The Sopranos 3x08 Reaction
Added 2024-12-09 00:09:00 +0000 UTC
Comments
The Sopranos has one of the best soundtracks of any tv show, and again here they pick a perfect song to end with. ‘The Captain’ by Kacey Chambers makes reference to the new captain of the Aprile crew Ralphie, but also the lyrics could be from Gloria Trillos perspective. ‘Black Books’ by Nils Lofgren last episode was also a perfect choice for Carmelas story in that episode. Ralph and Tony’s tense meeting being scored to western showdown music (ghost riders in the sky) is a lovely touch too. Juniors advice to Tony also ties to this song: “Steer the ship the best way you know how” and to “find your pleasures where you can”. Well, Tony is certainly doing that, by engaging yet again in infidelity. I also think these words can be taken as commentary from David Chase on the message of the show. Very rarely are there clean cut answers and solutions in the world of Sopranos. There is often ironic timing in the Sopranos with when characters pick their fork in the road. Christopher picked the Mafia over pursuing a career in film/screenwriting. The next episode he got shot. Here Carmela chose to stay and accept her marriage with Tony despite what the psychologist told her, and the next episode Tony has begun a new relationship.
Darrach
2024-12-10 10:32:36 +0000 UTCTony is clearly very immoral and potentially a sociopath, like a lot of the characters on this show. One thing I’ll say for him though, is that unlike a lot of the others, he does seem to have some level of empathy. I don’t think his empathy for Tracee is entirely based on him having a daughter of a similar age either. That’s part of it for sure, but I think he does actually care for people (and animals) who he believes are innocent or can’t defend themselves. It’s his twisted way of justifying his morality. When he was in therapy previously, he talked about how his actions are ok because “they are soldiers” and it’s all part of the game they signed up for. This is his way of blocking off empathy for most of the people that are harmed by his actions. Take Davey for example. Poor guy had a gambling problem sure, but in Tony’s eyes, Davey chose to get involved and borrow money, so that excludes Tony from having to feel any empathy for him. Another example was when he got the traffic ticket from the cop. This was mostly brought on by his racism and the conflict with Meadow, but I think some part of it was because in Tony’s eyes, cops and crooks are both in the game. He initially didn't see the officer as somebody who was “innocent”. He kept flipping between ruining the officer’s life and feeling empathy for him, because to Tony, this is a man who balances the line carefully between “a solider” and “an innocent”, and you can see him struggling to decide whether he should hurt this man or feel bad for him throughout the episode
windyMelon
2024-12-09 16:46:13 +0000 UTC😬
Edward Lewis
2024-12-09 11:15:49 +0000 UTCI love the back and forth between the mafia guys in this episode. Tony's brief attack of conscience never stood a chance, and if he wasn't the boss he would've been in a very dire predicament. He disrespected the Bing!
Mark M
2024-12-09 11:02:51 +0000 UTCThe Sopranos (and most other HBO dramas) seems to do realism very well. Gigi’s death was a complete random coincidence. This is kind of what life is like though. Things that have a 1 in 64million chance of happening, happen all the time. This is quite a normal thing that happens in life, and I’m glad the show has moments like that
windyMelon
2024-12-09 09:25:29 +0000 UTCNah your english is good lol. I wouldn't have known it wasn't a first language. And honestly nearly every episode, maybe outside of the 3x01 with the meh FBI plot, can be deep dived into. There's plenty of analysis out there as this (along with Buffy interestingly enough) is one of the most written about shows in general. Ducks appeared at the end of the episode, whole lot of baggage there giving subtle implications to various things in this episode. You can also compare this instance of Tony's empathy being pressed down to other instances of it displayed in the past and examine differences and similarities as the situations aren't really the same to actually get a fuller insight into his psychology and character. For instance, the black cop dilemma highlighted his vindictiveness more but he risks very little on acting on it. The conflict in this episode was more The Wire-esque, him wanting to move in one direction, his environment pushing in another. But there was also just enough of a push and pull between how much each of part of his environment was constraining him to call into question how constrained he really was. I haven't even really scratched the surface honestly.
Veya
2024-12-09 08:59:39 +0000 UTCThey are LM REACTIONS and I am Vic Mackey, Mackey Lackey.
MichaelChiklisCares
2024-12-09 07:48:24 +0000 UTCYeah, it's mainly setting up the Tony-Ralphie conflict, Meadow's relationship with Jackie Jr, and Tony's relationship with Gloria. I think I initially said uneventful not because there's no flashy moments, but because there isn't really something to really take a deep dive into. Like for example, the previous episode with Carmela and the therapist. Maybe that's also the wrong word to use? You have to forgive me because english is my second language lol.
IanJ
2024-12-09 07:35:36 +0000 UTCThe episode was uneventful in terms of big flashy moments, the very ones they are put off by, but it's a very detailed interpersonal conflict episode, amazingly between Tony and someone not in his immediate family for once. It really blended family and "family" with mob business somehow bleeding over to thanksgiving dinners lol. There was a lot of texture in the resentment both characters were feeling towards each other, informing a lot about their environment and how much they try to navigate it. Even Tony vs Ritchie wasn't as developed despite him being in a relationship with his sister and being the brother of one of Tony's closest friends.
