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September 18, 2024- by Steven Greer
Twenty-five years after The Sopranos first aired, I finally watched the first three seasons. I have mixed reviews.
I was a late adopter to the show. I was starting my new career in Wall Street at the time. People around me were raving about it, but I had no interest in it. In real life back then, I would frequent a small Italian restaurant on Fifth Avenue. It happened to be where many of the cast members would hang out. The bartenders and so forth would brag about that and I could not have cared less (All these years later, I was was correct.). I wish I could remember exactly why. It was probably for the same reasons I detail here.
I don’t remember exactly when I started to watch it. It had to be around Season 3. I eventually became a fan. I liked the music and it was an entertaining thing to do on Sunday.
However, for the last season or two, it was just too violent for me, and I am certainly no politically correct person. It was too vulgar and depicted gratuitous violence against women of the extreme nature (e.g. Ralphy beat to death a stripper).
I also did not like how the show glorified criminals. I play by the rules and hate cheaters, such as the entire male cast of the show.
It has now been almost a decade since anything good has been allowed on TV. The woke movement killed off entertainment. I think a lot of people are like me now and are starving for anything that is pre-thought-police era.
As an historian, I wanted to watch the first two episodes and understand how the characters were introduced. I finally understand, for example, the character called Big Pussy. It is interesting to see who the technology of the smart phone, which came after the show, has changed everything depicted in the show. Before 2010, people met in person.
I understand why the show was critically acclaimed. David Chase did a good job casting. The characters don’t have unrealistic Hollywood faces like Marlon Brando. The characters are fat bald guys.
However, if it were not for my ability to fast-forward using the Apple TV remote, I would never have gotten through these first two seasons. Half of each episode is unwatchable to me. I can’t stand the psychotherapist sessions. Tony’s mother, wife, daughter, and sister are all miserable and nagging. The male characters are bad as well, with the only likable character being Steve Schirripa’s (my neighbor in real life).
I went golfing this weekend and found myself cursing, which is unusual. It was a direct result of watching 26-episodes of The Sopranos.
I have had an educated hunch for a long time about David Chase of The Sopranos. His female characters are either portrayed as disgusting people or they are beaten on screen. I looked into his background. Sure enough, his own mother was bad. Chase claims to have struggled with depression. That means he is on antidepressants just like a school shooter with dark homicidal thoughts.
The Sopranos is the product of a psychopath. It is not entertaining. It should not be watched even for nostalgic sake.
October 9, 2024-
I just finished season five of the Sopranos. It was actually enjoyable. I remember the last episode when I first watched it. It was very good. As I said before, I think the series started with David Chase running everything for the first three seasons. It was low budget. When it became a big hit, then the executives took over and turned it into a different show.