Tony Soprano’s Series of Unfortunate Events

The Sopranos

By admin | Wednesday, March 22, 2006 | 12:14 am | 20 Comments

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So, I really wanted to pound out a full recap of The Sopranos last week because it had just returned from such a long hiatus and there was so much to talk about. Unfortunately, I was like a lot of people and couldn’t keep track of so many of the secondary characters that returned, and I didn’t prepare myself by watching a lot of the repeat episodes. Now that all of that is said and done, my laptop broke this weekend, so I lost a lot of my notes and I ask you to please bear with me until I get a new laptop. (Anybody with a spare MacBook Pro lying around feel free to send it my way). Anyway, we have all been dying to find out what happened to Tony after he was shot, and boy, it was not pretty.With the last few ounces of his strength, Tony was able to call 9-11 after Uncle Junior shot him. Many people have speculated that Tony is going to die this season, and it wouldn’t make sense to kill him in the final episode. Since so much time had passed in between seasons (about a year according to various hints in the show), there was a rumor that what we saw last week was the last episode, and the rest of the season would lead up to that episode. As twists go, this is a copout of unbelievable proportions, and I am glad they didn’t do that and put The Sopranos in Dallas territory. That being said, we did get another favorite tradition of ours from the show: the dream sequence.

As Tony wakes up in a hotel room, I cringe. Is he recovered? Are they really going to start from a long time ago? Quickly, we realize that it is a dream sequence, and while I think that they are very interesting, too often we are sucked into analyzing what it is supposed to mean. In the dream, Tony is a salesman in Costa Mesa who loses his wallet when he picks up the wrong briefcase at a bar. He has no money, no ID, and so he can’t really go anywhere. In the meantime, Buddhist monks are slapping him in the face, and he tries to cheat on his wife, who we only hear over the phone, but sounds a lot like Gloria Trillo, which is odd considering she hung herself a few seasons ago. Tony is being confused for somebody named Kevin Finnerty, but we don’t know how Finnerty relates to Tony. I do know that it would have been a lot better if they called him Kevin Federline. And if that isn’t enough to make you think, Tony was injured in his dream, and had a MRI that said he had Alzheimer’s.

The real big deal is taking place in the hospital. Tony was in a coma, came out of it, and then pulled out his breathing tube. The doctors then had to induce a coma and restrain him. Tony had successful surgery, but there is a blood infection that is causing sepsis, so they don’t know if he’ll make it. The doctors are also very worried about possible brain damage, and if that isn’t bad enough, Tony has an open wound in his stomach that looks like somebody used a spoon to remove the bullet. It looks even worse than Valentina’s face after it caught on fire or Tony Blundetto’s face after it got caught with a shotgun.

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Quite obviously, the family is very worried. Edie Falco puts in a wonderful performance (those Desperate Housewives bitches shouldn’t even show up at the Emmy’s) and the experience of the family in ICU is very authentic. We also explore a lot more into AJ’s character than we ever have before. Obviously, he has issues with his father, and although AJ is not in the business, his father always wanted him to learn to respect the family. In the beginning, AJ could barely deal with his dad’s condition, going as far as saying a bad burrito gave him the stomach flu. You almost wonder if he is going out of the way to upset his momEventually, AJ makes it to his dad’s bed, and although he begins the evening talking about how the new Mustang Cobra would be even better than the M3 he has always, by the next morning, he is promising his father that he will kill Uncle Junior for doing that to him. Still, AJ managed to flunk out of college with a 1.4, so even if Uncle Junior was scared that somebody might get him, I am sure that his biggest threat is not from a genius plot devised by AJ.

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And what about Uncle Junior? There was a time where we thought he was just playing senile to beat the feds, but he is full on crazy now. The rest of the Tony’s captains want to kill Junior, but they don’t do anything, saying that it is Tony’s call what would happen to him. Besides, the DA might want to prosecute and that could be worse. In Tony’s absence Silvio has taken over collecting for Tony and taking care of Carmela and the family, which really seems to piss off Vito. A few of the other guys are starting to notice that Vito really has an attitude, and is already starting to talk about dividing up Junior’s shares, even though most of the others agree Junior’s territory should go to Bobby.

