The Sopranos 5x03 Reaction
Added 2025-02-20 00:52:22 +0000 UTC
Comments
Grandpa Vito was no prize as a father
Abacus
2025-02-23 15:54:12 +0000 UTCLmao
Johnny_Raincloud
2025-02-22 23:15:02 +0000 UTCIt is a little strange how it seems sympathy for characters only go back one generation with a lot of people. Like with Tony, I have sympathy towards him (that doesn't mean I believe he shouldn't be punished for his behavior) due to the parents he had growing up, and never receiving any love from his mother, who was a nightmare and I really disliked Livia. But then you have to think of how fucked up her parents probably were to make her into the monster she became. I dunno....just something I think about sometimes.
Johnny_Raincloud
2025-02-22 23:11:51 +0000 UTCOne - women have a different perspective. You might like to imagine you’re the gangster but women will more likely identify with the women on the show. Two - a lot of the detail and comedy of the sopranos is lost on first viewing and gets noticed more on second and third viewing.
John
2025-02-22 19:39:52 +0000 UTCWomen have a different perspective than men. Shock.
John
2025-02-22 19:35:30 +0000 UTC@bondbond53 men are talking here
BNJ
2025-02-22 17:54:56 +0000 UTC@Varus OHH! I’m just tellin’ you how you’re being fuckin’ perceived!
Gaboxxy
2025-02-22 15:12:38 +0000 UTCI really love how you both realize how better the show gets. I used to feel like the only one and people were always saying season 4 and 5 sucked. Yet I only like the show due to later seasons. I don't like the early seasons at all.
Varus
2025-02-22 10:23:31 +0000 UTCNo more, Varus… No more of this…
Gaboxxy
2025-02-22 10:12:06 +0000 UTCWeirdo. Creep.
Varus
2025-02-22 09:35:27 +0000 UTCAbacus don't take @Gaboxxy seriously he's a well known simpleton.
Varus
2025-02-22 09:34:33 +0000 UTCGaboxxy Nobody cares what you think!
Varus
2025-02-22 09:31:53 +0000 UTCZach D Rude 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🫥
Varus
2025-02-22 09:29:30 +0000 UTCGaboxxy No that was actually your mom.
Varus
2025-02-22 09:27:37 +0000 UTCThis makes me joyful in life when am sad it's like God's gift to me to help me, can't wait to watch.
Varus
2025-02-22 09:18:10 +0000 UTC@bondbond53 you know, it wasn’t long ago I remember you used to wait in the car…
Gaboxxy
2025-02-22 05:07:08 +0000 UTCbut it is in fact that funny
castration_rite
2025-02-22 04:11:01 +0000 UTCGuys what if it's just not that funny, ever thought about that?
bondbond53
2025-02-22 00:03:07 +0000 UTC*nodding* The Patreon exhibit…
Darrach
2025-02-21 23:56:53 +0000 UTCZach D Varus was always a dumb fuck though, wasn’t he? Didn’t he almost drown in three inches of water?
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 17:03:44 +0000 UTC@Gaboxxy I've had a semester and a half of college so I understand Freudian slips... but I don't get what you're saying here, maybe I'm missing some circlejerk joke
Abacus
2025-02-21 14:32:13 +0000 UTC@Abacus it should also be added that Tony did end basically wiping out Junior's whole crew, which were probably close friends of Junior, so in a way he got properly punished for what he tried to do. Livia on the other hand basically got off the hook, she never really experienced any major consequence for her actions.
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 12:49:19 +0000 UTCto each their own, I guess. it must be exhausting being so morally superior.
jackpotz
2025-02-21 12:34:43 +0000 UTCI don’t think so, mainly because even as far as season 1 (and definitely in season 2) there are hints of Junior’s early signs of dementia that become clear in second re-watches. Also, at least imo it was pretty clear even from the beggining that Livia was faking it; the timing was just a bit too convenient and her symptoms went from 0 to a 100 and then to 0 way too quickly, when it’s usually a gradual process.
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 12:17:44 +0000 UTC@John let me tell you a couple of tree tings: 1- you’re absolutely right 2- that animal Varus, I can’t even say his name… 3- Have you noticed how it’s very heavily implied that Phil indeed spent 20 years in the can? I almost missed that obscure piece of info on my first watch.
