I'm a soldier
Oh no, not another dream sequence!
Don't stop me now! Two episodes of The Sopranos back to back (which means only two to go - a parlous situation salved only by the arrival of The Wire on DVD, following mass recommendation on this blog): Episode 10, Cold Cuts, written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, directed by none other than Mike Figgis, and Episode 11, The Test Dream, written by Matthew Weiner and David Chase (the guv'nor!) , directed by Allen Coulter. In the first of the two, things get prickly between Tony and Johnny Sack over the non-delivery of some Vespas at the Newark waterfront. It's "fuckin' payback" for Tony B whacking Joe Peeps. Janice beats up a rival "soccer mom" and attends anger management classes, for fear of Bobby leaving her (I like it when he admitted preferring the "spitfire type" - such a gentle soul, he is). But Tony, a man with issues of his own who's just beaten Bada Bing barman Georgie to within an inch of his hearing for a benign comment about living for the moment, acts like a total prick and winds Janice up until her new-found state of grace shatters. Bad man. A big contrast to the bucolic scenes at Uncle Pat's farm, where Tony B and Christopher bond over the exhumation of some previously-whacked skellingtons. Uncle Tony turns up, and Captain Rehab Christopher's the butt once again. Adriana urges him to think about the pair of them running away, but he has to stay. He's a soldier.
Tony gets his comeuppance, of sorts, in the next episode, as he is caught up for most of the running time in a dream sequence. These must be fun to write and direct, but they're tiresome to watch, I think. Funny to see Annette Bening turn up, as herself, and to see Tony shagging Artie's wife, while Artie watches, but beyond the psychological insight into Tony's childhood and his guilt, it's a major indulgence. Also, and I may be dim, but I couldn't work out why Tony was spending the night alone in the New York Plaza in the first place. Anybody help me out here? Worst episode of the series, at any rate.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 11:05 PM
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9 Comments:
Andrew
Don't you ever worry that you are watching too much TV? But perhaps these reviews are a work-in-progress rehearsal for your Word column?
PS Not much bird feeder activity to report at the moment (only Nuthatch and tit species) but it's probably because here, in the heart of rural England, the autumnal hedgerows are groaning under the weight of Nature's bounty - or something. Plus we don't get Ring-necked Parakeets (yet) in south Cheshire.
The TV writing on this blog is, in some ways, better than writing a monthly column for Word, as these are instant, on-the-night reviews. I'm just writing my next column for Word, about Charlotte Church, and it won't appear until the second week of October. I love the instantaneous nature of blogging.
I love the nuthatch. Such colours! You never need preceed mention of the nuthatch, or tit, with the word "only" in my book.
I've seen all the Soprano's episodes so far but I can barely remember the details of the episodes. Shows with dozens of characters and story arcs, I think watching on DVD is the best way to go. You tend to be less confused.
It's definitely the way to watch The Wire. It definitely shows a different US than 99% of what's shown on American TV. HBO just picked up the show for it's planned fifth, final season. I won't overhype it anymore, but I'm glad you've got it on your upcoming schedule.
Just like to echo Bill P's comment about The Wire - at the time, we gladly paid the premium for cable to get the quality stuff HBO put out.
The Test Dream makes a lot more sense the second time, especially after the following two episodes of s5 and the first three of s6. It's in The Test Dream that Tony decides what he has to do with his cousin. It also contains the interesting homework that Tony has, The Valachi Papers.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Valachi)
Andrew, love your blog, but think you missed out on the real story in the dream. It is a clear explanation of Tony and Carmela's relationship and how they will be drawn back together. Tony's shortcomings as a father, husband and mobster are on display, a long with his desire to become a leader of men-- although in a more tainted world than the coach anticipated. it was so like an actual dream, especially from what we know of Tony's life, and extremely referential to the nature of television and our post-cinematic experience. I also believe that the locked off Kubrickesque style gives a haunting almost night marish quality to a man who has given up on his family to indulge himself in the city-- and yet finds that in sleep he can't escape his anxieties. "Is it light where you are yet?" Is one of the more intimate and real moments ever in the series. My opinions of course but I would watch it again. This show, unlike the Wire is not merely an action soap. There is an attempt to deal with other things. If you find this pretentious, maybe you should start expecting as much from TV as you do from film or books. Sopranos at it's best, can be a very profound experience.
Dinoblue, I love your attention to detail and your patience with the dream sequence's nuances and meanings. I am glad that telly can be pretentious. This is the luxury of HBO. My own personal problem with the dream sequence, in general, is that it's too easy to write. As a scriptwriter, I'd love to write an episode where dream logic holds sway and all you have to do is come up with some arresting images and visual non sequiturs to make impressionistic points about your characters. As a viewer, I find it hard to put up with such a long sequence, no matter how technically proficient it is, and how cinematic (I was thinking more Lynch than Kubrick). It's not that I don't understand it, or that I prefer my entertainment to be entirely linear, it's just a personal preference, based on my own experiences of writing for TV. Maybe it's jealousy!
Now tell me why Tony went to Manhattan for the night.
TOny and Carmela are seperated, his cleaning lady has ruined his house(his mother's house by the way) his girlfriend has caught on fire-- he decides to give himself a vacation by spending sopme time at the Plaza-- perhaps living there. And, by the way, there are few non-sequitors in this dream. It is sustained by a story-- the dream where you show up to an exam and you haven't studied-- and the rest of it, at least from my end of things seems rather directional. If you cut those pieces up I don't think they work in any order. Tony is on a trip to discover that his discomfort at the present, made by his failure in his marriage has very specific origins. There are some dream like moments of nonsensical behaviour, but no special effects, no Lynch like speed changes, and for the most part a lingering sense of suspense that is held together by the directing as well as the writing.
Tony and Carmela are seperated, his cleaning lady has ruined his house(his mother's house by the way) his girlfriend has caught on fire-- he decides to give himself a vacation by spending sopme time at the Plaza-- perhaps living there. And, by the way, there are few non-sequitors in this dream. It is sustained by a story-- the dream where you show up to an exam and you haven't studied-- and the rest of it, at least from my end of things seems rather directional. If you cut those pieces up I don't think they work in any order. Tony is on a trip to discover that his discomfort at the present, made by his failure in his marriage has very specific origins. There are some dream like moments of nonsensical behaviour, but no special effects, no Lynch like speed changes, and for the most part a lingering sense of suspense that is held together by the directing as well as the writing.
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