A lot of people get hung up on this question of "Is Tony a sociopath/psychopath" and want to call it a day. I think this misses a huge part of the show's psychological theme, which tells us that people are WAY more complex than just fitting into a characterisation like that. Tony shows an inconsistent application of the usual classification of these things. He does show empathy sometimes, he does exhibit dark triad traits sometimes, he does show remorse sometimes. It's altogether more complex than "yes" or "no".
@@cl5470 well sometimes it’s a show and sometimes it’s real, sociopaths can also feel it to some extent. You see Tony saying things like, “you almost have these thoughts and then..” they’re gone, he almost gets it, sometimes for moments does, but can’t hold onto it the same way others do
Dr. Hare's study, is mentioned, at the dinner of Melfi and her professional colleagues. Those questions Hare sets forward, is a scale, that determines the level of psychopathy of the person being tested.
Tony feeling that his mom never loved him, because he was a bad son, instead of considering that she was an abusive parent, is definitely Truth in Television, when it comes to abused children. It doesn't help that his mother did everything she could to reinforce that belief.
My brother & I constantly refer to Tony & Livia to make light & also serious understanding of our own trauma growing up with an emotional vampire BPD mother. Tony screaming "she's smiling!" makes me want to laugh and sob at the same time. It's too real.
I know that evil smile all too well. It is infuriating. They don't care and they get off on you knowing/learning that they don't care. It's a big joke to them. The only time they are really happy is after they've gotten their victims all worked up and screaming/crying etc. Then they grin from ear to ear like it's the best thing they ever saw. It's demonic.
You know, I always kinda wondered about that. Maybe it's true, or at least a bit of both. Livia was definitely a lousy person, but maybe in some deep, animal way she sensed there was something wrong inside Tony, that he'd inherited all the worst parts of herself, so she had less incentive to rein in her true nature around him.
by the end of season 6 he's a bottomless black hole it's almost like he knows he's gonna die soon and he just doesn't care I personally always liked to think Tony knows Paulie or Patsi or some of his men are dealing with New York behind his back but he doesn't care anymore, that's probably why he doesn't kill Paulie while he's on the boat and he doesn't take out Patsi while he knows Patsi knows it was Tony that took out Philly maybe this was a nod to Carlito's Way, considering there are all kinds of Mob Movie references all over the Sopranos.
A lot of breakdowns of the Sopranos are mostly basic observations and surface level analysis. But I think this might be the best I've seen through out the years
Recently got done watching the entire series. I’m 27, luckily I managed to avoid or not remember any spoilers through it’s time. Experiencing this for the first time, coming from a huge fan of mob movies. I loved it, it was a heartbreaking series. You want Tony to succeed so bad at becoming a good person.. but the show just constantly reminds you he can’t change.
I'm still watching it over and over years later. Every time I watch it I seem to enjoy it more. You'll see more things in every episode the more you watch it! Don't despair because you think it's over, it's not, it's there for another watch and then some. Amazing writing
He tries to better at one point, to be a good person, stays like that for a while and goes all the way back to his old ways like nothing happened at all. It's a constant cycle of that.
@@mamasaidknockyouout But it would make sense considering he has always felt guilty and bad about the work he was doing, and he had a constand need to convince himself he was a good person in wrong circumstances.
Great work! Tony is one of the most profound villains in TV history and the way that the show portraits him is very solid and deep. When he sees himself next to the horse in the painting, he hates how happy he seems to be in it. He can't stand it. But when the painting comes back to him, now dressed as Napoleon, he loses it, because he is only valued as a general, as a boss, but he knows that if the others were brave enough, he would be sent to Elba, like Napoleon did. They do not love him, they fear him, his power and his rage. Only the animals are innocent enough to see him as a caring person when he shows love or simpathy. And now that horse is dead, and here he goes again on a rampage.
@@charlesgibbins Of course he is, you can give him any excuse that you want, you can even say that he is trying to change, but he is still a very bad person. That is why the show was so compelling, you were rooting for the bad guy, and that, back then was not that common in a TV show.
@@charlesgibbins that is just ambiguity, the guy is a narcissistic, agressive borderline person. There is reasons for it, but that does not justify it at all. Of course it is complex, of course he is a victim of his cultural and economic circumstances, but that does not change the fact that he is a villain. He is not good for anybody, except from himself, at any given time. There is always some hidden agenda. You can blame it on sunshine, on moonlight or even on the boogie, but he is a bad motherfucker.
@@charlesgibbins I think that describing how Tony is in psicological terms is way more accurate than trying to put it in a big bag of soldiers justifying themselves about war. A villain is, by the dictionary, in an artistic perspective of the term, the character of a story whose evil actions are important in the development of the plot. Outside a narrative, a villain is someone responsible of hurting, killing or damaging others. So, in an artistic or realistic perspective, Tony is a villain, and Ralphie too. Ralphie is also an antagonist to Tony, and a fucking repulsive dude, but that does not mean that Tony is not responsible directly or indirectly of the murder, the extortion, the beatings, the psicological trauma that he caused to many people. So yeah, clearly a villain.
@@charlesgibbins Tony is definitely a villain, most people in the show are, but they’re humans and you get to see that human parts a lot more than the villainous acts
27:50 His gambling I feel is actually his active and evolved resentment towards his father for his 'handed-down' criminality. In the episode when Tony's first panic attack is revealed, Satrialle owed money to his father, and so lost the pinky that Tony saw. Tony's Dad then tell's him to never gamble in a direct and unequivocal way. So by gambling, Tony is rejecting his father's taught foundations to him as well as engaging in a vice that is connected to doom from his past, wishing that doom upon himself. Best analysis of TS I've watche on YT, big props
Dr. Krakower is the lone voice of reason when it comes to Tony. Love his character because He just expressed to the viewer the reality of who Tony really was."You tell me he's a depressed criminal. Prone to anger, serially unfaithful. Is that your definition of a good man?"
I think the therapist not telling Tony the name of the attacker is her taking charge of her own morality, preventing her own soul from descending into Tony's black hole of violence and darkness.
That is how I took it also. I never thought it was a means to protecting Tony's progress. Half of his insights are ones I've never considered, but I don't think they're wrong
@@wubbalubbadubx2 Yeah, I don't think it has anything to do with Tony, except for him representing her path/option of revenge. More than anywhere else in the entire series that rape arc was where we saw Melphi as her own character, her choice not to exact revenge was personal, not wanting to kill someone.
I agree. I also love how in her talk with Elliot, she reveals that although she won't, she at least revels in the fact that she could have him "squashed like a bug."
The simple fact is that emotional growth and being a mob boss can never mix. Any real growth will always be perceived as weakness. The therapy did nothing except maybe contribute to his death at the end of the series.
The therapy wasn’t for Tony, it was for the audience. Yes, this show was amazing, but we now, decades later, can see how it’s mostly propaganda for big pharma and the medical establishment.
@@aWomanFreed ... watch it again... The sopranos is about Chase, it was mostly his therapy in another setting, but just as crippling and useless. Like most art is about its creator - he's the one who visited scores of psychiatrists and he was very critical of their methods and in the end, found his own path. Sopranos is in not close to being propaganda in that sense, on the contrary. The show also ridicules the USA as a whole, with all kinds of messed up morals, corruption everywhere and a mob that can find its place there. Black people getting blamed, women who love money and sell their soul for it, psychiatrists and doctors who believe in themselves. I think one of the few positive things he had to say about 'the medical establishment' was when that Jewish psychiatrist explained why he wouldn't take carmella's blood money. It's like you watched a different show...
Tony's character arc, to borrow a term used in the series, takes the turn of his crossing paths with Dr. Melfi. This really defines the entire series. I remember when it first came out. It was almost billed as a comedy, along the lines of "Analyze This", another "mobster sees a shrink" show, which came out in 1999, ironically the same year HBO premiered "The Sopranos." The Sopranos pilot episode was funnier than all the others after it. Jersey people of course hated it at first, and then later grew to love it. I'd like to see someone make a video just on the theme of psychoanalysis within the series. Dr. Melfi is a good shrink, as they go. I believe she thought taking on a patient like Tony would be the consummate professional challenge. I also believe she thought she could make a positive difference in his life. As time went on, she failed to achieve what the medical profession would call "professional detachment". She sympathized too much with Tony, partly because as an Italian-American herself, she recognized the pressures and inertia that could lead someone to believe that they had no choice but to end up in the mafia life. She of course realized too late that her influence in Tony's life was not resulting in any good in the world, and was possibly directly harming many, many people. There were other psychoanalysts on the program. The therapist who saw Meadow basically helped enable her to emancipate herself from her parents' wishes, which resulted in Tony and Carmela removing her from the therapy. Clearly Tony sees therapy as a means to an end that he determines himself, and when therapy doesn't achieve the end he wants, he stops it. Dr. Melfi refers Carmela to one of her colleagues, who immediately tells her to stop enabling her sociopathic gangster husband, and to get her and her children out of the situation immediately for their own good. That was as close to prophetic as any character ever written since Elijah himself. Then there was the therapist Dr. Melfi saw, the therapist's therapist. He was the worst therapist of them all! He should have seen, and almost certainly did, that Dr. Melfi was only succeeding in making Tony a happier, more well-adjusted sociopath. He should have counseled her to immediately stop treating Tony for exactly that reason, but he was intrigued, aroused even, at the details she was giving him on the deviant criminal mind of Tony Soprano. He probably even justified not giving her the correct advice by convincing himself that his sessions with her were some sort of vicarious research into a facet of psychoanalysis that he could not, and would not, ever experience himself.
Truth be told I think this one of the more easy, superficial reads of the show. By the end of the series there's some level of truth to it (more on that below), but it ignores the whole interpretation and analysis put forth in exactly this video essay and what I think David Chase tried to achieve in his whole approach of the show. I think it's quite the stretch to think Melfi's influence produced indirect harm (no way it was direct) - frequently, therapist sesssions are the ones keeping Tony's criminal mindset in check, forcing him to instead confront it. However, time and time again, until season 6's part B (again, more on that below), Tony finds himself in extreme situations, either of life-imprisonment or death, that force him to stop personal growth or choose the moral path. He delays as much as he can the realization Pussy has flipped ignoring obvious evidence (not wanting to kill him), he delays as much as he can dealing with his cousin in spite of the impossible situation he put him and the crew after killing Phil's brother, he gets rid of Adriana because obviously she would never do time, he is willing to confront the anger of his whole crew and the rest of the mafia to let Vito go but cannot once he comes back in town (like an idiot frankly). In all of the above cases we see a man clearly trying to change his ways but can't when faced with death or life-imprisonment. The conflict generated by trying to achieve personal growth and being born into a life of organized crime is the whole point of the show IMO. Of course, Tony presents some sociopathic tendencies throughout the series, but for the most part what we're shown is his internal struggle with it and how he clearly is far less destructive than other members of the mafia, often showing more empathy (always cheating on Carmella and emotionally neglecting Christopher aren't exactly arguments for Tony to be put through the fires of hell). All of this is quite valid UNTIL season 6B, a clear turning point being murdering Christopher. This leads into what I think to be a far more valid and deep interpretation of Tony's arc. Throughout the whole season 6B, David Chase presents the "sociopath" interpretation AND PATH as an easy way out - for Tony first and foremost, but also for dr Melfi (providing her with an easy end to treatment) and for the viewers (to more easily accept Tony's death). Absolutely brilliant writing. Tony subconsciously CHOOSES to give into his sociopathic tendencies in season 6B due to his near death experience and prolongued coma at the start of season 6A. He has faced death before, but never in such an extreme manner. Similarly, being shot by his uncle forces him to come to terms with the rejection by his mother and uncle, his brutal mob father being the only parental model he can cling to anymore. He appreciates life more and comes to the conclusion he needs to enjoy it as best he can, letting go of his inner conflict and not wanting to be a "good boy" anymore (for mommy), letting his sociopathic tendencies win instead of continuosly struggling with them. The murdering of Christopher is a shocking testament to this change into a cold view of the world. Tony is unwilling to cater to anyone or put himself in somebody else's shoes anymore, unflinching in his whish of not taking any risks to be indicted or killed. Christopher was also a constant reminder of his failure as parental figure, both for AJ and for Christopher himself, he saw the murdering of Chris as yet another step in freeing himself of all internal struggle.