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 12:06:24 +0000 UTC@Abacus why you guys keep repeating cunnilingus? It was never stated that, Junior just liked going down on women. What kind of circlejerker freudian slip is this LOL
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 12:02:59 +0000 UTC@Abacus I don’t know. I get your point, but in seasons 1 and 2 they were definitely getting the humour and leaving the funny bits in the edits, but after season 3 in which the characters were shown in a worse light it almost seems that they are actively trying NOT to laugh at the characters out of spite (like we’ve pointed out multiple times) and it does really seem they leave out those bits now as much as they can compared to before. The humour in these seasons is not that different from the one in the first couple seasons, only thing that’s changed it’s their perception of the characters. Edit: another complaint is that they seem to cut entire minor storylines at times, or cut the beggining of one and then show just the end of it, or vice-versa, or just the middle of it out of nowhere and it gets confusing. I understand it’s hard to edit these shows due to copyright but they could try to keep some track of each storyline and either try to show as much as they can of some of them or not show anything at all.
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 11:13:52 +0000 UTC@Gaboxxy the thing is that a lot of the classic funny quotes are just memes among the fans and don't really make sense as "jokes" in the normal way. To a first time viewer it just seems like normal dialogue. Like "It petered out... it died on the vine... the guy, he moved or something" is classic funny Sopranos dialogue, but I don't find it surprising that they don't "get it" as something to laugh at. I agree with the comments that they seem so invested in despising the characters that they seem to miss a lot of humour, but also it might be a cultural/language barrier as to what exactly reads as a joke. They both found Junior's classic "did you offer him an aspirin?" line very funny, but it has a more conventional punchline structure. When Johnny Sack yells that Chris should have stayed in the car, though that line has become a meme among fans it's not like it is different/funnier to any other line of dialogue. But they did both laugh at Sack's "what is this, the fucking UN now?". I watch the full versions so don't see what they edit out.
Abacus
2025-02-21 05:45:19 +0000 UTCThey made up afterwards but you'll notice that Junior never speaks about Tony the same way again, in the manner that he did at times in the first season. There's a bitterness that pretty much lingered permanently afterwards. Even from the second season on, most of the time when he's talking about Tony behind his back, it's some sort of derisive remark or insult. In the first season, he reminisced more about more positive stuff in their past.
Veya
2025-02-21 05:36:49 +0000 UTCLooking forward to that.
Clay F
2025-02-21 04:24:18 +0000 UTCLmao I forget that's almost a direct quote from Livia
a. tree
2025-02-21 03:42:15 +0000 UTCI dunno, it seems to me that they do get the humor it's just more they're laughing at them rather than with them. I'm not coming up with any examples of where the irony or the ridiculousness of the way that they act is lost on them; even with Paulie for instance they clearly get the joke of he took $500 for himself and they comment on how ridiculous that is of him to do. They're lets say expressing their interpretation of what these moments mean rather than simply expressing the initial ha-ha reaction, but I don't think that means they aren't understanding it or they're enjoying it any less?
a. tree
2025-02-21 03:37:38 +0000 UTCAJ: "we lost both times" Tony: "it's that line coach" It was a quick line but it was a deliberate contrast between Tony and Junior where Tony specifically didn't undermine and blame AJ, instead laying it at the feet of the line-coach. AJ's face was a bit hard to read for me in regards to how he took it. With how deprived of love Tony was as a kid, it's not a big surprise that he makes a lot of things about himself, basically just trying to chase what it's like to feel more conventional love and reconcile complicated feelings that he can't process healthily because of his upbringing. It helps that he's often in an a position to do so with little push back because he's the boss. That varsity athlete line is also the single most quoted line from the entire show. It has tragic undercurrents for sure but it's also funny with just how petty and out of place it was.
Veya
2025-02-21 02:51:12 +0000 UTCI've actually noticed that too. Yes I agree the comedy is very important.
daron85
2025-02-21 02:08:41 +0000 UTC@Gaboxxy def agree that he is, and a lot of that is a testament to Frank Vincent's ability to say the funniest most unhinged shit with the straightest face on I struggle to not constantly quote him here. but he easily has my favorite line(s) in the series
John
2025-02-21 01:53:04 +0000 UTC@John pound for pound, he's probably the most quoted character in the whole show considering how late he's introduced.
