Seniors and Sopranos
-- If I see one more senior walk into the gym rockin some slacks from a leisure suit, a hawaiian shirt and glaucoma shades, doing 10-lbs on the shoulder press machine...I'm gonna do one of two things: spit on them and then high-five their head with a dumbbell; or peel off all my skin and take a RonRico rum-shower. I can't take it anymore. Stop coming to the gym dressed like your headed for an early-bird dinner after you finish doin butterflies...actually, maybe that's the reason.
-- I was gonna email this next thought to my Pranos Crew, but thought I'd share with everyone. Here's part of the Pranos genius: we still care about Tony. I don't know about yall, but Chase and Co. did about everything they could do to make us hate Tony back in 2004. His selfishness and temper and immorality peaked and it really couldnt go much higher -- the most despicable instance (to me, at least) was during Sunday dinner with Janice, Bobby and Bobby's kids. Janice was in anger-management classes after she beat down this yuppie soccer-mom. The anger management classes were really working. By letting go of the anger and controlling her emotions, Janice was a happy camper. Tony on the other hand was in Dr. Melfi's office pitying himself and his subjetion to anger and frustration. He was aware of how Janice's anger management classes were helping her, but he was too proud to attend one, I mean, he was already the butt of jokes and subject of rumors once it was leaked that he was seeing a shrink. Shrinks and anger-management aint gangsta.
Anyways, on a couple instances, he was Janice handle frustrating situations with a smile, particularly a telemarketing call, and Tony had previously revealed that telemarketers incense him. Well, Tony is a jealous and spiteful prick. So midway through dinner, out of absolutely nowhere, he starts needling and mocking Janice for being an absentee mother. I mean, it was merciless and astoundingly sophomoric (hilarious, though). Janice's other kid (which her stepkids knew nothing about, until Tony brought it up) lived in Canada, which prompted this from Tony, "How do you say 'I never knew my mother' in French?" Then he spouting french gibberish, smiling all the way. Janice is enraged, tries to attack Tony while he runs around the table smiling, laughing and goading her. Then he walks out the house and down the street as the episode comes to a close.
I was through with dude by that point.
Then we have the Season 6 opener. One of the things that kills me about Tony is that he's a walking disaster. If you get close enough to him, he's gonna ruin some part of your life. He knows that and sometimes it really bothers him. You can tell he drowns in guilt. But a lot of times, he just doesn;t care.
Which brings us to yesterday'd episode. You got Benny, suddenly richer by 2 million dollars that his grandma left as an inheritance. He wants out of the mob life, his wife wants out even more than he does. She hates Tony, would clip em if she could. She hates Tony because he's selfish and careless. Benny goes to Tony, tells him about his sitchy, asks for an out. Tony, like an a-hole, wont let him. Next thing you know, FBI has Benny in its web, now that they no longer have Adriana. Benny cant take it. He's stuck in NJ, with a furious wife and no way out, plus he's got feds breathing on his back. So he hangs himself.
I couldnt believe it. I wanted to strangle Tony for drivin that man to that point. He was a good dude. Sans mob-activity, he was a caring kat, you could tell. First kat to the hospital when Tony's driver got bludgeoned by Johnny Sack's NY crew. You could tell in his face that he was hurtin almost as much as the kid with the bashed in face. He was a soldier, too. But he wanted out. And I always admire kats that wake-up, smell the cognac and want out. That's why I always identified with D'Angelo, String and Wallace on the Wire. But this prick Tony wouldnt let the dude roll to Florida. I know his reasons, but have a heart man. Then the Feds got involved. They drove Adriana to ulcers and Benny to suicide -- and Tony was at the center of it all.
But then the very next scene, the closing scene, we got Uncle Jun actin like a screwball. Tony sends dude to take his medicine, Uncle Jun comes back with a pistol and caps Tony in the gut. You'd have thought I wouldve been on some ol' "Good for him" ish, right?
Nah. And thats when I realized how craft Chase and Co. are. I was scared to death for my man. Through seven years, we've managed to not only form an attachment to this hoorible human being, but he's actually endeared himself to us, somehow. I care about the fictional Tony.
When you can make a man with as many character and moral flaws as Tony, when you can make that kat human (even though he acts and thinks like an animal, often), when you can make me care about that dude -- that's gangsta.
Here's what I wish, though: I wish Uncle Jun wouldve shot Tony in the jaw, so that in the next episode, Tony would sound like an italian 50 Cent.
