Having just watched the fifth episode of Season 6, I thought it was high time to bring back a classic.

 

This has been my favorite season so far. Everything is building, they reference things from the past unlike any other show on TV, and Tony Soprano continues to be one of the best written characters in the history of the medium.

 

CJ's going to be dropping his wisdom in this thread soon and I don't want to steal any of his thunder, so I just want to get this kicked off proper like if anyone wants to share their thoughts on what I consider real Must See TV.

Good lookin' on the thread title. You rawk. These young whippersnappers and thundercats who weren't around when the EZBoard version of SNKT deserve to know what WAS up back in the day.

 

Wasn't tonight's episode the FOURTH of the season? At any rate, tonight's episode "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request..." was about John and Ginny Sack's daughter Allegra getting married and John being let out of federal prison to attend. John got to attend, all right, but as long as he paid for heightened security, transportation and the marshals that would be accompanying him. Geez. They were okay to him for the most part until the end of the night when they decided to cut off the new couple's departing limo and handcuff John right in front of his daughter. Johnny broke down and CRIED and Ginny fainted. Way to go. Although Tony tried to make excuses for him, Phil Leotardo said immediately after, "My estimation of John Sacrimoni as a man just plummetted." Wow. Mine hasn't, by the way. As long as he has one scene each week where he gets to scream on or intimidate someone with just a look, he'll remain a favorite character of mine. He raised his voice at the bride-to-be as they made wedding arrangements in the prison visiting room tonight (I laughed) and then he punked his new son-in-law. "Thank you, John." "Thank you, who?" Their daughter, Allegra, is nearly as big as her mom. Watching her first dance with her new husband was hilarious.

 

Overall, most everything of consequence went down at the wedding. Tony almost passed out trying to take his shoes off to pass through the metal detector. AJ had a female friend there who, while smoking, said she doesn't eat fish due to the toxins in them. Ha. Most entertaining was Johnny and Tony discussing a hit right in the presence of federal marshals but covering it up by pretending they were talking to Sack's senile relatives.

 

I guess the most humorous moment of the night was Vito getting caught partying at a gay bar. He's gone missing now, hiding out a hotel with a pistol on the nightstand, contemplating suicide. He seems to have at least one moment every episode where he makes Meadow's boyfriend, Finn, nervous and uncomfortable. He did it again tonight at the wedding.

 

I love how Carmella talks to Tony as if he has a legit job. "So how was your first day?" Gimme a break. The guys were eager to make Tony comfortable. I'm sure everyone noticed everyone jumping up, tripping over themselves to get the onions off of Tony's sandwich tonight. And of course, I can't contribute to this thread without mentioning Tony taking it to his hot-headed new driver/bodyguard to re-establish his alpha-maleism in front of the fellas. The Vin Diesel look-a-like who Tony described as having "red pepper flakes up his ass" took a beating. Way to take one for the team, Muscles.

 

I don't know how many of you noticed in the opening credits but Steve Buscemi (who directed the classic "Pine Barrens" episode) directed tonight's episode, as well. I got a kick out of Tony's "ice breaker" during his first visit back with Dr. Melfi: "So how 'bout a mercy fuck?" Another funny moment: Christopher name-checking "The Godfather" when he spoke about not being able to refuse a man a favor on his daughter's wedding day. Tony: "It's the other way around!" Christopher: "Then you should've asked HIM for a favor and asked not to do it."

 

Junior is actually suffering from dementia and has been remanded to a cushy mental health facility. He comes in and out of it. Tonight he pleaded to go home and insisted he didn't shoot Tony. He has no memory of it whatsoever.

I noticed in the credits that Allegra ("Isn't that a cold medicine?"....fuck, I love Christopher) was played by someone with the last name of Van Zandt, which would lead me to believe she's Steven's real life daughter? If so, it would sort of explain why they didn't make more jokes about her size since Tony's crew would be the type that would normally be all over that shit.

 

The feds fucking with Johnny until be broke and Tony ending up being the one defending him to Phil was a great turn of the tables. Someone on another board suggested they were trying to break Johnny down to get him to flip, but they usually only do that to land someone higher on the food chain. Johnny's the boss so I don't know who they'd expect him to flip on.

 

I loved how Tony went from being all sentimental about wanting grandkids to beating the piss out of Vin Diesel Jr. I thought maybe he paid the kid off to take a dive, but then he proceeded to barf his guts out so maybe not.

 

I'm really looking forward to finding out where all of this will lead to.

Been some time since I posted here but I thought I would share my two cents about last nights episode and a little about the season thus far:

 

Been some time since I posted here but I thought I would share my two cents about last nights episode and a little about the season thus far:

 

Let me first say that with the exception of the first episode, this season so far has been very bland and mediocre. The episode with Tony in the hospital and it being basically a Carmella episode was terrible. I understand what they are trying to do and make you feel a certain way about the characters so that later you will be all "OMG!" when something happens, but come on. They have been off for 2 years and they come back with this stuff?

 

Last nights episodes finally filled in the holes and picked up on a lot of story lines.

 

I thought they could of gotten to Vito a lot sooner than they have. Considering the overall nature of the family and the stance on homosexuality in the Catholic community, especially amongst Italians, I thought they would of made this come to light a lot sooner, when they had 2 episodes that actually dealt with a small bit of homoerotic behavior.

 

Glad to see that they finally turned Paulie against Tony ("The Fleshy Part of the Thigh") because they have been foreshadowing it for almost 2 full seasons. What I didn't understand was that they were leading you to believe with the recap last night, that this episode was going to focus a little more on that storyline, when it actually never touched on it.

 

I liked what they did with Sacs, and having him basically fall apart at his daughets wedding in front of everyone. You could tell they were trying to set him up for a failure some time back. Having him turn into a "bitch" essentially, now puts others into a position to move up in ranks, and finally goes back to some other storylines.

 

I mean they released all the old timers, last season, and then only really gave you the story of Tony (Steve Buscemi) and a little with Bobby's dad when he came in to the do the hit on Crazy Horse, or whatever his name was. Then you had Robert Loggia's character introduced and he was out in no time. But they really havent brought into the story, yet, the reason that they let everyone know about the release of all these guys.

 

I thought the 2 episodes following Tonys shooting were terrible. The 2nd episode was just trash. Nothing happened, no story movements, Carmella just cried the whole time. The god damn dream sequences were out of control. Great, Tony is lieing in a coma dreaming we get it, but you know what, "the family" is out there moving around without him and falling apart, they could of shown that.

 

Why the fuck does it matter that Paulies mother is not who he thought. He was going to turn against Tony for money one way or another, they could of left this out as his motivation to take out the kids knees for cash behind Tony.

 

I am glad they tuned down Carmella's bitchiness it was getting over the top and annoying at times. But then again, we go from Carm, basically bribing Tony with the marriage for the house she wanted, and then *poof* all is better? Oh bullshit, also once they got the house they were going on to a story about Carmella and her father and the house not being up to code, nothing came of that and now all of a sudden the house doesnt exist.

 

I did like what they did with Tony last night just blasting that kid in the face after he was worried that everyone was not taking him seriously. Sometimes you just got to start some shit.

 

Why did they go through that whole thing with Bobby last week and having him shoot Treach in the ass? When we get to last nights episode over a month as passed, so it served no purpose other than maybe for comdey at the end of that episode.

 

I am glad to see that they are pushing Frank Vincents character into the open more. I am sure that we are going to see him as the head of the family soon.

 

So to sum up last night and the seasons thus far:

 

Ranking last night was the 2nd best episode so far, with the first episode being the best. I think that the season has dealt way to much with trying to win you over on Tony and Carmella and making you all sappy about them and their lives when we have been watching them for 5 seasons, they just now start to do this? I think that they should go with AJ a little more after his little diatribe on Junior to Tony at the hospital, and they need to do it soon otherwise what was the point of him saying that.

 

I think that this season has been the most boring so far, but at least last nights episode had some drama with Vito in it.

I disagree with that entire post except for the part about it being a little too pat and improbable that Tony and Carmella would be back together like nothing was ever wrong right now.

 

I don't feel like Paulie has "turned against" Tony. I didn't see a need to rush Vito getting found out; it was a tertiary storyline at best.

