help tape or CD that is conviently tied into the maybe two whole hours of face time he's had the last six seasons on the Sopranos. Die Bobby Bacala, die!

 

[Yeagermeister]

It hasn't lived up to the hype but how could it after being gone so long.

I got a good chuckle when Tony is banging on the wall in the dream when Paulie is talking to him while he's in the coma.


They have to be building up to something big.

 

[jem88]

About Paulie...don't be fooled by previews. Not saying he will not but they have a way of making things look one way and it be something different when the show airs.

Besides I read somewhere that when they offered the guy to play the part of paulie he made them promise they would not kill him off.

Plus paulie is one of my favorites, always good for a laugh and I still think the pine barrens is one of, if not the, best episodes because of paulie.
I also like when christopher was doing bad and paulie started freaking out about everything.

You know I was bored the other day and I started compiling my top 5 Sopranos episodes. Here's what I came up with (in no particular order):

Pine Barrens (season 3)- Probably the funniest episode ever. Steve Buscemi was a great choice to direct this oen.

I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano (season 1 finale)- A total powerhouse of an episode. Tony comes close to whacking his mum, loses it on Melfi before finally convincing her to go into hiding, and cleans house- taking out Junior's key guys. Killer episode.

Funhouse (season 2 finale)- Probably the saddest show I've ever seen. Big *****'s last moments were hard to watch.

Whoever Did This (season 4)- The one where Tony takes out Ralphie. Probably the most shocking episode in the series.

University (season 1)- Tony takes Meadow to check out schools and comes across a 'rat'. More or less a mini-movie, with a self-contained plot. Apparently one of David Chase's favourites.

Honourable Mention- The Pilot episode- Incredible introduction to the show.

 

[Danny White]

You know I was bored the other day and I started compiling my top 5 Sopranos episodes. Here's what I came up with (in no particular order):

Pine Barrens (season 3)- Probably the funniest episode ever. Steve Buscemi was a great choice to direct this oen.

I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano (season 1 finale)- A total powerhouse of an episode. Tony comes close to whacking his mum, loses it on Melfi before finally convincing her to go into hiding, and cleans house- taking out Junior's key guys. Killer episode.

Funhouse (season 2 finale)- Probably the saddest show I've ever seen. Big *****'s last moments were hard to watch.

Whoever Did This (season 4)- The one where Tony takes out Ralphie. Probably the most shocking episode in the series.

University (season 1)- Tony takes Meadow to check out schools and comes across a 'rat'. More or less a mini-movie, with a self-contained plot. Apparently one of David Chase's favourites.

Honourable Mention- The Pilot episode- Incredible introduction to the show.

That is a perfect list. It's amazing... six seasons worth of episodes and I wouldn't disagree with you a single bit. University is a wonderful, very underrated episode.

 

[jem88]

That is a perfect list. It's amazing... six seasons worth of episodes and I wouldn't disagree with you a single bit. University is a wonderful, very underrated episode.

Cheers! I was trying to think of the most disappointing episode as well. Not an easy task with a quality show like The Sopranos but I came up with these:

Proskai Livushka (not sure about the spelling; from season 3)- The one where Livia Soprano dies. Nancy Marchand died before they finished filming the season, so they tried to recreate one last scene with her using CGI and snippets of old conversation. The result is positively ghoulish and completely unnecessary. There were some funny lines back at Casa Soprano following the funeral (Christopher philosophizing, Heche stumbling for words, etc.) Still Nancy Marchand deserved a more fitting send off than this and it would have been more appropriate for her character to have died prior to the season. The CGI thing comes off as a panicky attempt to show her one last time. It looks bad now; one can only imagine how bad it will look in 20 years time.

Pie O My (season 4)- I don't hate this one as much others do. Apparently, it's almost universally considered the worst episode in the entire series. Still, Tony and the horse don't exactly make for the most compelling drama.


Finally, there is "The Test Dream" (Season 5.) I'm not sure whether I loved or hated this episode. Dream sequences are a vital part of the show but this one was almost 30 minutes long. In hindsight, I think it was probably a necessary device to show Tony coming to the realization that something bad was going to happen (Tony Blundetto whacks Phil Leotardo's brother at the end of this one, very nearly leading to all out war with New York.) It was frustrating to watch the first time but it grows on you and I sense that that was what David Chase was aiming for.

