“When I was 21……” What a montage to open the season and welcome us back into the world of the Sopranos. Every character is introduced to us again without a single word being uttered. Some have changed, A.J. is older, Dr. Melfi is working out of a hotel, Tony is the boss and then, some haven’t changed at all, Carmela is still pulling her baked ziti out of the oven, Livia is still laying alone in a hospital bed- her cold eyes staring out at us plotting and scheming her next move and Chris is snorting a line of heroin. Time has passed but most remains the same or has it?
At first we believe Tony’s life is finally coming around. He seems happy, in control, making money and killing off anyone who even speaks a word of dirt against him. But after a number of surprises, Pussy’s mysterious reappearance and his money grubbing sister’s return, the repressed demons surface again. A panic attack and failed psychiatrists meeting later and Tony is back begging Melfi to take him back. It’s obvious she’ll eventually succumb and help him but at this point she gives him a good F you and sends him on his way. Although he may have seemed on top in the beginning, the reality is that Tony is lost, drifting in a world without control and ready to blow at any moment. By the end of the episode it seems clear that Tony is actually in a worst place than we’ve ever seen him before. What a great way to set up a new season!
Favorite moments:
The BBQ. Tony enraged by his sister’s sneaky action, must try to repress his anger at a family BBQ. A mega moment of acting for Gandolfini as Tony is forced to go ‘play’ with his friends by Carmela. He sees Pussy, manning the BBQ and begins slinging insults, his eyes beady and his tone bitter and harsh. Just as he couldn’t realize the truth about his mother until it was staring him in the face, he can’t face what he probably already knows about Pussy. If Pussy doesn’t know it, he’d better watch his back.
The final scene. Tony comes home early. Carmela, dressed in heels, her face made up and her hair coiffed perfectly for a day at home, is surprised to see him. They barely say more than a few words to each other. It seems like both have something to say but neither does. They’re distanced with no connection. She makes his food, he tells her to sit and still nothing. Maybe their marriage has hit one too many speed bumps, maybe without the kids around they don’t know what to do with each other, maybe they’ve stayed so separated that they have nothing in common anymore, or maybe one too many wrongs have been done and the marriage is broken. Whatever it is, you know this is the beginning of what will be a dramatic and difficult time in their marriage.
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