 

Sadly, what snowden believes has been the overall consensus amongst Sopranos "fans" that I come into contact with on a daily basis. They call the season too slow, boring, blah blah. But OMG Did you see Tony punch that guy? Did you see Vito at the gay club? It becomes obvious what they watch the show for (dead giveaway? "Why the fuck does it matter that Paulies mother is not who he thought?" Don't even get me started...Why does ANYTHING that happens to ANY character MATTER? It's called character development, people. Look into it.) whereas The Sopranos has never been about that and creator David Chase has ALWAYS not mentioned certain storylines for weeks at a time before coming back to them. We WILL see Treach and Lord Jamar again or any other storyline you believe to have been "dropped." This isn't WCW.

 

NO ONE can say anything negative about The Sopranos continuity. When you start raggin' on that, then it just tells me you're not really paying attention. Or are somehow incapable of doing such.

In a way, I kind of blame how the previews for the next week's episode always make it seem like everyone's getting whacked and war's going to break out. Then when someone does get killed, it ends up being a B teamer or just some random jobber on on the street.

 

I thought the Tony and Carmella stuff seem kind of far fetched, but recent episodes make it seem like Carm's just coming to terms with what Tony does for a living. A season or so ago she could barely bring herself to say the words "organized crime".Her pointing out that the envelope that Paulie and Vito dropped off was light seemed to bring that point home.

 

Speaking of, I actually thought the stuff with Vito was kind of ridiculous, does he go around with his Razor Ramon Hard Gay outfit on under his mob clothes like some sort of alternative lifestyle Clark Kent? Did he not know that the club he was at was part of someone's collection route? How can two jabronies mouth off to a captain like that and not get the piss beat out of them?

 

Sopranos storylines have always been of the slow boil variety, and it seems a lot of people just want to see motherfuckers get shot every week rather than quality storytelling and character development.

I actually think a lot of people expect Goodfellas type quality EVERY SINGLE WEEK with just the one hour show. Goodfellas was damn near three hours long and had time to develop the characters and whatnot. The Sopranos has been running for several seasons now, so people feel that they have a connection to a lot of the cast but when someone new is introduced, or when they try to slow-build towards a new storyline or a new character trait, people are just too impatient and they're like "whack that fuck."

Primo Matarazzo

Whatever you say boss, guess I don't know shit! I shall now run and cower in the corner as I have been told "what's up" and I am wrong. I will also make it a point that the next time I watch this fine show that I remember, "I am incapable of paying attention" because the show is obviously over my head right?

 

I can't formulate an opinion based on my observations becasue that would piss you off and force you to yet again feed me my ass on a plate with your astute oberservations. I will refrain from bringing up anything that doesnt agree with what YOU think anymore.

You know, not to point out the obvious but both Sek and Coffey made/agreed with the same points as I but you chose to single me out...why?

This week's episode will probably get a lot of hate because it seemed to be the palate cleansing comic break the show tends to offer up right before shit gets heavy, but it did plant the seed for some things that could be interesting.

 

First off, the stuff with Vito was just hilarious. Everyone in Tony's crew had me LOL'ing with their various reactions. I like how Tony really doesn't give a shit since his near death experience made him realize there's more important things to worry about than who's fucking who, but he knows that shit won't fly with the rest of his crew.

 

"The guys are asking for head... his head. What the fuck?!?" - no one can make "what the fuck" sound as hilarious as Tony.

 

Finding out that Angie (Big Pussy's widow) has money on the street is an interesting development. This goes way back to her and Tony having at it because she knew what Tony did to Pussy, and you know this new enterprise of hers is going to run up against Tony's business at some point.

 

One thing that jumped out at me in tonight's episode and the previews for next week is something I've suspected for a while now: I think we're going to find out Artie Bucco has something going on we don't know about. Ever since Tony burned his restaurant down (and he's been shown giving Tony looks that seemed to indicate to me he knew what happened), I've had a feeling that Artie is up to something. When he popped in to give the women their menus, and they mentioned how he's always interrupting them, I had a Bruce-Willis-in-The-Sixth-Sense moment flashing back to all the times Artie would pop up when the guys are talking business at the table. Then a few eps back we had Christopher busting his balls by pointing out he practically had the menu memorized by now. Then on top of that, think of all the times Artie's wife would give him a hard time for associating with gangsters, and I think something's up.

 

 

*edit* I almost forgot to add Tony hilariously botching his name-check of my very own (unfortunately) Sen. Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum in tonight's episode. I knew we weren't going to get out of the Vito storyline without someone referencing Mr. Dogsex.

This episode was filled with so many great quips about Vito's sexuality.

 

Tony immediately dismisses what is, at first, thought to be a rumor: "For all we know this guy's got a hard-on for Vito!" Christopher couldn't help but laugh. "So what we gotta do? Actually catch him taking it in the ass?"

 

Carlo: "Think about it, Tone...sudden weight loss?"

Paulie: "AIDS???"

 

Chris' friend offers: "It could be a mid-life thing." "Suckin' a cock?"

 

"He's a come-from-behind kinda guy!" Tony says at one point. Paulie probably took it the hardest, saying "I can't believe I took up for him. I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart! How much more betrayal can I take?" Bobby added: "Well, he can't be a part of our social club any more. That much I do know." Carlo related to Tony that the guys in Vito's crew have said they won't follow his orders if he ever returns. He suggested that Vito be found wherever he is and taken out, for the honor of the family. Tony: "Some people just love the high drama...like high school girls! They can't wait to whack somebody!"

 

I think Tony's reluctance to do something immediately about the situation is going to cause some dissention, as Silvio alluded to ("Let's say he comes back. You gonna kiss this guy on both cheeks? You cut him some slack and it's just the excuse some people need to seriously go off the reservation.") Tony's "It's 2006. There's pillow-biters in the Special Forces" comment didn't do much to sway Sil's line of thinking.

 

Carmella is starting to become the old, annoying Carm now that Tony's out of the woods. She went off on her dad, she's becoming impatient with Tony about not greasing a few palms or talking to the right folks about her spec house and you can sense the growing jealousy of Pussy's widow, Angie.

 

As far as Vito goes, I wonder if he'll stay put in New Hampshire for a while. Seems he found a community that's rather tolerant of same-sex couples.

 

Like Sek said, a nice filler/comedy episode. We'll probably get that "high drama" Tony spoke of this Sunday.

 

I almost forgot Tony's session with Dr. Melfi. Classic shit there:

 

Melfi: So what's the issue?

Tony: He's a faaaaaag! The guys that work for me are asking for head. ... HIS head! Fuck!

 

When Melfi asks him about prison, Tony says, "You get a pass for that. What're you gonna do? There's no women there!"

What more can be said about tonight than Lauren Bacall getting punched in the motherfucking mouth?

 

Also, I have to point out my brilliance in last week's recap:

 

 

One thing that jumped out at me in tonight's episode and the previews for next week is something I've suspected for a while now: I think we're going to find out Artie Bucco has something going on we don't know about.

 

 

I've always been amazed at how Artie gets away with saying shit to Tony that bigger men than him have got whacked over, and now he ups the ante by beating the piss out of Doogie Howser's friend and taunting him about his affair in front of his entire fucking family.

 

I know CJ was marking for the comments the cooks(?) made about wanting to titty-fuck Artie's wife while he was lecturing the staff about the credit card fraud.

 

I think that Artie's growing finanical mess is going to lead him to turn to the feds sooner than later, especially if this credit card ring gets blown up like I think it's going to.

 

Next week offers the tempting morsel of AJ possibly getting his ass beat, or at least a good screaming-at by Tony. I'll watch for that by itself.

Sek knows me all too well.

 

Indeed, I was like, "Mafuckin' right, Pedro!" when the staff were joking with each other about wanting to bury their cocks in Charmaine Bucco's cleavage. Hell, at that VERY MOMENT, I was thinking the EXACT SAME THING. I've ALWAYS loved her and I remember once spending a fair bit of time just yammering about her to Sek on AIM one evening.

 

As far as the show itself, this was all about the Artie Bucco/Benny Fazio tensions over the new Albanian hostess, Martina and the credit card scam and Nuevo Vesuvio's dwindling business and of course, Christopher and Lil Carmine's trip to attempt to secure Ben Kingsley for their movie.

