Guy Walks Into a Psychiatrist's Office

The first season of HBO's mob masterpiece ended on a really sad note for Tony Soprano: not only was he recovering from a failed attempt on his life, he also found out it was his mother and uncle who authorized the whole thing. Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the term "family values".

Things don't get much better in this Series 2 opener, either: Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) is in jail, Livia (Nancy Marchand) is in the hospital because of an alleged stroke, and Tony's manipulative sister Janice (Aida Turturro) shows up to make him feel guilty for how he is treating their mother. As a result he is so stressed he can't even be happy when Pussy Bompensiero (Vincent Pastore) returns after months of absence. Okay, so the latter was suspected of being a rat, but come on, give him a break: he was just hiding because he felt he wasn't safe anymore and, while he was at it, got his back problem fixed in Puerto Rico. Soon enough, though, he is cleared of all bad thoughts and warmly welcomed back by the whole crew.

This season premiere is spellbinding for two reasons: firstly, it introduces a scene that would become a recurring presence in all other series openers (except Season Six), that of the Sopranos' home driveway where Tony picks up the newspaper wearing nothing but his bathrobe, a wife-beater and a pair of boxers - an iconic image that confirms the fact the Jersey boss is no glorious figure like Vito Corleone; secondly, the terrific Aida Turturro (John's cousin) makes her first appearance on the show in a role so juicy and complex she managed to stay for the remainder of the program's run. But let's not forget Pastore: in a way, it is he who comes to dominate the events of Season Two (why will be obvious from the next episode onwards), and it is remarkable that he manages to turn a potentially ridiculous scene (Pussy turning up in front of Tony in the aforementioned driveway, his hands raised in the air) into a powerful dramatic moment, albeit one with the serial's trademark sick humor.

Salute

What a masterpiece Sopranos is. I am rewatching this series for the third time. And again I am amazed on so msny levels. When you know the characters so well it's impressive to see how David Chase is using the intro to build up the story of the different characters. Sinatra goes very well with this series 🙂

Season two kicks off with one solid opening episode, that continues the great quality we saw in season one! The opening wastes little time, bringing back a character, which I am eager to see how will turn out!

Great montage in the beginning letting us know the current situation! We are also introduced to a couple of new characters who seems to bring some interesting dynamics with them! The other great dynamics are still present giving us that great Sopranos "feel!"

We also see the consequences of Tony, not attention his terapi! There were a sense of unpredictability over him! You never knew what was going on inside his head!

Looking forward to the rest of the season!

Tony's mental health suffers when friends and family make reappearances in his life.

This is a great first episode that sets the scene perfectly for what is to come in the second series.

I like that there has been an appropriate time jump between the first and second series, plus the establishing exam scene and Sinatra montage are wonderfully entertaining ways to kick it off.

The big story points relate to Janice and Big Puss, along with Dr Melfi's attitude towards Tony. These are the issues that seem to be pushing up Tony's stress levels and they are presented by great visual storytelling and entertaining dialogue.

There is one particularly good scene where Tony drives around various dilapidated areas of New Jersey that links well to his mental anxieties. I like the way he is filmed during the barbeque scene listening to the guys banter together. Plus James Gandolfini's acting and body language when he starts to suss the motives behind his sister's arrival is brilliant.

I think most families unfortunately have a Janice, or even several members who are either sickeningly pretentious or circle like vultures when they sense death is on the horizon for elderly relatives. This is clever character work by the writers as it provides a plausible antagonist who viewers would side with Tony against. Aida Turturro plays her in a wonderfully entertaining way and makes a big first impression.

Themes such as the 'regularness' and monotonous aspects of life are also put across well in scenes involving Christopher and Tony.