The Sopranos, season 6 (part one), proper.

Like everything else I do, this project has taken a million times longer than I originally planned; almost done, finally! It's a good thing there's so much to talk about in season 6 and I don't have to try very hard to be eloquent.

You might call this the season where the chickens come home to roost. Or more appropriately where the shit hits the proverbial fan. Junior has dementia, loses his top dentures ("I can't find my uppers!") and FUCKING SHOOTS TONY IN THE STOMACH! The image of Junior, all gummy, scampering away after shouting "Melenga!" caught me so off guard the first time I saw it I was thoroughly disturbed for days afterward. This coming on the heels of the season premiere where the guy Tony wouldn't let retire (Eugene Pontecorvo) hangs himself in his basement and dangles there for what seems like forever, kicking, and flailing. Completely harsh and depressing.

So we move from that to Tony's stint in the hospital and what many fans of the show kind of grew weary over----THE DREAM THAT LASTED WHAT, LIKE THREE WEEKS? Tony, in a coma, dreams he picked up the briefcase and wallet of a man named Kevin Finnerty, who looks just like him. He's in a hotel room for some of the dream, staring out at a skyline and a light-revolving beacon (woooo!); sometimes he's in a bar, sometimes he's meeting with these angry monks that are upset that he sold them faulty heating equipment, and so on. I appreciated what they were trying to do with all this, but honestly, I only paid attention to the house (presumably near the beacon, as it was all lit up) where the party was going on. It was, surprise, a similar model of the house Tony dreamed about in season 4, but fancier, and swarming with people this time. The image of the woman was there again, but this time, illuminated. And it still felt horrible to me. If the dream was about the hell that awaits Tony when he dies (as Carmela harkened in the very first episode) then clearly the figure had to be Livia. . . I can't think of anything worse than having to spend eternity with that woman, temperature, demons, and devil himself aside. Yikes.

Anyway, things are bad all around. Bobby Bacala married Janice and they had a baby girl, Domenica.
Johnny Sac is in the clink and gets humiliated at his daughter's wedding.
Paulie finds out his mother wasn't really his mother and that he has prostate cancer.
Vito, a closeted homosexual, is outed by another crew and has to leave New Jersey.
Christopher meets Julianna Skiff in AA; they start an affair and then use heroin together.
Phil Leotardo is still a pyschopath.

There is one moment I very much enjoyed, and it's not at all correct or proper that I did, but when Tony busted the windshield of AJ's truck, I almost jumped up and cheered. Just before, Melfi had been discussing the immaturity of AJ's generation, and that 26 is a more appropriate age to expect adult behavior (instead of 18). Tony walks in on AJ (drinking with friends), explains to him nicely that he's going to start working construction the next morning at 7am, and then, in an extremely calm tone of voice, begins to list off the things that will be taken away from him should he decide not to obey Tony's wishes. AJ smirks and completely blows him off, in the manner with which he has handled his parents from day one, obviously expecting little to no reaction from Tony, "I'd just as soon look for jobs myself, online."

Tony responds, "I'm sure you would." Then walks over to the tool table, grabs either a helmet or a bowling ball, I couldn't really tell, and BUSTS THE TRUCK'S WINDSHIELD WITH IT. "Don't put me to the test," he says, and walks away leaving AJ mortified, looking on. In an earlier conversation in therapy, Melfi pointed out to Tony that Carmela had done (with AJ) what his own mother never did (which he subconsciously hated her for): saved him from his father. But is AJ really better off? Every one of these sons is *completely* disrespectful and worthless. Could it be that what the sons longed for most (interaction with their fathers) was kept at a distance or completely disallowed because of the way the fathers made their living? Did the mothers really save them from anything or just make it horribly worse?Heavy.

I don't like to end heavy, so I'll just add that for some reason, Christopher (Michael Imperioli) was smoking hot this season, and I've never thought that about him before in my life. In the meantime, check out some clips. Foochuck as always did a great trailer: