Oh this is toooooo exciting!  Only a few weeks to go.  HBO is doing the 3 minute review of each of the past seasons On Demand.  But here is the Sopranos website where you can see some tantalizing images of what's coming up SUNDAY APRIL 8!  Get ye to a location with HBO if you don't have it yourself, for cryin' out loud!  This means you, Snog! Erwin, where are you?  Will you be able to be up to date in the Low Lands?  

If you haven't watched The Sopranos at all, these clips should be enough to entice you into checking out the existing six seasons on DVD in plenty of time for the final season.   

Let's check back as the final 9 are revealed.

Ah, sweet misery of losing a loved show.   

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

OHMYGAWD!  I was out of my seat more than once during this episode.  Fantastic utter brilliance!  Phew.  What a great show!!!

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

No HBO viewers but the two of us??? 

There's a fabulous 8 minute OnDemand HBO special right now titled "The Making of 'Cleaver.'" Hilarious!

Also a 14 minute piece on the Music of The Sopranos with David Chase.  

Great great stuff!

Variety had a full page ad today...  

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

As Simon Cowell said to Melinda Doolittle, "It had to happen."  Last night's episode left me... vaguely disappointed. This morning I did an On Demand re-watch but still it was the same.  Ultimately, I will wait to see how the final 6 remaining shows incorporate key moments from Season 6B, Episode 3 but it almost seemed like a throwaway episode.  I know we're on the downhill slide in this tragedy but last night... it seemed that not enough unfolding or revealing took place.  With so few hours left it seemed like this one was largely wasted on reminiscing, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest recreations, and the introduction of a couple new characters that could not possibly move the story toward The End. 

I'll wait for a final judgment until the season ends.   

Guess I'm the only one watching.  No HBO for any one else?  You all waiting for the DVD set? 

Outlaw??  What did you think?

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I Havent seen them at all yet. Usually I watch shows online bt they've all been taken down so looks like I'll have to wait until it airs here.

Yeah, Sunday's episode seemed a tad of a throw away, but it really did feel like a future episode setup. I sorta felt most of last season was a throwaway. The writers seem to be doing more meandering than they've done in the first couple of seasons.

Now we have Tony possibly thinking of getting rid of two of his own in order to protect himself - Chris and Pollie (or Polly or Paulie or something like that).

Jordan .

Never felt so slim and trim!

Don't miss it! Never seen Am Idol! Never seen a reality show (except the one I wake up to each day...)!

And.... (drum roll).... I can actually compose in my head again without being drowned out by all that advertising and lousy programming!! Yay!!!!!!!

Um, let's make a show called the Baritones.... oh, but we'd be preaching to the choir, wouldn't we?

 Susan,

I'm watching but so far have not really been swept up this year as much as I have been in the past.  My hope is that Tony and gang end up in jail or whacked as that is the only ending to these horrible people that would seem to fit!

"We cannot allow a mine shaft gap"

YOU!  You are sooooooo mean, Danwhy!  And insensitive too.  I can't believe you'd say something so -- so -- judgmental!!! 

Wishing them all dead?  Or locked behind bars like animals?  

Well, good thing you don't have David Chase's ear, that's all I can say.  Tony Soprano will live forever!  Christopher Moltisanti too.  

As for James Gandolfini or Michael Imperioli?  Who cares?

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

"Do you see creamed corn on that plate?"

http://tinyurl.com/yqwurw

Well, that was an awful interlude of . Carnivale. As if. Well, they were both on HBO and that counts for something.

For those who love life, love humanity, and love The Sopranos, here's a fun video from the Musuem of TV and Radio in Beverly Hills. It's a panel of actors discussing what it was like to be whacked on the show. I'm a member of this museum and don't know HOW I missed this seminar but at least the video is available on line. It's the first on the list. "The Whacked Sopranos."

Susan

Must have been at the New York branch of the museum.  I didn't know there was one there. 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

All I can say about last night is WOW!  It's all spinning out of control in a vortex of personal disintegration on the part of several of the lead characters. 

Christopher!!!  Can't believe he did THAT!  And then THAT!  Wonder if the publicity will give a lift to Cleaver?

AJ, the "frat boy?"  Suicidal might have been the better choice.  But what a crybaby!

Tony's visit with Dr. Melfi was fantastic.  I really felt I was listening to David Chase describing his feelings about therapy as I listened.  Both Melfi and Tony have constructed their existences to suit their day to day realities.  But now...

Paulie is a mean one.

The scene where Christopher is describing his newborn baby girl reminded me of this painting. No, Christopher is not Christlike.  Check out the faces on the foreground characters.  That's what Chrisopher's buddies appear like as they mock him suggesting his daughter will one day be working at the 'Bing.'

Four more episodes to go.  Will the Ahmed-Mohammed plotline go anywhere? 

Every major character is vulnerable.  Racing toward destruction.  Darkness dominates these final tragic dayis.    

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

SPOILERS

SORT OF

WELL, PRETTY MUCH

The look on Tony Soprano's face after his psychotherapy tirade to Doctor Melfi -- I have never seen James Gandolfini morph into that person before! He's been gentle and warm (not all that often, but it is one aspect of Tony). He's been cruel; sometimes for no good reason. He's smiled maleficently, more often lately. He's been seductive. He's been angry where you think his head is ready to explode. But he's also been thoughtful.  There were times you could almost watch the wheels turning inside his head as he sorts through the diminishing options of his life.  He's been coldly vengeful. But I have never seen that look -- the one where he is just some vulnerable middle-aged guy from New Jersey who's watching all the anchors of his life drift away. Full on pain. Darkness descending. Willie Loman came to mind but also Alice in Wonderland during a "one pill makes you smaller" moment.  He almost seems to shrink into the essence of a small child within that hulking bear's body of his. 

I rewatched it last night on our new HD-DVR. Pausing to get the full benefit of each expression. Taking a very long time to work my way through the Christopher Moltisanti scene I referenced above to the explosive scene with JT Dolan, screenwriter of Cleaver and now (or then) "Law and Order." You're in the Mafia, Christopher! Oops. Christopher's parallel unraveling is magnified as he was always like a son to Tony. His mob son. But now his real son, AJ, is also falling apart at the seams. Coming undone. When you come down to it, I guess it is the condition of all the main characters on the show in these final moments.

Who will be left standing?

Well, I guess those of you not watching will have to wait for the DVDs.   

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

"We cannot allow a mine shaft gap"

MORE INFORMATION THAN I PERSONALLY WOULD WANT IF I HADN'T WATCHED LAST NIGHT BUT NO REAL SPOILERS

My heart is still breaking this morning, but yes, last night's episode may be the single best of the entire show.  OHMYGAWD!  When the screen went black for the final credit roll, I thought what-the-f***!  It's only been on 10 minutes!  But it was indeed over for the week. 

I have never been so angry with Tony!  Throughout every cruelty, I've stood by him, figuring the scales lean in his direction.  Within the context of the world of the Sopranos.  This morning I'm still angry.  Yeah, sure.  He 'gets' it.

WOW!  David Chase works his magic in his own way.  I'm there till the bloody end.  But I'm so sad.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Not out of town yet, Raymond.  Saturday. 

You cannot come into the Sopranos midstream.  You must begin at Season 1, Episode 1 and work your way through.  Of course, it will be virtually impossible not to have spoilers before such time.  Especially if you watch David Letterman, who will have a certain somebody on tonight.  Or if you listen to conversations of the man on the street or at the water cooler.  Or if you walk past a magazine stand.  But I'd feel terrible being the one to provide those spoilers. So I won't. 

So here's my advice, Raymond.  Go Netflix or buy Season 1 and get started.  You'll thank me later.  It shouldn't take too many hours before you recognize how indebted you are for my recommendation.  You may find yourself buying all 6 available DVD sets after viewing Season 1.  Expect the giant box set available for Christmas 2007, though all we need for our collection is Season 7 -- or what is technically known as Season 6-B.

I figured out why they divided the final season into 6-A and 6-B rather than 6 and 7. There are Writers Guild rules that require a certain number of writers on a television series.  When Chase lost one writing team in the 5th season, he brought on the weak team of Frolove and Schneider, leftovers from his Northern Exposure days.  They wrote two episodes alone and one with Chase in season 6-A but NONE in season 6-B.  If he had called the final 9 episodes Season 7, that would have necessitated an additional writer to the strong cohesive original team or -- THE HORROR, THE HORROR -- more bad writing from Frolove and Schneider.  At least that's what I think happened.  We can all be grateful for their absence this time around!

Susan (who will be in Michigan without her computer from May 19-26) 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

OK Susan, I respect your principled response. I should have said I haven't seen any 6B yet.

I had HBO thru I think season 4. Then they had that year and months gap during which I cancelled HBO. Season 5 I watched all at my nephew's along with spoty season 6A .  So I should get 6A and get over to the nephew's Sunday nights. There will not be a DVD of 6B for months.

The good news is Susan is here until Saturday.

"We cannot allow a mine shaft gap"

I wouldn't want that responsibility.  Besides, I'm just too broken-hearted.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

"We cannot allow a mine shaft gap"