Monday, June 04, 2007

Sopranos Rewind: The Blue Comet

I ain't saying nothing here for fear of spoiling one of the best -- and certainly one of the busiest -- episodes in the history of "The Sopranos." Just go read my thoughts over at NJ.com and comment here.

81 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for writing such wonderful analysis and comments of the Sopranos episodes - I look forward to reading them every week. How do you put them up so quickly?! What's your prophesy for next week for everyone? Didn't you think that Tony put Melfi in her place, though, because I think she acted terribly.

Anonymous said...

I kinda feel speechless after tonight's episode. It was so brutal, and while it's been hinted at for a while, I didn't think things would actually go in this direction. I miss the more reflective episodes!!!

I'm not real happy that the writers seem to be implying that Melfi has been naive and a major enabler all these years. She deserves better.

Adam said...

Dread, dread, all around. I'm now leaning towards suicide-by-indifference as Tony's end; lets Phil's guys kill him as a way to free the rest of his family. Just felt like Hitler's bunker at the end.

Uday said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Uday said...

Great review Alan. Tony would never commit suicide. He'd rather go out guns blazin' .. fighting till his last breath for what's his. What message would suicide leave to his family?

Undercover Black Man said...

Master class in direction and editing, that's for sure. All three guns-blazing scenes were great.

Master class in scene-writing: the Melfi/Tony scene... a great way to end that story. I loved the visual device of the lines of type when Melfi was reading in bed.

Anonymous said...

What an all-around awesome discussion of this week's episode. Since you're good about it, I'll be, too: I'm going to mention spoilers. A few questions and comments.

1. One of the New York guys mentioned that Baccala used to be Junior's driver, but now he's the number three in New Jersey. Why wouldn't Tony work on building up his manpower? Maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention, but it doesn't seem like he's done this, even as people have died. I understand it's not like a company where promoting somebody can happen immediately, but you'd think more of an emphasis would be place on this. Also, is Paulie a lot lower in rank than I originally thought?

2. "-Tony draining the pool seemed, like Carm hiding A.J.'s belts, an obvious method of suicide prevention, but it's one more beloved thing that's been taken from him in these past few weeks."

There was something that depressed me about that scene, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I didn't even think of what you described at first, but it makes perfect sense.

3. "...or Charmaine Bucco's visit to Tony and Carmela's table to passive-aggressively mock them about Meadow and A.J.?"

Once again, I didn't think of this, even as the scene got to me, and once again, it makes perfect sense.

4. "-Where on earth is Tony hiding out? Parts of the house resembled Junior's, but not all of it, and what would Junior be doing with a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Silvio in his living room? Frankly, what would anyone?"

I can't imagine it'd be Junior's House. Wouldn't that be too obvious a place, a location Phil would know about?

5. As I said on another board, I don't want Paulie to die, or at least I'm glad he didn't earlier this season. For all of the wrong reasons, I like his attitude on the show.

Michael said...

My dad thinks that the whole Islamic terrorist watch has been a red herring, that it's been there only to let the FBI interact with Tony at Satriales - so that in the aftermath of the demise of his empire, he can turn state's evidence to the FBI against the NY crew and go into witness protection.

As far fetched as it sounds, with only Paulie and Patsy left out of his inner circle, how can Tony rebuild the NJ gang? Promote all those young guys to captains? I'm sorry, but if you were a former sidekick on "Doogie Howser", you don't get to be a captain.

Anonymous said...

the cut to the close up of the band aid on Tony's hand when Sil tells Tony about taking out Burt-- what's the significance there? Did I miss something? Somebody please shed light on this...

SJ said...

At least Bobby died doing what he loved.

And I'm glad they mentioned Junior again.

And kemazi, I was wondering the same thing. Why would they focus on his band-aid...I don't have a strong memory so can someone please tell if there was a moment in the previous episodes where Tony injured his hand?

I have to say the directing was a big highlight for me. Gandolfini, as usual, was magnificent. I don't think anybody else will be getting an Emmy.

Anonymous said...

it was silvio's hand...where he presumably had rope burn from strangling the double agent

Shawn Anderson said...

The shot of the bandage on Sil's hand was Tony's view... a way of showing that Tony knows that Sil did the job himself.

Anonymous said...

