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HBO "The Sopranos" Website Section Season 5 -- Main Page Season 5 -- Episode Details Season 5 -- Promos The Sopranos -- Promotional Photos / Posters Please do
not copy the contents of these pages onto other Websites, News Groups, etc. From mob wife to gangster shrink Edinburgh Evening News Online -- WEEKEND TV - August 14, 2004 by Wil Marlow LORRAINE Bracco ambles brightly into her London hotel room full of warm greetings. Dressed in a peach velour tracksuit, she looks a lot better in the outfit than a woman of her age or, in fact, any age has any right to. She turns 50 later this year but looks much younger. Her sophisticated good looks still generate plenty of male fan attention as well as continuing to help garner her quality roles like that of gangster’s psychiatrist Dr Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. In fact the actress is doing very well defying - "Gravity?" interrupts Bracco with a grin. Well, that and the restrictions on women actors as they get older. At 49 she’s still playing sexy characters - subtly with Melfi and more forthright with Mrs. Robinson in the Broadway version of The Graduate. "I don’t know if that’s something I’ve been determined to do," says Bracco in her throaty New York accent. "I mean, I think I’ve been extremely lucky to still be at the forefront of creating interesting women. And to still be working." The Sopranos has been good to Bracco. Before she landed the role of Melfi in 1999, she was previously best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as gangster’s wife Karen Hill in 1991’s Goodfellas. That level of success was never repeated and so it was that she would enter the world of the crimelord once more, taking on her first TV role to achieve her next most notable success story. "I knew it was going to be good from the outset," says Bracco. "I thought it was a terrific script and when I saw the pilot put together I was sincerely impressed. "So many times you’re given a script and the movie comes out either as good as the script or not. But this time we were given a really good script and it came out better. That’s unusual." At first Bracco was in the running for the part of Tony Soprano’s put-upon wife Carmela, which would have mirrored her role in Goodfellas. But Bracco says she didn’t turn the part down for that reason. "There was such a long time that passed between Goodfellas and Sopranos that I wasn’t even thinking of getting typecast," she says. "But I fell in love with Jennifer Melfi. I really wanted it. I felt for me as an actor it was different, it was a bigger challenge." Tony Soprano’s therapy sessions and the life that brought him to them proved a big hit with viewers. As someone who had benefited from therapy herself, Bracco was concerned that the sessions were portrayed realistically in the series. "I wanted Jennifer to be truthful to what a patient-doctor relationship is like," says Bracco. "I felt that, before then, it hadn’t been portrayed right - the psychiatrist always became the killer or the sex fiend. "When people saw an ongoing relationship like that I think it turned into a really great awareness of what therapy is all about. I was pleased about that because it’s helped me. There was a time where my life was kind of spiralling downward and I wasn’t really sure where to grab. "I was having a hard time sorting out things so I went for a while and it was very, very helpful. Extremely helpful. And I’m grateful that I came out a much stronger person." Born in Brooklyn, New York, to an Italian-American father and a British mother, Bracco didn’t quite have a childhood steeped in the Italian-American, wise-guy milieu typified in The Sopranos. "My mom was an English war bride," she says. "So I had a very different upbringing than most of the people who had an Italian-American or Italian mother and father. "You’re going to laugh, but I grew up in a Norwegian neighbourhood in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. It’s where a lot of the Norwegians moved who were working on the boats, so it was unusual." Once she graduated from high school, the student who had been voted the "ugliest girl in the sixth grade" went to France to work as a model with the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier. There she married a salon owner and had her first daughter, Margaux Guerard, who would later play her daughter in Goodfellas. It was also in France where Bracco began her acting career, starring in the 1979 film Duos sur canapé. In 1983 she divorced her husband and got together with Pulp Fiction star Harvey Keitel. Three years later they had a daughter Stella, who would share the role of Bracco’s daughter in Goodfellas with her half-sister. And in 1987 Bracco landed her first big American role in Someone To Watch Over Me with Tom Berenger. Bracco’s relationship with Keitel lasted for eight years, but when they broke up in 1991 a bitter custody battle for Stella ensued which would leave Bracco bankrupt. Now, though, she is on better terms with her ex-partner. "That was rough," says Bracco. "It was hard for me and I’m sure hard for Harvey, now that I look back on things. But, you know, he’s good. He’s got married again and has a baby on the way. And we share Stella together. Things are normal again." Bracco married for the second time in 1994 to former Miami Vice star Edward James Olmos but, again, the relationship ended in divorce two years ago. Currently Bracco says she’s enjoying the single life which is "fun, I’ve been having a good time". She does have a boyfriend, however, reported to be 31-year-old basketball player Jason Cipolla. "I have a very nice young boyfriend and we’re having a very nice time," says Bracco, coyly. "He’s quite young, around 30." Not quite Mrs. Robinson territory just yet. "No not yet," she laughs. "Well the rule is you’re not allowed to date anybody younger than your own children, so I’m sticking to the rule." For now the future holds one last series of The Sopranos. The fifth series, about to be broadcast on Channel 4, is still as fresh and pacy as previous series. "I am surprised we’ve been able to continue a certain quality," admits Bracco. But Sopranos creator David Chase has said the next series will be the last. "I would love it to go on," says Bracco. "But David feels he just has ten more episodes left, not even the usual 13. "But other things are coming to me, a lot of small independent movies. I like that whole thing. I think it’s great to be able to give somebody an opportunity to get some money so that they can make their movie." The Sopranos, Channel 4, Monday, 11pm
