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The Sopranos 601-602 (Patreon)

Published:
2026-11-03 13:00:05
Imported:
2026-11
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Comments

Reid Mclellan

Tragic... about to turn 47... just a kid

newhastings

Fun fact: Gandolfini used his real voice for Kevin Finnerty

Potsi

Cazzata Malanga we are back!

Jerell Tolliver

Putting succession out there as a potential poll choice

Ashton Lewis

That's actually the correct way to pronounce Porsche by the way, por-shuh

maikeru

surprised that George is surprised how Porsche is pronounced.. it's a german brand after all (I'm aware in english most ppl prnounce it Porsch) and in german and most languages, the letter "e" is pronounced like eh (like in "bed"), no matter if the letter is in the middle of the word or the end (unlike in english or french where letters can be silent/the pronunciation omitted). sry if I sound like a smartass, was not my intention.

Jaaahn

i mean you literally named the reason why they dont say it like that, english and french the e is silent. and those 2 languages are whats spoken in canada soo... why are you surprised? lol

Inkpendude

get a load of this guy, sounds like some kind of smartass, which was most likely his intention.

Brandon

I love what we learn about Carmela's dad in the first episode. He's no gangster, but he's still crooked. For decades, he's been building houses with cheaper pine lumber that isn't meant for the framework of a house. He had even had a guy on the inside that looked the other way and allowed his shoddy work to pass the inspection process. Now the inside guy is retired and he's exposed as a fraud. The thought of a roof suddenly collapsing due to cheap lumber is kind of a nightmare of mine. We also learn that in addition to Ray, the FBI had Eugene as a rat. Still, they pressed the living shit out of Adrianna (literally with her IBS), who never knew a damn thing about Tony's business. I swear the FBI are no less scummy than the characters in the mob world.

supwizy

I know simone and george dont live close to each other anymore but It would be a lot of fun if they could watch the show finale together in person.

Thall

Welll... Its a german car and its pronounced Porsch-eh. Porsch is someone saying "porch" wrong. And yes, it's a fugly ass minivan.

maikeru

holy I didn't expect to see Vince Masuka

Ashton Lewis

Marvin Gaye was murdered by his own father, shot to death

Stan the Man

Please. Guys. I beg you. Watch recaps. You can find em on YouTube. They use to air “previously on”prior to every episode when the show aired but streaming doesn’t have them. You guys watch so much stuff it’s so easy and understandable to forgot what’s what, who’s who. Recaps will bring it all back and be all the more rewarding. Anyways. I said my piece. Btw I love that you guys do two episodes. So many reactors do one and it takes so long. Your way is much better

Stan the Man

Also. I’ll just say this. That opening montage in episode 1 is *EXTREMELY important* foreshadowing wise. I recommend giving it a rewatch and really listening to what is being said. Just a recommendation.

Jay K

People tend to be understanding towards mental illness or mental decline until it leads to violence against someone they care about, then all that sympathy goes out the window. It's very difficult for aj to be understanding about junior's mental state when his dad is possibly dying as a result of it.

Kansas City Shuffler

About Junior in Prison, US Constitutional law is like night and day depending on whether you have already been charged or found guilty of a crime. Without getting into the meat of the constitution, there are basically a number of presuppositions when you are being surveilled or questioned by the police. Those protections go out the door once the government has assembled their case, to be replaced by different protections. And those protections go out the door when you’ve been found guilty or not guilty. What this means is that since Junior hasn’t been charged yet and appears to lack the requisite mental state for murder, he probably won’t be charged or go to prison. If he had been found guilty because, for instance, he lives in a state that does not allow the insanity defense (like Arizona), he would be prosecuted unless his mental capacity interfered with his constitutional trial rights (6th Amendment). Beyond that, his protections from jail are simply a matter of the welfare of prisoners. And the problem is that there is no explicit constitutional right for the welfare of prisoners. If you go in, you are the government’s hostage.

Brandon

Speaking only for myself, the Kevin Finnerty stuff is a real drag on subsequent viewings of the series. It's the one storyline where I don't get anything out of it any more. I don't expect people watching for the first time to feel the same, though. Luckily there's still a lot of great stuff in these episodes. Not gonna lie, Janice being so upset when she saw Tony's open wound is one of the only times where I don't make fun of her... but I understand the knee-jerk reaction. 🤣 Marvin Gaye died when his father shot him after he intervened in a fight between his parents. Hence the reference with Junior shooting Tony. In a sad twist, the gun was a gift from Marvin so his dad could protect the house from a home invasion, which is something he was paranoid about in the years leading up to his death.

PIG

... Masuka is God?! ...huhuhuhuhuhhu...

verygooster

I don't mind it on rewatches but I absolutely remember when this season was airing how annoyed people were because imagine going through this and waiting like two weeks for the conclusion lol.

Stan the Man

So it’s very important. Tony is not having a dream. His coma experience is not a dream.

Brandon

Of course it is. That or a hallucination, whichever people prefer to call it. That doesn't mean that those scenes aren't filled with significance and meaning, though.

Beir Benkins

I hope Peaky Blinders is on the poll :)

Beir Benkins

i ALSO hope Hannibal is on the poll >:)

Michael Chavira

Come on George, you shouldn't be confused about why Meadow and AJ would say this is embarrassing. There are TV reporters right outside her window during that scene. It's embarrassing having your private family business being broadcast out to the public. There's always some things you would rather keep private. Meadow and AJ grew up with this in their lives; being "used to it" does not make that embarrassment go away. Also, I'll say to anyone watching these episodes to NOT view these "dream" sequences as the same thing we've had in the past seasons. This is clearly something different. All the dreams we have been shown before are often goofy, fun, with weird sounds and quick edits. This is not that. This is something else.

Jaaahn

'shouldnt be confused' is such a weird thing to say about something subjective, not to mention youre making it sound like being confused by something is a choice. like they should choose to not do that. also getting hung up on the word dream is just bizarre. like as if theres only ever one way for people to interpret soemthng

fforw

At least it is close. English speaker really struggle with the schwa sounds because English does not have them. The not-pronounced nature, like you lost interest in the word halfway through is hard to hit for English speakers. There's always a hint of overpronunciation.

dc

This show is much better on a rewatch. This sixth season is absolutely chock-full of foreshadowing. Members Only, the trains…this season is very intentional.

Stan the Man

It is NOT a dream. This is important to understand. David Chase, the show runner and writer, made very clear what Tony is experiencing is NOT a dream. He’s said this numerous times. What is happening to him is…otherworldly. That is a very important element in the final season. David Chase said they made it very deliberate that this did not follow the dream logic of previous episodes where Tony was dreaming. Call it limbo, bardo, purgatory. Whatever. Chris also experienced his own trip to purgatory when he was shot. Which led to 3 o’clock and Paulies psychic.

Jaaahn

if a show creator has to go out of his way to explain what something in his show actually is, then that thing in his show isnt very fucking clear. other wise he wouldnt have to explain it outside the show. and you, being pedantic and white knighting over it, as if you expect everyone else to also have found and heard that same explaination outside of the show is just stupid.

King_Panarisi

The way Carmela said Porsche is actually the right way and the way the germans pronounce it.

Deadly Ramon

01:26:20 I mostly buy music as downloads from Amazon's Digital Music store, or sometimes from Bandcamp or even directly from an artist's website, and also game soundtracks from GOG and Steam. I'll buy an occasional CD if the album isn't available legally on any digital storefronts or especially if it's newly remastered (which is Rock Candy Records' specialty). I don't listen to the CD once I've made an MP3 (at the highest resolution / lowest compression Windows Media Player allows) of it, though I will sometimes open it and read the booklet (Rock Candy's remasters always include a new ~3,000 word biography by a veteran rock journalist with new or rare photographs included). I have about 450 gigabytes of MP3s and some FLAC files where applicable.