Elliot constantly tells Melfi to stop treating Tony because he’ll never change. He goes as far as to embarrass her in front of several of her friends and colleagues by committing a HIPAA violation to goad those colleagues into shilling a study that finally convinces Melfi to follow Elliot’s advice. I would say Elliott was still a shitty therapist, but he definitely tried to get Melfi to drop Tony
It is so well written, the intentions of the writers in the story is not hard to understand. I noticed most if not all of what is mentioned in this video by the 2nd time I watched it. I may disagree with the point of view of the narrator here but we both saw the same situations (I don't know how many re-watchs it took _him_ to figure it out though).
Did i enjoy this content? Absolutely. The most frustrating thing is that i share this sort of media with everybody around me but no one actually bothers to listen. The only people i can share this passion with is everybody here and its very difficult to feel that connection through words on a screen.
Actually, Tony killing Ralph is not against the rules of Cosa Nostra as the boss he is free to kill any of his underlings without repercussions, but it would set a bad precedent and could lead to a mutiny which is why he hides it
Not true. You can't kill a made guy without a proper sit down, whether they're in your crew or not. Tony should have been in deep shit just for punching Ralph after he beat Tracee to death.
@@carlgustafemilmannerheim5661 From wiki: To strike, let alone kill, a made man for any reason without the permission of the Mafia family leadership is punished by death, regardless of whether the perpetrator had a legitimate grievance.
@@ryanduray1 The main comment is very much the truth. Unless a boss wants to whack another family's made man, he can kill whoever is in his family. Remember Tony isn't a capo, he's the don
Just got through the series, I'm 23 now and I've always heard so much about it. Loved it front to back, but goddamn if it isn't frustrating to watch a man glimpse the right choices he has to make, only to turn around and go back to his old ways. And your essay just has the perfect analysis for a perfect show :)
Great video! A lot of the fandom tends to just write off Tony as pure evil without considering the struggle that we see within him. That's what makes the show so good so I appreciate you breaking it down in depth.
@@faisalkamal4319 what does pure evil mean? I see him roughly the same as at the start. Maybe a little worse because he has gained power which gives him more ability to do evil. But not a massive change as some claim. It's just that we saw him do shit for 7 seasons, and didn't for the 7 years prior.
@@benjaminholm2311 His provoking of Janice , his treatment of Christopher (some of it was chris fault ) , making fun Christopher 's sobriety and then killing him and like celebrating it , treatment of his closest guys wasn't the best but it got worst , treatment of AJ and many more things and there is tone shift like at the end everyone is their evilest version of their selves
I guess this analysis is saying that being the victim of fate and consequence and mindlessly acting is less immoral / evil than being aware of it, knowing what it takes to change and choosing to do it anyway
@@faisalkamal4319 how was he? He did good things, so be can’t be pure evil. He was as much a victim as anyone else really, he was looking in a dog eat dog World where it was kill or be killed, in fact if he’d been “more” evil he’d have taken out Phil early doors and still be alive
Tony was always a monster. The times he was “generous” was just to make himself feel better about being such a jackass. Hey, don’t get me wrong he will always be my favorite character in anything. But the way he went after Janice JUST because she was happy (and he isn’t) with the whole “sacca le beau where is mi mama!” was just dayum lol
@@BBWahoo Ppl have said my mother is borderline. Idk she may well be a sperg like me and my father. She is very not sane in a hard to describe succinctly way.
I think it's a bit more complicated than being a monster. He's got some sort of personality disorder due to the relationship with his mother. Being generous is a big factor with these disorders. A bit too generous.
Still the best show of all time, it could never be made now. James Gandolfini gave the best performance in tv show history and Tony Soprano is definitely the most complex character in any show I have ever seen and this great analysis sums up why
I don't like to use the term "ahead of its time" but watching it for the first time this year, I couldn't believe just how extraordinarily it was ahead of everything else during its time of airing. But at the same time, yes, there's no way it could come to the perfection it was nowadays.
Outstanding analysis. I recently did a re-watch of the series leading up to the "Many Saints of Newark" movie. This show deserves a number of viewings, really. There was so much I didn't understand the first time around in the early 00's. Seemed a lot more like Shakespeare this time around. Not sure which play - maybe all of them.
A lot of it too, that I’ve definitely noticed, is that as you age you see pretty much everything differently. Including how you view television shows and the characters in them. Your opinions can change drastically over the years.