Very nice editing of the sequence where Bobby gets whacked. Effective and jarring, without being over the top. Nothing short of an homage to Sergei Eisenbahn.

Edward Copeland said...

I wasn't sure, but to me it looked as if Tony were hiding out in Livia's old house, which would have all sorts of added layers of meaning. The one thing I think is a shame about this episode is that it aired outside the Emmy eligibility period. Since Bracco is finally being submitted in supporting where she belongs, this could have been the episode that brought her the statuette.

Anonymous said...

Was anyone else thinking of Scarface when Tony pulled out the assault rifle at the end of the show? I suppose that's one possible way for this show to end, but it doesn't seem like Chase's style.

Anonymous said...

I assumed it was Livia's/Janice's old place, but didn't that get sold?

Great f--king episode, and while it did feel a bit anti-climactic at points (the whackings were bound to happen), the visceral shock of it was still great. I was honestly scared waiting for the credits to come up, as I thought any second Tony might get it (and I don't know if it's just his general mannerisms, but didn't Paulie seem a bit shifty at times, as if he was getting ready to cap someone?).

I honestly have no idea how it will finish, but at this point, this show is really going down as the spectacle of all television, and one that I sincerely doubt that can replicated.

Anonymous said...

"Paul c.". Due to the obviousness of the reference, yeah, but I was more concerned he was going to commit suicide.

LinGin said...

Edward Copeland -- the Emmys have announced that the nominating period will extend through June 10 to allow the "Sopranos" to be eligible for this year.

Alan, you gave me food for thought regarding Kupfurberg. His behavior in the past two episodes has been the most horrifying, not only because it was unprofessional but also because of the pure meanness of it. But your pointing out that it was an unintentional intervention that Melfi might have really needed has me rethinking that Kupfurberg might have been doing her a favor. I wonder where that relationship is going.

And the big untold story for me has always been about the sister who got out of the family, Barbara. How did she manage to get out alive, so to speak?

Alan Sepinwall said...

Re: the hideout, I've been told it's just a random safehouse, not a home we've seen before. And it bears no resemblance to the layout of Livia's old home.

Still trying to figure out about the Silvio cut-out, though...

Jim Monaghan said...

Loved Tony's line to Dr. Melfi that was she was doing was immoral, without even a hint of acknowledgement that his own lifestyle could easily be classified as such.

Knowing that very little that happens on the show is by chance, I'm also intrigued by the Silvio cutout.

Alan Sepinwall said...

Something I added to the NJ.com blog post this morning:


-Remember that baffling "Seven Souls" montage from the beginning of last season? Looks like it's bad luck to be a part of it -- at least, if you're in the Family instead of the family. Bacala (who was, of course, playing with his trains during that montage) joined Vito, Eugene and Ray Curto in the strip club in the sky, leaving Janice, Meadow, A.J. and Carmela alive -- for now.

DNR said...

Jesus, so much plot so fast. And it played out perfectly. And yeah, I think Tony had a right to call out Melfi for being unethical in the way she dumped him professionally. Even if it was the right thing to do, she crossed over several professional barriers, was passive aggressive, overly involved, snitty, and dishonest. Truly, Tony's much worse, but she is supposed to be held to a higher standard than a mob boss.

Of course, that's just the latest, and possibly final demonstration of how Tony corrupts everyone and everything he touches.

Anonymous said...

Two thoughts after yesterday episode:
-- By this year's narrative pattern, I guess there's a 50% shot that Phil will be taken out (likely by the feds) in the first couple of scenes of the finale.

-- Now, with Bacala, Melfi and Silvio gone, how many minutes into the finale till Carmela find the truth about Adriana and how high are the odds that when confronted by it, Tony will menage to somehow made things worst by talking about Christopher.

Kris Eton said...

Does anyone else think it was significant that Tony told Carmela they don't go after the family (i.e. her or the kids)?

The scenes from last week included the insult to Meadow in the restaurant...which emphasized that Phil Leotardo and his men don't seem to think the same way Tony does.

Perhaps it's Carmela, A.J., and Meadow who are in trouble....?

The train scene was brilliantly done. Not only did it add to the tension of the scene, it was a piece of art.

Anonymous said...

I didn't realize it until the credits were rolling that Tony had gone to say hello to Eric Mangini. When Artie said it, I couldn't understand him nor did I recognize Mangini when they showed him. So yet another mention for Tony's favorite team....

