The Story and Characters
One of the reasons why The Sopranos is so amazing is because of the story and the characters that inhabit this story. In many cases, a show or film about a mobster focuses on the crimes and the violence being done on people. We see that these mobsters are evil and vicious, and thus we have no sympathy or remorse for them. The Sopranos takes a different approach in telling a mob story. It focuses less on the violence and portraying these characters as pure evil, and focuses on trying to make you sympathetic towards them. The show actually focuses a lot on the inner conflicts and drama that these characters face on a daily basis. Much of the show deals with mental health issues, addiction, betrayal, and finding one's identity. Even when some of these characters do awful things, these awful acts are then juxtaposed with the characters grief or remorse for committing these acts of crime. For instance, one of the most dramatic and heartwrenching moments in The Sopranos was in season 4's finale, Whitecaps, where Tony and Carmella get into a huge fight. In a regular mob show, the finale of a season would probably be a huge shootout between the mob bosses; however, the big shootout in The Sopranos was the shootout between Tony and Carmella. How a show about a mobster who shoots and kills people choose to focus on the dramatic real-life issues of these characters, and make it some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching part of a show and a story just showcases the brilliance of writer David Chase's storytelling.
American Dream
The Sopranos is a show that clearly shines a light on the American dream. Every character has the motivation to become rich and to do something more with their lives. Yet, they are all stuck. Every character, whether they achieve their goal or not, are all sad and miserable and stuck in the rut of despair. Think about the main family and characters in the show, the Sopranos family itself. Tony has it all; two kids--one boy one girl--a wife, a big house, millions of dollars. He has everything that we the viewers and other characters in the show want to achieve. Yet, look at their family. Tony is seeing a therapist due to his anxiety and depression; Carmella is not happy about her marriage; A.J. battles with being a man and a looming sadness and loneliness that haunts him; and Meadow is dealing with the family's cruel business. These are not happy characters; and yet, they have the American dream. They have money to their heart's content. On paper, an amazing life; in execution, one of the saddest and most depressing life anyone can have. That is something that The Sopranos is trying to portray; that the American dream of becoming rich can be fulfilled, but it comes with the price of losing your happiness and sanity. Even today, twenty years later, The Sopranos frame of the American dream is as real as ever.
The Sopranos is a show that clearly shines a light on the American dream. Every character has the motivation to become rich and to do something more with their lives. Yet, they are all stuck. Every character, whether they achieve their goal or not, are all sad and miserable and stuck in the rut of despair. Think about the main family and characters in the show, the Sopranos family itself. Tony has it all; two kids--one boy one girl--a wife, a big house, millions of dollars. He has everything that we the viewers and other characters in the show want to achieve. Yet, look at their family. Tony is seeing a therapist due to his anxiety and depression; Carmella is not happy about her marriage; A.J. battles with being a man and a looming sadness and loneliness that haunts him; and Meadow is dealing with the family's cruel business. These are not happy characters; and yet, they have the American dream. They have money to their heart's content. On paper, an amazing life; in execution, one of the saddest and most depressing life anyone can have. That is something that The Sopranos is trying to portray; that the American dream of becoming rich can be fulfilled, but it comes with the price of losing your happiness and sanity. Even today, twenty years later, The Sopranos frame of the American dream is as real as ever.
Tony Sopranos
Of course, this show would be nothing without the great Tony Sopranos played by James Gandolfini. What could be said about Gandolfini's portrayal of a mob boss with mental health issues that have not been said before? The portrayal of an evil, brooding man, who is then juxtaposed with a sad, and lonely character is absolutely brilliant. There are so many layers to Tony's character that, even with recent shows like Mad Men, Better Call Saul, and Breaking Bad who have deep and complex character, still stands up as one of the most dynamic and complex television characters ever. Seeing a mob boss who kills and tortures people, to then have panic attacks and have to seek help through therapy to deal with his anxiety and self-loathing is not only so complex, but it is also very relatable. We may not relate to Tony's evil, almost Machiavellian ways of dealing with people, but we can all relate to a character that feels sad, lonely, and wants a way out of his own mentality and thoughts. It is that relatability, but also that evil and maniacal nature, that makes us love and hate Tony simultaneously. We can hate Tony because of his actions, yet we feel sympathetic for his sadness, and yet, we love the complexity of the character itself. This diversity of emotion and actions of Tony makes Tony one of the greatest television characters to this date.
That Ending (A bit spoilery)
Yes, I love the ending of The Sopranos. At first, like most, I hated it. I literally went up and checked if the television broke or if the table got disconnected in some way. Without spoiling much (but a bit of a spoiler), almost everyone knows that the screen just turned to black randomly. 6 long seasons with the Sopranos family, 6 long seasons of heart-wrenching and depressing television, and all we get as a resolution is a random quick cut to black. It was, and still is, one of the most shocking and unexpected endings in any form of media ever. At first, no one liked it. Go on top ten lists of worst television show endings and The Sopranos will surely be up there. However, that is simply not the case anymore. Writer David Chase was ahead of his time when the show started and when it ended. No one, including me, understood the brilliance behind the ending of the show. How the ending was a perfect fit for such a dark, brooding, television show. We all probably wanted to see some form of retribution to come Tony's way, or to see Tony change by the end; or to see the family get together and have dinner together. We get none of that in the finale. What we get is ambiguity; what happens to Paulie? What happens to Tony's family? What about Tony himself? While there are thousands of theories online, it becomes somewhat clear what the answers to these questions are if you pay attention. Where shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men ended in a way that wraps up all the loose ends and sends off all the characters in a nice, maybe even happy way, The Sopranos, on the other hand, did something different. And because it took that risk, and because David Chase was willing to receive much backlash at the start, The Sopranos to me and to most other people has easily one of the most memorable and amazing endings to a television show yet.
The Sopranos is to this date still on my top 3 favorite television shows of all time. It is a remarkable show all around and even though it is twenty years old, with the prequel being underwork, it is now the time to get in and watch one of the greatest television show of all time.
That Ending (A bit spoilery)
Yes, I love the ending of The Sopranos. At first, like most, I hated it. I literally went up and checked if the television broke or if the table got disconnected in some way. Without spoiling much (but a bit of a spoiler), almost everyone knows that the screen just turned to black randomly. 6 long seasons with the Sopranos family, 6 long seasons of heart-wrenching and depressing television, and all we get as a resolution is a random quick cut to black. It was, and still is, one of the most shocking and unexpected endings in any form of media ever. At first, no one liked it. Go on top ten lists of worst television show endings and The Sopranos will surely be up there. However, that is simply not the case anymore. Writer David Chase was ahead of his time when the show started and when it ended. No one, including me, understood the brilliance behind the ending of the show. How the ending was a perfect fit for such a dark, brooding, television show. We all probably wanted to see some form of retribution to come Tony's way, or to see Tony change by the end; or to see the family get together and have dinner together. We get none of that in the finale. What we get is ambiguity; what happens to Paulie? What happens to Tony's family? What about Tony himself? While there are thousands of theories online, it becomes somewhat clear what the answers to these questions are if you pay attention. Where shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men ended in a way that wraps up all the loose ends and sends off all the characters in a nice, maybe even happy way, The Sopranos, on the other hand, did something different. And because it took that risk, and because David Chase was willing to receive much backlash at the start, The Sopranos to me and to most other people has easily one of the most memorable and amazing endings to a television show yet.
The Sopranos is to this date still on my top 3 favorite television shows of all time. It is a remarkable show all around and even though it is twenty years old, with the prequel being underwork, it is now the time to get in and watch one of the greatest television show of all time.
No comments:
Post a Comment