They're Back!

I felt really good to be watching the Sopranos again - right from the opening song, it felt like being with old friends.  But sooooooo much time has passed, it's almost like nostalgia to be watching it.  It doesn't feel real anymore.  Overall, I thought it was good, and had some moments of greatness. The opening was pretty wild – kind of a quick update on everyone, with both disturbing music and a disturbing narrator – I need to find out what that text was.  Eerie to see Adriana – obviously Carmela is going to continue to wonder what happened to her.  I didn't care very much about the guy who wanted to retire, I thought the idea was good, but since we didn't know this guy, it was hard to be too invested in him, and I knew he'd come to a bad end.  He was more of a reflection of an alternate life to Tony's, I think.  And, I had read there was a shocking end, so I was kind of braced, but I didn't figure on Uncle Ju shooting Tony.  That was a pretty good twist, I thought.  Dominic Chianese did an amazing job – when he huddled in the closet weeping after he shot Tony, I had chills. Tony’s desperate attempts to call 911 were riveting, too.   People had been talking throughout the show about Tony’s health, about weight, about what if something happens to Tony, and of course we see how heavy he has gotten when he keeps taking off various items of clothing to try to get the scale to give him a better number. So we wouldn’t have been surprised if he had had a heart attack, but being shot by his dementia-addled uncle was much better.

I wish they hadn’t waited so long to bring it back – I felt that way during the last season, too.  But it’s still an incredible show and I’m still going to enjoy it.  I feel sure that it will all come to a satisfying conclusion.