Existentialism, sex, and leather jackets...have you anything to add?

Just so you know, I’ll probably not give any of the Sopranos DVD sets less than five stars, should I end up reviewing them all. I think too highly of the show to commit such blasphemy, and the only complaint I have with any aspect of it whatsoever is that no one found it necessary to include a subtitle option. While not being a hearing-impaired person myself (not yet, anyway), I do like to savor every bit of dialogue with the eyes as well as ears. Helps me focus in, I guess.

Anyway, season two of The Sopranos, in the words of creator David Chase himself, was both a blessing and the source of much anxiety. The first season exceeded everybody’s expectations and turned the program into a major industry. It took home awards, made stars out of the actors and actresses involved, introduced the word “bada-bing” to the larger world, and proved that mobsters could actually be characters of depth instead if just one-dimensional violent goons. But most importantly, the show’s immediate and monstrous success forced Chase to broaden his vision and dig in for what had clearly become a long-term project.

Reviewing a season two of any show that has running storyline necessitates having to kick out spoilers, so read no further if you’re new to the series. Otherwise, you’ll pick up on some things that you might want to learn for yourself while watching those first thirteen episodes.

While season two is still heavy with the humor and quirkiness of its predecessor, it finds the show heading in a deeper and darker direction. The domestic and “professional” stresses that sent Tony to the office of psychiatrist Dr. Melfi in the first episode become considerably weightier in this season, especially when his irritating sister Janice appears on the scene and the Feds begin putting pressure on the DiMeo crime family. One of the nastiest characters of the entire series, Ritchie Aprile (older brother of Jackie, the family boss who died early on in season one), returns after a ten year stint in prison and makes things a headache for Tony. And then there’s his mother, his wife, his kids, his Russian mistress, friends with gambling problems, other friends who may be in bed with the government, food poisoning…the list goes on. Who said it’s easy being in the Mafia?

Highlights from this season include a trip to Italy in the episode “Commendatori” (where Tony meets a lava hot gal named Annalisa and gains a top-notch soldier named Furio), just about every time Tony and Ritchie butt heads, and Christopher’s brush with the world of moviemaking (in the episode “D-Girl”, director Jon Favreau plays himself). There are moments of high tragedy (one major character gets shot and nearly dies, while another is found to be an FBI informant) and gruesomeness, but plenty of hilarious scenes (the one where Tony walks into Melfi’s office with a noticeable hard-on is pretty dang funny). Characters that were rich before, like Paulie and Sil, get expanded on and nearly steal the scenes from James Gandolfini, though at the end of it all, there’s no question about who the man of the series is.

Special features include a couple of short featurettes, including one where Edie Falco (the woman who plays Tony’s wife Carmela) talks about what it was like to act with Gandolfini and work on the show in general. I’ve always heard that the real-life James is nothing like Tony, and that really shows when he’s talking outside of character- there’s something considerably different about his demeanor, which of course just means that the guy’s an amazing actor. There are also little bios of the major cast members, a list of awards and nominations that the show received- the usual. Nothing extra special here, but with a show this incredible, I really don’t need much else after wrapping up a suspense-filled season finale.

If you enjoyed the first season of this landmark drama series, then don’t even hesitate to jump into the other ones. Even though David Chase had a billion writers working under him (even Michael Imperioli, the guy who plays Christoper Moltisanti, got to kick in an episode, the unusual “From Where To Eternity”), the continuity and quality are always there. Things become a little more serious and hard-edged over the course of the second season, but one thing I can say about the The Sopranos is that it builds and releases like few other shows in television history. I wish movie directors could maintain the level of greatness over an hour and a half that this did over its eight year, 86 episode life span.


The Sopranos: The Complete First Season http://www.epinions.com/content_434986520196