The Times of London -- August 14, 2004 Carry on Doctor Actress Lorraine Bracco on getting inside Tony Soprano’s head The relationship between Dr Melfi and Tony Soprano has become very interesting. Two people who do nothing but sit in chairs and talk: who would have thought that could have been great television? When we made the pilot I remember saying to Jimmy Gandolfini (who plays Tony) and David Chase (creator and co-writer of The Sopranos) that either it’s a weak link, this whole Melfi-Tony thing, or people will understand that there’s this extra layer of the onion we get to peel off. My interaction with the rest of the cast is relatively minimal; I basically work only with Jimmy and we’re very happy to go into that little cocoon and explore what’s going on with him. Tony is used to getting his own way with anybody, anywhere. Women, children; business, personal. If he doesn’t get it, he takes it. Melfi knows this, and that she’s forbidden fruit for him, so that creates boundaries, which is fascinating. I’ve been in therapy so I knew what it was like to have a psychiatrist, and I had the great advantage of having a male one, so I understood how Tony and Melfi’s dynamic works. We didn’t want to make a mockery of therapy, we didn’t want Melfi to become a sexed up psycho killer, join the Mob or any of those things. We really wanted it to be truthful. Yes, it’s heightened reality. I once asked David: “How does Tony pay Melfi?” Four scripts later, he ’s throwing money at her like she’s a whore! I said: “Wait a minute, I didn’t mean it that way!” But David said: “Well, that’s the way Tony would look at it.” We’re not here to please all the psychiatrists in America — it’s a TV show. An Italian heritage is important, although my mum was an English war bride so I’m probably one of the least Italian-American people on the show. David has cast a lot of people believing that they were Italian, even if they are Jewish! It just makes sense; that’s what the show calls for. I was asked not to attend the Columbus Day Parade in New York because the organisers believed the Sopranos featured negative Italian-American stereotypes. It was very short-sighted on their part — I’m sorry they couldn’t distinguish myself from my character. But most Italian-Americans understand it’s there for entertainment — it’s not there to say that if your last name is Bracco, you’re part of the Mafia. The fifth season is terrific, Dr Melfi has a lot more to do. Tony is a single man, which changes the dynamic — he does not come to her for marriage guidance! I‘ll tell you one thing: when they showed the first episode at Radio City Music Hall with about 4,000 people, everyone was howling, screaming and yelling. After we finish shooting the sixth season next year, it’ll all be over. Then I’m gonna need to see my own psychiatrist again. Maybe I could have a spin-off, have all these famous people come in and talk to Dr Melfi. Woody Allen — boy, he’s got demons — or President Clinton, he might have to come back several times. The fifth season of The Sopranos starts on Monday on Channel 4 at 11pm; the second episode is on E4 on Tuesday at 10pm. The series is out to buy on DVD next year. Interview by Ed Potton
'Sopranos' ' Four-Octave Range Who gets whacked in 'Sopranos'? (Season Finale) By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY Is Adriana really dead? Will Christopher get whacked? Or is crazy Tony B. next? Will Tony be able to thwart a war between the New Jersey and New York families? Fans have been debating possible murders and floating fantasy plot lines for HBO's hit Mob show, The Sopranos, when it ends its fifth — and second to last — season Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. "I cannot wait for Sunday's season finale," Barbara Walters said Wednesday on her talk show The View. "I hope it's good," says Ivy Hover, founder of fan Web site sopranoland.com. "After this last episode" — when sweet, trusting, neurotic Adriana was shot for talking to the feds — "it's going to be tough. The last episode was so good." Topping last season will be tough, too. The show's fourth-season finale, in December 2002, pulled in 12.5 million viewers, huge numbers for a cable show. This season, The Sopranos is averaging 9.7 million viewers through 12 episodes, down from last season's average of 11 million. As for how big the numbers will be Sunday, Brad Adgate, senior vice president of ad-buying firm Horizon Media, says, "There's some buzz on who's going to get whacked, but the show doesn't have the heat that it did the first couple of seasons." Much like the gold-rush drama Deadwood that follows it on Sundays, The Sopranos always seems willing to kill off popular characters, among them Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (played by Vincent Pastore), Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and most recently Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo). "That was so sad," says Lorraine Bracco, who plays Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony Soprano's therapist. "I loved her." Bracco says she doesn't know about any whackings in the finale. "The only thing I can tell you is that Melfi gives Tony a good tongue-thrashing." Earlier this week, HBO posted a synopsis: Tony's crew circles the wagons as Johnny Sack turns up the heat. Carmela counts her blessings; Christopher is freaked out by an unexpected visitor (and no, it's NOT Adriana); Benny's connection to the plumbers union comes in handy; A.J. demonstrates his business acumen; and Tony ponders whether to execute a "sacrifice bunt." Fans on HBO.com boards are wondering: • Does Carmela counting "her blessings" mean she's pregnant? • Does A.J. demonstrating "business acumen" also mean he stops acting like a spoiled brat? • Does a "sacrifice bunt" mean Tony Soprano offers up one of his beloved relatives as a sacrifice to Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni? And if he does, would it be Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), Tony's cousin, who has been stirring up trouble since he got out of jail this season? Or could it be Tony's nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli)? He's a hothead and a heroin addict, and lately he has been more of a liability than an asset. On Tuesday, Imperioli appeared on Fox News' morning show, Fox & Friends, to promote a movie coming out on DVD. When asked whether he was getting whacked Sunday, Imperioli answered, "Well, there's a decent chance of that happening. ... There's a strong chance of that happening." It could be a plot spoiler — or just misdirection. De Matteo, for example, didn't exactly come clean about whether she'd be back when asked during interviews for her new role in NBC's fall Friends spinoff, Joey. Says Hover: "I guess people think Christopher's going to get whacked. I didn't really think that. I feel that Johnny Sack isn't going to be around next season." She adds, "Everyone's analyzing every little detail." A sixth, shortened season of 10 episodes is to start filming in March, Bracco says. HBO hasn't announced when the final season would air, though late next year or January 2006 are most likely. So what will viewers think of Sunday's season finale? Will they be surprised? Satisfied? "This finale?" Bracco asks. "I don't think the audience will be satisfied at all. Makes no difference if it's good, bad or mediocre. They're mad it's the last episode."
The Sopranos
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - May 2, 2004 That changes slightly for the fifth season. The well-dressed piglet still adorns the roof of Satriale's, but Tony (James Gandolfini) is no longer going home. You may recall that his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) has chucked him out and he is living untidily some other place. In one of those humorous touches - remember the ducks in the pool? - there's a wild bear loose in the garden and Carmela is terrified. It's a well-trained bear (note the circus stool), but Carmela clearly needs a man about the house. The Sopranos was less compelling in season four. Now it's back, not yet with all guns blazing (there is a savage moment), but Soprano, the old-fashioned mobster who once told his kids "out there, it's the 1990s; in here, it's 1954", is still running the show. There are newcomers - newly released long-term convicts - among them Steve Buscemi as cousin Tony Blundetto and Robert Loggia as "Feech" La Manna. There's a feud brewing between Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) and Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) and then - tantalising, this - there is Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), the shrink who gives the Sopranos much of its sexual charge. The relationship with Tony is changing, but I'll take the Fifth on that one.
