Yes, i thought the same in the scene where he is lost in Bloomfield at night. "i aint telling you shit" "fuck you cop, i know my rights" LOL got to love Junior gangster style.
Junior is exactly what I picture when someone says gangster. Even when he’s wandering around looking for Johnny he still hides from the cops when they try to help him get home 😂
Tony dislikes AJ because AJ is all of Tony‘s neurosis without any of the grit/will he developed growing up in the mob. In this moment I think he finally realises, to a certain extent, that he’s responsible for spoiling and misguiding his son.
I think Tony genuinely doesn’t want to be in the mob, it’s shown repeatedly that he knows it’s wrong, but he chooses to stay because he’s a big fish in a small pond. In this moment he pleads with AJ to do something good with his life.
@@budusbusham3324 actually I don’t think he ever did see it as wrong, he was constantly just making justifications for it like they’re soldiers. tony was a victim of his youth himself
@@hanspz5505 He wouldn't be making the justifications, if he didn't know what he was doing was wrong. Tony was a victim himself and refused to break the cycle, he doesn't want the same for AJ because he knows how immoral his lifestyle is. The mental gymnastics someone like Tony would have to perform is impressive, living that life while trying to be as honorable as possible. It doesn't make Tony a good guy, but he does deserve a bit of respect for how he handles things. Like I said though, Tony chose not to break the cycle and he's ultimately to blame for his lifestyle.
3:04 the way tony says "It's not in your nature". That bit gave me chills... for just a second or two tony seems like a normal, genuinely concerned father. It's endearing. Masterful acting once again by Gandolfini.
specialdefect If you watch the series, you will notice the people Tony allow closest to him and puts down his guard are people who are not in "the life". Hesh, Artie, Beansie all those guy are around "the life" but not in it, and those were his closest friends.
+Austin McMahon Yes it seems as though on some level, Tony resents himself and "the life" that he's chosen to live. Yet he realizes that there is nothing he can do about his situation because he is far too immersed in "that life". The series was ripe with conflict among its characters and one of Tony's was how he was torn between building a criminal enterprise and having a conscience. Mobsters are frequently self-loathing individuals with huge esteem issues who hate their lot in life and feel that a life of violence, intimidation, racketeering is the only way they can get respect. Tony demonstrates this internal turmoil clearly in both scenes mentioned above.
What do you expect? He's far too immature to actually get the undertones of the film. The entire premise of the show is that Vito Corleone doesn't want Michael to follow his footsteps. Difference is that Michael actually made efforts to pursue a different life, as revealed in the second film where he talks about his plans to join the military. Not like A.J., who wants everything handed on a silver platter.
@@juanjoyaborja.3054 AJ wanted to have his own life but the world didn't let him. He wanted to beat up another kid at school, he couldn't because the other kid was afraid of his dad. He wanted to hang out with the cool kids, he could but only because they thought he was like his dad, he was forced to play football because of his dad, he rebelled time and time again as a cry for help but nobody listened. Instead they tried to send him to military school (again, not his choice.) His entire "oh I'm depressed, woe is me" temper tantrums come straight from his dad. Even Carmela calls Tony out on that in the end season, yet Tony beats AJ up when he does it. By the last season AJ tried to murder his uncle (because he though that's what he, as the mobster's son was supposed to do and what would make his dad happy), he tried to join two mobsters (because his father insisted that he should hang out with them) and then tried to join the military (this time he says it's because his parents wanted him to go to military school before.) He had zero guidance from his parents and he felt pressured to be like his dad even though he never wanted to. Of course he turned out a mess.
I can't believe I never noticed that when Junior says, "Anthony, my nephew!" he actually thinks it's a young Tony. I don't know how I missed that for so long.
He’d easily be the most interesting character to build a sequel movie around IMO. I think him ending up working for Carmine Jr. was great because Carmine was such a similar character, a dumb mafia prince not as capable as his dad. But ultimately I think AJ would get stupid and try to seek revenge for Tony and try to be about that life when he really doesn’t need to.
@@Austoned91 Right? Plus he wasn't some Richie Aprile absolute evil dirtbag ya never met in real life. He was just a typical wimpy wanna be badass teenager that crawled under the skin in an authentic way, vs some over the top sadist bad guy.
Tbf though, no matter how angry your dad gets, you know there are limits to what they'll do to you right? I mean sometimes, not always, there are some sadistic pricks who don't deserve to be called dads out there. But for all Tony's flaws he was generally pretty restrained around his kids, and he did care about them. Even if he liked Meadow more.