REDR58

Straight from the (German) horse's mouth: https://www.porsche.com/stories/culture/how-to-pronounce-porsche/ "How Porsche is pronounced has caught some people out since the company’s earliest days. Is it one or two syllables? Do you pronounce the ‘e’ at the end? Well, we are here to confirm that there are two syllables, and if you’re pronouncing the ‘e’ on the end like an ‘uh’, then you’re on the right track. Porsche, of course, gets its name from its founder, Ferdinand Porsche. In the German language every letter is pronounced to a certain degree, unlike in English where silent letters are frequent. It’s the anglicised version of the word that is the root of the Porsche mispronunciation problems, as the correct way to pronounce it is, of course, the German way – because that’s where Porsche comes from, after all. Want to hear how it should be pronounced so you can practice it out loud for yourself? Just listen to the video below for all you need to hear."

Deadly Ramon

~01:27:00 It might be overplayed on classic rock stations, but I can think of a lot worse music than "Smoke on the Water." I encourage George to explore Deep Purple's extensive discography as I'm certain he'll find some music he likes more than that hit.

Michael Chavira

Jaaahn, George said he was confused. That's why I posted this comment, to help him understand the situation. As far as the dreams go, I gave no mention about how a person should interpret them. I only pointed out that they are very different from what we have seen before. You have overanalyzed my comment, and are reading way too much into it.

Brandon

Chase has never actually given such a clear concise explanation of what the dream is, other than to explain its significance. He's explained it as more of a near-death metaphysical experience and different from his dreams in previous episodes. Honestly, I only push back because you make it sound like something more supernatural/sci-fi is taking place and The Sopranos has never been that kind of show.

newhastings

“I would be so confused on why this whole season would be in a coma.” Imagine if a show had 4 seasons where the main character was in a coma Congratulations you just imagined the shark jumping seasons of Archer

Raven Blackrose

They knew Junior wasn't well, they probably thought it was more cancer. I doubt Tony ever told them "he's completely demented and is talking to dead people".

Philipp Roensch

Wow, so this guy Eugene got an arc and a half in 15 minutes? Interesting, but this is not only 5 snitches so far, but also 4 dead. The FBI outta handle their witnesses' mental wellbeing better, or at least secure their outs. Wild choice to give us Tony in a near death experience. I hope it results in also a new character angle. Odd, I knew that final song. AJ only gets more and more dislikable traits. CDs are great, I still buy and save them lossless, beats freaking Spotify. Sometimes I buy indie stuff on bandcamp.

REDR58

I’m sure people have heard about the resurgence of CD purchases lately.

REDR58

Members Only Ron Goddard, the guy driving the car at the start of the episode who says “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American Public” before pulling over for the other guy to vomit is played by Michael Kelly who you saw in Unbreakable, Dawn of the Dead, Man of Steel and episode of Black Mirror and The Penguin. The song playing at the start of the episode is "Seven Souls" by Bill Laswell with William S. Burroughs reading from his novel “The Western Lands”: https://youtu.be/GAowqA-g7oo?is=tdIkVZwX2LhfOSvj Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” was first classified by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and I assume it is commonly called “Charcot’s Disease” outside the US? The movie that Uncle Junior is watching on TV is the First World War film “Paths of Glory” directed by Stanley Kubrick with Kirk Douglas.

Jay K

The problem there is the moment they type sopranos into YouTube they'll start getting bombarded with videos with spoilers in the titles like 'Ralph Cifaretto death scene'. Maybe going on Wikipedia and reading the synopsis from the previous season's finale would be safer.

Thall

I know that marketing calls it an SUV, but almost all SUVs fulfill the most common minivan characteristics. Higher roof, flat floors, no sport seating position (which would be hip at height of or below kness). So they're all minivans for people that aren't mature enough to admit that they drive minivans.

Cole Crouse

As for why people are acting like they don't understand Junior's dementia and/or aren't taking it into account when talking about his actions. 1. Junior's dementia was originally a ploy to get out of his conviction at trial. He played it up, and it was only later that it developed to a point that it was clear that he legitimately had dementia and not everyone is aware of that. 2. Junior has tried to kill Tony before. From an outside perspective, it could be that even despite the dementia, Junior might have consciously wanted to kill Tony. 3. No one other than Tony, Bobby, and Janice have been actively interacting with Junior since his arrest. They don't know how far it's gone. 4. Basically, just the mobster/old fashioned/manly attitude that mental health issues are a sign of weakness. This is an overall theme of the show.

p0sthum4n

Cazzata, Malanga!

p0sthum4n

YES, fully on board with Succession, dying to see these two react to it.