Abbie said...

Re: "going to the mattresses"

We've seen a shot with Tony in bed every episode this season so far, ending with the last scene last night.

I am so going to miss this show.

Anonymous said...

When Phil's men were plotting their attack, someone asked if they were going to take out Paulie, and they said no -- but I wasn't able to catch the reason they gave. Could it be that Paulie is secretly working for Phil?

Anonymous said...

A ggod episode as far as action goes, but overall I think there were significant problems with character development here. Would Melfi really dump Tony so quickly after being ridiculed by her peers? And Leotardo's decision also seemed to come too quickly. Perhaps these seem forced because the show is running out of time. Up to now, we have seen more leisurely developments.

Abbie said...

Also loved: (paraphrased)
"Paulie takes full responsibility, but wants you to know he didn't do nothing."

lindayarnell said...

The torn-out page (with the recurring meat theme0 serves as Melfi's copout for confronting and kicking Tony. Great, but how did she see him do it out in the waiting room?

And remember Melfi's elderly teacher who straight-talked Carmella? Too bad he couldn't have counseled Melfi instead of Kupferberg.I vote him as the only moral character in the series. Charmaine doesn't qualify. She is too bitter.

Endings? Assault rifle "my little fren"? Been there done that.
Witness protection purgatory? BTDT "Goodfellas" Suicide? Tony despises that. Only new possibility: getting in the way of some terrorist activity serving as a Muslim deus machina.

Tom Servo said...

Anybody else remember that news story from back in March when they were trying to film a scene inside an ice cream store for the finale, but they ran into some legal problems, and it was rumored that the scene was the final one of the series?

Bobman said...

Alan, you should write a book with all of your Sopranos recaps to date. I only found this blog (and thus your Sopranos insight) this season, I'd love to go back and watch the series with your columns in hand.

Also, did anyone catch the music playing in the Bing when Tony put out the hit on Phil? "When the Music's Over" by The Doors.

"When the music's over, turn out the lights."

Amazing how subtle Chase is with his musical cues. It's really one of my favorite things about the show.

Anonymous said...

Alan: I guess I can point my assumption up to the fact that all the houses there seem somewhat generic. But yeah, the Silvo cutout did make me chuckle.

Kurt: I believe it was somewhere in NJ that it was being filmed, and the council wasn't to happy about it (negative stereotypes and the like), but HBO was able to get around it by only filming from within the store or something like that, hence, not needing council approval. And I think you are right that it was the final scene.

Irene Done said...

Daniel -- The answer, when Phil's men ask if Paulie should be targeted, is "No, management."

Anonymous said...

Any chance next week's show could pick up 6 months down the line, or at some point in the future and the show could end with a look at how things changed since last night and where they're headed in the future?

Susan said...

I thought the most interesting thing about Melfi's decision was how human it was - it seemed to be made less from the point of view of a therapist who didn't feel she was helping her client than from the perspective of someone who feels she's been used and is ready to be done with it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with kris eton above -- I think it's dangerous to assume (as Tony does) that Phil won't touch his family. He sent them to a house that Carmela just bought -- which would be a matter of public record -- and took himself and his cronies off to a real safe house. (Note: he offered Carmela two choices, a hotel or the house she just bought. They clearly were not at a hotel at the end.) As much as I'm filled with dread at the thought of what this might mean, I think Phil's going to use Carmela, AJ and Meadow to get at Tony. I don't think Chase will have really done justice to his original conceit if Tony's blood-family isn't touched by "thing thing."

I put Tony sending his family to that house on the same plane with him allowing his guys to dump asbestos into the wetlands. He's soiling his own nest, and next week is going to be ugly.

Anonymous said...

Shoot! What I meant to say, was "if Tony's blood-family isn't touched by this THING.' Not thing thing. Jeez.

Edward Copeland said...

One other thing I find really sad is that Bobby's poor children are now left with Janice as their mother.

Kevin J. Guhl said...

I thought Paulie was Tony's underboss but the New York crew doesn't consider him management. I thought it was funny, though, because you knew Paulie was going to be concerned that everyone was coming to get him, when, in truth, he's hardly a blip on New York's radar.

Edward Copeland said...