@@8darkknight472 did your mom not hug you as a child or what? You have severe women issues & project your own insecurities about your masculinity into fictional characters. It’s pathetic
"I guess your heart was in the right place AJ, but it's wrong, come on.--" When you have to admit your kid is a better person than you, that takes a lot. Amazing acting.
Yeah Tony was a shit dad to AJ but that was a genuinely good thing he said to him. Aj is less intelligent and spoiled but at his heart he had a humanity that few in the family had, he wasn't a killer and on some level knew the world he grew up in was fucked which imo was the root cause of his depression.
@@PanzerMold the truth is AJ never had the makings of a varsity mobster......or they wouldn't of had that conversation. AJ's a screw up because Carmella spoiled that kid rotten.
Bruh obviously he meant that AJ was striken by the Tony's shooting and wanted justice. But the means which he chose were wrong. He literally said it. "But it's WRONG". You sharp as a fucking cueball.
The weight of having to grow up is tremendous this scene is so intense about it. AJ is a moron and Tony needs to set him straight or hell make a really dumb mistake next time
@@worsethanhitlerpt.2539More like "Tony needs to be set straight." The only reason AJ is the way he is is that Tony never really supported his son emotionally and mentally. Yeah, AJ grew up privileged, but his father was a potentially sociopathic gangster who cheated on his mother repeatedly. He was set up, from the beginning, to be a brat, much like how Tony was set up to be a monster.
this is the scene where tony truly realizes he failed as a father ("it's wrong!" "what???"), and it's buried beneath so many layers of face-saving and posturing that even in his lowest moment he can't quite say it out loud and blames it on AJ for not growing up. incredible writing and acting
Its so sad in a way how Tony could never be honest about how he hates himself for knowing that the way he makes his living is wrong, and open up about it to AJ in this moment when he has the opportunity to not make AJ follow in his footsteps
This scene may be one of Gandolfini’s finest ever. He plays the ruthless mob boss so well. But to also show the pain, frustration and emotion he has for his son at the same time is incredible. The way he says ‘it’s not in your nature’. Tony is a ruthless guy in a ruthless business, and even though it seems as though he would prefer a tough guy son, you know deep down he loved AJ for the fact he wasn’t anything like him. He’s a ‘good guy’, a rarity in Tony’s world.
The real kicker for me is when he tells AJ to stop crying. His voice cracks ever so slightly as he says it, as if he's on the verge of crying himself. JG made this moment feel very real to me.
He never wanted him to follow in his footsteps. All he did was kill people and set people up to get killed, and he knew at some point his number would be up
1000 percent agreed. His anger at AJ and his fear of what could happen (or will happen) to AJ when he is no longer around to bail him out. JG did so great playing a father desperate to reach out to his son and remind him how much he is loved. Which is something that Johnny Boy Soprano never would have done. Because men of that generation (Pre-Dementia Uncle Junior as proof) weren't known for showing too much heart on their sleeve....
I forgot about this scene and to be honest it was AJ's finest scene, Robert Iler pulled off a very convincing break down with tears while sharing this scene with his screen dad. Take a bow Robert.
come on he was brilliant when he attempted suicide too! everyone hates AJ but we are supposed to hate him because he's not like his dad. Robert did an amazing job as an actor
The touch of AJ talking about the killing of Solozzo, contrasted with his father's reaction just speaks truth to what the Sopranos mean to the gangster genre. "it's just a movie"
Yeah, David Chase definitely added that because some people started idolising Tony Soprano. He’s just a fictional character, being a gangster is not glamorous.
i think its also double meaning, because tony says "its just a movie" in a dissapointed tone and i dont know if he realizes that thats exactly what he does when he goes on and on about gary cooper and the silent type kinda man.
The delivery of Gandolfini's "you make me wanna cry" get's me every time. He never wanted anything for his son but to be a better man than him in the end, and the fact that AJ would ever think he wanted him to be just like him absolutely broke his heart. Also interesting to note, that in the Godfather, Don Corleone tells Michael near the end that he never wanted him to take over the family business. He liked the fact that Michael was a normal guy, a war hero even, who at the beginning of the movie is well on his way to getting married and having a family, and even talks to his girlfriend about how he wants nothing to do with the family business. This parallels that wonderfully but in a more modern and down-to-earth way. To me, The Sopranos is a deconstruction of The Godfather and all of its tropes. It takes most if not all of the situations in that movie and turns them on their head before taking them to the farthest and most logical possible hypothesis of what would happen if that scenario took place in the real world.