 

[Gaede]

I personally LOVE the Test Dream. Looking back at it, I think it's one of the Soprano's best. It was so energetic, interesting and colourful. And the ending was incredible (Tony's charming conversation with Carm on the phone).

Anyways, I though last nights was the best of the season. Hilarious, interesting, a little cliche thrown in here and there, and Tony reasserting his position as the boss. Great episode.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I personally LOVE the Test Dream. Looking back at it, I think it's one of the Soprano's best. It was so energetic, interesting and colourful. And the ending was incredible (Tony's charming conversation with Carm on the phone).

Anyways, I though last nights was the best of the season. Hilarious, interesting, a little cliche thrown in here and there, and Tony reasserting his position as the boss. Great episode.

I guess we won't be seeing much of Vito anymore

It was a good on and Tony beating up the kid at the end was suprising. I wonder if they staged it? They had plenty of time to talk about it in the car.

I had never realized Frankie Valle was so short

 

[Duane]

I guess we won't be seeing much of Vito anymore

It was a good on and Tony beating up the kid at the end was suprising. I wonder if they staged it? They had plenty of time to talk about it in the car.

I had never realized Frankie Valle was so short

They spent too much time with the wedding but Vito getting busted was nice.

I am also wondering if the fight was staged but with Tony throwing up afterwards (from anxiety?) has me thinking it might have been real.

 

[Yeagermeister]

They spent too much time with the wedding but Vito getting busted was nice.

I am also wondering if the fight was staged but with Tony throwing up afterwards (from anxiety?) has me thinking it might have been real.

My thinking with the wedding is that they are setting up for when Meadow gets married. Tony is realizing how much his life would change if he was in Johnny shoes.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't think the fight was staged.

Just prior to that Tony was talking with Melfi and decided he needed to show the guys that although he is not 100% he is still the biggest bull on the block.

Plus he was sizing each of them up and took the muscular young guy out.

Reminds me of other movies and stories about guys that go into prison and fight the toughest guy they can find right off the bat to let others know not to mess with him.

About vito, that was funny him getting caught.
Then him calling Sil to guage if anything had been reported.

I have a feeling that Finn will let the cat out of the bag even if Vito kills the two guys that saw him.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I have a feeling that Finn will let the cat out of the bag even if Vito kills the two guys that saw him.

Finn may tell them but I think it will be after they find that he's wacked himself

 

[Danny White]

Finn may tell them but I think it will be after they find that he's wacked himself

Finn told Meadow last season, but she didn't really believe him.

 

[Danny White]

I don't think the fight was staged.

Just prior to that Tony was talking with Melfi and decided he needed to show the guys that although he is not 100% he is still the biggest bull on the block.

Plus he was sizing each of them up and took the muscular young guy out.

Reminds me of other movies and stories about guys that go into prison and fight the toughest guy they can find right off the bat to let others know not to mess with him.

I don't think it was staged either.

Mostly, I think Tony knew the guy was a hothead, and would respond when Tony hit him. Most of the other guys would have backed down to the boss... but that guy was too much of an idiot and a roid-rager to know that he should back down.

It also looked like Tony was throwing up blood.

It was funny, in the scene right before he provokes the kid, my wife was asking... "What's Tony's fascination with biceps?" :laugh2:

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't think it was staged either.

Mostly, I think Tony knew the guy was a hothead, and would respond when Tony hit him. Most of the other guys would have backed down to the boss... but that guy was too much of an idiot and a roid-rager to know that he should back down.

It also looked like Tony was throwing up blood.

It was funny, in the scene right before he provokes the kid, my wife was asking... "What's Tony's fascination with biceps?" :laugh2:

LOL at the bicep question.

Oh and I did not know if it was blood he was throwing up.
I kept thinking Pepto Bismol as it was pink but maybe it was blood.

 

[Yeagermeister]

LOL at the bicep question.

Oh and I did not know if it was blood he was throwing up.
I kept thinking Pepto Bismol as it was pink but maybe it was blood.

Did the guy even land a punch?