HDTV Goes to The Sopranos Tony Soprano is still the boss, even in High-Definition TV. However, some of his associates could use a Witness Relocation program. By Phillip Swann Washington, DC (April 4) -- How does Tony Soprano look in High-Definition TV? Molto Buona! However, would you tell him if he didn't? I recently watched two episodes of The Sopranos in HDTV to see how the hit HBO show looks in high-def. As frequent readers of TVPredictions.com know, the HDTV picture is so clear that viewers can see actors as they really are. (See: The List.) Despite the industry's best make-up techniques, facial imperfections and aging signs are clearly visible in high-def. In addition, interior designs and geographical vistas can be more visually striking and powerful in HDTV. However, The Sopranos, which airs every Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET, is not exactly the best reason to buy a high-def set. The moody crime show often features scenes with dark settings and drab or muted backgrounds, limiting the impact of the HDTV picture. Still, in high-def, you see things -- and people -- in an entirely different way. Here's a look at what -- and who -- looks better or worse on The Sopranos in High-Definition TV. What Looks Better The Bada-Bing Even in the dimly-lit setting of Tony's favorite strip club, the Bada-Bing girls look even more eye-popping in high-def. I don't know how Tony and his gang ever get any work done there. What Looks Worse New Jersey Sopranos creator David Chase has made the grimy aspects of the Garden State a focal point of the show. In almost every scene, it looks like New Jersey hasn't taken a bath in decades. And, in high-def, the dirt and dust look like it's about to creep into your living room. Who Looks Better James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) The veteran character actor has hit the lottery with his nuanced portrait of America's favorite crime boss. However, in high-def, Gandolfini's intensity is even more powerful and frightening. The guy just oozes with charisma. Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano) In the previous season, I had added Falco to our HDTV "Worse" list. However, the actress looks remarkably better this season, thinner and much healthier. Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Jennifer Melfi) Bracco, who plays Tony's psychiatrist, is in her late 40s, but in high-def, she looks damn good. The GoodFellas star has a physical appeal that's not as evident in analog TV. You can see why Tony is obsessed with her. Who Looks Worse Drea De Matteo (Adriana la Cerva) De Matteo, who plays Adriana, the fiancee of Tony's nephew, Christopher (Michael Imperioli), has a gorgeous body. However, in HDTV, her face is a mess. Her skin looks ruddy, almost discolored. In analog TV, it's not noticeable thanks to heavy make-up. But in high-def, you wonder what Christopher sees in her...Well, okay, there is that gorgeous body. Jamie-Lynn DiScala (Meadow Soprano) Last season, I had DiScala on the HDTV "Best" list. However, the actress has had a problem with her weight, yo-yoing up and down. Heavy one season; thin as a wafer the next. I think the weight thing has had an effect on her skin, perhaps stretching it out. She doesn't look as good as she used to. Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts) Sirico, who plays Tony's captain and chief enforcer, is even more scary looking in HDTV. Of course, that's not a bad thing. His character is supposed to be scary. Vincent Curatola John Sacrimoni (Johnny Sack) In HDTV, after looking at Sacrimoni, who plays the New York crime boss, I need an Audience Protection Program. Yeech. Finally, here are our grades for the total quality and value of the HDTV broadcast of The Sopranos: Content: A It's still a great drama. HDTV Value: B- The settings are just too dark to fully appreciate the high-def picture. Overall Grade: B
Whack is back 'Sopranos' fans welcome the series' 5th season as Tony reverts to his angry self. By Courtenay Edelhart -- Indy Star.com -- March 9, 2004 After months of anticipation, fans of HBO's critically acclaimed mob drama "The Sopranos" finally got to watch the premiere of its fifth season Sunday, and found lead character Tony Soprano as sympathetic and despicable as ever. The head of the Soprano crime family sums up his character well during an ill-fated effort to woo his former therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). There are "two Tonys," insists the mobster (James Gandolfini). It's the kinder, softer Tony he wants to introduce her to. But she won't date either one of them, and for a moment we feel badly for Tony, who briefly shows us the tender, vulnerable side that has made him irresistible all these years. Once the doctor makes clear that she stands firm on her decision, however, Tony reverts to the anger that is his comfort zone, berating her with a string of obscenities before storming out and leaving a woman whose stoicism borders on robotic badly shaken. Therein lies the rub. Every time Tony shows us that he's still human underneath it all, and we weaken in our condemnation of him, he does something horrible to remind us that he is a violent, racist, womanizing thug. What viewers love about this show is its delicate dance on moral, legal and ethical boundaries, and this season doesn't look like it will be any different. Dr. Melfi's misgivings about Tony's occupation aren't as strong a source of discomfort for his wife, Carmela, who continues to accept mob blood money in the form of child support since her separation from Tony. What bothers her isn't how Tony made the money, but her dependence on it, and, therefore, him. After years of looking the other way at his philandering, Carmela is trying to exhort some independence, but she won't get far as long as she has to plead with him for needs as basic as replacing a faulty coffeemaker. And it doesn't help that Tony has a sentinel guarding the house since a black bear twice wandered into the back yard, the first time encountering their teenage son. Anthony Jr. abandoning his usual adolescent brooding to cry for his mommy as the bear approached was priceless, by the way, and surely warmed the hearts of mothers everywhere. It will be interesting to see whether Tony and Carmela reconcile, and for us to discover whether we really want them to. Tony has never been a loyal husband. That's for sure. But his concern about the bear shows that he does care about his family. Tony's jealousy could also reveal that he still loves Carmela, but you can't help but wonder if it doesn't boil down to protecting the Soprano turf, just on principle. It will also be interesting to watch whether Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) is able to keep his own significant other in check. Sunday's episode didn't deal with it much in order to delve into his feud with the more senior Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) over expensive restaurant checks, but last season, authorities forced the future Mrs. Moltisanti, Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo), to become an informant, albeit a vague and unwilling one. Love "The Sopranos" or hate them, you've got to tune in. Even Tony's therapist is secretly attracted to him in a primal way. To her horror, she's dreamed about having sex with him, and she confesses to her own therapist that she initially found Tony's "alpha male" qualities sexy. But the grim reality of how he makes a living offends her values. As she told Tony, she cannot bear witness to someone who gets what he wants every day by violence or the threat of it. It's not clear whether Tony really loves her or just misses their therapy sessions, but as the show ended Sunday, you knew he wasn't quite through with her yet. It'll be fun to see how Tony tests her resolve, and ours.
TONY'S PSYCHIATRIST NEEDS HER HEAD EXAMINED: SHRINKS By SUSAN EDELMAN -- New York Post March 8, 2004 -- Psychotherapists are going ballistic over "Sopranos" shrink Jennifer Melfi's harsh criticism of Tony Soprano in last night's show, saying she botched her handling of his amorous advances. Psychiatrist Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco, messed up professionally, some analysts say, when she told Tony that she found him untruthful, disrespectful of women and a brute. He runs out in a fury. "He's justified in his outrage," said Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz, a Manhattan psychiatrist and professor at NYU School of Medicine. "She stepped out of the role of therapist by making moral judgments." Tony, separated from his wife, tries to start a romantic relationship with Melfi. He has long harbored erotic feelings for her - an infatuation stemming from his childhood craving for love from his married-to-the mob mom, psychologists say. At first, Melfi politely rebuffs him, although she later dreams she is having sex with her bad-boy patient. She then consults her own therapist about Tony's propositions, but - wrongly, real-life therapists say - does not reveal the steamy dream. When Tony shows up at her office with two tickets to Bermuda, she first cites professional ethics in turning him down. But when he persists, she tells him what she really thinks. "This could blow the lid off treatment," said Yvonne Thomas, a Los Angeles psychologist. "The client may never feel safe enough to open up fully with therapists again." Others say Melfi trashed Tony out of fear of her own mixed feelings. "She finds some attraction to him, and she's troubled by that," said Gary Schoener, a Minneapolis expert on sexual boundaries between therapists and patients. But trashing patients can be just as harmful as having sex with them, Schoener said, explaining, "The therapist who allows erotic feelings to develop and then pushes the client away by attacking him can be devastating. It breaches the client's trust." In Melfi's defense, Glen Gabbard, a Houston psychiatrist who wrote "The Psychology of the Sopranos," said therapists must confront sociopaths like Tony: "They kill, steal and hurt people. Those things are wrong, so you have to express negative judgments about them to treat them."