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 01:35:26 +0000 UTCBesides, I don't understand why be so sympathetic to Lorraine of all people. I get she's a woman but she's also a sociopathic and murderous mobster just like the rest of them. I doubt they'd have the same reaction if it was just any regular male mobster. Another thing beyond how they react to the humor is that in the edits it almost seems like they are purposefully cutting out most or at least many of the main jokes/funny quotes from the series. The comedy aspect is a big and important part of the show, it deserves as much recognition as anything else.
Gaboxxy
2025-02-21 01:33:46 +0000 UTCyou nailed it. moments that I would usually look forward to I don't anymore bc it feels like they just eyeroll every joke bc they forget it's just a TV show
John
2025-02-21 01:09:10 +0000 UTC@Erin the cunnilingus stuff inflamed tensions between them, but it wasn't the reason for whacking Tony, so why bring it up? As you say, the reasons for taking him out were legitimate. If Junior wasn't insecure, he would still have tried to have Tony whacked. LM were talking about it as though it was just down to Junior being insecure and wanting to get rid of a contender, rather than it being for solid reasons, which is a misunderstanding I thought worth correcting. As I said in my final paragraph, it's a key point in the way Tony and Junior were able to make up afterwards because their beef was based in business rather than being personal.
Abacus
2025-02-20 21:31:13 +0000 UTCRight? Lol that is hilarious
daron85
2025-02-20 21:07:13 +0000 UTCwhat about tony making fun of junior over cunnilingus? seems like a curious omission here. Yes, they were many legitimate reasons to take out tony but to say it wasn't also wrapped up in juniors insecurities is, in my opinion, not true
Erin
2025-02-20 20:02:12 +0000 UTCYeah that whole Sunday dinner scene is so hilarious but they just don't see any humour in it I guess. I think they get so invested in hating the characters that they just can't see anything past that. It is what it is, people react differently to things I suppose. Seriously though, how do you not laugh at "How about this humidity?" *SLAP* 😂
BNJ
2025-02-20 19:37:00 +0000 UTCI agree with you about Tony being Livia’s favorite child. I think did love him, in the complicated and dysfunctional way that she was able to love anyone, and this was actually *why* she wanted to have him killed. I’m not an expert, but from what I do know about BPD (Melfi “diagnoses” Livia as a borderline personality in Season 1), there is a phenomenon where a person with this type of disorder may often form a heavy attachment to one specific person, their emotional state then being incredibly sensitive to minute or even perceived shifts in their relationship to that person. There can also be a lot of black-and-white thinking as far as their relationships to people: he adores me or he hates me; he’s perfect in every way or the absolute devil. Like Tony said, other than the days when Johnny brought home the weekly meat from Satriale’s, in which case Livia was almost gratuitously amorous towards her husband, she treated him like she hated him the majority of the time, only to remember him as “a saint” once he’d been dead for years. I think this dynamic happened with Tony, the only person who stuck around with her consistently and tried to be a “good son” to her. Even at her baseline, before she started having senility issues, she was a somewhat delusional when it came to interpersonal relationships — as Melfi described it: “[borderline personalities’] inner fears are the only thing that are real to them.” When you look at a lot of the manipulations she did as well, the goal often revolved around keeping whichever family member was in front of her from “abandoning” her. When Tony had her move into a nursing home and then put her house on the market, she (incorrectly) perceived this as the ultimate, full, and complete rejection from him despite the fact that he clearly loved and wanted to care for her as much as he was able. He went from being her “favorite person” to a complete traitor in her eyes, a betrayal that she commiserated with Junior in since he found out Tony was going behind his back. In this way it’s because of how strongly she felt for Tony that she switched to completely hating him the second he had her move into Green Grove — “you’re cruel, that’s what you are.”
a. tree
2025-02-20 18:59:38 +0000 UTCMan they take some of this stuff too seriously. How do they not laugh at some of the things Paulie does for instance? Little things like him trying to close the trunk and the lawnmower is sticking way out. I think they are the only reactors who don't understand the comedic beats throughout the series. They hate the characters so much that they don't allow themselves to laugh. Even the dialogue is hilarious a lot of the time, but they roll their eyes instead. I know comedy is subjective and all, but my God.
daron85
2025-02-20 18:56:12 +0000 UTCExcellent point. Junior makes the assumption that his captains meeting behind his back was a prelude to taking him out and decides on a pre-emptive strike. Despite the fact that he was wrong, Tony knows deep down that it wasn't an unreasonable assumption. Whereas his mother... ooof.