I know that Vito wants to keep on the down low, but he isn’t very subtle, whether it be last week when he grabbed a wiener, or this week when he was speculating on Gene’s death saying that maybe Gene was gay and couldn’t tell anybody and decided to end his life. Obviously it was meant to be funny, but I think we are going to hear a lot about Vito in the future, especially since they keep coming back to the gay thing, and also because he seems to be best friends with Phil Leotardo all of a sudden.

One major problem with this episode is that it really didn’t advance the plot. We are basically in the same place we were a week ago, although there are a lot of stories that have been set up. I still think Tony is going to survive until at least the end, but I think it’s going to be interesting to see how his captains fill the power vacuum while he recovers, and when you throw the New York families into the mix, a lot of people are going to be whacked.

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20 Comments

  1. 1
    BigMax
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 6:25 am

    My father was in an ICU not long ago after open heart surgery. The acting was brilliant and the scenes were all too realistic!

  2. 2
    plexitoes
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 6:49 am

    I agree with you BigMax, the acting blew me away.

    As far as the time table, didn’t Tony mention that Janice and Bobby’s daughter was 15 months old? (in questioning why she had to go to a preschool interview) baby’s age plus pregnancy would make it about 2 years.

    Also, alot of posters have talked about the fish relevance. I agree that it has something to do with the “circle of life” theory…it continues in the dream sequence when Tony orders the grouper sandwich at the bar.

    Carmella at the hospital really got to me. I am so upset about Tony, I feel like I’m sharing her grief. (over a GD T.V. show…I need help) Anyway, I will be highly disappointed if they kill him off.

    (Is anyone else having a terrible time signing on to comment?)

  3. 3
    Court_Love
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 7:31 am

    I can’t even believe to comprehend that this might be the last season.

    I kinda like Tony Soprano better than Jack Bauer right now.

    plexitoes, I am also having trouble leaving comments.

  4. 4
    tvfan
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 8:12 am

    I thought this review was HORRIBLE. Shame on you, TVGASM for posting such a bad recap. I usually look forward to them and this one was very disappointing.
    I thought this episode was very moving and I enjoyed it. I am curious to see how “the family” handles Tony not being there and the fight for power. I do hope, however, that Tony recovers without any problems or brain damage.
    Does anyone know who his “wife” in his “dream” was?
    p.s. Edie Falco deserves an Emmy for her performance!

  5. 5
    cruella_deville
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 9:14 am

    The performances were brilliant, but I am so confused!! I don’t want Tony to die!!!! The whole alternate life thing is so weird….I read that it is kind of like he is in purgatory….just stuck there and he can’t go anywhere else. Who else wants the slap the crap out of AJ? And, who else laughed when Vito said maybe Gene was gay? Please, honey, you would know!!!

  6. 6
    jelodi97
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 9:24 am

    I’m not sure what the beacon represents: the afterlife or home. I also found dream-Tony’s business to be an interesting choice: defense contractor. Those companies can be as nefarious in character as the mafia.It was strange hearing James Gandolfini speaking in his regular voice.

    I agree with the sentiment on Edie Falco’s acting. . .she was amazing.

    I’m fine with Vito being gay, but farting on the couch *while* eating was repulsive. AJ is a little bitch.

  7. 7
    Pie
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 11:47 am

    I think this was a great recap. There wasn’t much to work with in this episode, since nothing was really explained. It seems that the writers are setting up a few storylines, but right now it’s about as clear as mud. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

  8. 8
    BigMax
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 12:45 pm

    I don’t know why I look for so many parallelisms, but when Junior was under house arrest, he complained that he was farting into the same couch cushions for months. Now, we literally have Vito farting into couch cushions.

    I’m not claiming that this is as profound as the grouper sandwich (great catch Plexitos), I’m just wondering what they are doing and where this is going. Damn, I wish I had some spoilers.

    Note: Please don’t post any spoilers. I’m only kidding. My local newspaper did give one hint, and I’m still angry.

  9. 9
    plethLaura
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 1:23 pm

    Bobby got off easy with the other fellas. HE shoulda been there with Junior. I think Bobby’s gonna be facing some more blame.

    I hope they don’t spend a lot of time on AJ this season. He’s completely vascant. Even when vowing to kill Uncle Junior. It was more like a JR High play rehearsal than real acting. Thank goodness for Carmella.