'Sopranos' mesmerizing in fifth season Alameda Times-Star -- March 7, 2004 Excerpt ... The tortured Tony yearns to be someone different, someone better. But, as the cliché goes, a leopard can't hide its spots. After some body-thumping with his nameless mistress du jour, Tony sees "The Prince of Tides" on TV and fantasizes being with his former psychologist Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). He sends her a cute basket with a box of Tide in it to get her attention. But even though she has her own Tony fantasies, she realizes they cannot be more than doctor-patient. After a blow-up in which she tells him she can never have a romantic relationship with him because she knows all the bad things he's done, and he calls her an anatomical term no woman should be called, Tony sends her a card apologizing for his "fowl language."
Tony and Carmela are further apart than ever, but TV's finest drama returns with its greatness fully intact. By David Zurawik -- Baltimore Sun Television Critic -- March 7, 2004 Excerpt ... Tony, meanwhile, is living in the home of his dead mother, and while he is having sex with the kind of trashy woman to whom he usually turns for physical gratification, he's obsessed with trying to date Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), his former psychiatrist. Could it get more Freudian? Tony starts to obsess about dating Melfi after seeing a scene on late-night TV from the 1991 film The Prince of Tides (featuring Nick Nolte as a patient in therapy with a psychiatrist played by Barbra Streisand). Tony smiles like a schoolboy as he watches a scene between Nolte and Streisand play out. It is one of those wonderful Sopranos moments of pop culture synchronicity between the screens we and Tony are simultaneously watching.
The Mobster Shift Tony exhibits these traits fairly often -- for a glorified thug, anyway. Take his relationship with his psychiatrist, played in a fetching, foggy monotone by Lorraine Bracco. Tony wants to renew their lapsed relationship, but not in a way that the good doctor appreciates; she's so upset, she runs off again to her own shrink, played with a heavy face by Peter Bogdanovich.
The Sopranos are back for the 5th season
By David Kronke -- The San Bernadino Sun -- March 7, 2004
Family matters 'The Sopranos' hits closer to home in its fifth season, which isn't always a good thing
By Ken Parish Perkins -- Star-Telegram TV
Critic -- Posted on Sun, Mar. 07, 2004 And you may want to dismiss the scenes and plot developments that hinge on the kind of desperation Chase has chastised the networks for, like Tony's uncharacteristic chasing of therapist Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) after she discards his romantic advances with all the warmth of a snow globe. Dr. Melfi explains to Tony that going out with him means she could no longer file her judgments under "professionalism." "In a personal relationship, I couldn't sit silent," she tells him. "About what?" Tony asks, as though he doesn't know. "Well," Dr. Melfi says, "you're not a truthful person. You're not respectful of women. You're not really respectful of people. You take what you want from them by force or the threat of force. I couldn't bear witness to violence." In other words, she's not Carmela. The scene is tense and well-executed, but Tony and Dr. Melfi seem out of character, out of place.
New hoods in the 'hood As if Tony Soprano didn't have enough trouble, some old wiseguys are back. Tom Jicha -- Sun-Sentinel -- Published March 7, 2004 Excerpt ...
Tony's liberation from Carmela
affords him, at least in his mind, the license to pursue a romantic
relationship with his shrink, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). Despite his
aggressive advances, she strives to maintain a professionally cool
demeanor and keep him at a distance. Her private moments, however, create
what is certain to be the season's first water-cooler conversation
starter. There's plenty for Tony to growl about this season Peter Ames Carlin -- Oregonian Live -- March 7, 2004 Excerpt ... Blundetto's determination to avoid crime stings the other Tony, who is inflamed further when his attempt to woo his former therapist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), goes awry when she tells him he's immoral.
The Bada-Bing
Bunch Excerpt ... Being on his own means Tony is even more open with his love affairs. And, inspired by no less than a rerun of "The Prince of Tides," he tries in earnest to finally start a real relationship with his onetime therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).
Excerpt from the St. Louis Post Dispatch ... March 6, 2004 A Tale of Two Tonys ... But Chase has come up with two terrific ways to reshape and reinvigorate the series, and both boil down to power struggles. One struggle is obvious. Picking up where last season ended, Carmela (Edie Falco) and Tony (James Gandolfini) head for divorce, with Tony fighting the split and playing nasty division-of-property games while also attempting to move in on his former shrink, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). The Melfi character has been neglected of late, but the season opener makes up for that, and Tony's attempts to court her (inspired by a chance viewing of the Barbra Streisand movie "The Prince of Tides") are amusing and more than a little scary. And never fear, Carmela's attempts to find happiness will also lead her (eventually) into the dating arena ...