I hadn't heard about that Emmy change. That is good for the shows in question, but I imagine other series might be crying foul.

Alan Sepinwall said...

Paulie's only a captain, and a fairly marginalized one these days. Sil was consiglieri. The Jersey Family doesn't have an underboss as presently structured; Bacala (and Chris before him) was the closest they had to it.

Kevin J. Guhl said...

While that makes sense, Alan, HBO's Web site claims that Paulie is the underboss. Look at the character page for Tony Soprano; listed in his relationships is "Paulie Walnuts - Underboss." The link is: http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/character/tony_soprano.shtml

Granted, HBO could just be wrong, although the info there is usually taken by some fans as gospel. Case in point is Hesh's girlfriend dying from a stroke, which wasn't stated in the show but was in the synopsis.

Kevin J. Guhl said...

Hmm, link wouldn'y post. Here it is again. Just take out the space after "character:"

http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/character/

tony_soprano.shtml

Anonymous said...

Tony's worst possible end is happening. I don't think he will die. He will be left as a " Cheif" with no Indians, a "leader" with no followers (which can you really be a leader with no followers?) his reliable "friends" are all dead or alienated from him. All that's really left is Paulie and he is beyong annoyed hanging out with him. His son is a eff-up who whimpers, Meadow is the disappointing daughter who's headed into the family business (criminal law, Meadow?), and his wife is just (ugh!) in complete denial about everything. (You'd think she'd be used to everyone dying by now since so many people have. Like she just refuses to get it.)

There's so much specualtion of how the series will end and it all draws from the ending of previous great mob flicks. He's not going to flip. Too Goodfellas. He's not going to be alone to reflect. Too GF III. He's not going out in a blaze of glory. Too Scarface. Chase won't do that. He's smart enough to make his own statement. I won't even specualte as to what it could be. (Though I think the worst possible ending would for T to be in a horrific position and not even know it.) I can't guess what Chase will come up with, but I know it will be brilliant.

Oh, and Janice's kids? Wow. I feel so sorry for them.

I love this show.

Anonymous said...

When Phil lays out all his problems with the way the Jersey crew conducts its business, is he inaccurate about any of it? Especially after we see how badly they bungled the Phil hit? We know Phil's really orchestrating this war because he's mad about his brother and resentful that Tony never did any significant prison time, but again, is he off in any significant way in his characterization of the Jersey crew as a bunch of bumblers?

I agree Alan, but one might also argue that the killing of Phil's brother is another example of how bad Tony often runs his crew. This is one of the most impressive aspects of last nights episode, they did a great job at showing how inepted Tony's men often are.

Jen said...

Alan-- Long time listener, first time caller. Thanks again for providing so much insight into this great show.

Did anyone else think that Tony, Bobby and Sil were woefully unprepared for last night's events, especially after the early warning Tony received from Spec. Agent Harris?

Even if they thought they had the situation under control by calling in the "cousins," to take care of Phil, wouldn't they have expected retaliation from NY?

Bobby was oblivious and Sil couldn't even find his pistol. Shocking.

Joe said...

kris eton--

The house that Carm, AJ and Meadow are staying at is Ginny and Johny's old house, that they bought.

The Movie-

I heard Chase would make it a prequal.

Anonymous said...

Another thing about draining the pool is that now the ducks have nowhere to come back to.

I don't think Paulie is working with NY. He learned his lesson after telling Johnny Sack about the insult to Ginny, and we saw how that almost came back to whack him in the ass!

Anonymous said...

Did anyone else think that Tony, Bobby and Sil were woefully unprepared for last night's events, especially after the early warning Tony received from Spec. Agent Harris?

That's precisely the point. Tony never had to actually deal with anyone like Phil before, he not only has far more manpower, he is willing to go at an all-out war because he know he can't actually lose. And Tony's crew is not prepared for such a thing. The show has always giving signs that Tony doesn't actually ran Jersey that greatly. Tony has always being good at the political side of things, put him in a room talking and he manages to make a compromise that makes everyone happy, but the fact that he has to do that all the time is a sign that things actually are not run very smoothly. 5th season New York mess make the Jersey guys look good and this episode was a great corrective.

Anonymous said...

"The house that Carm, AJ and Meadow are staying at is Ginny and Johny's old house, that they bought."

I'm pretty sure that's not the case. That's where Tony took Carm et al immediately after they left the Soprano house, but he told Carmela to go either to a hotel, or to a new house that she just bought. I'm pretty sure they were just meeting up with Janice and the kids there, prior to departure.

Joe said...

The house that you see Paulie lock is Ginny's old place

dramateacher said...

I agree Paulie is up to no good- He's a survivor-just like a cockroach. Maybe he tipped off NY so that Phil didn't visit his gumar as usual. He also seemed very shifty,and why did he pull up and speed away? Also, he mentioned he barely lived through the last "war",that he escaped by "The skin of his b*lls". He may have learned an invaluable lesson! Also, it makes sense he would stick by Tony in the safe house if he thinks he's immune. Tony should have whacked him on the boat! If anyone deserves to die,it's Paulie Walnuts!

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget another classic Soprano's line from "The Blue Comet" with Tony paying homage to Bob Dylan:

"You don't need a gynecologist to know which way the wind blows."

Classic.

Kris Eton said...

Hey, does anyone remember from the last episode (not last night but the one before Memorial Day Weekend) when they were showing scenes for the last 2 episodes? I seem to remember a quick flash of Janice either yelling or screaming in a driveway or on a sidewalk outside a house.

This did not happen last night. The only time they showed Janice was inside with the kids on the couch.

I'm leaning very much towards Tony's family ending up as the targets here--perhaps Janice will be the only one that makes it out? Why would Janice be out in the street like that? Bobby is already dead. What would she be reacting to?

Does anyone else remember that shot?

Anonymous said...

Some people are talking about the possibility of Paulie working with NY, but that doesn't make sense. If he was working for Phil, why wouldn't Paulie just shoot Tony when it was just the two of them in the house?

Anonymous said...

wow, a lot of great food for thought here. And a great recap, Alan.

that train scene was indeed thunderously great. One of the best things they've ever done.

I must be alone in not seeing Melfi's behavior as not that out of the blue. I think she's wrestled with having Tony as a client for years. I think the way they brougth it about -- with Kupferberg being a jerk at the dinner party -- was a little on the obvious side, but still. He was just bringing up concerns she's been trying to bury for years. Not that I agree with his methods or his snobbery, but she had to admit that Kup was right. And I thought her kissoff scene with Tony was absolutely crackling. Excellent stuff.

It never occurred to me that Paulie could be a double agent. But it does make sense. Still... Paulie? Not sure he has the brains to survive such machinations, not sure he has what it takes to manipulate both sides successfullly. He's no Vic Mackey, heh. But still, Paulie? I guess he is that selfish. Could happen.

My guess -- purely a guess -- Carmela takes out Tony in some way. If she had to pick between the survival of her kids and Tony's continued survival, she'd pick Meadow and AJ in a heartbeat.

Then again, I don't like making any sort of prediction as to what Chase will do. Because I'll probably be wrong.

Gotta wonder what the very last song over the closing credits will be.

Anonymous said...

To clarify my muddled sentence, I don't see Melfi's dismissal of Tony as being out of the blue or out of character.

Anonymous said...

kris eton: janice also appeared outside Tony's house as he was working on the pool - asking him for $ for Junior. Maybe that was the shot they showed.

Anonymous said...

"The only time they showed Janice was inside with the kids on the couch."

Janice also was out back talking to Tony in this episode (went to ask for money for Uncle June) Was that the scene you saw?

another thought. i hated the flashback at the end-- the one tony had of bobby. thought it was overkill. tony holding the gun bobby gave him as a present and the look on his face was enough. i like the show best when they make me work/think to get it. my only real criticism of an otherwise amazing episode.

can't wait till next week.

Anonymous said...

Ten Reasons Why Paulie Could Be Turncoat

1. When Bobby and Sil sent out the hit on Phil, Paulie challenged them and hesitated. He was clearly flustered.

2. Contrast Paulie's reaction to the hit on Phil, above, with his calmness when TS was packing up. He was flip enough to "look at the stems on blondie." He also wasn't anxious at Junior's house. He wouldn't be that calm unless he knew when and where it would happen.

3. When Paulie met with Patsy (presumably to discuss setting up the hit on Phil) we were only shown traces of two conversations, one at the bar and another at the head. Something big could have been edited from those conversations. All we really heard was Paulie saying "Don't worry."

