User Reviews

And so, this is it: the end of another year of The Sopranos. And like the first season, Series 2 ends on a very sad note, opening several paths for later episodes to explore.

The whole thing starts with Tony trying to get his mother out of the way by giving her a stolen airline ticket he got from David Scatino (Robert Patrick, who makes one final appearance at the end of the episode). As it turns out, though, that will be the least of his problems, as he spends most of the show unconscious and/or in pain from food poisoning, which he unjustly blames on Artie. While he is in such a bad state, he experiences a series of weird dreams, including one where he's dead, one where he has sex with Dr. Melfi in her office and one, most shocking, where Pussy Bonpensiero, in the shape of a fish (a metaphoric image of his fate), reveals his being a rat. Consequently, Tony must get rid of one of his best friends before the FBI has enough evidence to arrest him. Hence a boat-ride on which he invites Paulie, Silvio and Pussy...

Like few other episodes of the series, Funhouse tries to fully enter the main character's conflicted psyche, which explains the bizarre, Twin Peaks-inspired fantasy scenes. In any other drama series (bar Six Feet Under), they would have looked far-fetched and pompous. Not so in The Sopranos, where they actually are the closest we will ever come to fully comprehend something about Tony's nature. The merger of explicit violence and suggestive dreams, verbal brutality and visual poetry, is one of the things that set the show apart from all dramas produced before and after it. The fact that Tony discovers the truth thanks to a dream is also a clear sign of how much the series owes to Greek tragedy, where similar events were quite common, and therefore of its aim to go beyond the conventions of mainstream serialized television.

For all its air of mystery, though, the show remains firmly rooted in the real world and the tragic events that are often associated to it. And despite the ending's predictability, one can't help but feel sorry (it is, after all, a character we have come to like) and unprepared as the inevitable bloodshed is preceded by a conversation so filled with tension it almost gets too overwhelming to watch. Much of that is due to Gandolfini and Pastore, the latter in particular departing from the show with one powerhouse of a performance. Both of them, however, are outsmarted by Nancy Marchand, who walks away with the entire episode despite being in only two scenes. Considering this is her final episode (she died before Season 3 went into production, which required a major rewrite of the main plot line), that's a fitting tribute to the extra something she added to the program's first two years. Farewell, little Livia.

Pussy's death was a major impact to everyone, especially Tony and we can clearly see that. Acting is awesome

Season 2 follows the events of season 1 with Tony's mother essentially dead to her, Junior in custody awaiting trial, an old-school Lieutenant released from prison back onto the scene, Pussy returning from hiding and Tony trying to balance his two families without the support of therapy. In a nutshell it continues to do the good work that it laid out in season 1 that made it so engaging. It does this in a way that makes for consistently engaging and satisfying television for almost the entire season and it is easy to forget just how solid it is. When shows like this get the praise that they do it is often easy to tune in and expect to be blown out of your seat by just how amazing it is – it is happening with The Wire a lot given how lavishly praised but little seen it is as a show. I understand why people feel this way but few people would read one page of a book and expect to be blown away – no, you need to take it in and get into the story.

And this is what The Sopranos does so well. Like The Wire, there is no one moment of awesome complexity in season 2, no one specific scene where you are bowled over by how good it is but rather you will gradually find that every episode is engaging and well crafted, with the specific story of that episode engaging as well as those that stretch across the whole season while also having characters that are more engaging as you go along and spend more time with them. There is the temptation to find some great meaning in it all or to gush about how much it has to say about the human condition but this is to ignore that first and foremost it is a compelling and engaging story.

As before things do not just "happen" but they "happen" in a way that affect and involve the characters in ways that make a difference and matter within the bigger story we are being told. This is an important aspect of the show and part of the reason it is so engaging but it does also help that the "events", whether they be big or small, family or business related are all interesting and engaging as an episode but also as part of what the series itself is about – Tony and his world. As a result we get to see the absurdity of his business as well as the conflicts and contradictions that it introduces into his psyche. These threads come in all shapes as sizes but all of them work equally well. The coldness of it all (example being the destruction of Tony's "friend" when he gets in debt) is as well done as the comic aspects so often shown through Paulie and Silvio. Talking about this suggests that somehow the season can only be appreciated on this level but this is not the case. As a straight events-driven drama the show still works very well with the various threats and plotting from those around Tony all making for engaging and frequently tense episodes. The addition of Richie to the mix is a good one from this regard, while Janice compliments this while also continuing the family theme.

If the season does have a weakness then it is probably at the latter stages where things move a little too easily in regards Richie and also the final episode which just felt too driven by dreams and Tony's psyche. This latter aspect I don't mind as part of the bigger picture but it did feel a little clunky to have Tony's fever dreams impact so directly on the real world narrative in regards Pussy. This is a minor weakness in the writing from my point of view but one area where the show continues to have no weakness is in the acting. As before Gandolfini is strength itself in the lead role, coping incredibly with the demands on his performance producing a real character that works in a mob drama and in the therapy room. Falco, Bracco, Imperioli, Pastore and a few others all step up to increased material on their own while Sigler, Iler, Sirico, Van Zandt and others all continue to do good work. Proval adds real nastiness to the reality of his world and is a frightening presence, while Turturro echoes Marchand's ongoing strong character by delivering a character that recognises where it has come from.