CHUCK BARNEY: AS SEEN ON TV -- Contra Costa Times -- March 6, 2004 Laughs? Fuhgeddaboudit 'The Sopranos' returns for what looks to be a dark fifth season FOR LONGTIME fans of "The Sopranos," it is somewhat akin to the champagne-bottle christening of a luxury liner, or the ceremonial first pitch that starts a fledgling baseball campaign. The initial episode of every season has featured a scene in which sleepy-eyed Tony -- clad in T-shirt and robe -- waddles down the driveway of his rural New Jersey home to retrieve his morning newspaper. But when the long-awaited fifth season of television's finest drama dawns at Casa Soprano, Tony (James Gandolfini) is nowhere to be seen. The mob boss, you'll recall, split after waging verbal warfare with his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). So cue a melancholy montage of exterior shots: The swimming pool is filthy from inattention. The big man's beloved barbecue stands idle, amid swirling autumn leaves. And the newspaper lies ignored in the driveway. Get the idea things are going to be a little different this time around? In creative terms, it might be a good kind of different. The separation of Tony and Carmela -- he's staying at his late mother's old house -- places the family's complex dynamics in a new light while paving the way for fresh and juicy storytelling possibilities. What's more, several new mobsters, including one played by the always engaging Steve Buscemi, make for a welcome addition to the mix. Judging from the four well-crafted episodes provided by HBO for review, we have on our hands not only a still-brilliant series, but a rejuvenated one. Patience pays off No television show, of course, tests the patience of its devotees like "The Sopranos" does; Sunday's is the first new episode in 15 months. On the other hand, no series rewards that patience with a greater level of artistic excellence -- even if there were a few fans who believed the show had slipped a notch or two last season. This viewpoint is understandable to an extent. At times, Season 4 did indeed feel a bit disjointed. The pace lagged and annoying loose ends cropped up here and there. But the season also provided some of the most memorable moments in "Sopranos" history -- the brutal decapitation of Ralphie among them -- and many of our minor quibbles were alleviated by a masterfully written and performed finale in which Tony and Carmela finally vented all those years of unexpressed hurt and hostility. That episode, quite simply, was sensational. As the new -- and penultimate -- season opens, Tony and Carmela are still nursing their emotional wounds. Yes, they are on speaking terms, but just barely. If anything, the chasm between them seems to be widening as they, in their own ways, confront the pain, fear, confusion and desolation brought on by their marital strife. With Tony away and daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn DiScala) entrenched in college, Carmela is forced to inhabit that big lonely house with only the drum-pounding Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler), who is growing ever more distant and incorrigible now that his domineering dad is out of the picture. Single mothers of teenagers, no doubt, can relate. Tony, meanwhile, is adrift and doesn't quite know what to do with himself. To fill the romantic void, he puts some clumsy and unnerving moves on his therapist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), who, quite understandably, isn't exactly urging him to bring it on. Their shaky relationship will be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. New faces On the professional front, Tony faces a wave of new challenges. Several rank-and-file mob guys who were jailed in the '80s are about to be paroled (the media dubs them "The Class of '04") and they're sure to complicate Tony's life in ways he never expected. This infusion of old-school hoods includes Feech La Manna (Robert Loggia), Phillip Leotardo (Frank Vincent) and Angelo Greppe (Joe Santos). In addition, there's a brash female bookie, Lorraine Calluzzo (Patty D'Arbanville), and Tony Soprano's cigarette-thin cousin, Tony Blundetto (Buscemi). The skinny on Blundetto is that he was thrown in the slammer 15 years ago following a heist for which Tony S. was a no-show. The two Tonys apparently used to be the best of pals, but much time has passed and there are subtle hints of resentment in the air. Determined to go straight, Tony B. has refused his cousin's offers to join the operation. Instead, he's driving a linen delivery truck (the fellas derisively call him "Mr. Clean") while he works to become a licensed massage therapist. Meanwhile, the outlook is not at all rosy for Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese), who is still under house arrest and showing signs of genuine senility -- an ironic twist, considering he previously faked it to avoid jail. In a moment of uneasy hilarity, Junior is watching TV when he comes across the similarly bald and bespectacled Larry David of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." "What the (expletive)?" he wonders. "Why am I on there?" Somber tone A warped sense of humor, of course, has always been part of "The Sopranos" MO and is one of the elements that makes the series so distinctly flavorful. But from the looks of these early episodes, laughs will be few and far between as the show takes on a thicker-than-usual layer of poignancy. This shift in tone is embodied in Tony, who seems to be wound tighter than ever. Good-natured put-downs that may have once bounced off his blubbery hide now penetrate deep to the core. Past sins and life choices weigh heavily upon his aging mind, and the petty power plays going on around him leave him wondering who -- if anyone -- he can truly deem a loyal friend. All these negative vibes would seem to make for a powder keg of angst building up within Tony and a growing sense of doom within us, the viewers. The big guy appears ready to explode, or self-destruct, or both. Naturally, we can't help but wonder: When, exactly, will it happen and how much collateral damage will there be? This sense of mounting tension takes on even greater weight knowing that the end is in sight. After this season's 15 episodes, creator David Chase plans to wrap things up with an abbreviated 10-episode run next year. So strap yourself in -- it looks like it's going to be a very turbulent ride.
A family updateBy ERIC DEGGANS,
Times TV/Media Critic -- St. Petersburg Times, FL
It has been 14 months since we saw Tony and Carmela's explosive argument cap The Sopranos' fourth season. So here's a handy guide to what the show's main characters face as the fifth season begins. TONY SOPRANO (James Gandolfini) - Separated from wife Carmela, he's more restless than ever, done with psychoanalysis and hoping for romance with his former therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. But with new mobsters in town and the rise of his New York rival Johnny Sack, can he maintain his hold on the family business? CARMELA SOPRANO (Edie Falco) - Separated from Tony but still living in the family house, she's bound by children and finances to a husband she detests. Son A.J.'s anger over the separation and the untimely appearance of a bear make gaining independence from Tony even more difficult. DR. JENNIFER MELFI (Lorraine Bracco) - No longer treating Tony for stress, Melfi now must convince him that his feelings for her are just a result of the emotional intimacy of therapy. To her surprise, it's also something she's got to tell herself. CORRADO "UNCLE JUNIOR" SOPRANO (Dominic Chianese) - He faces a health problem that may rob him of his dignity and status as the family's figurehead leader. CHRISTOPHER MOLTISANTI (Michael Imperioli) - Upset at having less status than Sopranos lieutenant Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, he lets their rivalry escalate. What he doesn't know: Girlfriend Adriana is still secretly spilling her guts to the Feds. ANTHONY "A.J." SOPRANO (Robert Iler) - Blaming his mother for his parents' separation, A.J. soaks up guilt gifts from his dad (a drum set and an SUV) while developing a reputation as a major slacker. JANICE "PARVATI" SOPRANO (Aida Turturro) - Now married to Uncle Junior's caretaker, Bobby Baccilieri, Tony's pathologically self-centered sister chafes at caring for Bobby's two kids while pushing him to advance in the family. Do not forget that her last two steady flames wound up dead, one by her hand.