Ehh, Don Corleone assumed Michael was going to get into politics which would have been an asset in it's own right. He didn't want him directly involved in crime but best believe he would have corrupted the shit out of Michael if he had become a senator.
I think in a way Tony was relieved. He knew his son wasn't meant for his life. Tony seemed genuine about saying his son was a good guy. He seemed happy about it. It was nice to see Tony act like a actual dad for once. He was mad but for the right reasons. He was more worried about losing his son. This was one of my favorite scenes in the series.
4:03 Love how Tony cleans himself up when he's sure AJ isn't looking. Wipes the tears forming on his face and even gives his eyes the old triple blink to even out the moisture collecting on his eyes.
Junior is like his surrogate grandfather. He’s not some stranger with a happy trigger finger. He saw his own flesh and blood, someone who took part in his childhood and he froze.
Today on Jamie-Lynn and Robert's podcast Not Today Pal, Sopranos creator David Chase guessed correctly that this scene was the one that Robert thought was his best performance over the course of the series.
"You're a good guy, I'm very grateful." A rare moment of honesty for Tony, he recognizes he is not a good person but knows his son does not have that disease within him.
"You're a good guy, I'm very grateful." One of the most sincere things Tony ever said. He did a lot of horrible crap to his friends over the course of the series, but his love for his kids was unassailable.
Bruh, speak for yourself. I`m probably the exact opposite of AJ. He is a good guy that doesn`t have the stomach for violence but tries to do it anyway. I on the other hand get violent urges all the time and then have to control myself largely due to my Christian faith.
I couldn’t stand AJ initially but this scene really hammers home how irreparably fucked up he is because of his dad and the culture of excess, male authority and violence he’s been made to grow up in. Tony’s right: it’s not in the kid’s nature, but he doesn’t know how to live any other way.
This. Absolutely this. Well put, and very true. There’s too many who paint AJ as a mere douchebag. Those who do, weren’t really watching closely enough.
I don’t think it’s just that it’s not in his nature, it’s explained throughout the show that whenever Tony tried to make AJ a tougher kid Carmela would purposely intervene to prevent AJ from becoming Tony 2.0. Which is semi good parenting on carmelas part but in the long run it hurt AJ more because he NEVER learned how to grow up and become a man because his father was prevented from doing so time and time again. So if that’s the case AJ never really had a shot.
@@sergiomendoza4850 Tony's idea of a man was pretty toxic though. It was pretty evident from the start that AJ was never gonna be a tough guy, but Tony kept trying to push it on him. "Stop playing dumb video games, play football, go to strip clubs, be a fucking man". Carmela expected him to be super academic like Meadow, and Tony wanted him to be a tough guy like him but he didn't want him to join the Mafia. AJ was neither of these things, hence he was stuck in a weird limbo. Everything HE actually wanted to do was shut down by his family almost immediately - from enjoying video games as a kid (obviously he was also getting lazy with school but Tony regularly made fun of him for playing games as a teenager, which is fucking crazy to think of in modern times bc everyone plays games nowadays lmao), for wanting to work in the entertainment industry/potentially owning or managing a club, for getting politically engaged with the Iraq shit which he ended up being mostly correct about, and for wanting to join the military
@@buscape7737 yeah I agree with you there. Tony’s ideals and values that he would’ve passed onto AJ would’ve been horrible. And Carmela coddling him for most of his life is equally destructive just in a different way. Long story short they’re both shit parents but Carmela is I guess the lesser of two evils if Tony is the other option lol.
I love how Tony calls him a nice guy instead of nice kid. Shows he's acknowledging AJ is growing up and becoming his own man and therefore doesn't disrespect him by calling him a kid
@@artistbuddy LOL he was so dumb and spoiled he had no idea what gutters were. You can see Tony's face when he walks him out to show him...hes so disappointed lol
That is basically jail for him. So he wants to make sure he isn't the guy who tried to knife someone. That's a criminal's reflex. 5 years old that comment? … Jesus …
Terrific acting, also one that is heart touching. Defines the instant love-hate relationship between AJ and his dad, how his dad doesn't approve what he did yet at the same times understands him.
***** AJ wasn't stupid, he was just ignorant. Like most kids the age he was portraying. If anything he just came off as totally ambivalent about everything and as he grew up the ambivalence lent itself to a life of lacking an identity and academic skills, which hampered his work prospects as an adult; that identity crisis was further aggravated by his perceptions of being incapable of living up to his father's legacy - Being neither physically imposing nor mentally imposing - I don't think this was ever outright said, but I think it was strongly implied; especially in the season where they wanted to send AJ to that military reform school. if anything AJ was the epitome of mediocrity in a family of people that excelled at their respective paths. AJ excelled at... Not excelling, but that was the role he carved out for himself in his family because his parents did not know how to raise a child that was not independent early on in life (like Meadow). Despite her college education Carmella was not what I would call a forward thinking mother who tried to engage her children on any intellectual level, only at their archetypal roles. Jackie Jr is essentially how AJ's story plays out if Tony isn't there to keep him out of "the life".
This show has the greatest TV acting I have ever seen. When Tony and AJ come out of the cop station and Tony grabs AJ tells him to stop crying - phenomenal.
Is it just me, or does Dom C just have coolest voice on The Sopranos? One of my fave characters on the show, and the way Dominick played the Dementia aspect to his character. So friggin believeable. I just love the way he crisply says "My nephew"!
The entire Sopranos family has pretty cool and distinctive voices. Johnny Boy's intimidating drawl "He was a gambluh", Tony's accent, and Carmela's "You are not to play mahrio cart".
Steel Magnolia take your father out? Abusive? Tony was a mob boss but he wasn’t a terrible father. There have been worse dads and their kids turn out great. My dad wasn’t there for me but it was because he was working so hard to maintain his family. You sound like a spoiled little bitch who watches too many movies. Wait, bitch is this AJ? Are you catfishing AJ?
Everytime AJ shows interest in something Tony shoots him down because they're "not realistic" which he himself said Junior did to him when he was in high school which damaged his confidence and motivation.
he said that because the way AJ seemed to hate himself killed Tony. thinking about your child hating themselves is probably one of the most heart wrenching things you can imagine.
That's the heartbreaking moment in this clip, "you make me wanna cry". He knows in that moment it's his parenting, the conflicting messages he's taught him throughout his life, that have confused his son, to the point where he's doing things that go against his nature. James Gandolfini's acting here is perfect
Powerful and touching scene. Here we see Tony soprano as close as he ever gets to being just a regular dad. It must have been really emotional on the set during that take.
So much going on here. I just love how in the middle of his rage, while yelling at AJ for what he just did, he also manages to slip in the fact that he couldn’t even pull it off, and insults his son with pretty heavy language for failing to do the thing he’s yelling at him for trying to do. The way that he slips back and forth from both sides while maintaining the same level of outrage, the masterful way that he does this, you can see the sincerity in his eyes that he truly is let down by both of these contradicting things, but he’s beyond trying to reconcile this, the build up of multi-faceted disappointed in his son has been building for so long that it finally just erupts and all comes out together. Brilliant writing brilliant acting all around.
He's not that bright, but he's headstrong and that makes for bad combination. He only sees Junior as the amoral, bitter, power hungry old man who tried to murder his own blood and not the decrepit shell that he increasingly becomes
His son is his only salvation, and he hates that his influence could ruin his son like that. He recognizes his boy is a better man than him. This mafia projection from AJ tears tony apart. He knows the life he loves isn't good, and that AJ can be a better version of him
we all have this scene to enjoy forever, it is one of the best in the whole series. robert iler has this scene to enjoy forever, to stare at in amazement that he not only got to share a one on one scene with james galdolfini, but hold his own in a moment of 100% vulnerability. amazing acting from two great actors. anyone that says robert iler isnt that good - think about how much you hated AJ for a minute. yeah, we all did.
Why do people even hate AJ? He’s a fucken kid. This is a show where people kill their family members and friends and beat women to death. Wtf is wrong with people
How about the scene??? When he jumps Into his pool. Tries killing himself.??? That was his best scene by far. Doin this scene. Robert had to jump into that icy water pool..10 different times. Tgey had two huge outside heaters..to dry both Robert n jim off. After every take..
@@Johnnysmithy24 I think they're supposed to hate AJ. The entire show we're surrounded by tough guy mob people to the point where that becomes the norm. So seeing a relatively normal asshole kid who wants to be tough but is a bit of a coward deep down makes us feel distain towards him. It's only until season 6 do we realise that AJ is actually a good guy and that we shouldn't be idolising these gangsters. That's the way I felt atleast.
I think it's funny that people think AJ is so weak and Tony is so strong. Tony passes out because he represses every emotion but anger, he's so afraid of showing weakness but your body doesn't lie. Tony acts all tough and he can be very cruel but he never loses that spark of humanity and conscience. He lives knowing that he's a hypocrite to everyone including his children. He expects AJ to be tough but he's done nothing to help him get that way. He has sheltered him and substituted fatherhood with possessions. I think that if the series at continued after Tony's death you would see that AJ probably was okay and maybe even better off without him.
