"And the Romans, where are they today?"
"You're lookin' at 'em asshole."
I proved myself eerily prescient in my first recap with my off-handed comment on the similarities between Italian mothers and Jewish mothers. Lo and behold, the very next episode is all about a tenuous (at best) relationship between The Dons and The Rabbis (sounds like a couple of plus-30 softball teams). And we finally start to see some fallout from past crimes committed.
The repercussions are minor, for the moment, mostly shunted to the side with a quick "Call the police" from the owner of the trucking company when Christopher and his doof friend (whose name is rendered unimportant by the conclusion of the episode) return the truck they stole. Of course, nothing comes of the supposed call, or the idea is abandoned all together when Christopher fires his gun in the air and tells the guy he owes Tony Soprano a thank you. Either way, we never see any cops.
The other, more significant consequence of previous violent outbursts comes to the chagrin of poor, restaurantless Artie Bucco. Sure, Tony burned the place to the ground to help Artie. If he hadn't, increasingly menacing Uncle Junior woulda shot a guy in the middle of all the suburban families that frequented Bucco's to begin with and he would have been even more shit out of luck than he is with a pile of burnt embers. But he still put the guy out of a job. And it tears Tony up inside to see his friend in such dire straits.
Tony's guilt is ripe for Dr. Melfi's office, which taunts him with the barn painting above. Tony assumes the painting is some kind of trick, a mockery of his supposed "condition," meant to make him feel small, and he does not take this kind of treatment lightly. Dr. Melfi (and we as an audience, mostly) knows that there is no malice in the painting, or if there is, there is only that which we put in it ourselves, and Tony's reaction to it falls in line with the episode's title. It's damn near terrifying the level of emotion Tony releases on us, a credit to James Gandolfini for sure, and it comes out in (maybe not-so-)surprisingly violent ways. There is a point in the episode where Tony is threatening to castrate a man who does not comply with his demands, and when they cut away from that scene to another location, I found myself unsure whether or not he would actually go through with it. He certainly looked capable of it. And it was pretty scary.
Tony is afraid of the rotted out tree and ominous barn because of what it forces him to acknowledge within himself. He feels terrible for Artie Bucco losing his restaurant, so much so that he invites him to cater a fundraising event Carmella somehow got talked to putting on. Carmella's subplot would have been utterly useless if Tony didn't use it as a vehicle for redemption with Artie, but I'm sure Mrs. Soprano will get her day in the sun. But in the end, Tony and Artie end up flinging hors d'oeuvres at each other. Once again, the scene is unclear if Tony and Artie are actually really fucking pissed at each other, until you realize they're flinging hors d'oeuvres at each other. Mobsters do not have food fights. Soon their small laughs escape and tell us (and a lurking Carmella) that all is calm, for now.
But all was not calm up to this point. A stubborn Jewish son-in-law proves difficult to the normal handlers of Paulie and Silvio (and I'm getting the hang of who's who... slowly) when they realize that the man will not give in, to the death if necessary, and they're forced to call Tony. Enter the Big Man himself, and proceed with the almost-castration. But the whole culture clash between the Jews and the Romans (as referenced in the quote I pulled at the top) pointed to some pretty hefty thematic luggage.
It could be construed that Tony sees himself as the ruler of an empire, and that empire is not to be fucked with by those it threatens, or even those that hire them to threaten those it threatens. In the end, when the Rabbi tries to (pardon the phrase, but it's especially apt in the metaphor) "Jew out" of the deal struck at the beginning of the episode, Tony nearly "Romans out" all over his ass. Tony might think of himself as Augustus Caesar holding down a tentative pax Romana, but if he's anybody he is Nero, a paranoid pseudo-king sitting on a hill that will be soon be consumed by flames. Coincidentally, Nero's rule happened to cement him into both Jewish and early Christian tradition, the latter even suspecting him of being the Antichrist. There's a lot to read in Tony in this episode and it all comes back to the barn. He practically screams, "I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?" in Dr. Melfi's face.
So Tony's power comes at a price. As mentioned in the last write-up, he must walk a line that seems to be getting thinner under his very feet, and he seems to be continually forced to deal with the dilemma of offering someone his help who is reluctant to take it (Artie), and giving his help to someone who is unable, or unwilling, to pay for it (the Rabbi). Both of these cases realize the blessings and burdens of Tony's seemingly benevolent hand, but the two have a very different level of respect for it. Bucco's Italian, he knows what'll happen if things go sour, and how he can avoid things going sour at all, while the Rabbi tries to play Tony for a sap. Nero does not stand for that kind of shit.