"Sopranos" Mobs Airwaves Again
by Kimberly Potts -- E! Online News -- Mar 5,
2004, 12:00 PM PT The good news: after a 15-month break, the fifth season of The Sopranos will finally premiere on HBO on Sunday. The even better news: for those who thought season four was a bit uneven, season five's action is a return to the can't-wait-to-see-the-next-episode drama that has kept Sopranos fans devoted to the series despite those infamous 15-month breaks between seasons. The show's much-anticipated premiere is also good news for HBO, which just saw another of its signature series, Sex and the City, leave the airwaves last month after six seasons. Ten million viewers tuned in for the SATC finale, and the cable network is looking for even bigger numbers for The Sopranos on Sunday. More than 13 million viewers watched the show's fourth season premiere in September 2002. But enough TV business. Let's get to family business . . . (Note to those who would rather not know about the happenings in the opening installments of season five...there will be spoilers ahead. Oh yes, there will be spoilers!) As we meet up with the Sopranos in Sunday's opener, daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn DiScala) and more-obnoxious-than-ever son A.J. (Robert Iler) are heading off for Sunday dinner with the family, but not for one of mom Carmela's (Edie Falco) fancy, home-cooked spreads. Suddenly single Carm--Tony (James Gandolfini) has officially left Casa Soprano and is now camping out in his mom's house--is off to dinner with a friend, which has left Mead, A.J. and Tony to chow down at the home of Aunt Janice (Aida Turturro) and her new husband: Bobby Baccilieri. Janice's dubious new role as the happy homemaker aside, she's still as sassy as ever, busting lumpy Bobby's chops as she puts dinner on the table and later dishing to her fellow mobster mamas at Carmela's new "film club" showing of Citizen Kane that unromantic Bobby has yet to find her "rosebud." Ew. Bro Tony isn't having much better luck in the romance department. He's still romping with goomah Valentina, but Carmela is barely civil to him and his renewed infatuation with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) ends in a volatile scene that paints him as both sympathetic and as the "sociopath" he's been labeled during Melfi's sessions with her own shrink. As for Tony's other "family," the atmosphere is no less tension filled. "The Class of '04," a group of mobsters who've spent the last couple of decades in the slammer, is about to be freed and several are looking to rejoin the mob game. Tony gives a thumbs up to senior made man Feech (Robert Loggia), but tells him not to step on anyone's toes ("Me? I'm Fred Astaire," Feech answers). Tony gets his own toes stepped on by newly sprung cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi, who directed "Pine Barrens," one of the all-time great Sopranos episodes). Tony S. is all ready to welcome his favorite cousin back into the business, but a low-key Tony B.--sporting an '80s white suit that prompts Tony S. to make a Miami Vice crack--has his own post-prison career plans: he wants to "go straight" and become a message therapist. Elsewhere: Addict Christopher (Michael Imperioli) is desperately trying to remain sober. But his efforts are taxed by his ever-growing rivalry with Paulie (Tony Sirico), which leads, before the end of episode one, to the season's first whacking. Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) doesn't seem to be just faking those memory lapses anymore. New York boss Carmine's (Tony Lip) health is on a rapid decline, which brings his power-seeking, but Fredo-like son Little Carmine (Ray Abruzzo) back from Florida. Carmine's consiglieri Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola) still has a serious beef with Tony. Adriana's (Drea de Matteo) new attitude about her role as snitch for the FBI is going to spell more trouble for the Sopranos. And Tony and his crew are donning guns to stake out an unwelcome guest at the Soprano manse. Other mob associates--including one played by singer Frankie Valli and a tough female boss played by Patti D'Arbanville--may also have Tony wishing he was back in therapy, while his problems with Carmella--despite an upcoming, brief reconciliation that's rumored--will continue throughout the season. As riveting and entertaining as this season promises to be, there are a couple of downsides: first, season five is the penultimate year for series creator David Chase's masterpiece. Second, season six isn't scheduled to begin filming until April 2005, which means a late 2005 or even early 2006 premiere is likely. Chase did hint to USA Today that he has that final season all mapped out, but will only reveal that the show ends with Tony reflecting on the past. "Tony will ruminate on some of his family history," Chase said. "There are things that were done early on, which I think as time goes by will be regretted, and cause other things to be done." Imperioli, whose hotheaded Christopher character is a recurring favorite in the "who will get whacked this season?" guessing game Sopranos fans play every season, gave USA Today a much more blunt prediction for the series finale. "Knowing David, I know it's going to end tragically, and it should," Imperioli said.
"The Sopranos" hits its darkest note In the show's gripping new start, Tony, Carmela, Dr. Melfi and the gang, increasingly cut off from their illusions and their supposed loved ones, freefall through a hopeless world of divorce, betrayal, lust and rage. This Review contains more dialogue and plot details than most of the others so beware
By Heather Havrilesky -- Salon.com
March 5, 2004 | After my parents got divorced, every time my dad would come to the house he'd comment on how bad the yard looked. "Those bushes are pretty overgrown, huh?" he'd say, smugly, or, "Doesn't anyone mow the grass around here?" At the time, his comments depressed me, as if our scrappy lawn somehow signaled that our family was falling apart. Now I recognize that he was comforted by the fact that our lives didn't continue smoothly without him, that his absence was felt. This season finds Tony Soprano lurking around his old house like a ghost, looking for signs that his family needs him. (Spoiler alert! This article discusses the first four episodes of this season of "The Sopranos." If you don't want to know bits of the plot from these episodes, you should stop reading.) Even when he can't manage a conversation with his wife and kids, Tony (James Gandolfini) seems to take solace in his role as the family's provider and protector. When Tony discovers that A.J. (Robert Iler) and Carmela (Edie Falco) have had a run-in with a black bear in the back yard, he asks Carmela, "Why didn't you call me when this first happened?" He gives her extra money and insists that she and A.J. stay in a hotel until it's safe again, but Carmela refuses. So, he absurdly sends some flunkies over to sit in the backyard with a rifle, just in case the bear returns. Since the first season of "The Sopranos," Tony has embodied the contradictions of the male psyche, the Catch-22 of wanting to be in charge and in control, but also desiring genuine love from those around him. In the process, as the lead character in surely the most influential television drama of the last 10 years, he's become an American archetype: the traditional man unsure of his place in a changing world, the alpha male struggling to gain respect from those who resent him for his domineering ways. But this season many of the characters find themselves in similar binds, looking for someone or something to turn to, but coming up short and reverting to their same old misguided habits. The concept of family has always been the loose thread that held these messy lives together, as if a Sunday meal or a game of cards could keep these characters from drifting, separately, out to sea. But the recklessness of last season frayed their already weakened ties, and this season everyone seems to be on their own, and they can't rely on traditions or their place in the hierarchy to pull them through. These aren't exactly highly adaptive, flexible characters, after all, and creator David Chase takes pains to demonstrate just how far off the mark lives can drift when they're guided by haphazard, self-serving choices. With Tony staying at his deceased mother's house and Meadow away at college, Carmela and A.J. are alone together in the house. Like Tony, Carmela turns to old tricks to sustain her relationship with A.J., cooking up formal family meals even though there are only two of them, pushing A.J. to have the kind of conversation that