The Sopranos (HBO) TV Show • Page 56

Jackie Jr might be my least favorite character

 

All of this and no one mentioned Tonys Mom or Uncle Junior? Aren't they on the list of best characters? Or Janice.

 

I think those are all definitely top characters, but none of those 3 would be my top choice.

 

Janice is up there. She comes off as such a grifter and user.

 

What kind of masochist would put Tony's mom in the top 3? I wish the lord would take whomever would do that now

 

She is a great character in the sense that she absolutely kills at being unlikable and foreshadowing some of Tony's thoughts and behavior, which is the point

 

Lol for sure, her and Janice make me so angry at nearly every opportunity they have to be on screen

 

Most of the central cast turns in career-best work. The biggest surprise is probably Paulie, since Sirico was always a bit player and his main request when joining the show was to not become a rat. He shows a lot of depth and vulnerability in the later seasons.

Someone has already mentioned that Vito wasn't great, and I've talked about the kids, particularly A.J.

A sign that a show knows its strengths is how they utilized Silvio. He isn't the best actor in the world but they keep him from too many deeply emotional scenes that would expose him.

 

i'm sorry, not the best actor??

 

Nancy Marchand does absolutely kill it as Livia

 

Silvio does a particularly good job when they wack Pussy on the boat. He reverts into this childlike state and it’s honestly pretty moving

 

Steven Van Zandt did better than almost anyone would reasonably expect from a newcomer, but he mostly plays a cartoon character. His wig gets bigger and bigger throughout the show.

 

Oh poor you

 

One of the best scenes in the show, and arguable Janice's best moment. She has to play multiple levels; the Janice we have come to know over several seasons, the charade she is trying to adopt, and the boiling rage that is going to come out. It is the kind of conflict that siblings from cynical families will instantly understand, that hatred of the other getting ahead because it will shine poorly upon you.

 

Tony is such a dick in that scene haha.

 

Gonna character break and say that I absolutely hate that scene because that smug smirk Tony does when he knows he’s being a fuckwad reminds me heavily of a certain relative of mine. Sadly many dynamics of that family do the same, outside of murdering people.

 

Considering I never watched the show as it first aired, I was surprised to learn there was a lot of pushback/criticism from viewers about Tony murdering the rat in College mid-way thru season 1 cuz they wanted to sympathize with him and an on-screen murder ruined it for them.

 

I have read versions of that story a lot, but I struggle to understand what people were expecting. He is the boss of a crime family; he didn't get there without murdering a few people.

In the first episode he runs over and violently beats a man just because he owes him money. He has Christopher murder a rival garbage truck mogul. He is aware Uncle Junior is going to kill Pussy Malanga and his only qualm is where the murder is going to take place.

 

s2ep10 - it’s very funny that the final punchline of the gambling addict’s story line is that Tony ruins this ancillary guy’s life to such a degree that it spills over and prevents Carmela from being able to go through with an affair

 

Chris deciding to betray Adriana because he realizes witness protection will take away nice cars and clothes is a great moment probing the psyche of these characters.

 

I think that’s a pretty shallow reading of that scene TBH. Chris always said the regularness of life wasn’t enough for him. His betrayal is one that rejects the very concept of a typical life and family

 

Chris also dreamed of a life of luxury in the entertainment business. First as an amateur screenwriter and then as a movie producer. When he couldn’t get Ben Kingsley in his movie, he resorted to assaulting Lauren Bacall for her gift basket just as a taste of the perks.

 

It is literally what happens in the episode. He is contemplating working with the FBI, sees the poor family, and then immediately goes to Tony. Obviously, within the context of the show, the mobsters are familiar with other gangster media, so he probably thinks about how disappointed with life Henry Hill is after he is relocated with a new identity. "The life" is too hard to give up for them, even if it means killing the love of his life.