Sopranos Season 4 Review and Discussion Thread Shows 1-12 (1 Viewer)

[Ivan Lindenfeld]

Wasn't Tony playing his grandfather in the dream sequence with the old house, the crickets and the woman on the stairs? He couldn't speak English and he was there to do some brickwork or masonry. I think there is some backstory that his grandfather was a mason (lowercase). Maybe Wernick has that info.
I thought it was a mixed bag episode. I think network TV is improving so it makes the Sopranos look less great.
One last guess: Janice ends up in charge of both families at the end of the show. The only purpose for showing her at all these days is to show how ruthless, unkind and self centered she is. These are the perfect ingredients for a mob boss. She's f-in nuts. I know all about the male dominated society that they are in but a scary woman who is not at all hesitant to back up her wants with ruthless violence can be a tough adversary for Carmine and Company.
I mean, what the hell else purpose does she server except to be repulsive!!??

 

[RobertW]

i loved paulie's little hint about becoming the next head if the new york mob decides to do something about tony. "god forbid..."

it's just so painful watching janice use bobby's grief as a way to insert herself into his life and family. pointing the kids to the ouija board, and then using the fact that that upset them to make bobby think they need a mother around, inserting herself into that role.

and especially the way she manipulated him into finally eating the ziti. "i'm hungry, there must be something to eat in here..."

despicable woman.

 

[Chuck C]

bobby jr. has the same nautica comforter as I !

 

[Ted Lee]

janice is one of those "love to hate" characters. that instant messenger trick she did was truly *brutal*. i can't believe she would pull that on the kids. yikes! although it is pretty clear how the kids feel about her.

i'm glad some others also feel that aj is a total waste. i gotta say i don't get that kid - he serves no purpose plotwise or any-other-way-wise.

question. why did melfi phone the other psychiatrist to tell her that tony quit? was there any significance to that?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Melfi was either relieved or sad that Tony is leaving her "care".

 

[David Egan]

Let me just take this moment to say how tired I am of constantly seeing the word "filler" used to describe any aspect of any TV show that someone doesn't like or understand. It's a too easy way to get around explaining what you think the problem is. Janice and AJ are not filler, they are Sopranos and the show is about them.

 

[Romier S]

Best line ever in a Sopranos episode...

Melfi: "The dreams are elicited by verbalization"

Tony: "and the uh hoxagogan is fend up by the ramastam"

I think I laughed for 5 minutes straight after that. LOL.

 

[Carl Miller]

I should say I love disliking her. So many people are so quick to bash on Janice, A.J., and Meadow. These seem to be the same people who like The Sopranos soley because it's a "gangster show".

Maybe, maybe not.

I used to love to hate Janice when their mother was alive. She was just as unlikable then, but at least she served as a source of conflict between herself, her mother and Tony. Her character had more of a purpose in that it directly impacted Tony's life.

Her character also had more reason for being when she was involved with Richie, and in those episodes also had a larger impact on Tony.

Her role was more integral to the storylines playing out on the show, and, I could be wrong here but it seemed like she had less screen time than she does now.

I agree her character adds to the dysfunctional picture the show paints of the Soprano family, but her character this year really hasn't had much of an impact on the stories since she dumped Ralphie down the stairs. And even that turned out to be a minimal event. Her presence seems to me to be more filler than anything else.

As far as AJ goes, his role also strikes me as filler. His past presence on the show was more meaningful. At least you could connect him to Tony via the anxiety attacks, and the problems he had was a source of family discord with his vandalism and overall behavior. Now he's just picking on Bobby's kid and acting like a bratty teenager in segments that are taking up some major time and really having no effect on Tony, the family or the business.

I enjoy the show on a variety of levels, not simply because it's a show about the mob or more violent than your average TV fare.

And Meadow? I wish they'd have kept up with the story line between her and Tony. Her storylines over the seasons, including early this season were far more effectively used just for the very purpose you describe as being used for AJ.

 

[Kevin*R]

I'm betting Paulie gets wacked once Tony sees himself as Napolian in that ("I don't ever want to see that picture again!") picture.

The doc's use of "Calling all cars" sounds like she's predicting the cops will over run Tony's empire. Hasn't been much FBI air time, maybe the last 2 episodes will bring some closure there.

Which mob is more powerful, NJ or NY?

 

[Jason Quillen]

As far as AJ goes, his role also strikes me as filler...and the problems he had was a source of family discord with his vandalism and overall behavior...Now he's just picking on Bobby's kid and acting like a bratty teenager

I dont see much difference between AJ acting like a brat by vandalizing the school pool and tormenting Bobby's kids using their dead mother - it all boils down to discipline issues within the family.
I also wouldn't say AJ isn't filler. He is a member of the family and even when he's not directly impacting Tony's life to some degree or another, he is there - doing the things teenagers do (tormenting younger kids). But he can't be written out because, hell, families can't simply write out their children. Plus, last night AJ was used to further the big issue of Janice and Bobby...not exactly filler.
JQ

 

[Jason Quillen]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

The doc's use of "Calling all cars" sounds like she's predicting the cops will over run Tony's empire. Hasn't been much FBI air time, maybe the last 2 episodes will bring some closure there.

I don't see that. I think it means either, "watch out, he's on the loose, out of control, 'escaped' from his therapy", or Melfi is saying it because she needs help (after all, she did call her therapist Dr. Bogdonavich).

 

[Dheiner]

Well, I think the FBI will be shown to have another bug in the Sopranos' house. In his new home theater. Otherwise, why the focus on it?

 

[MikeDeVincenzo]

So, does anyone want to offer any speculation on who the dark figure was in Tony's final dream?
I personally have no clue.
Other news: Bobby Bacala is coming to our local bookstore for a signing in a few weeks! Anyone have anything they want me to pass along to him?

 

[Tim Markley]

Bobby Bacala is coming to our local bookstore for a signing in a few weeks! Anyone have anything they want me to pass along to him?

How about some ziti?

 

[Jim__B]

So, does anyone want to offer any speculation on who the dark figure was in Tony's final dream?

My wife and I assume it is was Tony's mom. It could be some other person but it seems from his therapy a lot of issues are because of his mom. I have a feeling we are in for a surprise.

His other dream was also weird was was there a caterpillar that changed to a butterfly on Ralph. I saw that as something that was dormant came back in a new form...NY problems or FBI? Is he going to come back and haunt Tony,

My question was Tony supposed to be his Grandfather a mason from Italy?

 

[Romier S]

His other dream was also weird was was there a caterpillar that changed to a butterfly on Ralph. I saw that as something that was dormant came back in a new form...NY problems or FBI? Is he going to come back and haunt Tony,

Or perhaps it was symbolic of Tony's transformation. Slowly but surely throughout this whole season he has turned less and less likeable, more irratable, more sleazy, les trusting of almost everyone. As events and situations crumble around him he tranforms more and more into what he's feared since the show started, an out of control monster that will eventually lose the one thing he cares most about, his family. This is even more characterized by the fact that the caterpillar appears on Ralphies which represents the totality of Tony's temper. He killed Ralpie, murdered him (his best earner) over a horse.

His sessions with Melfi throughout the whole episode were very telling in that it showed that Tony is well aware of how much of a prick he's become and how out of control things have gotten. To top it all off he can't get a one-legged woman to want to see him again.(Not to sound harsh but that tone is needed to get my point across). Not even the therapy can "save" him so in typical Tony fashion he abandons it. Why? Because he blames himself for everything and instead of facing those feeling of blame and guilt (Over Gloria, over what he's done to Carmella etc...) he would prefer to leave it as is and hope for the best.

Its great subtle character development and thats why I love this show. It knows when to let things flow natural and when to really get things accross to it audience. Good show this week!

 

[Tommy Ceez]

The Sopranos is and has allways been great because Tony has two families

The only problem is that one family makes for an interesting crime drama and the other makes for God-awful fucking boring TV

 

[BrandonL]

This is the last season of the show isn't it? How can this all be tied up in 2 more episodes?

 

[Jason Quillen]

Brandon, theres going to be a 5th season.
JQ