OT: Sopranos

[RUhasarrived]

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the first episode shown on HBO.

I just parked in almost the exact spot in which Christopher parked when he was being picked up by Paulie to get made.On the way there, I passed Satriale's.Later on,I passed by the now defunct auto body shop.

 

[shu2x79]

I pass the motel they took over every day.

 

[batts]

Is that the "I see them but I don't believe them" hotel?

 

[Jm0513]

Every time I pass Satin Dolls I say to myself Bada Bing! Lol

 

[Abro1975]

Loved the series. But thought the ending was a complete cop out.

 

[Zombo NJ]

once in a while get gas at station where Phil got offed...

think about the show every time I stop...like Billions a lot but only 1 Soprano's

 

[Jm0513]

Christopher

"Oh my Gawdd Christaafurrr"

 

[Jm0513]

once in a while get gas at station where Phil got offed...

think about the show every time I stop...like Billions a lot but only 1 Soprano's

Love Billions...Bobby Badaaass Axelrod in his Metallica shirts!

 

[Altrev]

Only one Sopranos. Only one Jim Gandolfini.

 

[Jm0513]

Only one Sopranos. Only one Jim Gandolfini.

Amen!

 

[tico brown]

Heres an interesting theory on that last episode (long read):

 

[Plum Street]

That show changed the way television was done. It was the first major cable series hit. It was the show everyone watched on Sunday nights and talked about Monday morning . Nowadays you don’t get that - maybe game of thrones ?
It wasn’t as much of a mob show , but it was about family, relationships and it was pretty funny.
It also paved the way for these bad characters that have some good qualities that you root for - like a don Draper.

 

[Tango Two]

https://news.rutgers.edu/how-rutger...fini-changed-television/20190109#.XDe9y2tOmaM

 

[colbert17]

In the first episode Tony blows up Artie's restaurant for the insurance money.
In reality it was Manolo's in Elizabeth on the corner of Elizabeth Ave. and First Street.
Three months after that episode aired we had our 25th anniversary high school class reunion there.

 

[chrisru99]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

 

[RU_DIO]

My Ex Fiancee used to dance at Bada Bings (Satin Dolls)

 

[RU_DIO]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Uh Yeah.

 

[Plum Street]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Yes . It was the most popular show of its time for many reasons. The wire is great too, but it was not that popular .

 

[Altrev]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Seriously? The show is/was hugely popular all over the world.

 

[tico brown]

In the first episode Tony blows up Artie's restaurant for the insurance money.
In reality it was Manolo's in Elizabeth on the corner of Elizabeth Ave. and First Street.
Three months after that episode aired we had our 25th anniversary high school class reunion there.

I think they also used Pucinni's in Jersey City for Artie's restaurant.

 

[tico brown]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Both GREAT shows. Cant really say one is better than the other.

 

[beaced]

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the first episode shown on HBO.

I just parked in almost the exact spot in which Christopher parked when he was being picked up by Paulie to get made.On the way there, I passed Satriale's.Later on,I passed by the now defunct auto body shop.

Just started withe episode #1,First Season.. Plan to watch every one of the 6 Seasons.Such great characters and acting abilities. Nancy Marchand was SO good as Tony's Mother. Hated her every time I watched.R.I.P. Tony and his Mom.

 

[Postman_1]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Nothing was as good as The Wire. Sopranos was good, but still a few series I like better

 

[Jm0513]

Just started withe episode #1,First Season.. Plan to watch every one of the 6 Seasons.Such great characters and acting abilities. Nancy Marchand was SO good as Tony's Mother. Hated her every time I watched.R.I.P. Tony and his Mom.

I'd like to rewatch now that I'm older. Oz, Sopranos and Sex and the City were my favorites in my 20s.

 

[Abro1975]

Both GREAT shows. Cant really say one is better than the other.

IMO, both great shows. The Sopranos had a bad ending, with no resolution.

The Wire, had no ending at all, like they were waiting for the next season to be renewed.

 

[JMORC2003]

Heres an interesting theory on that last episode (long read):

View embedded media

Good theory, interesting take. My theory (which I’ve explained here in other threads) is similar in that it takes into account Chase’s mindset rather than wrapping up the story in a neat package. It goes black, the show ends, all characters cease to exist because they are made up. They are neither dead, nor alive. The Sopranos isn’t some alternate universe that we got a six season peek at. It’s a story and the story finished. The one Chase quote that has stuck with me is when he says something to the effect of “it’s all there” which he literally means that it is all there. Nothing to figure out. Nothing more, nothing less.

I do wish he’d come out and explain, though.

Sopranos is my all time favorite series. No question. Amazing show.

 

[Caliknight]

IMO, both great shows. The Sopranos had a bad ending, with no resolution.

The Wire, had no ending at all, like they were waiting for the next season to be renewed.

Go to Baltimore. It's still going on.

Sopranos was the great show ever. The writers on that show were absolutely genius.

 

[e5fdny]

The Wire would have been better with less John Gielgud and more Robert DeNiro.