 

Artie's generally a pretty likeable guy...until he gets in moods like he was in tonight's episode (I LOL'd when he shot that rabbit in his garden. You knew it was coming considering his mood but when he picked it up, looked at it and said, "Motherfucker!" I fell outta my chair...that and when Martina taunted him by saying that she and Benny go home and laugh at him behind his back as they make love on the piles of money they've stolen from him!).

 

Artie's temper has always managed to write checks his ass can't cash and last night was no exception. Tony constantly gives this guy a break because he grew up with him and because of that, Artie takes free license to do or say whatever he pleases. He doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. Benny wanted to KILL HIM. Instead, Tony made him back off and give Artie a pass. So what does Artie do? Shakes his hand at dinner and then slides in a wisecrack about his affair with Martina in front of Benny's entire family. He should've considered himself lucky is that all he lost was a layer of skin off of his sautee' hand.

 

Meanwhile, it disappointed me that Chris back slid so easily. That hooker did have some amazing cans but I'm pretty sure I would've been paying them more attention than the lines of coke he was snorting off of the coffee table. Seeing him hopped up and making his way through that luxury lounge with Sir Ben Kingsley was funny as hell. "They just keep handing it out...the coolest shit in the world to the people who need it the least." And yes, Chris in a ski mask socking Lauren Bacall for her goodies basket was priceless. I didn't quite understand why he would come home and offer Tony the tickets to the free trip to Australia...wouldn't that be traced?

 

All in all, another fun episode with some memorable moments (Phil Leotardo's Johnny Sack-like outburst and outrage about Vito at the dinner at the beginning, some little kids beating up on Vito's son at Da Giovanni, calling him 'Homo, Jr.'). I'm all for AJ finally probably getting his from his Dad hardcore next week.

CJ pointed out to me earlier that I have not contributed once to this thread, and sadly, because I didn't get the reference, receive the memo, or attend the meeting, I figuratively missed putting my cover letter on my TPS reports. So sue me. But I'm here now, for what it's worth.

 

I can't begin to describe my current ambivalence about Tony Soprano. You know, after all the bullshitting he did to Dr. Melfi about how great Carmella was, and him telling Carmella how lucky he was to have her, blah blah blah...then he goes out to try and bang Julianna Margulies? I'm sitting there, yelling, "NO TONY, DON'T DO IT, DON'T DO IT FOR GOD'S SAKE!" When he finally decides not to...he goes home and goes off on Carmella? Jesus H. Christ. What typical machismo, guilt-ridden bullshit.

 

Okay, so I'm a little biased here, because I see so much of my own father in Tony Soprano. But still. This is the last season, couldn't we get a LITTLE marital fidelity here? After all the talk about how Carmella really stood by him, too? Is that too much to ask??

 

And Vito being confused was funny, and then getting owned by the diner guy was HILARIOUS, but then DAMN~! He and ol' Johnny Cake boy go out for some riding...and some RIDING...WHOA. I love how after they totally squabbled, then Vito comes back and does the total "guy" apology. "Can I have some johnny cakes?" *rolls eyes* Comedy.

I don't know if all the stuff he said about Carm was bullshitting. If it was, he'd have nailed Nurse Carol Hathoway (that's who she'll always be to me). The fact that he couldn't lay the lumber to a hot chick like that proved that he really meant what he said about his wife. Of course, he shouldn't have made a play for her in the first place, but that's Tony Being Tony.

 

I dug the Vito stuff. Considering how long he's had to lie to everyone about who he really is, it's understandable he'd be a little wigged out when someone tried to make a move on him in public.

 

One thing I don't get, didn't they say that Vito lost all that weight from having gastric bypass? I know the actor did. If so, there's no way he could wolf down those mega stacks of Johnny Cakes with the 4 oz stomach that procedure leaves behind.

Talk about Living the Gimmick:

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Continuing a string of off-screen run-ins with the law, two more fringe characters from "The Sopranos"-- the television mob boss's favorite chef and his muscle-bound bodyguard -- have been charged in separate criminal cases.

 

John Ventimiglia, who plays temperamental chef Artie Bucco on the HBO cable hit, was arraigned on Monday on drunken driving, drug possession and other charges after officers spotted him weaving in and out of traffic in Brooklyn.