-- I was gonna email this next thought to my Pranos Crew, but thought I'd share with everyone. Here's part of the Pranos genius: we still care about Tony. I don't know about yall, but Chase and Co. did about everything they could do to make us hate Tony back in 2004. His selfishness and temper and immorality peaked and it really couldnt go much higher -- the most despicable instance (to me, at least) was during Sunday dinner with Janice, Bobby and Bobby's kids. Janice was in anger-management classes after she beat down this yuppie soccer-mom. The anger management classes were really working. By letting go of the anger and controlling her emotions, Janice was a happy camper. Tony on the other hand was in Dr. Melfi's office pitying himself and his subjetion to anger and frustration. He was aware of how Janice's anger management classes were helping her, but he was too proud to attend one, I mean, he was already the butt of jokes and subject of rumors once it was leaked that he was seeing a shrink. Shrinks and anger-management aint gangsta.
Anyways, on a couple instances, he was Janice handle frustrating situations with a smile, particularly a telemarketing call, and Tony had previously revealed that telemarketers incense him. Well, Tony is a jealous and spiteful prick. So midway through dinner, out of absolutely nowhere, he starts needling and mocking Janice for being an absentee mother. I mean, it was merciless and astoundingly sophomoric (hilarious, though). Janice's other kid (which her stepkids knew nothing about, until Tony brought it up) lived in Canada, which prompted this from Tony, "How do you say 'I never knew my mother' in French?" Then he spouting french gibberish, smiling all the way. Janice is enraged, tries to attack Tony while he runs around the table smiling, laughing and goading her. Then he walks out the house and down the street as the episode comes to a close.
I was through with dude by that point.
Then we have the Season 6 opener. One of the things that kills me about Tony is that he's a walking disaster. If you get close enough to him, he's gonna ruin some part of your life. He knows that and sometimes it really bothers him. You can tell he drowns in guilt. But a lot of times, he just doesn;t care.
Which brings us to yesterday'd episode. You got Benny, suddenly richer by 2 million dollars that his grandma left as an inheritance. He wants out of the mob life, his wife wants out even more than he does. She hates Tony, would clip em if she could. She hates Tony because he's selfish and careless. Benny goes to Tony, tells him about his sitchy, asks for an out. Tony, like an a-hole, wont let him. Next thing you know, FBI has Benny in its web, now that they no longer have Adriana. Benny cant take it. He's stuck in NJ, with a furious wife and no way out, plus he's got feds breathing on his back. So he hangs himself.
I couldnt believe it. I wanted to strangle Tony for drivin that man to that point. He was a good dude. Sans mob-activity, he was a caring kat, you could tell. First kat to the hospital when Tony's driver got bludgeoned by Johnny Sack's NY crew. You could tell in his face that he was hurtin almost as much as the kid with the bashed in face. He was a soldier, too. But he wanted out. And I always admire kats that wake-up, smell the cognac and want out. That's why I always identified with D'Angelo, String and Wallace on the Wire. But this prick Tony wouldnt let the dude roll to Florida. I know his reasons, but have a heart man. Then the Feds got involved. They drove Adriana to ulcers and Benny to suicide -- and Tony was at the center of it all.
But then the very next scene, the closing scene, we got Uncle Jun actin like a screwball. Tony sends dude to take his medicine, Uncle Jun comes back with a pistol and caps Tony in the gut. You'd have thought I wouldve been on some ol' "Good for him" ish, right?
Nah. And thats when I realized how craft Chase and Co. are. I was scared to death for my man. Through seven years, we've managed to not only form an attachment to this hoorible human being, but he's actually endeared himself to us, somehow. I care about the fictional Tony.
When you can make a man with as many character and moral flaws as Tony, when you can make that kat human (even though he acts and thinks like an animal, often), when you can make me care about that dude -- that's gangsta.
Here's what I wish, though: I wish Uncle Jun wouldve shot Tony in the jaw, so that in the next episode, Tony would sound like an italian 50 Cent.
posted by Twistinado @ 3:04 PM
1 Comments:
At 10:34 AM,
Anonymous said…
True you can't help but to care about Tony, but I think you are wrong about your assesment about Benny. He was already talking to the FBI, and I don't think he ever had that 2mill from his aunt. The FBI was going to relocate him, his wife didn't know that he was talking to the FBI. He was asking Tony about leaving so that it wouldnt be obviouse that he was in a relocation program when he was gone. Tony said no, not cuz once, your in your in, but because that whole thing seemed shade and he wanted to keep him around just in case he had to take him out too.
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