Marcus Cato
2025-02-20 18:48:40 +0000 UTC*signs the cross*
John
2025-02-20 18:33:59 +0000 UTCwhatever happened there?!
castration_rite
2025-02-20 17:52:58 +0000 UTCI can't believe you girls cut out the "You know it wasn't long ago you used to wait in the car" line. I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart!
Gaboxxy
2025-02-20 17:26:59 +0000 UTCPhil is seriously the funniest character in this show imo, despite whatever happened there
John
2025-02-20 17:25:05 +0000 UTCPaulie stole wallet and lawn mower. He's taking a couple percent from Sal, 10% from Gary and he also stole $500 from Vitro recovery money. Oh, and Vitro will need to take care of couple lawns for Paulie's friends for free.
Rok Zupan
2025-02-20 17:03:07 +0000 UTCHe's a selfish prick
Rok Zupan
2025-02-20 16:19:36 +0000 UTChow about this humidity? as awful as Phil and Paulie are, they have so many hilarious and quotable lines that i kinda adore them both anyway. the end of this episode hit me like a truck when i first saw it, having lost a grandparent to dementia in 2023
castration_rite
2025-02-20 13:01:40 +0000 UTCdude you suuuuuck
Zach D
2025-02-20 12:40:18 +0000 UTCDefinitely one of the more emotionally affecting episodes for me, but also a balance of sad humour. The Curb joke made me laugh so hard when I first watched it. The final scene reminds me of the last between Chuck and Jimmy in Saul Gone - 'we always end up having the same conversation'.
Mark M
2025-02-20 10:46:27 +0000 UTCRegarding L&M's discussion of Junior's insecurities — While it's true that Junior does have a lot of insecurities about his status and authority, the situation with trying to have Tony killed in s1 was a legit business decision to whack an insubordinate captain, and can't just be put down to Junior being "insecure". At that point, Junior was the boss. For a captain to be directly undermining him and subverting his rule is grounds for whacking, blood relation or not. Business is business, and rules are rules. Junior said this pretty directly when he found out that Tony was secretly meeting with the other captains and Johnny Sack in the nursing home and he realised what was happening. Add to that, finding out that Tony was talking to a shrink in a business where silence and loyalty are sacrosanct is also reasonable grounds for whacking, and not down to Junior's "insecurity". It's not like if Junior had a stronger sense of himself and no insecurities that he would just let these things go and forget about it. Tony's behaviour is why Junior tried to get rid of him, and it's precisely because of this that Tony was able to forgive Junior and they were able to get on afterwards. Tony understood that it was a legitimate business decision to try to whack him, and not personal. This is not the case for Livia — she had no legitimate reason to whack Tony, it was purely personal, and this is why he always held it against her and could never forgive her.
Abacus
2025-02-20 10:11:40 +0000 UTCOut of all the civilians who get fucked over in this show, Sal Vitro is the one I always feel worst for.
Abacus
2025-02-20 08:59:46 +0000 UTCI forgot where I heard this, so take it with a grain of salt, but it's possible that this dementia storyline was created with Livia in mind. The stolen airline tickets were supposed to be the overarching Season 3 storyline before Nancy Marchand passed away. I could see Livia's dementia worsening during the trial process, rendering her an unreliable witness for the FBI and letting Tony off the hook. If so, that last scene would be even more tragic. While she may not love him, I think Livia considered Tony her favorite over her other children. After all, she only saved Tony's childhood belongings, not those of his other siblings. As deplorable as what he did to Beansie was, at least Richie Aprile targeted him because Beansie had dealt drugs with him, all while showing respect toward civilians. In contrast, Feech attacked an innocent landscaper who wasn’t even involved in mob activities.