Jay K

I hope they read this comment. Some very good points made.

REDR58

I still have my very first CD player, a Panasonic RX-DS20 tape/radio/CD system (boombox). It still works, except for the tape player which needs new belts. Still have my first Sony CD D828K Dsicman, which was intended for use in a car and had a tape player adaptor and remote control. Still works. And I still have the very first CD I ever bought, Pink Floyd’s “Delicate Sound of Thunder” double CD Live album. Still plays perfectly. I recently bought a Fosi Audio Merak CD player. Nice little unit, about the size of a Discman, but not intended for portable use.

p0sthum4n

Rusty, the short guy Tony runs into at Ray's funeral, is played by famous singer Frankie Valli. Since Frankie Valli himself also still exists in The Sopranos, I like to think that Rusty grew up getting his balls busted all the time because he looks just like Frankie Valli.

REDR58

Porsche calls the Cayenne an SUV and bizarrely a Coupe, so I don’t know what else to tell you. Minivans generally have sliding rear doors. The Cayenne does not.

REDR58

And for that matter “coupes” have 2 doors, not 4, but Porsche calls their non-sliding door with 4 doors SUV a “coupe” at 2 of its trim levels, so I guess words have no meaning. Four doors are two doors too many.

Jay

Honestly, I've always hated the Eugene story in Members Only. He's been on the show since S3. Even though he's only been a background character until now, we know he's an a$$hole, even by these guy's standards.... then they throw all that at us in 45 minutes? Fleshed out over a few episodes, I might have been able to get on board. As is, always hated it.

Jay (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-04 02:00 I agree on Kevin Finnerty. And outside of one particular arc, I feel the same about S6 Part 1 generally. Weakest run of this great show IMHO.
2026-11-03 22:36 I agree on Kevin Finnerty. But outside of one particular arc, I actually feel the same about S6 Part 1 generally. Weakest run of this great show IMHO.

I agree on Kevin Finnerty. But outside of one particular arc, I actually feel the same about S6 Part 1 generally. Weakest run of this great show IMHO.

zona999

I'm here trying to distract from my freaking out on a big election day in the US. It's actually how I found and ultimately subscribed to Cinebinge years ago during a Presidential election day distraction attempt on youtube.

REDR58

Join the Club Infiniti is the luxury brand of Nissan. Lexus is a luxury brand of Toyota. There is no connection between the 2 companies other that they are luxury brands. So the guy at the bar is saying Kevin Finnerty drives an Infiniti (rhymes with Finnerty). Like a Lexus? He’s just reminding Tony that Infiniti is like Lexus, 2 differing luxury car brands. Why would you assume he’s gonna be in a coma for the entire season? It might just be a several episodes for all you know. I like the detail of the spare batteries next to the CD player on the tray over the hospital bed. The song that plays when Tony re-enters the hotel room at the end is "When It's Cold I'd Like to Die" by Moby with vocals by Mimi Goese. https://youtu.be/kFyuSMf-PtQ?is=DtIzXPxW9neZobf4

p0sthum4n

I know a lot of people hate on the coma episodes, but in 2016 I spent 37 days hospitalized after catching West Nile and developing viral meningoencephalitis. The first few days, maybe around a week, I was in the ICU and for most of that I was relatively delirious and in and out of constant, intense, high fidelity fever dreams. When I finally started regaining lucidity it took me a day or two to start getting a grip on what had been real and what had been in my head. These episodes are very relatable to me. I still remember my fever dreams pretty vividly, at least some of them.

