hoopsplayer21

2y

So finally finished after starting this about 6 months ago

It feels like I am hitting the lowest pinata or picking up apples off the damn floor but yea, i struggle finding any show i've watched that comes even remotely close to this in quality

it might be because i have such relation to this show growing up in suburbia NJ, and sharing heritage with the show. the filming of this happening during 9/11 and the 2008 crash is really crazy to me and both of those events relatively minor but meaningful impacts on the show subtly translated to the shift the area felt after these events. 9/11 hits very close to home for those who lived in this area, much more than other parts of the country.

what they get right on italian american households is just insanely accurate. what they get right about the changing of times, changing of the neighborhoods, and overpopulation of the state are so ridiculously on point. in the last episode tony makes a remark as he's at janice (old JSack house) and he makes comment on how it used to be cornfields, now its development (he took part in selling out part of his block to create a jamba juice, so the hypocriticalness is funny). NJ tmk is the most densely populated state, but its only getting worse. you keep asking yourself will there be any greenspace, even in the suburbs, if we continue the development at this rate? How the show touched on this so subtly was just insane. the idea of overt american consumerism is also spot on and echos a lot of sentiment from major media at the time, Big Short comes to mind.

To talk about the actual meat and potatos of the show, the finale was perfect. you have to have a low IQ imo to dislike it. No mob story has ever ended happily ever after. whether tony gets pinched, gets popped in front of his family, or dies of a heart attack, his fate is dark. Chase owed nada to the audience to show this. we can make our own consulsions.

Season 6 to me was the weakest for two or so reasons.

1) it felt as if the cast had fatigue, which is totally normal

2) No one in this show ever died a death they deserved. ever. but I think how they killed off christopher was less than it should have been. i get it, we arent owed s*** by chase. no grand shoot outs, this isnt fantasy. but idk. chris was such a staple to the show. taking him out like that slightly made me sad.

3) I did not love Melfi's abrupt change of mind. still digesting this though.

even with my aforementioned issues, the show still somehow never missed a step, and never lost its feeling of authenticity.

Pure masterclass by chase and the crew

burymeinecko

2y

I fw this show. I'd say the only flaw is the terrible caricatures of black people

Prez

2y

i think melfi's decision to stop treating tony was fine. the show shows how her therapist was right - that treating this sociopath only enables him to be a better sociopath. he takes lessons from her and uses it for more violence and stuff.

what i recall not liking was the method by which she cut him off. the decision made sense, but she ended it very abruptly and kinda rudely IIRC. that was my only qualm with her ending it. after that many years, she should have been more graceful

hoopsplayer21

2y

So finally finished after starting this about 6 months ago

It feels like I am hitting the lowest pinata or picking up apples off the damn floor but yea, i struggle finding any show i've watched that comes even remotely close to this in quality

it might be because i have such relation to this show growing up in suburbia NJ, and sharing heritage with the show. the filming of this happening during 9/11 and the 2008 crash is really crazy to me and both of those events relatively minor but meaningful impacts on the show subtly translated to the shift the area felt after these events. 9/11 hits very close to home for those who lived in this area, much more than other parts of the country.

what they get right on italian american households is just insanely accurate. what they get right about the changing of times, changing of the neighborhoods, and overpopulation of the state are so ridiculously on point. in the last episode tony makes a remark as he's at janice (old JSack house) and he makes comment on how it used to be cornfields, now its development (he took part in selling out part of his block to create a jamba juice, so the hypocriticalness is funny). NJ tmk is the most densely populated state, but its only getting worse. you keep asking yourself will there be any greenspace, even in the suburbs, if we continue the development at this rate? How the show touched on this so subtly was just insane. the idea of overt american consumerism is also spot on and echos a lot of sentiment from major media at the time, Big Short comes to mind.

To talk about the actual meat and potatos of the show, the finale was perfect. you have to have a low IQ imo to dislike it. No mob story has ever ended happily ever after. whether tony gets pinched, gets popped in front of his family, or dies of a heart attack, his fate is dark. Chase owed nada to the audience to show this. we can make our own consulsions.

Season 6 to me was the weakest for two or so reasons.

1) it felt as if the cast had fatigue, which is totally normal

2) No one in this show ever died a death they deserved. ever. but I think how they killed off christopher was less than it should have been. i get it, we arent owed s*** by chase. no grand shoot outs, this isnt fantasy. but idk. chris was such a staple to the show. taking him out like that slightly made me sad.

3) I did not love Melfi's abrupt change of mind. still digesting this though.

even with my aforementioned issues, the show still somehow never missed a step, and never lost its feeling of authenticity.

Pure masterclass by chase and the crew

Prez

2y

on chris's death, it's part of that deterioration of tony in season 6. his guilt would probably never let him kill chris in a normal way (killing him straight up). but he has this opportunity to do it in a way that is scott-free (in his mind) and he does it, and he feels good about it afterwards. dont think he ever expressed any regret.

so much of tony gets stripped down in that final season. chris. melfi. paulie. AJ. piece by piece it all goes. and yea he and paulie somewhat work out their issues, and AJ didnt successfully off himself.... but it's like one by one his relationships deteriorate. season 6 is the death of tony. chris's death was more about tony than chris

and i'm fine with that. cant all end like the scarface final scene, bazookas under each arm, say hello to my little friend.

Prez

2y

i just watched the vito arc (i'm in szn 6 of a rewatch). him hating being a working man, specifically the watch-checking bit, is legit hilarious. not like that bit hasn't probably been done before in other shows but vito had me dying in that sequence.

as i said above, i think the way he falls into gay-town new hampshire is over the top and should have been more subtle in terms of how many gay people he runs into immediately but his relationship with johnny cakes was good. johnny cakes was a good part and good actor.

i also died when Phil popped out of the closet to kill vito. like how long was phil waiting in that closet?? lmao

Prez

2y

i just watched the vito arc (i'm in szn 6 of a rewatch). him hating being a working man, specifically the watch-checking bit, is legit hilarious. not like that bit hasn't probably been done before in other shows but vito had me dying in that sequence.

as i said above, i think the way he falls into gay-town new hampshire is over the top and should have been more subtle in terms of how many gay people he runs into immediately but his relationship with johnny cakes was good. johnny cakes was a good part and good actor.

i also died when Phil popped out of the closet to kill vito. like how long was phil waiting in that closet?? lmao

hoopsplayer21

2y

Take back one thing i said. Chase delivered one death we all wanted to see and that was certainly the fashion in which Phil Reatardio goes out

Prez

2y

facts

when phil was acting boss under johnny sack, he was super amenable and maybe the best boss in the entire show based on the scenes we saw him conduct business in.

but he turned into a prick real quick when johnny sack cried at his daughter's wedding and after johnny's trial.

hoopsplayer21

2y

kinda? his arc is a really weird one. cause post heart attack his entire outlook is different. unless im missing some subtleties on my first watch, he like didn’t want to be boss? gave it up. didn’t like how s*** was being ran, and then turned into a massive prick when he took power back. it was a bit odd but it worked at the end of the day.

Prez

2y

hmm yea i havent gotten to that part in my re-watch yet (when he becomes boss boss)

but he was really good as acting boss for a minute there. i almost want to say i would choose him to be my boss if i had to choose someone. better than johnny sack and tony.

Smuchaine

2y

agree with all except s6 being the weakest, for me it was tha strongest tbh

Jbreezyondeck

2y

LFGGGG