It’s Not Too Late To Watch ‘The Sopranos’
The timeline of television is now separated into before and after 'The Sopranos'.
It’s been a full 20 years since the television juggernaut that is The Sopranos was introduced to the world and oh, madonn’ (*makes the sign of the cross*) if you haven’t seen it yet, you simply haven’t lived.
The series, which took the classic American mobster narrative and turned it on its head, has long been credited with changing the landscape of television forever.
It came at a time when TV was widely regarded as the poorer cousin of the film industry, and HBO only really had Sex and the City under its belt. So, when David Chase gave us this new take on the anti-hero — James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano — and the horrifying mobster world he lives in, he paved the way for other larger-than-life television shows and characters, alike.
You’d better believe there would be no Game of Thrones without it.
The honest to gawd truth of it is: the timeline of television is now separated into before and after The Sopranos.
So, with that said, let’s discuss all the other reasons you should watch it, ey?
A Gangster Walks Into A Therapist’s Office
The Sopranos explores the concept of a violent mob boss with a deeply tormented soul and (perhaps not so shockingly) a severe case of anxiety and depression.
But the oddity with this series is that for all his hideous transgressions, you can’t help but relate to Tony and his attempts to work his shit out, despite having a black hole for a mother (you’ll get it when you see it) and well, the whole “sitting at the head of the New Jersey Cosa Nostra,” situation.
The show is made up of rich and complex characters (OK, maybe not Jackie Jr) most of whom are seriously terrible people with a warped sense of reality. The kind of reality where a joke about a guy’s mother could get you whacked.
the sopranos is early costco-core, fruit bowl-wave, mcmansion gothic
— Patricia Lockwood (@TriciaLockwood) January 23, 2019
And yet, for every evil act that drives you to throw your head in your hands, there’s another that melts your heart and makes you question your sanity for sympathising with a wise guy.
The only decent person in the entire series is Soprano’s psychiatrist Dr Jennifer Melfi, who spends all her time trying to get her patient to work through his trauma and exercise a little impulse control once in a while (he doesn’t get too far with that).
Beyond that, the series focuses on lowlife gangsters, their wives who look the other way and their entitled children. Throw in a couple of feisty goomahs (mistresses) and a few sour business relationships, and bada-bing: watch as the whole thing blows up.
Best Moments
The Sopranos has this incredible ability to make you giggle, then break your heart — all within the space of a minute.
It’ll take you through the full spectrum of emotion in most episodes, and the list of memorable moments it produced is very long, paesan’. The show did win 118 awards, after all.
Nevertheless, we filtered through and pulled out a handful of favourites — with spoilers considered, don’t you worry.
A standout from all the way back in season one — the pilot, in fact — is a scene where Tony Soprano steps into his pool to play with a family of ducks. As soon as he sees the birds waddle on into the water his face lights up like a kid with a Paddle Pop.
Watching this giant man get such a kick out of hanging out with a bunch of birds is one of the sweetest things you’ll see in the series — and it’s important because Tony’s emotional connection to animals becomes a theme that pops up regularly.
For a minute, we forget this guy is a hot-headed murderer, and we get the feeling he does, too.
Also from season one, Carmela Soprano’s admission of guilt in ‘College’ is a game-changing scene.
During a weird, sexually-charged movie night with creepo Father Phil, Carmela takes part in a makeshift confession and admits she’s an enabler to her criminal husband. While at first glance it seems like something of a eureka moment for the first lady of the crime family, it’s also glaringly obvious that despite her shame, she’s not going anywhere, and she resents her husband for that.
Considering the show is centred on toxic masculinity and mental illness, it’s no real surprise that The Sopranos is lauded for its gritty displays of emotion. But some of the greatest moments in the series are actually its funniest.
The season three episode ‘Pine Barrens’, directed by Steve Buscemi, is the perfect example.
A combination of ego and blatant stupidity leads Paulie and Christopher to become lost in the woods — in the middle of winter, no less — where the pair of gangsters slowly decline into something out of Lord of the Flies.
The many missteps (Paulie literally loses a shoe in the snow), the constant arguing (there’s tension over a packet of Tic-Tacs at one point), and the frustrated reaction from Tony all make this episode one of the show’s most memorable.
The highlight of the entire incident, though, has to be when Paulie comes to believe the guy they’re searching the woods for is a lethal interior decorator:
‘The Intervention’ is another favourite, comedy-wise.
When a group of key players in the family come together to encourage (read: tell) one of their members to get help with his drug addiction, the whole practice derails and they break out into a brawl, highlighting how ill-equipped these guys are to handle the issue at hand.
The best part is easily Silvio’s idea of “non-judgemental” sharing:
“When I came in to open up one morning, there you were with your head half in the toilet. Your hair was in the toilet water. Disgusting.”
Where To Start:
From the beginning, people.
The Sopranos is only six seasons long, which, when it comes to binge-watching, is fairly manageable. If you happen to have a particularly full life, however (stop showing off) and genuinely can’t find the time to watch all six seasons, cut most of season two and skip straight to episodes 12 and 13.
You’ll miss the introduction of a few significant characters like Janice Soprano (Tony’s er, intense, sister) and Richie Aprile, but the last two episodes in this season are where everything comes to a head and believe us, you’ll get a good sense of Janice and Richie as soon as you meet them. *Shudders*
Those of you who can watch season two, however, will be treated to the build-up to the discovery of a betrayal in the “capital-F” family, along with some insight into the disaster of a dude that is Christopher Moltisanti.
Whatever you do, make sure you get to the end of the show so you can watch the final episode and obsess about it for the remainder of your days, like the rest of us.
Where Can You Watch The Sopranos?
Seasons 1 – 6 of The Sopranos are available on Foxtel Box Sets.
Now, no disrespect… but, Jesus Christ, go watch it already.
Stephanie Nuzzo is a New York-based writer who is mildly obsessed with Beyoncé and coffee. You can follow her on Twitter at @StephNuzzo.
All this week, Junkee is heading back in time to relive the greatest moments in pop culture from 1999. For more 1999 content, head here.