will soothe her into feeling that all is well with them, and offering the kind of forced affection that turns to rage on a dime. When she inquires about whether he completed his chores, at first she ignores his snottiness and cajoles him with affected sweetness, singing, "It's so nice to have a man around the house." "You should've thought of that before," A.J. mumbles, and Carmela quickly abandons sweetness for outrage. While on the surface A.J. is acting like "an asshole" (as Carmela reports to Tony), he really just can't, like most teenagers, tolerate these transparent attempts to force him to interact on her terms. Without Carmela's disapproval to react against, Tony seeks out another mirror for his relationship with his relentlessly judgmental mother. Who better than Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), a woman who's been silently judging Tony for years? Of course, it's absurd that Tony considers her a reasonable option: He knows next to nothing about her, and he pays her to listen. And yet it's equally obvious why she would be appealing to him, since most of the people in his life are on his payroll, and since he seems unable to tolerate relationships that actually include another human being's thoughts or needs. So he announces his intentions to Melfi the way he'd spring a job on an underling, as if his decision is all that's needed for everything to fall into place. More absurd than Tony's decision, of course, is the inherent dishonesty of Melfi's relationship to her client. "You know, Anthony, during therapy I never judged you or your behavior," she deadpans before letting loose a torrent of harsh assessments. To make matters even more complicated, just under her judgments, there's a groundwater of desire that she can hardly stand to acknowledge. Even in her sessions with her own therapist, which play out as a struggle for professional one-upmanship, Melfi is never honest. As Chase has deconstructed the gap between family ideals and the disappointment and ambivalence ingrained in family relationships, he also sheds light on the wide rift between what a therapist-client relationship is supposed to look like, and what that relationship actually can be. "The Sopranos" has always played with these gaps between the control and order of formal roles and the chaos of resentment and selfishness that threatens to topple them, but somehow the reassuring framework of tradition seems less structurally sound than ever this season. Conversations between Tony and his business associates tend to begin with niceties and expressions of familiarity and respect, and more frequently end in rage, egomaniacal outbursts and lines drawn in the sand. When Christopher, as the lowest man on the totem pole, is forced to pick up the tab over and over again, Tony tells him it signals his respect for those above him. The truth, of course, is that Christopher doesn't respect these people, and no amount of dues paying will change that. Meanwhile, Adriana (Drea de Matteo), Christopher's fiancée, attempts to play the devoted and supportive partner while continuing to report on the family's business as an FBI informant. There's no real escape from this trap for Adriana, and despite the eerie ease with which she transitions between serving drinks to Tony or ironing Christopher's shirt to ratting them out to the female agent in charge of her case, Adriana has more compassion and heart than most of the other characters, and we sympathize with her impossible position accordingly. Like the others, though, she has no idea how to talk to Christopher or the mob wives about what she's going through. Like Tony turning to Dr. Melfi for love, Adriana ends up treating the FBI agent, the only person in her life with whom she's communicating honestly, like a trusted friend. Roles in the Soprano clan are further strained by the return of Feech La Mana (Robert Loggia) and Tony Bludnetto (Steve Buscemi), former mob associates who were incarcerated in the '80s and recently released. Feech quickly asserts his interest in "getting back into the game," and though he appears to be a wild card, Tony hesitantly agrees. In contrast, Tony B., Tony's cousin and close friend, tells Tony he wants to work a straight job and continue his training to become a massage therapist. Tony says that he respects this decision, but he still can't keep himself from pitying Tony B. for making an honest living at a blue-collar job. Adding to the strain, Tony B. tries to pick up his friendship with Tony where it left off, and ends up joking around in ways that Tony feels are disrespectful. One senses that, as the boss, Tony has lost his sense of humor and genuine connection to others, and although he tries, awkwardly, to keep his rapport with Tony B. alive, once again, Tony can't tolerate the two-way street that real relationships demand. Tony B. recognizes this fatal flaw first, and seems resigned to fail at the impossible task of maintaining a relationship with someone who requires deferential behavior. This has always been Tony's struggle: maintaining relationships from his spot high on the throne, when everyone from his kids to his cronies are wary of his friendliness, since he could turn on them without warning. As much as Tony desires real connection with others and craves honesty from them, he reacts violently against any hint of the truth, and has so little patience with anything but pandering that the impossibility of any real love in his life is painfully clear. At one point, Carmela tells Tony that he has no friends, only flunkies who laugh way too loud at his stupid jokes. Later, in a creepy slow-motion scene, when Tony gazes out at the faces of his inner circle, laughing loudly in unison at a mediocre joke, his loneliness is palpable. As unstable and under siege as the business is and as lost as most of the characters are this season, Tony and Carmela seem to be faring particularly badly without the reassurances of family to keep them on course. After all, no matter how terrible Tony and Carmela's marriage was, they matched somehow, from their fiercely protective urges to their solidarity against the rest of the world. Despite trying circumstances, their compatibility offered hope that their partnership would somehow save them, all they needed was just a little communication and mutual understanding. Easier said than done, of course -- Chase's characters aren't exactly great communicators and rarely see past their own needs. But when Tony and Carmela's marriage evaporated, some essential strain of hope vanished with it. So the landscape where we find these characters is far more desolate and grim than any we've seen before. No longer finding safety in their old roles, Carmela and Tony and Christopher and Adriana and the others stumble into uncharted territory with few intimate friends or heartfelt principles to guide them. Their relationships are littered with lies and confusion; their old tricks are powerless to deliver them from the kind of isolation that inevitably leads to self-destruction. As rich and alive as these characters are to us, though, the real genius of David Chase is that, instead of pounding us over the head with on-the-nose dialogue and clear-cut scenes that ring with the impending doom of, say, an FBI crackdown or an explosive fight that will tear the family to shreds, these characters' lives unravel just as real lives do, slowly and eerily, in both violent and barely discernible ways. "I think there should be visuals on a show, some sense of mystery to it, connections that don't add up," Chase recently told the New York Times. "I think there should be dreams and music and dead air and stuff that goes nowhere. There should be, God forgive me, a little bit of poetry." This poetry is, of course, what weaves these dismal narratives together. The first episode's image of Tony sitting alone in a lawn chair with a rifle in his lap, waiting for the black bear to come back, inspires both pity and affection, and reflects the absurdity and delusion of Tony's adherence to his role. The shot captures volumes more than dialogue ever could: This is how Tony shows his love, this is how he soothes himself, this is where he feels comfortable and needed, as misguided as his efforts might be. This is the patriarch charged with a ridiculous task, one part courageous protector, one part clown. Once again, "The Sopranos" makes other dramas look like clever puppet shows by comparison. Through lyrical digressions, rich images and a dismaying clutter of missed connections, David Chase dredges up the thinly veiled chaos of family life and the melancholy of clinging to old roles that no longer fit.