IanJ
2025-02-20 07:51:19 +0000 UTCHey girls, just letting you know that it was just announced that season 2 of The Last of Us will premiere April 13th. Hopefully you guys can plan accordingly.
Jesse
2025-02-20 07:40:57 +0000 UTCSmall hands, that was my problem..
Kitchener Leslie
2025-02-20 06:06:05 +0000 UTC“My last Sunday dinner here” man I love when Tony turns into Livia with the melodrama
Mahni Alizadeh
2025-02-20 05:59:34 +0000 UTCThat very last scene with Tony and Junior has everything that made this show so unique and so great.
Marcus Cato
2025-02-20 05:22:50 +0000 UTC“Believe me there’s plenty I’d like to forget” such a great line. It's sad because he doesn't realise he was the only parent he had left to Tony. He was losing it and he couldn't do nothing about it. Also, its almost ironic how Liv pretends to be losing her mind and warns Jr that it will happen to him in time as well.
Karan Verma
2025-02-20 04:35:31 +0000 UTC"He jumped out the tree, and came me with a chainsaw. I got a right to defend myself, Ton." I always wondered if Tony believed Paulie when he said that...😂
JG
2025-02-20 04:16:32 +0000 UTCAt 9:22 Phil Leotardo may have actually scared the girls for real.
Derek Halvorson
2025-02-20 03:57:40 +0000 UTCHey, my girl cousins heard that!! Not cool bro
enchantertim
2025-02-20 03:37:26 +0000 UTCFirst one was prettier and cooler.
Varus
2025-02-20 02:31:21 +0000 UTCJoe Massino, who the FBI agent mentions when Adriana asks about how long this is gonna take, was a real-life mob figure. He was the Boss of the Bonanno family, and was convicted in 2004. Famously, after his conviction he was the very first Boss in American Mafia history to turn State's Evidence and cooperate with the government. The conviction and testimony hadn't happened yet when this episode was made, so at this point she is just referring to the prosecution of numerous lower-ranking members of the Bonanno family whose convictions and subsequent testimony were what brought down Massino. The ending of this episode just may be the most heartbreaking moment in this series. Up until now Tony and Junior have had the closest thing to a healthy relationship that Tony has with anybody. Still not healthy by a long shot, but closer than everybody else. Even after Junior tried to have him killed, Tony still cared for him. To see Tony finally ASK the question, and Junior unable to answer -- for whatever reason -- is heartbreaking. Oh, FYI, Tony's father was never the Boss of the family. Johnny Soprano was only ever a capo (captain) who ran a crew under Ercole DiMeo as Boss. That's the same rank Tony and Junior had in the first season, before Jackie Aprile died and they fought over the Boss position. Technically speaking the crime family is still the DiMeo Family, not the Soprano Family, but since Ercole Dimeo has been in jail for so long and the Sopranos have been in charge for so long everybody just calls in the Soprano Family.
JBK405
2025-02-20 02:30:54 +0000 UTC@Darrach Still going, this asshole.
Varus
2025-02-20 02:30:38 +0000 UTCYou never played college ball ☝️🤓
Darrach
2025-02-20 02:28:45 +0000 UTCI lettered in football!
Michael M
2025-02-20 02:18:27 +0000 UTCI’d probably agree, honestly I can’t remember Barbara in any scenes after this one even though I know she appears again.
Darrach
2025-02-20 02:12:26 +0000 UTCIf you're reading this I just want to say that you never had the makings of a varsity athlete.
BNJ
2025-02-20 02:11:10 +0000 UTCThat final scene is so goddamn good. Dominic Chianese mostly gets comic relief duty on this show -- the Curb Your Enthusiasm bit in this episode is hilarious -- but Junior is such a complicated raw nerve for Tony, and the scenes where they really dig in on their relationship are so powerful.
Mike
2025-02-20 01:45:30 +0000 UTCI think the 2 actresses have different vibes and I liked the first one more
bondbond53
2025-02-20 01:29:03 +0000 UTCHonestly I never noticed first time through.
Darrach
2025-02-20 01:19:56 +0000 UTCBarbara Soprano's actress changed. Threw me for a loop the first time I was watching
bondbond53
2025-02-20 01:12:27 +0000 UTC