Tony concludes his therapy for this episode with a contemplative thought on his own humanity. He is not afraid to die, if he has to die for a cause. A war, love, something he can believe in. But to be helpless over your own fate, something Tony doesn't realize that most of us will have to deal with at some point, terrifies him. Watching his close friend slowly die from cancer, dying without a cause as it were, tears him up inside, just like watching the Buccos reject his attempted charity, just like the dream about unscrewing his penis, just like the rotten tree. Every last bit of it tortures him beyond belief. 3 episodes in and I'm already talking like this?! I have a feeling Tony is going to go through hell before this series is over.
Addenda & et cetera
-- Tony was almost too densely packed, I hardly talked about anyone else. Meadow (which is a weird name for a person) cautiously approached Christopher and his doof friend about acquiring some "crystal" as a "study aid." Sorry honey, tell your wonky-looking gal-pal that crystal meth will probably not increase your SAT score. I can only expect this plotline to end badly.
-- Speaking of Christopher's doof friend, he's dead now. You can only fuck up so many times before you're kicked off the team. He had an awesome death scene though. The first of many I hope.
-- Alluded to above, Uncle Junior is becoming more ruthless than I bargained for. Watching two old people (him and Tony's mother) subtextually talk about murder while standing in a retirement community is downright unsettling.
-- The sound design was absurdly oppressive in this episode. Cars whooshing by, background noise so distracting it makes me rethink what I said about Jersey being not so bad. It was noticeable in a mostly good way.
-- In contrast to Tony's view of death, consider Christopher's reaction to being dragged to the end of a pier by assassins that don't even speak his language. His fear, and subsequent gratitude when the gun turns out to be empty (and the non-English-speaking assassin crosses himself, in another pretty badass scene), prove that maybe Tony was right. Kids today don't believe in The Family, can't commit to its ideals, or maybe just aren't ready to die for its causes like Tony is. I'd like to know what Christopher is willing to die for.
----
And as a bit of a preview:
Come back for treatises on why cartoons aren't just for kids (but some are), David Duchovny, the Faux-Seinfeld Reunion, more Sopranos, and other possibly exasperating topics, after I return to some form of sanity after being on the road alone and in silence for two straight days. Forgive me if I begin to refer to the TV schedule in CDT, or if I subject you to a dissertation called The Road to Rhode Island: Campbell's Heroic Journey as Portrayed By Brian and Stewie Griffin. I'll have nothing to do but think while I'm out there, so some weird things might come out. Maybe it'll be cool. We'll just have to wait and see.
The repercussions are minor, for the moment, mostly shunted to the side with a quick "Call the police" from the owner of the trucking company when Christopher and his doof friend (whose name is rendered unimportant by the conclusion of the episode) return the truck they stole. Of course, nothing comes of the supposed call, or the idea is abandoned all together when Christopher fires his gun in the air and tells the guy he owes Tony Soprano a thank you. Either way, we never see any cops.
The other, more significant consequence of previous violent outbursts comes to the chagrin of poor, restaurantless Artie Bucco. Sure, Tony burned the place to the ground to help Artie. If he hadn't, increasingly menacing Uncle Junior woulda shot a guy in the middle of all the suburban families that frequented Bucco's to begin with and he would have been even more shit out of luck than he is with a pile of burnt embers. But he still put the guy out of a job. And it tears Tony up inside to see his friend in such dire straits.
Tony's guilt is ripe for Dr. Melfi's office, which taunts him with the barn painting above. Tony assumes the painting is some kind of trick, a mockery of his supposed "condition," meant to make him feel small, and he does not take this kind of treatment lightly. Dr. Melfi (and we as an audience, mostly) knows that there is no malice in the painting, or if there is, there is only that which we put in it ourselves, and Tony's reaction to it falls in line with the episode's title. It's damn near terrifying the level of emotion Tony releases on us, a credit to James Gandolfini for sure, and it comes out in (maybe not-so-)surprisingly violent ways. There is a point in the episode where Tony is threatening to castrate a man who does not comply with his demands, and when they cut away from that scene to another location, I found myself unsure whether or not he would actually go through with it. He certainly looked capable of it. And it was pretty scary.
Tony is afraid of the rotted out tree and ominous barn because of what it forces him to acknowledge within himself. He feels terrible for Artie Bucco losing his restaurant, so much so that he invites him to cater a fundraising event Carmella somehow got talked to putting on. Carmella's subplot would have been utterly useless if Tony didn't use it as a vehicle for redemption with Artie, but I'm sure Mrs. Soprano will get her day in the sun. But in the end, Tony and Artie end up flinging hors d'oeuvres at each other. Once again, the scene is unclear if Tony and Artie are actually really fucking pissed at each other, until you realize they're flinging hors d'oeuvres at each other. Mobsters do not have food fights. Soon their small laughs escape and tell us (and a lurking Carmella) that all is calm, for now.