Overall season 2 of The Sopranos continues to operate at the high standard set by the first season but improves upon it by nature of having captured the audience already and having the confidence to expand out through the characters and scenarios. At its heart it is an engaging mobster drama with strong plots and characters but the complexities and the contradictions of the characters and the conflicting "families" add a depth to it that makes it incredibly satisfying and gripping to watch on many levels. Quality yet again and it will be a struggle for me to wait at least a few weeks before I get into season 3.

This is without a doubt one of my favorite episodes of The Sopranos, this episode is funny, very well written and quite revealing, why? Well, the episode shows us Tony's head in a comedic way but reveals a lot about him, about what he thinks, followed by an episode that puts Tony to the test to the point of leading him to murder one of the most important to him, all cleverly executed.

The end of the second season that started well, went well, in the middle of the season it cooled down with great episodes in direction and quality like every episode but with little action like it was with the first season but always in some key episodes at the end like the penultimate and the last one ends in a surprising way and the last episode that closes this great season is spectacular, there is no other word to describe this last episode, spectacular. The episode starts with Tony eating at an Indian restaurant and then at Arty's, he comes home with a fur coat as a gift for Carmela and they make love and then sleep, all normal but that's where the genius of the script begins, Tony starts having dreams that serve as a message for the problems and conflicts he is facing, the first dream is Tony going to a pier meeting the men he trusts and loves the most and they start talking to him and at the end of the dream he Tony explodes and wakes up, depressed and starts having a stomachache, vomiting and fever, in the episode he slept, felt sick and dreamed, it is in the dreams that the genius of the script remains because they are not simple dreams, the people who appear in dreams they are important to Tony, as in the first dream that the people who were in him were the ones he trusted, that he loves but a person was distant who is one of those that Tony loves and has known since his childhood, Pussy, distant, did not speak nothing, just smoking.

In the second dream, Tony is on the pier again but he takes some coins and puts them in the binoculars of the pier and sees him killing Paulie, the message was him killing a friend, one of the people he loves very much and the message is that in the episode Tony is going to kill a friend.

In the third dream he again on the pier but he passes by a talking fish, big and very fat and says that he is the traitor, the informant and Tony already knew but he should once and for all face the facts, who in the second is a traitor and is it fat? Pussy, the message is that Pussy is going to die he will sleep with the fish and then Tony looks for Pussy at his house and finds out that he is really an informant, at the end of the episode Meadow graduates and has a beautiful scene with everyone taking pictures at Tony's house, money being collected from the family with a song that suits the scene very well and Tony Soprano smoking his cigar in his badass way. Phenomenal script, brilliant with the use of dreams and showing that you can try to betray Tony Soprano but he will find out and you will be sleeping with the fish. Great season finale. Sopranos is spectacular.

FUNHOUSE is as unique an episode as PINE BARRENS. Tony gets food poisoning, which in one of the series' funniest scenes, he tries to blame on an unnerved but obstinate Artie Bucco. In his delirium, Tony dreams he is on the boardwalk with all his cronies, in a sort of WAITING FOR GODOT tableau. Only Pussy sits motionless, staring out to sea, and later he abruptly vanishes. In a later dream, Tony is looking at fresh-caught fish on ice, when one of them starts talking to him in Pussy's voice. It is a foreshadowing, of course, and Tony finally accepts that Pussy is a traitor. Livia has her last moments as Tony skunks her big-time (we all know Nancy Marchand died right after this). To add to the bizarre situation, Tony imagines mounting a very horny Melfi on her desk -- and he can't wait to tell her. The tragic ending of this episode will haunt the Fat Man for the rest of the series. A classic episode, involving a fateful boat ride, and that hints of Greek and Roman drama, but also of Fellini and even good old Tobe Hooper. A must-see.

Yes. My Headline is based on my ranking of seasons from best to worse. I know some may disagree, but I've felt this way since the show ended in 2007. And as a tradition I make it a point to watch the entire series once a year.

It was hard to mark season 2 as my 3rd favorite season. I know most people say this is their favorite season of all the series. But I think what makes me rank 2 as number 3, is Carmella. In season 1 I found her to be likable. Then in season 2 she starts becoming the whiny rich housewife who has seemed to forgotten who Tony really is. And it seems her character just becomes more unlikable as the series continues...(up until season 6 where she redeemed her character). On the other hand, this season picks up where it left off, and I'd have to say this season was more climactic than the others. We begin to see that Tony has an evil, darker side than in season 1. For example, his issues with his sister Janice, his unforgiving and non understanding of his mother, how he can even manipulate and turn on his highschool friend, (the degenerate gambler who racks up a 47,000 dollar gambling debt) and his temper flaring up in a heartbeat. Tony can go from 0 to 100 in season 2, it can almost fill you with anxiety.

Very touching moment when Chris finally decides to be more loyal and put his career as a soldier as his number 1 priority, only to be gunned down in the very same episode, and his miraculous recovery. This season has probably the most funniest moments as well. When Paulie gets diarrhea from the food in Italy. When Silvio goes off at Matt in the executive game, and when Tony gets food poisoning. "Who's letting out those big ones?"