Stan the Man

@ Brandon I’m sorry but this is incorrect. Chase talks about the coma trip NOT being a dream and it is more of an alternate universe. Check out a book called The Sopranos Sessions. It’s great. He talks about it in that book during the season 6 segment. I think he’s mentioned it elsewhere too. Now I don’t know why you think just because it’s an alternative universe it means the symbolism isn’t as important than if it were a dream. It absolutely is important. These episodes are loaded with symbolism. Chase has talked about the coma trip as it relates to the Buddhist notion of “Bardo”. Now he didn’t say that’s precisely what Tony is going thru just that that’s the sort of inspiration he was taking. Regardless of any of that, I started out by saying it’s not a dream and shouldn’t be thought of as a dream. I wanted to make that clear to George and Simone so they can look at it with different eyes. I find when people think it’s just a dream or hallucination, they feel it’s more arbitrary storytelling vs the supernatural aspect which gives the whole coma trip a very different feel. The Sopranos absolutely dabbles in the supernatural from time to time. Which I kinda love because who expects that from a mob crime drama? But yeah you said “of course it is” (a dream) and that is not what the show was going for.

Stan the Man

@ Jaahn Wow. Cool your jets my dude. You’ve misunderstood what I meant when I said “clear”. Maybe that’s my fault for not being more direct. But I am not being pedantic about anything. All I said was, it’s not a dream and shouldn’t be looked at as a dream. Someone replied to that saying it is a dream. So if someone contradicts what I’m saying obviously I’m going to mention what the writers have said about it. That’s not being pedantic. I don’t expect everyone to know what I know or read what I’ve read. When I said the writer made it clear that this is not a dream, I mean he has not been ambiguous in interviews. He’s been asked about this and he’s stated clearly and unambiguously that what Tony experienced here is no dream. If you didn’t know that, fine, cool. But I think it’s fair to assume if someone says what I’m saying is incorrect they’ve got more than a cursory understanding of things Chase has said in interviews. So that’s why I said he made it clear. I meant when he’s talked about it in interviews and books. Hope that clears things up.

Dan R

I feel like you guys didn't understand the opening song and what it means

REDR58

This is my first time watching and I’m really enjoying it so far.

REDR58

I’m going to guess that they have never heard of the Dallas TV series in 1986 where the entire 8th season was revealed to be a dream by one character. And unsurprisingly this has been referenced in an episode of The Simpsons. Edit: And those seasons of Archer were also references to that season of Dallas.

REDR58

“I AM the FBI.”

REDR58

While unseen in the show credits, the voice of the woman who Tony speaks with on the phone in his coma is credited to Wendy Hammers on IMDb. She has not appeared on the show before.

Dan R

They didn't even notice that his accent changed

funky weapon

holy damn. that's probably the most effective use of Moby I've seen since Southland Tales. This show is definitely written by feel. there's no "plan" or "outline," but a group of writers are each trying to tackle a piece of modern life through the lens of neanderthals trying to keep up with a world now dominated by homo sapiens. using mobsters in the dying gasp of organized crime is really a brilliant canvas for them to explore these themes. the only other show like this that I can think of is Mad Men.

MacGuffinStuff

Hot take, Edie Falco is an amazing actor. Join that Club. She was so good I wanted to look away, it hurt so much, but I could not. And Ro, their scenes, that's a strong woman, RO. Reminded me of my aunts, and my abuelitas, my mom in her way, all of them, strong women. Had to deal with stupid sons like me, worry and pray for us. Sorry my nephew just graduated Marine Corps boot camp and I'm proud of him, I was Army but it's something everyone who's been through it has an understanding of. And I know my sister is going through it, NOW he decides to join, with this clown show. Well hopefully the voting going on right now, maybe we can put the brakes on this bullshit.

MacGuffinStuff

On a lighter 12 notes. Smoke On The Water was also the first song I played on electric guitar. Fourteenth birthday, dad in a rare fit of sober enthusiasm took me to the pawn shop and I picked out a $100 dollar fake Stratocaster, and no it was not a Squire, and $40 Amp, cable, cheap strap, free pick. One of the best days of my life. Went home and on TV was a commercial for a classic rock CD compilation, Smoke On The Water played and yeah, ten seconds later I was sure I could start a band. Good times.

dys

It's about 50-50 for English speakers whether they say "porsh" or "por-sha", and I don't think the latter is that accurate to the German pronunciation anyway. In French the ending "e" isn't pronounced as a full syllable like "Por-sheh" either, more like instead of "porsh" it's "porssH". Just my take as someone with English as my first language but also grew up with a dad who spoke fluent French and learned it from a young age.

MacGuffinStuff

That's AWESOME! No but I remember this commercial, there were a lot of these commercials back in the buy 12 cassettes for one penny days, but this one was the best!

Kwazimoto69

S06e02 was always my favourite episode. When I had a second router setup for a VPN, I specifically renamed my primary network Tony Soprano and the VPN Kevin Finnerty.

Stan the Man

Huge disagree. The Costa Mesa experience has HUGE thematic implications for the rest of the series. It is so important, so rich so out there I find it more rewarding each and every time. Not to mention next week brings it all home with one of the best sequences of the series. The end of “Join The Club” is so beautiful. A helpless Tony Soprano, separated from his family in mind and body, sits alone as a mysterious light beckons to him off in the distance. He thinks of calling home but he doesn’t. All while “When it’s cold I’d like to die” plays in the background. People watch this show for different reasons. If ur into it for the crime drama mob stuff, I imagine these aren’t what you want from the show. But some of the most beautiful moments happen in these two episodes. When I first saw the show? I agreed 100% with u. But the sopranos only gets better with rewatching and when u know where the story goes, how everything ends up, the first 4 episodes of season 6 are soo rewarding, so strong in foreshadowing.

dys

Probably not noticeable for anyone not from the US that he switched from the New Jersey accent to a more neutral American accent for those scenes. I mean I noticed, because my American accent is pretty similar to the Kevin Finnerty accent, but I live in New York now so I'm around New York and New Jersey accents all the time. Frankly Simone and George have accents more in common with both the Kevin Finnerty accent and mine (as a dude from Massachusetts but from far west of Boston so I don't have any of the non-rhotic Boston accent at all) than I have in common with that New Jersey accent.

Stan the Man

I also love the use of the Moby song. One thing about the show planning or making it up as they go? The entire season is actually is fully plotted out prior to filming. Now sometimes they do end up changing things. For example, Tony B was suppose to survive season 5, he signed on for 2 season originally but David Chase felt it was too unrealistic to have him live. But If you watch the opening montage carefully, what we see and hear is full on foreshadowing things we won’t see until the 2nd last or final episode. But how the show worked was David Chase would come in with an outline for every plot point and every character arc prior to filming. For example, They knew in season 3 how Ralphie was going to die and how the horse represented Tracee. Silvio even calls her a “thoroughbred”.

dys

also I know George has gone into detail before on how he worked hard to have a native English-speaker Canadian accent, so I'm just remarking on the fact that accent has more in common with mine as an American from thousands of miles away from Vancouver than it does with a New York or New Jersey accent a few hundred miles south of Massachusetts or even a Boston accent only a hundred miles east.

TYLER NORWOOD (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-06 04:00 Many first-time viewers tend to overlook the little snarks that AJ receives from his parents in the entire series. Yes he is sheltered and almost everything is handed to him. BUT EXPECTED to become a trophy child to appease their egos, almost like what Meadow is becoming. Teach with little instructions or flat out insulting, the "JUST FIGURE IT OUT" mindset. Tony and Carmella don't understand how much of their own personal behavior influences AJ's and how little they really are involved in his life outside social events and family gatherings. The social dynamics of the Sopranos family line can become noticable if you compared how the women and men turn out as adults. You never really see them get involved with AJ's ambitions of his own choice or even nurture those curiosities. I've been through exactly what AJ is experiencing in the layer half of the show, you just stop caring about much after several attempts with your parents. You feel like you're only brought into this world to be someone else's accessory...
2026-11-04 07:38 Many first-time viewers tend to overlook the little snarks that AJ receives from his parents in the entire series. Yes he is sheltered and almost everything is handed to him. BUT EXPECTED to become a trophy child to appease their egos, almost like what Meadow is becoming. Teach with little instructions or flat out insulting, the "JUST FIGURE IT OUT" mindset. Tony and Carmella don't understand how much of their own personal behavior influences AJ's and how little they really are involved in his life outside social events and family gatherings. The social dynamics of the Sopranos family line can become noticable if you compared how the women and men turn out as adults. You never really see them get involved with AJ's ambitions of his own choice or even nurture those curiosities. I've been through exactly what AJ is experiencing in the later half of the show, you just stop caring about much after several attempts with your parents. You feel like you're only brought into this world to be someone else's accessory...

Many first-time viewers tend to overlook the little snarks that AJ receives from his parents in the entire series. Yes he is sheltered and almost everything is handed to him. BUT EXPECTED to become a trophy child to appease their egos, almost like what Meadow is becoming. Teach with little instructions or flat out insulting, the "JUST FIGURE IT OUT" mindset. Tony and Carmella don't understand how much of their own personal behavior influences AJ's and how little they really are involved in his life outside social events and family gatherings. The social dynamics of the Sopranos family line can become noticable if you compared how the women and men turn out as adults. You never really see them get involved with AJ's ambitions of his own choice or even nurture those curiosities. I've been through exactly what AJ is experiencing in the later half of the show, you just stop caring about much after several attempts with your parents. You feel like you're only brought into this world to be someone else's accessory...

Simon Pegged Me

* Members Only * I can sympathize with Eugene and Deanne on some level, but not much. Most workers do. Eugene has done everything the right way. He's worked hard, lived by the rules, and he's let his ambition take him a far as his talent can go. And now, he's inherited "Go to Hell" money, a pile of cash so immense that it's life-changing, so much so that you can tell your boss and anyone else who pisses you off to go to hell and then quit whenever you want to. It's the worker's dream, to be able to work on your own terms. The problem is—and here is where I lose a lot of sympathy for him and his wife—Eugene works for the mob, and in the mob, you can have all the money you need and you still can't tell your boss to go to hell, and you can never quit, not when you're a made man. They know this. The No-Out clause isn't small print and buried deep in the terms of service. It's a defining point in the ceremony and vow. When the writers made the choice of showing Christophers’s ceremony, we go to see clearly what's involved and more importantly what's not involved—coercion. It was made clear that if they wanted this life, they had to choose this life. There would be no repercussions for saying no. Christopher said yes, Eugene said yes. They knew what they were getting into. I don't feel sorry for them if that vow is inconvenient now that you've got money. Everything else aside, for practical reasons, they can't let a made man leave. When you take the vow, the entire world of family is shown to you. They let you know how everything works, so you can earn and you can be a part of the unsavory elements that go along with that. If you leave, you leave with information that could destroy the family and you no longer have the responsibility and fear that would prevent you from sharing it. If they let you retire to Florida, they would have to send someone to give you your retirement package, a bullet to the head. Unless he met Deanne after he became made and she knew nothing about the life she was marrying into, she has no reason to fell hard done. And judging from her reaction at the end, particularly her tell her husband he should kill Tony, that was not the case.

Deadly Ramon

Man, I can't wait to see George & Simone's reaction to Uncle Junior's dementia-related experiences and antics later this season. It'll also be fun to watch them find out how much more betrayal Paulie can take.

Brandon

I'm not in it for the mob stuff, actually. The storylines involving their day-to-day lives is much more interesting to me. I just happen to think that nothing of a sci-fi/supernatural nature is taking place. The most important part of the Kevin Finnerty stuff is something I can't mention until the finale. Speaking of the finale, I can't wait until we get to the final episode and people start citing David Chase interviews and fail to mention the subsequent interviews where he pushed back on media and fan assumptions that he actually confirmed anything. I can't wait.

Brandon

@Stan I'm sorry but Chase never used the words "alternate universe". I admit that he described it at as being more than a dream, but he categorized it as an "alternate state of consciousness, a spiritual purgatory or a metaphysical near-death experience". I absolutely push back on any insistence of this being a truly sci-fi/supernatural event. As I said in another comment: I can't wait until we get to the final episode and people start citing David Chase interviews and fail to mention the subsequent interviews where he pushed back on media and fan assumptions that he ever actually confirmed anything. I can't wait.