  10. 10
    plethLaura
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 1:25 pm

    and by “vascant” I mean “vacant”

  11. 11
    PattiJo
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 3:10 pm

    I think that maybe in the end Tony is actually going to be this Kevin guy and he got shot and is in a coma dreaming that he is Tony. Some how in the end we are going to find out that the Sprano’s aren’t even real. Kind of like the whole Mafia family was this Kevin guy’s dream.

  12. 12
    PattiJo
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 3:17 pm

    I ment Soprano’s

  13. 13
    utterlunacy
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 5:15 pm

    I’m pretty sure Tony’s wifes voice is Charmaign Bucco

  14. 14
    saralina
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 8:00 pm

    i thought his wife on the phone sounded like edie falco

  15. 15
    geewits
    Posted March 22, 2006 at 9:37 pm

    We noticed at least two distinct voices on the phone as “the wife” in the dream. The psycho car dealer and Artie Bucco’s wife. There may have been more because we didn’t notice it right away.

  16. 16
    ukexpat
    Posted March 23, 2006 at 7:13 am

    PattiJo said: I ment Soprano’s.

    No, you meant Sopranos…

  17. 17
    J-Balls
    Posted March 23, 2006 at 9:16 am

    You know what, I love this show but this episode was a boring excuse to simply showcase some acting to gather a bunch of awards, knowing full well that dedicated viewers will put up with it until the end. The entire episode was a cop-out. I’m fine to keep Tony in a coma until the end of the season, but show me what happens to his crew, don’t just waste time confusing me for no good reason.

  18. 18
    pgrant
    Posted March 23, 2006 at 10:47 am

    I freaked out when A.J. said he was going to shoot Junior in the head…I think he would…at the worst time possible! Great recap!!! This episode was sooo confusing!!

  19. 19
    Bretley
    Posted March 23, 2006 at 2:32 pm

    With regards to Tony’s wife in the dream, it wasn’t Gloria, Charmaine, or anyone else. It was just a random actress, according to one of the writers, “a generic woman’s voice.”

    Also, the cast and writers have confirmed that the same amount of time has passed since last season’s finale and this ep as has past in real time. So it’s been about 21 months, not 1 year.

  20. 20
    mefacina
    Posted March 23, 2006 at 7:58 pm

    I agree with the above posters who said how realistic the whole ICU scenes were-this episode had my crying almost the entire hour, and I think part of the reason was how much Tony’s hospital setting reminded me of my father when he was dying–so sadly realistic. The other reason I couldn’t stop crying was because I can’t bear the thought of losing Tony Soprano–I too am devastated at the thought of losing this fictional character–probably because he is so complex. For all his murderous qualities, he also embodies many of the lost, noble characteristics of the strong American male who could protect his family and make his own way in the world. Yes, I’m romanticizing him, but just think about the scene where he backed Uncle Junior’s oncologist (Dr. Kennedy) into a water hazard after he’d given the old man the brush off–wouldn’t it be nice to have someone look out for your best interest when you weren’t being treated properly? And as for AJ–yes, I wanted to kill him most of the episode, but I really can understand his avoidance of visiting the hospital–how painful it is to see your once vital, powerful father reduced to the status of a mere mortal, which Carmela could see was hard for the little jerk. I think the very worst is Janice–it’s HER fault Tony was babysitting Jr. instead of Bobby, and then she visits the hospital and is over the top with her dramatic crocodile tears–wait, she’ll be pushing her husband forward to seize power soon–And sorry to go on forever, but when Tony’s in the dream sequence in the hotel room and starts to call home to tell his wife about the Alzheimer’s but doesn’t–I see that as Tony deciding whether or not to “go toward the light” or go back to his family–and the light is more attractive. Even his dream sequence wife is busting his chops for being “too wrapped up in his work…it’s probably his fault he picked up the wrong briefcase.” How’s that for a supportive, loving wife? Tony’s real family is the same–so self-absorbed and he’s trying in his own way, but it’s never enough. When he gives Carmela the Porsche Cayenne, she doesn’t even kiss him, & I’m not sure she even says thank you before driving away & leaving him with a bemused look on his face, like he’d hoped for some real gratitude/affection…Okay, my essay is at an end…can’t wait till the next episode.

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