The Sopranos 3x03 Reaction
Added 2024-11-19 20:14:53 +0000 UTCits just a slightly different schedule this week because of editing issues, arcane is tomorrow and then everything else is the same
Comments
You’re bringing up a character that wasn’t even introduced yet. Should probably edit it.
Veya
2024-11-22 19:20:11 +0000 UTCImpossible to even rebuttal this without spoiling smh
Johnny Bxb
2024-11-22 14:26:02 +0000 UTCdisagree but deleted and moving on🤙🏼
Zach D
2024-11-22 06:33:02 +0000 UTCthe irony is that you saying it's "spoiler-y" makes it a spoiler.
BNJ
2024-11-22 00:36:12 +0000 UTCNope, sadly it doesn’t look like any of the buildings or campus I’ve been or seen :”( while I was attending Rutgers.
Jack SV
2024-11-21 19:48:46 +0000 UTCI'm not downplaying anything, what Tony said was fucked up and I stated that. That being said, it doesn't make Noah any less of a prick. Tony is a racist asshole and Noah is a pretentious asshole. Both statements can be correct.
BNJ
2024-11-21 16:02:15 +0000 UTCSaying he disapproves of race mixing is disgusting. Saying it to a black and ethnically jewish kid is disgusting. I’m a white and ethnically jewish person Idk why you’re bringing up Noah’s father or why that makes it better Y’all are really wild for downplaying Tony’s bullshit
space colon
2024-11-21 15:35:36 +0000 UTCDid that scene look they filmed at Rutgers? A lot of times something takes place somewhere specific and everyone points out that thebreal place looks nothing like it. 😂
Marcus Cato
2024-11-21 05:04:57 +0000 UTCOkay, I get what you're saying now. I'll give Tony credit in that he's actually a better father to AJ than Johnny is to him. He's not abusive and we actually see him interact in a positive way with his kids. Lots of little nuance in his behaviours there. But with the way the show presents the problems in his kids, it does invite speculation on what he did wrong specifically (and he does do some things wrong). Since this is their first watch, it's not gonna be as apparent to them as it is to us. SLIGHT SPOILERS I do think ultimately that all of Tony's problems (and AJ) stems from Tony's mob life, and that's just something that he will never admit to himself or in therapy.
IanJ
2024-11-21 04:06:25 +0000 UTCI don’t think there is ever a reason to hate aj people just do. It’s like in breaking bad saying people hate Skylar. That’s not a spoiler because there’s not something that happens in the show or anything that makes that true. So it’s just purely opinion which can’t be spoilers.
the chosen one
2024-11-21 02:27:21 +0000 UTCI see your point in that not every parent would say that and yes aj took it harder, which is what im alluding to with something deeper going on rather than just tony = demon parent. But it really IS pretty delicate overall. We’re even given a huge contrast with how tony interacts with his kids vs how his dad interacts with him in this very episode, nevermind what we constantly see with his mother. Tony doesn’t even want cussing in front of his kid while johnny shouts at tony with the F word. That’s a deliberate small beat that was put in the episode. He did say the male heir thing and then apologized. He hasn’t said anything like that since. The “crack the books” is a generic low effort remark, but that’s not the point. It’s about the contrast in the communication and how ajs problems still manifested. Him passing out in a field where he explicitly got positive feedback and approval, and not related to any meat or mob violence also underscores that melfi’s breakthrough and tony’s own panic attacks aren’t anchored down by a simple solution and comparison.
Veya
2024-11-20 22:54:33 +0000 UTCOkay, the first time I watched it I didn't notice the moment where AJ is looking at his dad and Chris and being jealous. But now that you guys pointed it out I totally see it and now I'm wondering how I missed it the first time I watched it, because it makes total sense for AJ's character to be jealous of Chris's relationship with Tony.
Floweyyyy
2024-11-20 21:41:32 +0000 UTCI think this is one of the most important episodes of the show. I haven't seen it in a long time, but the father-son issues we get a window into here are both dramatic and poignant. If they didn't nail this episode a lot of the patriarchal issues that followed in subsequent episodes and seasons wouldn't have rung as true.
JayFi
2024-11-20 18:58:03 +0000 UTCsnaps, you must be new on this Patreon. Scheduling isn't a thing here, which can be both fun and very frustrating at the same time. Better get used to it :D
Andrew
2024-11-20 17:07:22 +0000 UTCI don't know who I hate more: People that spoil future episodes like this, or people that think this isn't a spoiler.