Veya
2024-12-09 07:14:52 +0000 UTCI'm glad Janice remarking "A Soprano and an Aprile" got as much of a laugh from the two of you as it did to me lol. This episode is pretty uneventful, though it's still very good. Some observations: The song playing during the confrontation between Tony and Ralphie earlier in the episode is "Ghost Riders in the Sky", a country song. It does give the conflict between Tony and Ralphie a western feel to it. We have Silvio comparing Tracee to a horse in the previous episode (comparing her to a Thoroughbred), making the whole thing feel like a western standoff. Tony brought up and quoted "Art of War" by Sun Tzu and he uses it to deal with Ralphie. Later, he thanked Melfi for recommending the book to him. The thing is, Melfi never actually recommended that book to him. It was an off-hand remark by her ("if you want to be a better gangster, read the Art of War"), so here we see the therapy inadvertently making Tony a better criminal. Carmela also lies about her father having white blood cells issue to Ro. Carmela purposely chose this excuse because Jackie Sr. died of cancer and knew it would hit Ro right in the heart. What an awful thing to lie about.
IanJ
2024-12-09 06:49:08 +0000 UTCjackie jr is the son of jackie aprile, the acting boss from season 1 that died of cancer, richie and jackie were brothers
Zach D
2024-12-09 05:51:57 +0000 UTCAnd it was heavily influenced by Sopranos
Angel
2024-12-09 05:43:22 +0000 UTCNothing is new in terms of moral tests being failed and the end result, but we're seeing to what new degree Tony is willing to push down his guilt each time. Kind of like one can frame The Wire as nothing new each season because the system always wins but we're seeing layers peeled back and just how dysfunctional the issues in the city really are. These different shades matter and can add more nuance and complications especially down the line. Tony's previous moral quandaries didn't really involve someone as close to his personal attachments and morals as a daughter surrogate. Pussy is his best friend, but not really a substitute for a daughter. His mother and uncle, while family, didn't really require much of a decision and with them it's not presented as a simple test, more of a visceral reaction. Others were random strangers, cops or friends that weren't as close to him, like Davie. All different shades of testing him or seeing to what degree his guilt and empathy can go in which types of situations, none of which are exactly the same. There's a lot of things, big and small to remember to fully map out his character. Remember that his very first panic attack came from watching his father chop off a butcher's finger and seeing his family enjoy the meat. Also, Ralphie did mention he has a kid named Justin in the rape episode. Johnny Sack made previous appearances in the first two seasons but were VERY minor roles. It shows that this show will sometimes bring back very small elements or characters, and have them spiral into much bigger things down the line.
Veya
2024-12-09 04:47:06 +0000 UTCGigi dying in the manner he did is very black comedy art-house film-like which The Sopranos has in it's DNA since those are the types of films David Chase likes. The same reason why ambiguity is present throughout the show as well and why even compared to modern crime dramas that copied aspects of this show, it has such a different feeling. It IS very convenient so I understand their reaction to it, but on the other hand this show always had a supernatural tinge to it. It felt like the universe forcing Tony to make a decision then and there and he made the easy but wrong choice.
Veya
2024-12-09 03:40:16 +0000 UTCMeeting somebody in therapy is asking for problems🤣🤣
Darlan Felix
2024-12-09 03:30:18 +0000 UTC+1 vote for Penguin. It was excellent. No Batman knowledge required.
Michael M
2024-12-09 03:12:16 +0000 UTCI hope one day they’ll react to “The Penguin”. It was the best show I’ve seen this year. Even better than Shogun.
Tyler Jackson
2024-12-09 02:05:33 +0000 UTCBig Johnny Sack guy ova hea
Mahni Alizadeh
2024-12-09 02:05:00 +0000 UTCJohnny Sack is easily one of the best characters in the show. You will see more of him going forward 👍
Johnny Bxb
2024-12-09 01:28:38 +0000 UTCIT'S ALMOST TIME FOR SOPRANOS REACTIIIOOOONNNSSS!!!
snaps
2024-12-09 01:19:32 +0000 UTCI love seeing you both spin theories, but Gigi did just happen to die of natural causes. Look at all of the previous hits we've seen on this show: They're all gun murders or beatings or something else violent and direct. Be honest, do you think any of these people are smart enough to use poison? I'd expect them to dose themselves instead by accident. The relationship between the Soprano Family and the New York Families mirror the relationship between New Jersey and New York itself. NJ and NY are both states, equal in the eyes of the law. Both have representation in the Federal Government of the USA, both have their own Governors that are equal in all ways in authority and relations between other states... ...but NY is bigger. NY has more people. NY is more famous. If you travel to other countries outside of the USA, people have heard of New York. New York City is one of the "capitals of the world". When the governments of New York and New Jersey deal with each other, NY doesn't have any authority over NJ, but that doesn't mean that they don't have any POWER over NJ. Right now (in real life), New York City is implementing "congestion pricing" tolls for driving in certain areas of Manhattan. When this was first proposed the NJ government protested because of the impact that it will have on NJ residents who visit NYC but NJ won't see any benefit from the money. They have negotiated for years, and gone back and forth. At the end of it all NY agreed to reduce the cost of the tolls, but they are still going to do it. Tony Soprano is Boss of the family, and that means that there is nobody over him. He is equal to any other mob boss you want to name. The New York families have no authority over him...but NY is bigger. NY has more people. And even though NY doesn't have authority over NJ, that doesn't mean they don't have power.
JBK405
2024-12-09 01:15:21 +0000 UTCI love Gloria so much.
Thomas De Peña
2024-12-09 00:35:36 +0000 UTCstarting my post-travel binge to get up to date with reactions and i have like 8 sopranos episodes and maybe 5 of haikyuu and this week will not be heavy in terms of work, so just cleaning the house, putting up the chrismas decorations and binging sopranos and haikyuu. not bad at all if you ask me.
sand_fl
2024-12-09 00:21:27 +0000 UTC