When Tony says “Your heart was in the right place but it’s not in your nature” “your a nice guy” there was a very sincere undertone. Almost as if to say he’s happy it turned out this way and not the other way. If AJ killed junior Tony would just have another killer in his ranks. His son would be just like him and Tony already fights his demons with that lifestyle, he definitely didn’t want that for AJ. AJ not killing junior just reassured Tony that his son can live a life that he can’t, free of demoralizing obligations, constant life and death situations, and the paranoia. When Tony tells AJ that “He needs to grow up” he’s simply stating that AJ needs to get out of his shadow, stop trying to rebel and do outrageous things for his respect or attention and just be his own man.
I like your interpretation Thanks I actually cried when I read this because it kind of reflected my life Thanks whoever you are and wherever you may be thank you
I love how the fact that AJ even fails to throw up is bothering Tony, he says "come on get in the car" with a look on his face like "even that he can't get done?"
There's a scene in the final season when Meadow conveys to him that she thinks he and other "Italians" are mistreated and plans to defend them as an attorney. He realizes he may not have broken the cycle with her, when she was the one he had the most hope for.
Exactly! Typical reaction of an old-school mafioso who always expects to be blamed for everything, even the wind blowing and knocking someone off the roof.
Idk why everyone hates on A.J.. Yeah he got to be a depressed whiner towards the end, but Janice was honestly the worst character that I fantasized about killing
I always hated AJ and Meadow. He wasn't too bad in the early seasons, but later on, just a complete toolbag and a fucking moron. Meadow was a whiny, eye rolling spoiled brat, but she at least matured as a character and got involved in helping those less fortunate. I get that they were written to be that way, but I never could give 2 shits about them, nor do I feel bad what they would have experienced after the show's last scene.
2:35 That may actually be the most viscerally enraged we ever see Tony in the show. I love how he brings his fist up but doesn’t hit AJ. You can tell he wants to beat his face in more than anything, but even someone like him couldn’t do that to his own son. Simply masterful acting from James Gandolfini, as always.
@H M I agree with you but my thing is how the last few episodes of season 6 set AJ up for that path. Later on in the season, we see AJ and his friends take a guy from one of the parties they were at, throw him in his car and drive him out to some park/wooded area to beat him up and AJ's hesitant to participate in the violence but ultimately bites his tongue and starts throwing blows as well. There's also the instance when the guy drove in to AJ's friend's car door on his bicycle and AJ doesn't do much there either to stop the beating they gave that guy, not to mention the racial slurs they throw are reminiscent of Tony's own views with African Americans. Here, with AJ attempting to kill Junior we see that AJ possesses the quality to be vengeful for his father and if in the final episode Tony really is killed at Holsten's, AJ witnessing that first hand would only serve as the perfect impetus for AJ to indulge in his hatred and vengeance through the mob, or as Meadow would say "...organized crime, whatever you wanna call it,"
Bob D absolutely no way. He wouldn’t have lasted long in that life. Ffs the guy tried to kill himself and you think he’d be mentally tough to go out and kill people, be ruthless etc?
The fact that the police offer said “he spoke to assemblyman..” when Tony introduced himself, and then let AJ walk free after all those charges…..very subtle touch to show how deep Tony’s connections were and how the mob put people in power. Such a great show
It's really amazing how AJ turned out to be a normal kid raised by an abnormal parent. Tony should be proud or disappointed, depending on your perspective. I felt disappointed in AJ the entire show, but he's a miracle.
When AJ gets drug to the ground by the staff & starts screaming "He shot my Dad!" I always get emotional for some reason. 🥺 Tony's right that it's not in AJ's nature to do such a thing, but... his emotions & love for his father get the best of his senses, and so he does something stupid cuz of it. But it's understandable. Brilliantly acted scene.
This is in the top three scenes of the entire show for me. It gets to the heart of the issue. Each one of us is a collection of the people, ideas and events that we've encountered in our past. People are products of their environments. Tony realizes that AJ is a nice guy. We'd like to think that if Tony is able to discern morality then he could just change himself or else we could blame him for not changing. But in reality, Tony understands his entire life has shaped him to be a sociopathic criminal. There's already too much momentum driving his direction. The entire show is a struggle about momentum, and what could've been. Hence why the Journey lyrics in the last scene are so fitting, "Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit."
I actually felt sad for Junior here, he really wanted to someone to visit him, and at the same time i was laughing when Junior said its not his knife, uncle Jun is gangster to the core