4. More importantly, when Paulie went outside to introduce Patsy to the guys from Naples, he sped off in his car. I remember a previous episode where the test for loyalty was how quickly the person drove off in a car after a meeting: if they drove off normally, then they were loyal; if they sped off (gravel, etc.), then they were anxious because they were not loyal. Paulie sped off and you could hear the gravel.

5. Paulie could have leaked the information to Phil allowing him to set up a doppleganger at his routine "meetings."

6. After the hit on Phil's doppleganger, Paulie met with Sil and wanted to leave town. He would have left if not for the unfortunante newspaper article and picture. Paulie could have wanted to leave because he new it would get bad for Jersey.

7. When New York was sending out the hits, somehow they knew that Bobby was the number 3 man. That could only come from the inside (i.e., Paulie).

8. When New York was sending out the hits, they purposfully left out Paulie from the list.

9. Paulie's episode with TS, where they went to Florida and the two went fishing, scared him. He's previously courted New York and likely is courting them again out of self preservation.

10. Paulie is old school. Phil is old school.

(Anonymous, but still EvilGator)

Abbie said...

Rewatched at lunch today, and two notes:

1) the car that hits the motorcyclist after the Bing shooting is a Prius, and I think that was an interesting intentional choice- read into it as you please.

2) Where was AJ? We saw Meadow and Carmela go into Janice's house (Johnny & Ginny Sack's old place) but AJ was not with them. He was talking to Blondie outside the Soprano house while Paulie and Tony were locking up and talking about Silvio in the next scene. But we didn't see AJ at the safe house. He wasn't with Tony, and he wasn't in Paulie's car. I got the feeling after the bedroom encounter that Tony was going to take AJ with him, though that seemed a little risky, even if Tony was angry.

Anonymous said...

An interesting (although probably unintentional) Sopranos/Goodfellas connection in the most recent episode:
After the failed hit on Phil, the bartender shows Paulie and Sil the newspaper article and asks something like "Does this look like anybody you know?" referring to Phil.
In Goodfellas, there's the scene where Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy are having a late night meal at Tommy's mother's house, and she show's them a painting. The three of them are on their way to dispose of Billy Batts, played by Frank Vincent. The painting shows a man with white hair, like Batts', and Robert DeNiro says something like "Looks like someone we know."

Anonymous said...

Where was Little Carmine this week? I kept waiting for him to have a role in the NY/NJ war.

Great episode, and great recap as usual Alan.

Anonymous said...

Alan, love your analysis very week. Thanks for all your insight.

Are you sure that was a cut out of Sil in the safe house? Last night I thought it was Sil, too, but when I rewatched it again tonight, I couldn't tell who it really was.

Finísima Persona said...

I'm with EvilGator regarding Paulie being NY's "inside man". I would add a couple or so theories to the ten that were previously posted:

11) Paulie already flirted with changing sides, back when Johnny Sack was still in charge.

12) Paulie is quite ready to take full responsability for the botched job on Phil. Maybe he knows nobody of importance is gonna be left standing when this whole deal ends?

13) After rewatching the whole episode, it's almost astonishing how nonchalant Paulie acts, even during the worst of it. This is a guy who let's his emotions take over whenever the going gets rough (look at the deal with the unkillable Russian as exhibit A of many others). We're supposed to believe he's just gonna mention how Sil won't likely regain consciousness, or comment on blondie's "stems", or not spill any other ill advised comments, and be completely at ease with himself? I smell a rat...

14) And goint into speculations: the last image from the teaser for this Sundays grand finale is of Tony opening the door of his car while being bathed by a bright light (big lantern or spotlight). He looks confused, uneasy. And yet, on the passenger's seat, Paulie is looking over him perfectly calm, without even hinting he's leaving the vehicle. Is Tony being "delivered" to someone? That would be too much, I know, and I'm also aware how foolish all speculation is at this point, but Mr. Walnuts has always been the pebble in Tony's shoe, the volatile element that is both high maintenance and hard to please even under good circumstances. Look at his character during the entire series and then go over the penultimate episode: something doesn't quite fit...

Sunday seems so far away, indeed!

Alan, we hope you take over John From Cincy or some other series with as much gusto and insight as you've done with The Sopranos. Good job!

