The Sopranos – CliqueClack Flashback

On the outside looking in were Hesh Rabkin (Jerry Adler), Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia), and Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola). Hesh was a trusted advisor back from Johnny Boy Soprano’s days. The cultural stereotypes were a little thick at times, but I did like the interplay between Hesh and Tony; I imagine that there’s a lot more truth than fiction to the relationship between crooked Jews and the Italian Mafia.

Artie and Tony went back to high school together, and a lot of storylines and new characters were introduced via their shared history. Artie was a weak man, but it’s a misconception that he longed to be like Tony. Artie was a lot more sure of who he was than that, as well as being a lot more sure of who Tony was than most. Seeing how Tony looked to inside-outsiders was a nifty contraption.

Outside, but inside, was New York Under-Boss John Sacramoni, who went from infrequent business associate, to constant thorn in Tony’s side. Johnny Sack was a bit of a lowlife scumbag (shocking), but he was the only guy from New York who really appreciated the value-add that the Soprano family brought to operations such as theirs. Sure, New Jersey was a very little brother, but they still existed; you’d notice if they were gone. We got a little too much into his personal life, but with Johnny Sack, it was all good.

Plenty of characters orbited outside of this sphere, and the way in which they came and went was sometimes questionable. But, their stay was almost always enjoyable. Jackie Aprile (Michael Rispoli) wasn’t long for the series, but his death set the entire show in motion. Judging from the revere that many characters paid him, he probably would have been a good guy to know. Instead, we got stuck with his son, Jackie Jr. (Jason Cerbone). Oh well … what are you going to do? At least he died, too.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore) was a major factor in Tony’s Family, until his discovery as a rat resulted in his being sent “to sleep with the fishes.”  You know, I felt his presence, but I didn’t mourn the loss of Pussy. There was just something about his neediness, and insecurity, that turned me off. I know that he wasn’t unlike Paulie and Christopher, in that sense, and I didn’t dislike Pussy … I just looked at his story as a self-contained arc, nothing more or less.

Furio Giunta (Federico Castelluccio) was awesome, until he formed a connection with Carmela. Then he just became sad and pathetic. But I was sorry to see him running scared back to Italy. Bobby Bacala (Steve Schirripa) was never far from the action, but his relationship with Junior kept him at a distance from Tony for a long time. Bobby was pretty thin-skinned for the life, but I don’t know that there was a moment where he let anyone down, professionally. Bobby came to work, and did his job. But I was never clear on whether or not he actually enjoyed it. His appeal came to a fiery end when he fell into Janice’s web. Too bad, too, because I had really started to like him.

Richie Aprile (David Proval) was another one whose life was cut short (literally) by Janice. The difference with Rich was that I couldn’t stand him in the first place. Talk about disrespect; Tony should have done him in, himself. Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) came in between Richie and Bobby, for Janice, and she ground him down to a nub, as well. I liked Ralphie and his ego, but killing a horse? Almost as bad a call as getting into bed (again, literally) with Janice.

Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) actually came on the show before coming on the show: in “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti” in season one, he was “man in the bakery” when Christopher had his nutty. But, by his end, the only impression Vito left me with was a sour one, because I thought his arc was superfluous, and totally absurd. We lost a lot of time with him in Vermont.

Which brings us back to “T.” Tony Soprano was a brilliant characterization of what a real person in his situation might logically experience. What’s missing from a lot of mob shows and movies is the family angle; everybody has to deal with their kid’s teachers at some point, no? Tony, or more specifically, Gandolfini, played his role to perfection.

I didn’t always like the guy, but that means he was doing it right. He sickened me, he made me cringe, he made me laugh, and he made me gasp. Should a controversial character do any less? The truth is that discussing either Soprano or Gandolfini is an exercise in futility; there’s little headway we could make in dissecting a job superbly well done. We could, of course, just say this: three Emmys and a Golden Globe award, amongst myriad others. I say, too few.

So, where are they to be found today? Gandolfini continues to laugh his way to the “I have more talent than you” bank, with a Tony nom for his leading role in the Broadway show, God of Carnage. Falco, as we know, is Nurse Jackie, while Sigler is doing her first enjoyable bit of acting, as herself, on Entourage. Imperioli’s Life on Mars imploded, but he’s set to appear in the upcoming movie, The Lovely Bones.

Drea de Matteo will soon be a new desperate housewife, while Steve Schirripa has found success with another messed up family, on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. And, who could forget Vincent Pastore’s time on The Celebrity Apprentice? Ah, the memories.

Matt Servitto (Tony’s buddy-buddy FBI shadow, Agent Harris) is now serving up crooked law and order as Mr. Speaker, Representative Donatello, on Showtime’s Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Steve Buscemi is all over screens, both big and little, recently lending his voice to G-Force, and helming a few episodes of Nurse Jackie, while also popping up, and doing some directing, on 30 Rock. I’m not sure that he sleeps.

Before we go, a tip of the cap to David Chase, the brilliant mastermind behind the series. I’m not in the school of people who debate the meaning behind the series’ ending. Yeah, I was one of the millions who cursed my TiVo because I thought it had broken, or worse, cut the ending off. But, upon reflection, here’s the way I see it: Chase knew that there was no way to wrap Tony up in a bow. There would have been an uproar whether the box he ended up in had bars, or a felt lining.

Chase went the alternate route. You see, people look at things like books, movies, or shows, in two ways: the most popular way sees these things with a beginning and an end. We’re being told a story, with a conclusion. The less accepted view is to see each medium as but a glimpse into someone else’s life. It was going on before you got there, and it will continue to do so long after you’ve gone. Sure, some things opened and shut while we were there. But, Tony the gangster started well before we checked in with him in Dr. Melfi’s waiting room for the first time, and he’ll keep on keeping on well after catching dinner in that rat-hole of a diner. Why would anyone want to take that away from him?

You know, we haven’t really even strolled into the show itself, just nipped at the heels of its players. Tell you what: what say we all go watch this phenomenal series on DVD (I’m at the end of season two, watching it again for like the tenth time, as we speak), and then reconvene for forums on our favorite hits (as in murders), best places Tony had sex (the penguin house at the zoo?), and other, assorted trivia.

In the meantime, soak all of this in … television like this rarely comes along twice.

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jul 29, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT