Great overview of The Sopranos

Posted by clarkjohnsen (R) on July 9, 2007 at 10:42:19

FAMILY TIES

Who lives, who dies, and who gets pinched? As The Sopranos drew its final breaths this season, questions like these attracted the most interest from press and fans. But with a show so resistant to tidiness, such questions miss the point. Series creator David Chase has always eschewed easy answers, and he has devoted much of his show to teaching -- or forcing -- viewers to live without them. But equally important, and mostly overlooked, is that the show was never really interested in typical mob-story questions; for all its tracksuits and sausage cookouts, murders and union scams, The Sopranos has displayed only a grudging willingness to deal with the tropes of the gangster picture. Instead, it has used the genre's hooks to ensnare its viewers into a milieu altogether both more harrowing and more familiar -- the life of the modern, upper-middle-class family...

Never mind the murders and the hijackings. Tony's job is just a job. Like any manager, he hires and fires, manages cash flow, and arranges deals with other organizations. He's a Boss, sure, but he's also just a boss, a son who followed in his father's footsteps and, like so many in his generation, outearned his parents to step into the upper-middle class. Make no mistake, Tony is a babyboomer through and through: He's got unresolved issues with his mom, sees a shrink, and fights with his wife over kids, work, and money. For anyone over 40, it all sounds awfully familiar.

clark

Peter Suderman, National Review (Open in New Window)

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Topic - Great overview of The Sopranos - clarkjohnsen 10:42:19 07/09/07 (2)

"Who lives, who dies, and who gets pinched?" Pinched means lifted/stolen - Jazz Inmate 10:23:55 07/12/07 (1)

It has a number of meanings: - rico 07:03:08 07/13/07 (0)

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