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Date Posted: 10:20:05 04/17/03 Thu
Author: Khronos
Author Host/IP: ip-66-80-65-31.dsl.sea.megapath.net / 66.80.65.31
Subject: It's just good on several different levels...
In reply to: Kilus 's message, "Re: Straight HBO is cool..." on 09:34:24 04/17/03 Thu

although I have to admit the last two seasons weren't as good as the first two.

The last season started out very slow. I just about gave up on watching it. But about mid way through it got a lot better. Almost as good as it's ever been.

The show operates on many different levels. On the one hand you have the story as it's presented. A mob boss and his family. His mob career and the resultant intruigue you'd expect from it (crime, drugs, people getting whacked, the seamy underbelly of society). A part of that is the mob boss's (Tony) family life. This too is presented matter of factly, but that's where some depth starts to come in. Tony sees a shrink on a regular basis. Most of his mental problems (not really problems, more like issues) stem from fears and concerns for his family. On the one hand the guy likes being a mob boss. He has people killed that piss him off, he's got lots of money, chicks, the party lifestyle, he can do whatever he wants. But underneath all that he knows that there really isn't much future in it. He knows that his kids will likely be drawn into his business one way or the other. That bothers him (a dichotomy - he likes it yet he doesn't like). Those unresolved issues cause him to have panic attacks (the absurdity of a mob boss that has panic attacks is part of the humor and depth of the situation). The last season ended with Tony splitting up with his wife. They had a lot of unresolved crap between them. His wife knew about his filandering with other women, but chose to ignore it, eventually she refused to do that anymore and that resulted in a fight which ended in them separating. The show established a parallel between her refusual to admit her husband was sleeping around, with her not wanting to admit that her husband was a mob boss. As she came to grips with one reality she was forced to confront the other. In fact that was the main reason why she never had been willing to confront her husband on the sleeping around bit because it called into question her acceptance of his being a mob boss. You're not an older married guy so a lot of the subtleties you might miss, but the argument between Tony and his wife was the most realistic depiction of a marriage falling apart I think I've ever seen on stage or screen. My wife and I have gone through shit like that and it was very impressive (somewhat unnerving) watching it in that context.

Bottom line the show has depth. A depth you don't ever see in American TV. A depth you don't usually see in the movies (the show explores things that Coppola barely hinted at in his magnun opus the Godfather I & II). Lately the show has been getting too long winded. A consequence I believe of them trying to keep it going too long, but like I said the second half of last season was pretty damn good.

My problem is once I taste something good, the same old shit won't cut it anymore.

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