 

A criminal complaint alleges that when police pulled him over, the actor had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of booze. His blood-alcohol content was 0.12 -- the legal limit is 0.08 -- and he was carrying a bag with cocaine residue, the complaint said.

 

Ventimiglia, 42, was released without bail.

 

In a statement issued Tuesday, his attorney, Benjamin Petrofsky, said his client "feels terrible and embarrassed." He declined further comment.

 

In the Queens section of New York, Louis Gross -- who plays bodyguard Perry Annunziata on "The Sopranos" -- was charged with criminal mischief after a woman claimed that he broke into her home on April 18.

 

"I don't know nothing," Gross, 23, told reporters. "I'm innocent. I'm always innocent."

 

Arrests have become a rite of passage for a growing list of "Sopranos" cast members:

 

• Lillo Brancato Jr., who played an aspiring mobster on the show, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the slaying last year of an off-duty police officer who interrupted two men breaking into a Bronx home.

 

• Vincent Pastore, cast as gangster Sal Bompensiero, pleaded guilty in 2005 to attempted assault on his girlfriend and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service.

 

• Robert Iler, who plays Tony's rebellious son, pleaded guilty to mugging two other youths and stealing $40. He was given three years probation.

 

Gross's most memorable scene this season was taking a beating from James Gandolfini's character Tony Soprano, who wanted to prove his might to mutinous family members.

 

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

*grumble*

Okay, this is taking method acting a bit too far. Really. See the mobster...BE the mobster!

Not to mention that being mugged by AJ Soprano is a legit reason for suicide.

Whoever it was should immediately take a samurai sword and commit seppuku/hara kiri.

 

Dude, if AJ tried to take my shit, I would knock him the fuck out. "Fuck off you lame ass pussy!" *beats AJ over the head with her purse*

Tonight's episode was really good, as it had some of the best acting performances of the season and maybe of the whole run of the series.

 

Johnny Sack again had one of those performances CJ loves where you wonder how the actor didn't have a stroke just playing the part. No one does the "pissed off stare of death" like him. The look he had when his brother in law was trying to speak in mobster carny talk was awesome, like you know he wanted to strangle him with his own asshole right in the middle of the jail.

 

Tonight's ep also made me finally realize how wonderfully low key Sil is in the show. He doesn't get to rant and rave like everyone else but he's always right there to bust someone balls or let Tony know he's full of bullshit.

 

Poor Bobby gets jacked by the junior mafia and pretty much validates all the shit Tony said about him previously. You kind of feel sorry for him since all this shit happens to him, but then he's such a whipped little bitch it passes quickly.

 

Phil and the gang's reaction to Johnny copping a plea was rich too, talking about how he should have done his 20 years like a man after they pretty much wrote him off after the wedding fiasco.

 

Vito seems to have gone into vigilante mode, leaving the life he made for himself to go back to Jersey. Perhaps he knows they're out to whack him so he's going to take out as many guys as he can first? Someone at DVDVR made the point that perhaps Vito's whacking will give Phil the justification for whacking Christopher that he wants so bad?

Vito's "adjustment" to civilian life was the best. I guess afer being a gangster for so long there's just no way back. He gets a square job and he decides to actually LIE DOWN and take a nap ("I WAS RESTING MY HIPS!") and then after hours of not watching the clock, anxiously anticipating the HALFWAY point of his day, he finally looks at his watch and it's not even 10am. Hilarious.

 

And how does he handle his drunken fender bender? By shooting the poor innocent guy in the back of the head. Great.

 

he finally looks at his watch and it's not even 10am. Hilarious.

 

 

"FUCK ME!!!"

 

That was a genuine LOL moment for me....

I have a feeling Vito will come back, Phil will cap him, Tony will get pissed at Phil for killing Vito and leaving his parents fatherless and just when it looks like a war is going to break out, either Junior or Johnny Sack rolls over on everyone and the "additional episodes" will be the trial and fall out from the whole situation.

 

Just my two cents.

This past ep was one of the rare ones where I totally agreed with Tony when he looks at Dr. Melfi like "What the fuck?" when she started rambling about how Janice was the object of his early sexual fantasies and how the reverse may have also been true. That's one time where I thought, "Fuck your books, Doc. You're waaaay off base with this one."