Yeah, I did get caught up in the Sopranos rush. I’ve seen just a few of the past episodes, wasn’t blown away, but I’m a convert now after viewing this final season. Many scenes are like paintings, dark shadows that frame a table or a group of people standing together. Clips are coordinated so well even though you jump to different characters on a regular basis. The family is at a funeral and Chase shows us this through the video cameras of the FBI, a lot of listening in and watching watching on the show. Nobody’s perfect either, the FBI has trouble at home with his wife too, the agent gives him an inside tip–his ethics not so clean. Televisions are on and what do they show: Iraq, Bush, Rove dancing, old movies. What’s on TV in a sense almost characterizes what the character is feeling–a scene where someone is screaming in one movie while a character lays in a coma.
These great shows show us different view points, maybe that’s the key. Showing us things from so many different groups. Then we have the therapists, who show us both sides of certain characters. The music too is genius. Bob Dylan It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) and Journey in the final scene.
On a past episode, I loved the scene just before Tony and his nephew crash. Their eyes told so much. His nephew wanted to connect so much. Then there’s a scene where Tony is driving in Vegas, I think there was music and then a tunnel and we look up to see lights. There are a lot of scenes that are pleasurable in a collage like way, where nothing is seemingly happening–no dialogue. The combination of music, physical location, past and potential what will happen, caring about the characters. A number of tableaus that are enjoyable in and of themselves. The next question is how this affects us after we watch. We talk about the show with others–that’s a good thing.
Also read the interview with the creator of the Sopranos, David Chase.