Michael M
2024-11-20 16:52:33 +0000 UTCThe old schedule, whatever happened there
Abacus
2024-11-20 12:47:06 +0000 UTCI really hope we never get people who hate AJ in these comments. Surprisingly there’s a lot.
the chosen one
2024-11-20 10:54:57 +0000 UTCOh for sure, and I believe It all started when he found the truth about his father. AJ thinks of his father as a hero and it affects him deeply when he finds out that isn't the case. I'm sure some of us have that moment when we stopped looking at our parents as the perfect role model, but as the flawed human being we all are. With AJ, it's even worse by the fact that Tony is a mobster, far from the heroic archetype kids look up to. I think people put too much stock into Tony's "cracking the books" comment. That's just generic parent encouragement #50. He prefaced it by saying that the closest he can get into Harvard or Westpoint is by watching it on TV, almost saying that he could never get in. To me that makes me read his comment as less "If you want to go to X, you should start studying" and more "you can never get in X. You could if you start studying, but you don't". Maybe that's not what Tony meant, but AJ definitely took it like that. I can never imagine my dad saying stuff like "You might see them on TV, but that's as close as you can get" or "I'm supposed to get a vasectomy when this is my male heir?". Of course that's gonna affect a kid's mental health. I agree with your last paragraph, no arguments from me there.
IanJ
2024-11-20 08:11:06 +0000 UTCAJ's inferiority complex about college is definitely sad, but yeah, lol at him getting into Harvard. There are lots of schools out there. AJ... isn't an Ivy Leaguer.
Mike
2024-11-20 07:36:57 +0000 UTCJust let them watch it fresh, sheesh.
Abacus
2024-11-20 07:04:38 +0000 UTCIn usual Sopranos style, the Tony/Noah thing has more subtlety than it first appears. Sure, Tony is definitely a rude asshole to Noah, but ultimately all he does is to say that he doesn't want them to be together and strongly disapproves of his daughter race-mixing. He doesn't threaten violence, he just states his position clearly, and also makes it clear that his black business associates feel the same way about their daughters with someone non-black. It's not like Tony hates blacks, he's just proud and protective of his Italian heritage and wants it preserved, and has a universal outlook that it's fine for others to feel the same way about their groups. On the other hand, Noah the smarmy intellectual college student, thinks that immediate violence is an appropriate solution, and has no shame in saying so proudly, even in front of the daughter and wife of the potential victim. So the career criminal and violent murderer is just stating his case verbally, while the liberal intellectual fantasises about violent retribution for having the wrong opinion and being insulted. Typical Sopranos "everyone's a hypocrite" type stuff we see repeatedly. It's funny that most people watch The Sopranos and (rightly) think that all the mob guys are immoral for being violent gangsters, but will generally think that Noah is right to want casual violent punishment for the crime of wrongthink. (I get that this is a hot take and that there's no downvote button here.)
Abacus
2024-11-20 07:00:45 +0000 UTCNice connection between the chopped finger and Janice taking the leg, I never noticed that. The sacred and the propane.
Abacus
2024-11-20 06:42:06 +0000 UTCI don't think anyone is saying that AJ didn't internalize it nor that the parents have no fault (maybe some are). More that the show is pointing at something deeper with AJ's mental issues than a simple cycle when an ultimately pretty delicate remark affected him THAT much. Why didn't AJ crack open the books like Tony said he should? If he just wanted approval or positive feedback from Tony why did he have that long stare when Tony was literally cheering him on during the match? No arguments from mom and dad about his comment about his backtracking, but they could have replied with "you need to study more". They're all kind of lost.
Veya
2024-11-20 06:33:20 +0000 UTCEnjoy Patreon's new layout structure. I hate it
Isaac
2024-11-20 04:36:37 +0000 UTCAlso, we see more of Jackie Jr in this episode. The scene with him and Tony in the restaurant is pretty funny, since Tony tells him that he has to be a shithead if he believed Tony about his uncle Richie, and he believed Tony in the end, thereby confirming that he IS a shithead. He may be an ass but I always like watching Jackie Jr just because his style is so late 90s/early 2000s that it made me nostalgic about that time lol.