Tony goes out to the restaurant and gets food poisoning. He is sick a lot and ends up hallucinating and having bad dreams a lot. Most of them are about Pussy. Tony then checks and finds Pussy's wire device. They end up executing them.

Having watched only two seasons I so far think that Sopranos doesn't let their best episodes be the last. Unlike other shows they don't go for a break with a big BOOM, leaving everyone stunned, but more in a peaceful way, leaving it all seemingly wrapped up.

It was an interesting idea with the food poisoning. Making it all a bit more lyrical and metaphorical. At the same time I didn't like it. It didn't make sense how Tony figured out Pussy. Also his killing as kind of poetic, it seems this time Tony didn't struggle at all about his friend. Either he went over it before, or just his sickness was supposed to represent it.

Tony: "I had a dream I f**ked your brains out. Right on that desk, and you loved it".

Dr. Melfi: "Well, you threw that at me like a rock".

Well it's been quite a while since my last review of The Sopranos, I mean I reviewed the first season back in March and as I'm specking it's July now. So a good four mouths has passed and I finally finished season two of The Sopranos and the reason why it took me this long to finish is very simply and that's me watching or checking out new or old movies and then reviewing them, same thing with TV shows and back in April I went to New Zealand for two weeks and when I got back I kind of forgot about The Sopranos and I haven't even finished the season yet. Until now I watched all the five last episodes and finished the second season and I got to say that this season was pretty fantastic just like the first season.

I'm running out of things to say about the amazing James Gandolfini, because once again James made Tony both enjoyable to watch and likable in some way even when he's the anti-hero of the show. Tony as a character dose do bad things and usually with a character like that I would hate them because I normally can't stand people like that, but Tony is something like I can understand him and why he's the way he is, all that is James Gandolfini as I bet he felt the same way and played the character anyway. James was brilliant in this season and when I watch season 3 I bet he's still going to be fantastic as always.

What I never brought up in my season one review is the intro for the show and how it really sets up the character of Tony Soprano. It's jazzy, it's sharp and it's remember-able like Tony.

Everyone dose a great in this season when it comes to acting and they characters. I didn't really spot or remember anyone doing a bad performance.

Now one of the cast member of the show had sadly passed away and that's Nancy Marchand as Tony's mother. Nancy plays Tony's mother and that character can be best describe as Skyler White from Breaking Bad that's how horrible and just the worse piece of sh*t of a character that Tony's mother is and I got to give credit to the actress for making me hate her as a character in the show. This is sadly her final episode and not a great way to go out if I must say as in this episode her character is stuck in the airport as the police there as taken her in for questioning and I'm keeping this spoiler free so if you want to know why then check out the episode, but anywhere she get's on the phone to call Tony to get him to save her but Tony hangs up the phone as he hated her for what she did to him and the very last shot we get from her is calling out to Tony to save her.

For problems with the season I haven't really got any to be honest.

Overall the second season of The Sopranos was just as great as the first season. The acting, the characters and everything else was excellent.

Tony shoots Paulie in the dream because Paulie is "playing" him. Tony is watching a scene of how he should respond to one of his guys playing him. The fact that it happens in an otherwise empty building along the boardwalk with the sounds of a train station in the background might suggest that Tony is late and he isn't in the right place. He pays a dime to watch this scene because usually he has to pay (Melfi) in order to get insight into his subconscious. If I recall, this was the episode where Pussy was explaining the telephone calling card scam to Furio in Artie's restaurant in front of Tony. I think this led Tony to really consider that Pussy was an informant, and the dream was just Tony finally accepting it. Toney got the message about Puss being a traitor but missed the message about Paulie. When Toney shot Paulie it seemed like comic relief about his annoyance towards Paulie, but it was also part of the overall message that Paulie was a traitor as well. When Sil did The Godfather impression, about their 'true enemy' having not yet revealed himself, it was assumed he was just talking about Puss. However Sil spoke about a 'true enemy' who hadn't revealed himself and was hidden. The true enemy on the surface appeared to be Puss, but was actually hidden and it ended up being Paulie. Toney instincts about needing to get rid of Paulie later in the series were correct, but he never fully got the message. Sopranos had more layered meaning then initially seemed. One of my favorite moments in the entire show is when Tony awakens in the backseat with Big Puss driving while Petty is playing. Something about the way they did it is just so great.

There's no praises I can sing high enough for this episode. I'm in the middle of my first viewing of the show, and this is the best episode so far. ,I went into this expecting the death of Pussy due to him being an informant, but what I never expected was the paranoia and fever dreams that this episode delves into. Each dream sequence is shot in such a way that you, as a viewer, are extremely uncomfortable and disturbed. The acting and sound design, as well, is so unnerving in a way I could never have imagined. After that first half of the episode, we get the biggest standout scene of the entire episode. This is, of course, Pussy's death. I nearly cried as I saw this unbelievably lovable character accept his fate and die at the hands of his friends. What an unbelievable piece of television, I can't wait for season 3.