Interesting read on yesterdays episode:
James Gandolfini continues to turn in the best work by an American actor since ? well, maybe ever. The closing minutes of Sunday's ninth episode of The Sopranos should be studied, if not worshipped, in film classes, acting studios, wherever anyone gathers to learn or improve on the craft. Tony's bare-all scenes with Dr. Melfi ? he had a mommy-induced "panic attack" on the night his cousin, Tony Blundetto, was sent up the river ? were just jaw-drop amazing. And then minutes later, the Big Bear, foreshadowed by the return of the actual big bear, is happily floating in the pool again after squelching Carmela's efforts to divorce him. From momma's boy to Master of the Domain he'll never relinquish. It's a tremendous study in complexity, vulnerability, morality, amorality and infantilism. The Sopranos again has topped itself while also pulling the trigger on several possibly lethal differences among some of the key principals. This episode accomplished so much before ending with one of my all-time favorite tunes ? Bobby Darin's "If I Were a Carpenter." Superlative.
I actually thought for a moment that when Carmela saw his Escalade in the driveway, he was there to pour himself out to her. But he just can't stay in that vulnerable place; he has to snap himself back into his Poppa Bear invincibility. So there he is, floating around that pool, Mr. Reality-Is-Whatever-I-Say-It-Is. That final scene with Carmela watching him through the window as Meadow, on the phone, tells her that she's engaged, that Finn asked her to marry him, is stunning, overpowering. The writing, the acting, the camerawork come together to encapsulate in a few seconds the full arc of love ? from delighted squeals of hope and excitement to the choked-back sobs of despair and hopelessness. There's more going on in that moment when Carmela says, "God, I'm gonna cry" than most shows are able to muster over their entire existence. Really, this may be my favorite episode ever, this season just keeps going higher and higher. Those naysayers who have been saying the series is just going over the same ground and offering no surprises are going to have to find a new revisionist tune to whistle. Tony's revelatory session with Dr. Melfi shows there's no ground so familiar that digging deeper won't turn up fresh dirt. And you want surprises? How about Vito's head popping up when Finn pulled in early to work? Now, that's entertainment.
I don't know if there's a "true" Meadow, but she's certainly her Daddy's (and Mommy's) daughter. What's ironic is how the very things Carmela instilled in her so that she wouldn't be stuck like her mother ? the quest for a transcending education, the self-reliance ? are now making it possible for Meadow to dismiss Carmela's feelings. "You have options," Carmela told her. "I have a lawyer." But not for long. One of my favorite Sopranos motifs is the off-camera show of strength, especially when it involves Tony taking care of business. Despite his vulnerability, despite his near-violent confrontation with his maybe-soon-to-be-ex-wife (or maybe not), he's smarter and more powerful than he sometimes seems. Now, what to make of Vito's off-duty work at the job site? It's such a surreal touch, even on a show that has given us talking fish among other hallucinations. With this gang's combination of homophobia and penchant for violent resolution, Finn or Vito or both could be sleeping with Big P. even before Paulie, who again popped up for a cartoon moment. After his insult of Joe Peeps was topped, he went off like a hurt schoolgirl. I hope he goes first. In any case, the show appears headed for war on all fronts ? including the New York scenario that Tony just got dragged deeper into ? and this episode did a great job of weaving together the personal and the political.