IanJ
2024-11-20 03:51:42 +0000 UTCYou girls discussed the possibility of AJ's coach over-praising and making a big deal of AJ's accomplishment because of who Tony is in the review, and I think that's what the episode alluded to. The guy Tony is sitting next and speaking to during AJ's game is George Piacosta, the father of Jeremy Piacosta. He was the kid AJ got into a fight with in season one, and ultimately backs down because of who Tony is. That incident is the first time AJ realized who his father really is and what he does for a living (still one of my favorite Sopranos ending). In the football game, a fumble practically lands in AJ's lap, but this is the first "manly" accomplishment Tony's ever seen out of AJ. George Piacosta, still paranoid over the fight his son Jeremy had with AJ a couple of years earlier, kisses Tony's ass by overtly cheering with him. The football coach, possibly in the same ass kissing mode as George Piacosta, is over-congratulatory to AJ about a fumble recovery that was gifted to him, which in turn trigger his first panic attack. Does AJ think back to Jeremy backing down from their fight, Meadow explaining why he backed down, and linking this to the coach's present fondness for him? I believe George Piacosta was in this episode to help the audience make this connection. AJ in this episode also changed his mind about Harvard and Westpoint because, as it turns out, he does internalize what Tony said to him in season 2. People can say that Tony was encouraging him to "crack open the books" in that conversation, but when you start with "You might see them on TV, but that's as close as you can get", you kinda set the tone of the conversation in the other way. "Harvard or West Point. That's what you said." "No way, I never would have said that." "Yes you did, you were sitting right there." "I could never get in." ...mom and dad doesn't even bother to argue on that one.
IanJ
2024-11-20 03:42:04 +0000 UTCShout out to Rutgers lol I graduated from there. It’s always throw me off to see my university mentioned in this episode.. anyways, what I like about this episode is how they are able to show multiple characters( in this case “sons” like characters like AJ or Christopher) and they navigate their life while dealing with the pressure of trying to make their parent figures proud. I know many people don’t like AJ but I feel his character is just misunderstood tbh.
Jack SV
2024-11-20 02:17:18 +0000 UTCInterpreting things a certain way because of where you think things will go is completely natural and we all do it. I just think the negatives are being far more inflated and remembered than the positives when the show has given us more of a balance and nuances can easily be glossed over. There are a lot of small details (some of which are pretty innocuous at first) that need to be remember that really informs characteristics and dynamics, particularly in the final two seasons. This is why it's important to remember the stuff like the college remark in it's entirety and not just part of it in order to fit it too cleanly into some of themes.
Veya
2024-11-20 02:11:25 +0000 UTCCarmine Lupertazzi is the boss of one of the New York families, and this is the first time we're seeing him. Johnny Sack, who has appeared before as a longtime friend of Tony, is a member of Carmine's crime family. The relationship between the Soprano family and the NYC families is a very sensitive subject, going back to the pilot. New York has the prestige that New Jersey lacks, and may have more power as well, but it's also split up between multiple families while NJ only has one (officially). Many people talk about NY as the "real" mafia as opposed to NJ. Several of the more famous gangster films focus on organized crime in NYC as well. These points together set up Carmine as a "real" crime boss, instead of a jumped-up thug. Now he's telling Tony that he knows all his secrets, but says it in a way that's supportive. Because of who he is and what he represents, every single word out of his mouth has to be taken seriously. Chris getting promoted here sees him rise to his level of incompetence. He's always been good at the violence part of crime (From killing Emil Kolar in the first episode, to fighting back when Sean & Matt ambushed him), but we've never seen him show leadership ability. He couldn't keep Brendan Filone from hijacking a truck even after he backed out personally, and he couldn't tell that Sean & Matt were turning against him, either. So now that he's supposed to be stepping into a management role, he can't pull it off. So, he has to fall back on armed robbery to make up the difference. He might have been happier remaining an Associate and never being made at all. True, he wouldn't have the opportunity to make more money, but it'd be less pressure and would let him stay in his comfort zone. BTW the guy who got Made along with Chris is Eugene Pontecorvo. It will be worthwhile to keep an eye on him as the series progresses to see how things play out differently between him and Chris.
JBK405
2024-11-20 01:36:04 +0000 UTCA Wire mentality from the girls? Sure I can see that. The idea of cycles for characters that’s so prevalent in the Wire has informed some of their expectations most likely. Sometimes they (especially Lola) will interpret an action or event in a certain way, because of where she thinks things will go I’ve noticed.
Darrach
2024-11-20 01:12:00 +0000 UTCThere is a MASSIVE difference between Tony and Johnny despite their very overt similarities. That very tender ice cream scene came right after Tony watches the history channel and Melfi literally brought up not repeating history in that episode, so it feels pretty clear Tony was trying to create more warm memories with his son after thinking about a shitty childhood. AJ was also still grounded (as in no TV and nintendo, i believe) so i don’t see how he was being given a pass because of ice cream. He even shuts down Aj’s “it’s not fair” remark. I think there’s a bit of a The Wire mentality towards certain dynamics and ideas when this show has already introduced wrinkles in that type of determinism. Therapy is emphasized for a reason.