Anonymous said...

Julie: A screencap...

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/1283/picture1wb0.png

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/9901/picture2tg4.png

Anonymous said...

Rewatching the preview for next week, is A.J.'s face lit up (I'm trying to be vague) while he has that shocked look on his face?

Alan Sepinwall said...

Julie, it's definitely a Silvio cut-out. The same person at the show who told me the safehouse was a random house (and not Junior's or Livia's) also explained that they wanted Sil to have some kind of presence in the scene, so they decided that the Family also used the safehouse to store random odds and ends, like an old Bing promotional item. (Though why anybody would want to go to a strip club based on a life-size picture of the owner...)

I talked a bit about the Paulie-as-turncoat theory in today's Sopranos blog entry on NJ.com, but the short version is that I'm skeptical, simply because Chase isn't fond of doing big surprise reveals. If Paulie was working for New York, we would have known about it already.

Alan Sepinwall said...

Alan, we hope you take over John From Cincy or some other series with as much gusto and insight as you've done with The Sopranos.

Few shows demand or deserve this level of analysis. I've gone almost as in-depth with Deadwood and The Wire, and if another show comes along this rich, I'll do it. For me to give John from Cincy this kind of treatment would require me to understand John from Cincy.

Irene Done said...

It's Bobby who tells Paulie that Phil will be at the Ukranian housekeeper's house on Friday night. So it's hard for me to believe that the bungled hit is evidence of Paulie's betrayal.

I can't help being fascinated by Bobby's conversation with the hobby store owner. The Blue Comet ran from NYC to AC -- is this a reference to Phil's attempt to takeover the Jersey family?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the correction Alan. I look to you every week to help explain some of the things I'm left wondering about. I guess I just couldn't wrap my head around WHY they would ever have a cut-out of Sil there. I thought my mind was playing tricks with my eyes.

Your comments about John From Cincy cracked me up. That's exactly how I've felt about the series each time I see another commercial for it.

Nice job on Glenn Beck. Too bad there wasn't enough time for any real analysis or discussion.

I know other posters here and on nj.com have mentioned wanting you to put a book together. I also agree. I'd love to hear stories about what it's been like for you over the 7+ years covering the Sopranos. You must have some funny stories to tell. We'd love to hear them.

Anonymous said...

With all the speculation about the final episode, I'm stunned that no one else seems to be thinking along the same lines as me. I'm betting the finale will satisfy no one and provide no closure or resolution. Consider Chase and the show's M.O., plus the image that closed out this episode: Tony lying down on a bed. My guess is that the finale will be an extended dream sequence.

Anonymous said...

AJ and his galpal were in his room looking at a suicide bomber webpage. AJ had walked into the nursing home intending to kill Uncle June for shooting his dad.

My bet: AJ kills Phil, sacrifices himself to save his Dad.

Carmela, enraged that Tony led to AJ's death, kills Tony.

She takes over the family, with Meadow, the lawyer, as consigliore.

Anonymous said...

Will Tony live or die? Is that all you people think about? I'm wondering if HBO will live or die. Come Monday morning we'll all have to face that (not at all) tough decision. Is Entourage really worth $20 a month? Live or die, I'll miss Tony when he's "gone". I'll also miss Bill Maher.

Anonymous said...

The future of HBO may indeed be a little uncertain: not only is its flagship show ending, but Chris Albrecht has now officially been replaced. I don't want to pre-judge "John from Cincinnati", but a show about levitating surfers doesn't strike me as addressing the same audience as "The Sopranos" (that's not to say that it couldn't be hugely successful).

Karen said...

Is anyone else thinking along these lines? Adriana's Mom is responsible for Tony's demise..in a drunk driving accident

Anonymous said...

I might give "John from Cincinnati" a try just because "he" sent me a postcard from Imperial Beach, heh....

But not directly after the last ep of "The Sopranos" ever.

Anonymous said...

I clicked over to HBO.com and saw the title of the last episode is "Made in America."

Hmmmmmmmm. Terrorists?

Anonymous said...

anybody know the name of the porn movie corky is watching when the guys call him to say they wacked phil?

Anonymous said...

The name of the adult movie corky is watching when the guys call him to say they wacked phil is "Briana Loves Jenna" (2001).