[sposteTipsKage]

I never saw this program because I don't pay for HBO, but now that A & E is showing it, I love it. I'm a nOOb.

[sEe]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I never saw this program because I don't pay for HBO... Interesting phrasing - you could have seen the show if you had HBO without paying for it.

[praboobolbode]

it better be better than the last years, last couple of episodes

such a dissapointment

[uchetrip]

http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/episode/...pisode66.shtml

[SusanSazzios]

When will the Russian show up and whack Paulie Walnuts?

[Unonounaple]

10 Million Fans Killed Off In Sopranos Season Premiere

NEW YORK—The writers of the HBO series The Sopranos took another daring storytelling step by killing off 10 million fans during the seventh season's premiere episode Sunday night.

"This was definitely a bold choice, one that producers of the show would have never thought of making five years ago," said New York Times television critic Virginia Heffernan, who noted that the move was hinted at in a season-five episode in which Tony dreamt he was riding a horse through his house. "But now that I look back, this was strongly foreshadowed throughout all of last season."

Industry insiders predicted that the show's producers would try to bring at least some fans back for the series finale, which may come as early as May. http://tinyurl.com/24jwgb

[embefuri]

Chrissy is so gone in a few episodes... that may have been even worse than what Bobby did (I said "may").

[lymnCymment]

I think it was the final major ep on Uncle Junior, which is why he got so much time (kind of a farewell episode). He was starting to assert himself, but things got a bit crazy and now he's going with it, and got his ass kicked by his "partner in crime" for it. I don't think we hear all that much from him anymore in the series.

And at the same time it was a lot of background stuff on Paulie. It is interesting that Paulie's entire family is the mob and has been from an early age. He doesn't have anyone else to lean on.

[Svatudjw]

Good to see Junior back in top form...
...for the first half-hour anyway.


Originally posted by Dis
can someone please give me the highlights of last season? Phil and Vito both came out of the closet.

[lapInsalm]

I think they may be setting Chris up to have to play ball with the feds. His simmering disdain for Tony won't make that a heartbreaking decision, and a whacking that sloppy will probably lead them right to his door sooner, rather than later.

Sloppy whacking.

[RagonaCon]

Probably, but the wiping down of the door handle just struck me as an afterthought, an effort by the director to show us Chris is paying lip service to covering his tracks, but that's about it. Chris is fairly well known as an acquaintance of J.T.'s, and his livelihood is, if not known, strongly suspected by the feds. Once J.T.'s body, which Chris did nothing to hide, turns up, he'll be near the top of their list of interested parties. Chris has been given to make rash decisions in moments of panic, so whether or not he gives into his growing hatred for Tony, he's liable to try to cut a deal once they start talking to him about the murder.

[pfcwlkxav]

Nice lawn job, indeed. Paulie's enough of a hothead that I can see him not even thinking about his car. That was classic stuff. "He terrorized my wife, Tone!"

By the way, I think the stuff with Paulie just adds to the general estrangement Chris is sensing. Bacala's the one discussing business over beer with Tony at the cookout, and then he finds himself the butt of the joke toward the end, with the entire family laughing at him. He's got a long way back to the inner circle and may find the feds a more appealing route. Of course, that may lead him to join Adrianna in an upstate forest, too.

[Mearticbaibre]

Which is a better end for Tony?

Behind bars or under the lawn?

I'll put $5 on them ending it with bars. Dead is too easy.

What they're doing with Paulie and Chrissy could lead to either.

They also lost it a bit in that episode. Paulie made a grave insult to Chris's daughter, after ransacking his lawn (home). Should have been a fight right then and there. These are not corporate brown-nosers. Chris' quick draw and shoot was in the wrong scene.

[casinochniks]

Sorry, I think Tony ending up behind bars would be most fitting. What could be crappier than that, plus some of his "family" getting whacked?

[Rabbahpuptiopp]

If done right, that could satisfy both our descriptions. Prison, though, might be a relief for Tony. Keeping him alive and "free" just means a daily dose of his failures as a boss, in the form of a weak, ineffective family (no way everybody makes it to the end), and as a parent, in the form of AJ, being thrown in his face and reminding him how miserable his entire existence is.

That would also fit with the theme this season of showing how pathetic/despicable these people really are. Paulie's a washed-up nobody. Junior's an invalid. Tony's a degenerate gambler on a really bad streak. Chris, after some hints of backbone, now seems destined to forever remain a junkie and spineless bully. Hell, Sil's becoming the only one worth caring what happens to.

[xpllmr]

They wouldn't, but the feeling the viewer's left with would, and they seem to be more conscious of that than most shows. I think we'd see a more forlorn Tony if he had to go home to more of the same.

[brraverishhh]

The social message remains though.

Does public enemy life at the end?

[Slintreeoost]

Tony certainly is not one to let opportunity pass him by. I saw the accident coming, but not that.

[alexbookhyip]

Phil called for the hit on Tony, who got word and brought in some cousins from the other side of the pond. But they f**ked up, got the wrong guy. Then Bobby got whacked at the train store (nice touch), and Sil's in intensive care. Phil's nowhere to be found (for a hit), so Tony's laying low.

One show to go...

[Brainpole]

I thought I'd post here, since I started the thread, and it says spoilers (which Oerdin's God Damn Cable Company!!!!1!!1 doesn't).

It wasn't the ending I expected: Tony arrested/in jail or maybe shot. It was more of an anti-ending. I thought the picture had gone out, too. They always have music going with the credits. This time it was just "Don't stop - " and abrupt fade to black, then silence when the credits rolled.

Some ends got tied up: Tony made a deal with the NY family, and Phil got whacked (and if the shot to the head and chest weren't enough, the woman who driving got out in a panic and left the SUV in drive, so it drove - over Phil's head); AJ considered joining the Army, *****ed about the state of the world, accidentally burned up his SUV in a pile of leaves, but ended up in a Beamer (and with a high school model girlfriend - "Look at the stems on blondie!" Paulie said in a previous episode).

How 'bout Paulie getting spooked by that cat! (It was kinda weird, the fixation it had on Chrissy's picture.) And he was going to turn down the additional responsibility Tony was offering, because of the bad things which happened to previous capos, until Tony said he'd offer it to Patsie (what else was he gonna do? no one else was left, with Carlo going to the Feds).

I was a bit disappointed it ended that way, but on the other hand, it certainly was different. Life goes on. Tony eats with his family, while a potential indictment hangs over his head, Sil's comatose, Uncle June has alzheimers, Janice doing her oh-woe-is-me, the widow thing, and any solitary guy could be a potential hit man.

But who knows, as there wasn't total closure, there could be a movie down the road.