Veya
2024-11-20 01:02:24 +0000 UTCFortunate Son. Season 3 kinda doesn’t begin until this episode. The first two are very insular, one being an episode focusing on the FBI, and the second was essentially a big farewell to Livia Soprano, and Nancy Marchand. LM are right in saying this is a great episode title, referencing the Creedence Clearwater Revival song of the same name obviously, but also having four characters be the so-called ‘fortunate sons’: Tony, Chris, AJ, and Jackie Jr. I disagree a little when Lola says Chris “isn’t cut out for this.” There is a learning curve with anything, and by the end of the week Chris has overcome his initial shortcomings, at least for now he’s doing okay imo. He is undoubtedly capable in certain regards, not many would survive two would-be assassins, getting a headshot on one whilst shot. The Sopranos has linked violence and food for a long time now, but here we shine a beacon on it via therapy. Satriales Meat Store has been a source of butchery and murder since the pilot episode. Food and Violence could honestly be a subtitle for this whole show it’s so prevalent as a theme. Janice, delightful as always, has amputated (in-practice) a leg, like her father amputated fingers back in the day. His ruthlessness certainly seems to have been inherited. Tony’s dismissal of AJ going to Harvard or West Point has definitely been internalised, and he now thinks he would never state such a lofty ambition, really sad to see. Tony did add to this dismissive statement that AJ would need to crack the books if he wanted to go however, which is a true statement. I think there are differences between Tony and Johnny, and how they raise their kids. Tony is objectively closer to his kids from what we have seen, and has not used physical violence to discipline them the way Johnny did. The last episode with a flashback with young Tony was the episode ‘Down Neck’, and in it we see both the similarities but also the differences between these two father/son dynamics. The end of the episode is Tony making sundaes for himself and AJ, playing around with the whipped cream and generally being a better father than we ever see Johnny be. Lola took this scene negatively, as Tony giving AJ a pass for his bad behaviour, but personally I think it’s to show that while Tony is repeating patterns and learned behaviour, he is not quite the same figure to AJ as Johnny was for him. One quick note: the older man talking to Tony about his panic attacks and therapy was Carmine Lupertazzi. A mob boss from one of the New York families. I think the subtext of him bringing these things up was to let Tony know that he knows all about his ‘dirty laundry’ in the eyes of the mob, just as a bit of a pressure move. The words themselves are supportive, but the use of “fits” and epilepsy comparisons are implications of weakness, not a trait you want to put out as a boss.
Darrach
2024-11-20 00:36:56 +0000 UTCJackie is such a kid, I think having both an uncle and dad die is the worst thing that could happen to a mob affiliated child Just like Christopher his mom doesn’t want him to be in crime (love Rosalie) Also Tony said he doesn’t want the Mob life for AJ but is totally okay with pushing Christopher towards it. *Tony said in season 1 that the belt was his father’s favorite child development tool
space colon
2024-11-20 00:08:24 +0000 UTCIt's so sad seeing AJ seem so disinterested/unengaged in every scene and he only perks up when its related to Meadow :( This second watch is making me appreciate his character more with all this shitty behavior he deals from Tony.
mundanelotus
2024-11-20 00:07:46 +0000 UTChey, take it easy
snaps
2024-11-19 23:29:39 +0000 UTCwhere the sacred intersects the propane
snaps
2024-11-19 23:29:18 +0000 UTCThe reveal of Christopher’s “How Do You Do Fellow Kids?” college outfit is so perfect
cheech
2024-11-19 23:20:50 +0000 UTCAll this for a slice of Gabagool?
Daniel Mabalot
2024-11-19 23:20:47 +0000 UTCTony is a complete racist asshole, but Noah managed to piss off most of the Sopranos audience every time he opened his mouth lol
ashton
2024-11-19 22:44:22 +0000 UTCLike this comment to petition LM to post the rest of Act 1 and all of Act 2 for Arcane tomorrow! Lol
NovB13
2024-11-19 22:44:05 +0000 UTCLove this episode, the reveal of Tony's past and the gabagool triggering his panic attacks is so good. I love the AJ story too. L&M picked up on aspects of it I missed, like Tony discouraging him from college. Tony not 'being taught right from wrong' leads to him being very childish and unable to control his impulses at times, having to apologise after the fact.