But all was not calm up to this point. A stubborn Jewish son-in-law proves difficult to the normal handlers of Paulie and Silvio (and I'm getting the hang of who's who... slowly) when they realize that the man will not give in, to the death if necessary, and they're forced to call Tony. Enter the Big Man himself, and proceed with the almost-castration. But the whole culture clash between the Jews and the Romans (as referenced in the quote I pulled at the top) pointed to some pretty hefty thematic luggage.
It could be construed that Tony sees himself as the ruler of an empire, and that empire is not to be fucked with by those it threatens, or even those that hire them to threaten those it threatens. In the end, when the Rabbi tries to (pardon the phrase, but it's especially apt in the metaphor) "Jew out" of the deal struck at the beginning of the episode, Tony nearly "Romans out" all over his ass. Tony might think of himself as Augustus Caesar holding down a tentative pax Romana, but if he's anybody he is Nero, a paranoid pseudo-king sitting on a hill that will be soon be consumed by flames. Coincidentally, Nero's rule happened to cement him into both Jewish and early Christian tradition, the latter even suspecting him of being the Antichrist. There's a lot to read in Tony in this episode and it all comes back to the barn. He practically screams, "I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?" in Dr. Melfi's face.
So Tony's power comes at a price. As mentioned in the last write-up, he must walk a line that seems to be getting thinner under his very feet, and he seems to be continually forced to deal with the dilemma of offering someone his help who is reluctant to take it (Artie), and giving his help to someone who is unable, or unwilling, to pay for it (the Rabbi). Both of these cases realize the blessings and burdens of Tony's seemingly benevolent hand, but the two have a very different level of respect for it. Bucco's Italian, he knows what'll happen if things go sour, and how he can avoid things going sour at all, while the Rabbi tries to play Tony for a sap. Nero does not stand for that kind of shit.
Tony concludes his therapy for this episode with a contemplative thought on his own humanity. He is not afraid to die, if he has to die for a cause. A war, love, something he can believe in. But to be helpless over your own fate, something Tony doesn't realize that most of us will have to deal with at some point, terrifies him. Watching his close friend slowly die from cancer, dying without a cause as it were, tears him up inside, just like watching the Buccos reject his attempted charity, just like the dream about unscrewing his penis, just like the rotten tree. Every last bit of it tortures him beyond belief. 3 episodes in and I'm already talking like this?! I have a feeling Tony is going to go through hell before this series is over.
Addenda & et cetera
-- Tony was almost too densely packed, I hardly talked about anyone else. Meadow (which is a weird name for a person) cautiously approached Christopher and his doof friend about acquiring some "crystal" as a "study aid." Sorry honey, tell your wonky-looking gal-pal that crystal meth will probably not increase your SAT score. I can only expect this plotline to end badly.
-- Speaking of Christopher's doof friend, he's dead now. You can only fuck up so many times before you're kicked off the team. He had an awesome death scene though. The first of many I hope.
-- Alluded to above, Uncle Junior is becoming more ruthless than I bargained for. Watching two old people (him and Tony's mother) subtextually talk about murder while standing in a retirement community is downright unsettling.
-- The sound design was absurdly oppressive in this episode. Cars whooshing by, background noise so distracting it makes me rethink what I said about Jersey being not so bad. It was noticeable in a mostly good way.
-- In contrast to Tony's view of death, consider Christopher's reaction to being dragged to the end of a pier by assassins that don't even speak his language. His fear, and subsequent gratitude when the gun turns out to be empty (and the non-English-speaking assassin crosses himself, in another pretty badass scene), prove that maybe Tony was right. Kids today don't believe in The Family, can't commit to its ideals, or maybe just aren't ready to die for its causes like Tony is. I'd like to know what Christopher is willing to die for.
----
And as a bit of a preview:
Come back for treatises on why cartoons aren't just for kids (but some are), David Duchovny, the Faux-Seinfeld Reunion, more Sopranos, and other possibly exasperating topics, after I return to some form of sanity after being on the road alone and in silence for two straight days. Forgive me if I begin to refer to the TV schedule in CDT, or if I subject you to a dissertation called The Road to Rhode Island: Campbell's Heroic Journey as Portrayed By Brian and Stewie Griffin. I'll have nothing to do but think while I'm out there, so some weird things might come out. Maybe it'll be cool. We'll just have to wait and see.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for watching me watch. Your comment will be approved shortly, unless you are a robot, in which case, I have a message for you: You are a robot. You could be doing so many more interesting things than spamming. Good day.