Stan the Man

I can quote you exactly what he says from the book. This is a copy and paste directly from the book. This is in the chapter “Fuck You Guys”, 2nd page. So just a bit of context. Because Chase doesn’t like to give too much away or confirm things, he first calls it an alternate universe. Then says “Maybe I shouldn’t call it that” and that’s when the following is said and it’s about as unambiguous as this man gets: “It's not a dream, but I guess you could actually say the alternate universe. I was really proud of those two episodes.” So there. This kills two birds with one stone for you. It shows he unequivocally says it’s not a dream. And he calls it an alternate universe. You can quibble over the “I guess” if you want. But that’s goes into the context of him feeling like he’s revealing too much. So just to reiterate. This is the book “Sopranos Sessions”. It’s Session 6, chapter “Fuck You Guys” 2nd page. And yes. I agree. I can’t wait to get to the end. You should check out the book. It’s a great read. Especially the Chase season by Season stuff.

Deadly Ramon

I didn’t even notice until I heard the director or actors divulge that in the DVD commentary.

Domino

I noticed and I'm not from the US, nor a native English speaker. The Jersey accent is very strong so it's weird to not hear it. Just my opinion, anyway.

Domino

Thank you! I really don't understand the AJ hate. I swear, I couldn't care less about kids or teens, which is why I don't have children... but that doesn't mean I'm blind to the effects of bad parenting and how I would avoid to be in an alternate universe where I had kids. It's so obvious why AJ and Meadow turned out the way they did, and I don't understand all the AJ hate. I really don't. The only 'grace' he's given now and then is "well, he was raised by Tony, so what can you expect..." like Carmela had nothing to do with his upbringing. The TWO of them, their actions and inactions, shaped AJ into who he is, for better or for worse. And when you understand where so many of his issues come from, in my opinion, the last thing you do is roll your eyes and hate on the character.

Brandon

@Stan, I think where we differ is how "real" we think the Kevin Finnerty sequences really are. I've always chosen to see it as very dreamlike, even it isn't technically a dream. Purgatory or a near-death experience makes the most sense to me. People in real life have claimed to have near-death experiences... I personally have not. Either way, I can't see it as something that is "real". My problem with it being an actual alternate universe is that it steps way outside the bounds of realism that The Sopranos had established in the five seasons that came before this. As for the finale, I look forward to discussing it when we get there. We may or may not have very different ideas about it. 😅

Stan the Man

Honestly, you’re my fav kinda sopranos fan to talk about this show with because I love discussing it at length with someone who sees things so differently. Because I don’t see the show as realistic at all. It has its own verisimilitude and its own emotional reality but it’s not realistic in the way say, The Wire is. But The Sopranos sticks to the reality it’s established. It’s verisimilitude. What I mean by that is, take the murder of the waiter who complains about a tip. There’s no way they are getting away with that murder in a “realistic” show, but in the reality the show has established? Yeah. We buy it. But about the supernatural stuff. I’m curious. When the show puts in something like Pussys ghost, what do you think is happening?. Or Paulie’s psychic?Or…future events. Personally I love those elements of the show. 99% of tv shows would’ve undercut the psychic somehow. They would’ve hinted he’s a fraud somehow. In fact the show goes the opposite route & makes it more credible. I love the idea that there is something judging these characters. Some other force. I really feel it in this final season. The way Chase uses wind and weather. Maybe it’s a judeo christian god, maybe it’s something else. And I think when Chase says “Alternate reality” he is bunching it in with purgatory or limbo. I see the “alternate reality” or coma as a place where Tony’s consciousness has gone and within that place he is tested and maybe even judged. And in a show where we know ghosts exist? I’m guessing we probably disagree on the finale but we’ll leave that for another time. I fully acknowledge Chase has said 1001 different contradictory things about it. But…we’ll get there lol

Austin Graham

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this already but a fun show even for a personal watch is "Lillyhammer" on Netflix. Stars Silvio as a NY mobster who moves out to Norway under protective custody. Almost like a sopranos "what if" or spin off