Things come to a head in the Sopranos Series Season 2 Episode 7

Things come to a head in The Beloved Sopranos Series 

There is so much praise that has been part of the Sopranos series but to be honest I just was not seeing it. I loved the back and forth between Tony Soprano and his shrink. His attempts to hit on her and her resistance of these attempts. I liked the conflict between the two and it's escalation. I watched keenly as she started to become more like her patient. 

I enjoyed the casual nature of the violence and the structural leadership challenges that had been set up. I was amazed at the effects of a trip to the ancestral land and the detachment of the locals. It was interesting to see the role of the aging matriarch and her amazing almost supernatural ability to manipulate and control everything around her. The children and the growth they experience season after season. 

This past episode though marks a major shift which in my view was the most insightful episode. It comes when there has been a sense of recovery from apparent disloyalty in this case the existence of a rat. Unbeknownst to the characters of the show, the threat still exists. The protagonist though is unaware. His closest friend has been entrusted with the care of his son at a key point in the young man's life. While counseling the teenager who is also going through a philosophical existential crisis, he realized how important Tony Soprano is and how treacherous his betrayal of the same is. 

In the meantime, Chris the upcoming lieutenant is also trying to develop his love for writing and acting. Both men are faced with a point of transition (one of my favourite topics or themes). Chris is asked to take a 10 minute timeout after which he could either walk away from the Sopranos or stay while P@ssy sits alone weeping desperately wire attached as he contemplates his fate. 

Citadel

 

I have posted the standard Wikipedia summaries that I usually enjoy in this piece. What we have done differently is simply release them as images. So you have a very brief image describing the show as well as the central characters and then you have what some of the critics said about the film. 

In my view it was a good show. The action scenes were really intense. You could say they were ‘Johnwickesqe’ clearly the style of close shooting in the series featuring the famed actor from the a John Wick movies was employed here. The rapid fire shots to the head and the gore that emerges from this. The use of multiple fighting styles that seems to almost be dance like. Then there is the choice of characters. Stanley Tucci is amazing with his one liners his wit and his nonchalance. Lesley Manville excels in her presentation of a brutal and calculating minister with a history in the world of espionage and abound to pick with her adversaries. She is conniving and cruel. The twins I like the most with the bearded look they are an unusual pair of viscous villains. We are accustomed to other types of antiheroes…maybe slightly thinner and taller with darker hair. We might even see the occasional white haired or even black tall bad guy. But a bearded one is a fresh look and the actor does this role justice. I like the way the film takes you through the complex histories of the main characters and the decisions that they have to make. I like the love story that is woven in the series and the issues that divined those who chose a life in service of a greater good. This is what the show portrays the life of espionage involving the greater good of not just nations but serving on a global scale. There is an interesting line in the series in which the two doomed lovers are confronted with their feelings and a statement is made to the effect of “you cannot be a spy and a saint at the same time”. 

Then there are other issues such as memory that are explored. Maybe even the idea of life after death in the sense that those who go and maybe return must make the choice to live on or relive their past lives and meet their old loves in a new frame? There are also interesting explorations about memory and the idea that these can be preserved and maybe even wiped by the push of a button. 

Overall I would say maybe 80% for me. For the combination action, history, the exploration of science, global dynamics, relationships, love, broader themes like justice and equity.