Cable's bad boys are
back hitting delicious new lows on
By MELANIE McFARLAND -- March 4, 2004
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC
"You know at first, I did find him a little sexy. ... But as year followed year, the ugliness I saw, I heard. ... There's a mutual sympathy there of some kind, I guess." -- Dr. Melfi, "The Sopranos." On paper, Tony Soprano and Vic Mackey read like polar opposites. One's a prominent mobster and the other's a cop. Tony embodies the qualities of what we would imagine a New Jersey wiseguy to be, while Vic's rough edge has a distinct Los Angeles flavor. Tony lords over Satriale's and the Bada Bing; Vic rules the back room of The Barn, the precinct that oversees L.A.'s Farmington district. That's where the short list of differences ends. Now consider the similarities. Both Tony (James Gandolfini) and Vic (Michael Chiklis) are violent, amoral, womanizing, scheming, even murderous, and mold the underworld in their respective kingdoms. They're fiercely loyal to the families they created -- meaning their children, brotherly friends and associates, if not their soon-to-be-ex-wives -- to the point they'd do anything to protect or avenge them. They can be charming and, yes, even caring in their own perverse ways. And with the premiere of HBO's "The Sopranos" Sunday at 9 p.m., followed by FX's "The Shield's" Tuesday at 10 p.m., we hope to be drawn yet again into the compelling interplay of the good and terrible within Tony and Vic. But after five seasons of "The Sopranos" and three of "The Shield," we have to wonder if the darkness has outweighed the lighter qualities that makes both of these shows outstanding television. Think of the mayhem, the lies and betrayals committed not only by the main characters, but those closest to them. Think of how grim the previous season of both shows became, as "The Sopranos" creator David Chase and "The Shield's" Shawn Ryan forced us to see these men at their most depraved. Who ended up looking better, the dirty cop or the sociopathic criminal? Can we bear more bleakness for 13 episodes ("The Sopranos") or for 15 ("The Shield")? Not only can we bear it, we're hungry for it. And based on the episodes we've seen, the new seasons of the two Emmy Award-winning shows live up to their reputations of being in the top tier of what cable, and television, have to offer, cries of indecency and moral criticisms be damned. "The Class of 2004. Old rats on a new ship." -- Junior, "The Sopranos." Each season begins with the same old morbid expectations: Who's going to end up with his head in a bag? How many ways will Vic and the Strike Team break the law they swore to protect, and will their peers finally catch up to them? To answer those questions without giving much away, let's just say a power struggle in the New York family and other paranoias lead to an unusually high body count in "The Sopranos' " first four episodes. If you're the betting type, online bookmaker BetWWTS.com has placed 3-1 odds that New York underboss Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola) wears concrete boots by this season's finale, even though the house has a rat in Christopher's (Michael Imperioli) fiancee, Adriana (de Matteo). On "The Shield," the Strike Team doesn't know the pile of laundered millions it hijacked from the Armenian money train at last season's end contains dangerous hooks. Captain Aceveda (Benito Martinez) was elected a city councilman last season, but refuses to cede The Barn to Det. Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder). Nevertheless, they team up again in the hopes of breaking the Strike Team scofflaws by bringing in equally formidable, by-the-book rivals known as the Decoy Squad. And, "The Sopranos' " crime family and "The Shield's" corrupt team both have new threats to their turf. Old-time mafioso Feech La Manna (Robert Loggia) and Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), are part of the class of 2004, a crowd of mobsters released from prison after serving out RICO convictions from the '80s. But surprise -- Tony B. desperately wants to go straight, choosing a legal touchy-feely profession that makes Tony's skin comedically crawl. In spite of the criticism each series endured last season, their plots arguably hit their sharpest points yet. "The Sopranos" provided the more forceful finale with Carmela's (Edie Falco) decision to finally kick her cheating, self-involved mobster husband out on his can. Her 13th-hour bombshell brought out the worst in a man already circling the emotional drain. Out came the insults, threats and a punched hole in the wall. After such a draining exit, the opening shot of this season's premiere feels utterly lonely. Watching Tony galumph to the end of the driveway and pick up the newspaper has kicked off every season. But Sunday, it lies unattended in the driveway. In losing Carmela, Tony no longer has control over his steady Madonna figure, taken for granted as his stable of goombahs changed with the weather. It's won't come as any surprise, then, when Tony's attentions turn from Carmela to re-establishing a connection with the only other person who made him face the truth about himself: Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). "Loyalty, that most disposable of virtues." -- Dutch, "The Shield." Having emerged from the bulk of his marital tragedies, the behemoth weighing on Vic has more to do with his dirtiest deed than anything else. Oh, he isn't torn up about robbing the money train. He just doesn't want to go down for it. Vic, Shane (Walton Vendrell), Curtis (Kenneth Johnson) and Ronnie (David Rees Snell) decide to keep their noses clean until the storm around the money train dies down, straining to keep their straight-shooting new team member Tavon (Brian White) in the dark. But lawbreakers he once let slide to catch bigger fish are now hot enough to fry, and the Armenian mob is sniffing around. People still end up dead. Soon, Vic's idea of being true to his Strike Team family undergoes a serious stress test. If it weren't for the humorous relationship between The Barn's resident good guy Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Wyms, some of "The Shield's" episodes might be too depressing to bring you back the following week. But this and the cloud of deceit engulfing Vic are a powerful reel. Given the number of head-rubbing crises of conscience these guys slog through in private moments, you would think their public personas would somehow improve. Nope, they just get harder and more self-serving. Whatever good deeds they attempt end up going sour -- and this is particularly true of Vic -- but they still attempt to take the high road when they can. Why on earth do we like them? Because Tony may be the only mobster who takes lip from kids, suffers panic attacks and has a fondness for ducks and ponies. His crew, Silvio (Steve Van Zandt), Paulie (Tony Sirico) and nephew Christopher are as comical as they are violent. Meanwhile, Vic defiles his badge by constructing lucrative deals with criminals and cozying up a little too close with gang informants he allows to roam free. He regularly threatens hoods with excessive violence -- shoving his gun down people's throats is a favorite tactic -- but only to prevent them from coming to greater harm. Once you realize the cash he skims on the side is to attain the best treatment for his autistic son, it really doesn't make the man's actions that reprehensible. Does it? The fact is "The Shield" and "The Sopranos" hit lower lows each season. That we still feel empathy for their characters is a testament to the kind of brilliant storytelling each trades in. "Forget about the way that Tony Soprano makes his way in the world," Tony coos to the latest object of his affections. "That's just to feed his children. There's two Tony Sopranos. You've never seen the other one. That's the one I want to show you." For good or for ill, we're already quite smitten by both.
Bullies, Bears And Bullets: It's Round 5
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY -- New York Times --
Published: March 5, 2004 HBO's new season of "The Sopranos" opens Sunday night with an extended, mournful tour of the exterior of the Soprano mini-mansion in New Jersey, lingering over dead leaves, abandoned patio furniture and other signs of neglect and loss. Fans of the series know that Tony Soprano was thrown out by Carmela at the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