Mark M
2024-11-19 22:36:40 +0000 UTCGood reaction and discussion afterwards. I do feel the one to one comparisons are too clean and there’s more nuance to them. - Tony’s dad said he was brave for not running while being exposed to violence. He doesn’t even talk about mafia business in front of AJ. He has said since the first season he doesn’t want AJ in the business. It’s a fundamental core part of his character. - The college remark, i brought it up last time but he said “if you want to get in, you need to crack the books”. He didn’t just say the dismissive thing (which yes he shouldn’t have said) but framing it without the second part goes against something Chase has espoused before and also leans too much into a clean parallel when the show has shown many times the subtle differences. Tony’s parents would only say the first part, Tony said it with the second line, which isn’t a complete dismissal. “X won’t happen, unless you do Y” is not the same as “X won’t happen”. - If a parent says you need to study more to get in college, then study more. I think what’s being portrayed is that Aj is particularly sensitive, which is fine since all kids are different and have different needs. Aj is not the same kid as Meadow and they’re not the same kid as Tony. Tony’s failing as a parent is not being in tune with how do deal with a more sensitive kid, especially given his own upbringing. Meadow grew up in the same household and she has no aversions towards school. Tony needs to be more attentive towards Aj’s habits in a way where he probably didnt need to for Meadow but he’s probably not home enough to be like “are you doing your homework right now?”. - Aj explicitly got Tony’s cheers and approval in football. There was that cheesy slow-mo emphasizing this. Would Tony’s parents ever do this? Cheer for him in anything? Does this not go against that Tony mainly puts Aj down? Aj got a panic attack anyways and he wasn’t exposed to violence nor was it as clean as Melfi would like to put it. - We also can’t completely remove Aj’s agency just like the show doesn’t want to completely remove Tony’s. While Tony expressed some annoyance towards Aj wanting to play nintendo, he still agreed to it to spend time with his son and AJ is the one who changed his mind. Would Tony’s parents ever acquiesce to any of his requests?
Veya
2024-11-19 22:36:00 +0000 UTCYou are correct. Only happens on the home page.
Michael M
2024-11-19 22:34:46 +0000 UTCNoah: "He's lucky I didn't punch his lights out" 😂 I bet Noah has never punched anyone in his entire life. I don't like what Tony said but let's be honest, that kid sounds like a pretentious asshole.
BNJ
2024-11-19 22:28:09 +0000 UTCit is hard to cope this season, but that is why we love sopranos xD
Krzysztof Ko
2024-11-19 22:24:34 +0000 UTCSoapranos
Dale Tucker
2024-11-19 22:20:17 +0000 UTCTo be fair, Tony told AJ that if he wanted to get into those schools he needed to hit the books harder. So he didn't exactly shoot him down, he just said you need to work hard to get into those schools and he's not wrong.
BNJ
2024-11-19 22:06:49 +0000 UTCAre you on home and not specifically LMs page?
Darrach
2024-11-19 21:54:36 +0000 UTCMeadow rebelling isn't even necessarily because of Tony's racism (she always knew, Carmela has the same line of thinking and that doesn't mean she's ignoring her mother) it's more because of a whole set of things that have already been happening in the relationship between father and daughter and she is trying to impose herself
ashton
2024-11-19 21:47:55 +0000 UTCDoes anyone else get random old videos in their Patreon feed sometimes? Today it's Westworld 2x08 from 2018 near the top of my feed. /shrugs
Michael M
2024-11-19 21:37:13 +0000 UTCHad the worst day and you ladies just made it 20x better with this upload
Kitchener Leslie
2024-11-19 21:21:29 +0000 UTCThis schedule change is like an albacore around my neck.
Michael M
2024-11-19 21:20:31 +0000 UTCinmate at the beginning of Rounders.. “you don’t even smoke, Worm”
Zach D
2024-11-19 21:17:25 +0000 UTCWatch for meat cleavers. The first murder of the show is when Christopher shoots Email Kolar while he’s snorting coke off a meat cleaver.
a. tree
2024-11-19 21:06:32 +0000 UTCWell, the next episode will REALLY not get easier too, Milena…
Duh Istoka
2024-11-19 20:51:43 +0000 UTCI recognize Chris' sportsbook business partner as a detective from The Wire.
Michael M
2024-11-19 20:42:21 +0000 UTClike a father like a son
ashton
2024-11-19 20:40:07 +0000 UTCWe’re on the precipice of an enormous crossroads
Jay Craig
2024-11-19 20:33:48 +0000 UTCNo Arcane 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲
Mingo
2024-11-19 20:24:30 +0000 UTCThere is no schedule, only possibilities :D
Robert H.
2024-11-19 20:22:29 +0000 UTCLooking forward to tomorrow, I can wait :D My condolences to the Discord who have been eagerly awaiting Arcane episode 2 with lots of memes today. :D
Robert H.
2024-11-19 20:20:52 +0000 UTCso what? there's no stigmata about schedule changes nowadays
snaps
2024-11-19 20:20:14 +0000 UTCI like these types of issues
FFme
2024-11-19 20:17:22 +0000 UTC