Know what I’m sayin’

 

[e5fdny]

Good theory, interesting take. My theory (which I’ve explained here in other threads) is similar in that it takes into account Chase’s mindset rather than wrapping up the story in a neat package. It goes black, the show ends, all characters cease to exist because they are made up. They are neither dead, nor alive. The Sopranos isn’t some alternate universe that we got a six season peek at. It’s a story and the story finished. The one Chase quote that has stuck with me is when he says something to the effect of “it’s all there” which he literally means that it is all there. Nothing to figure out. Nothing more, nothing less.

I do wish he’d come out and explain, though.

Sopranos is my all time favorite series. No question. Amazing show.

Mr. Chase must have been a big fan (like I was) of “St. Elsewhere”

 

[JMORC2003]

That show changed the way television was done. It was the first major cable series hit. It was the show everyone watched on Sunday nights and talked about Monday morning . Nowadays you don’t get that - maybe game of thrones ?
It wasn’t as much of a mob show , but it was about family, relationships and it was pretty funny.
It also paved the way for these bad characters that have some good qualities that you root for - like a don Draper.

The anti-hero. Draper, Walter White, Underwood, House... Tony is the quintessential anti hero.

Speaking of family and relationships in the show, one of the underlying threads throughout the series is what Christopher refers to as the “regular ness of life”. Despite all the money and violence and intrigue and power struggle, the show was about coping with the every day sh*t we all deal with. Kids, sibling drama, emotions, living. There’s a scene where Tony is at a conference about his son and he notices stuck in his pant cuff a tooth of a guy he just curb stomped for harassing Meadow. Everything is juxtaposed against that regularness. His relationship with Christopher, his uncle, his friends, illness of a loved one, our own insecurities, that’s what it’s all about. We’ve all been through exactly what he went through just in different (hopefully less violent) contexts. One of the most dramatic fights between Tony and Carmela escalated from her asking him to bring pool chairs inside, and was rooted in his years of (not philandering) being unloving and not serving the emotional needs of a husband.
On its surface the show is funny, and dramatic and intense. But it is also incredibly deep, with many many rich layers, and holds up well enough to be on today.

 

[ATIOH]

The Wire, had no ending at all, like they were waiting for the next season to be renewed.

I'm not sure how to respond to this. Are you thinking of a different series or did you not watch the finale? Even the episode's title translates to "end of story."

Here's a quote from a review:

For everyone who felt cheated by the stubbornly ambivalent series finale of The Sopranos — which is to say, everyone — there can be no such complaints about The Wire. No sudden blackouts, no meta-textual commentary, no unearthed chestnut from Journey. (Though we have to admit that, earlier this season, we half-hoped The Wire would end with Omar driving to Jersey, hobbling into a diner, and gunning down Tony Soprano and his family.) Instead, The Wire finale was the anti-Sopranos: an almost absurdly exhaustive festival of closure.
​

Here's a refresher article on the finale. It wrapped up the storyline of nearly every major/minor character in the entire series:

https://ew.com/recap/wire-finale-recap-end-line/

 

[RUPete]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Yes- loved them both for different reasons.

 

[tico brown]

IMO, both great shows. The Sopranos had a bad ending, with no resolution.

The Wire, had no ending at all, like they were waiting for the next season to be renewed.

Or life goes on.

 

[RU_DIO]

Sopranos was my favorite show. Dexter I think was my number 2 show.

 

[Rutgers8086]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

This should be OT.

 

[colbert17]

I think they also used Pucinni's in Jersey City for Artie's restaurant.

A lot of the first season was shot in and around Elizabeth. The original pork store was Centanni's in Elizabeth.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

recently re-watched most of it........

in some ways, the first 2 seasons don't hold up well visually (that strange 90's video look and a lot of velour )... and I know some people are devoted to shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men... But, there was never any t.v. show (before or since) as layered or complex combined with consistently great acting and storytelling...

it's amazing to me how much of what I remember from that show was really just season 1 and the last 1/2 season.... timeless lines/stories/characters....

 

[e5fdny]

recently re-watched most of it........

in some ways, the first 2 seasons don't hold up well visually (that strange 90's video look and a lot of velour )... and I know some people are devoted to shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men... But, there was never any t.v. show (before or since) as layered or complex combined with consistently great acting and storytelling...

it's amazing to me how much of what I remember from that show was really just season 1 and the last 1/2 season.... timeless lines/stories/characters....

Remember what Karen says how people looked/dressed in “Goodfellas”, right?

Not everybody is the Don. Or has that access to $$$$.

 

[RC1991]

Solid show but no where nearly as good as the Wire. If the show was not based in NJ and have an RU grad as the star would you like it as much?

Yes. The Wire tailed off a lot after the first couple seasons IMO - Sopranos was excellent start to finish.

 

[colbert17]

I could have done without the Kevin Finnerty episodes. Obviously they made a little more sense at the end but thought they were basically a waste of time.