Oh yeah. Every time I rewatch the sopranos I get something different out of it 1st viewing- Tony is cool, best mob story ever 2nd viewing- Tony is dealing with family and getting older 3rd viewing- Tony is a psychologically complex dude 4th viewing- realized Tony is a just a straight up serial killer if you think about it lol
@@investinfastudios Corrected for me 1st viewing - Who's this guy, he's captain? Who's that? He's dead? Who's this? When did this happen? Why did he do that? 2nd viewing - Okay, I know who everyone is, Tony is a great guy. 3rd viewing - Hmmm, Tony isn't that nice. Also the side characters are so well written. 4th viewing - Best TV show ever? It really does need multiple views, sheer amount of characters and lack of introductions threw me first time. I liked it but didn't see it as that special, a top 10 show for me. But as you get to know them and can be more invested on what they're doing rather than who they are, god the show gets 50X better. Defo 1st or 2nd TV show of all time for me.
@@Sum41rthe1 No doubt in my mind its the best show ever made. Just like you mentioned, EVERY person in the show (no matter how small a part) is a living breathing fleshed out character. Even if they only have one line and you never see them again, I was like, yeah I know that guy really exists somewhere IRL. Every episode was like a movie, yet they still managed to have a cohesive plot throughout.
I feel like he tried, or at least had some self-reflection that maybe the things he was doing wasn't right, but ultimately he was too much of a coward and/or didn't want to face up to the fact that he could lose everything by changing; including his life and his family, which are two of his biggest fears (hence why the show starts with a panic attack triggered by his fear of losing his family via the ducks flying away)
I love this analysis! One thing I noticed was the note for Valentina. It was great while it lasted wasn’t what made Tony pause. From what I remember it was the Love Tony. He asks for another card and rewrite the “It was great while it lasted” and changes the Love Tony to Sincerely Tony. That made me believe he felt Love was too strong a word. That my thoughts on it anyway.
My ass. The writers were so upset about people liking those characters that they go full Flanders, turning them into cartoon villains. Compare Tony and Paulie from S1 to S6.
I once was friends with a guy who was exactly like this. He was fascinating and terrifying all at once. Ironically his name was also Tony and I later found out he was a mobster.
@ArchibaldMeatpantsjust because your life wasn't like that doesn't mean others didn't know people in a life of organized crime. All you people do is base the world off of your own views and think that will work for everybody when that's not the case at all
A psychological analysis of all the characters would be great. Paulie? Sil? Junior? Bobby? Ralph? Phil? Johnny? Artie? Richie? Even Butch would be a fascinating character study 😊……one per week for a year 😊…..I’d definitely tune in. A study about people who’ve been passed over and lash out at the world. Killers who hate themselves but are willing to kill weaker people to temporarily satisfy their need for power and retribution. They say the weak shall inherit the earth. In all this was Paulie or Butch “the weak”?
I watched this show for the first time when I was 15-16.I didn’t really understand the psychological depth in it at the time but found so fascinating how realistic the show was. I’m 22 now, adulting, and will definitely will be relating the show with new mature eyes and looking out at the chnages you made in this incredible analysis. Keep up the great work my man!
All these years and I just finished watching the entire season last night. I have to say. I am completely in love with this man. His acting,attitude, professionalism, and huge heart outside the film industry. All I can say is wow!! James Galdondini, will truly be missed. And what an ending! All I can think is he got Killed. Either way it was an ending that will be with me a long time. What a show! Congrats to the entire cast. You we’re all amazing. And the Director, wow. Outstanding show.
This is absolutely well-done and well-thought out. Kudos to you. I can't believe I just noticed the J. Rossi for the suspect of Melfi's attacker - and Karen Hill having issues with Janice Rossi in Goodfellas. The endless subtle layers of this show (amongst plenty of other reasons) - truly will make this show continue to be talked about for decades to come and why I will always rewatch a few episodes of this instead of trying watch any new show.
Brilliant analysis of the greatest TV character there has ever been. Every time I rewatch this series I realise the significance of certain scenes that I never noticed before. The first time round I thought the scenes with Melfi were boring because I wanted more mafia scenes but the more I watch it, the more I realise that these scenes are the heart of the show.
Great work! Only just made my way through Sopranos during pandemic, and I realize the genius of putting a character like Tony on the screen is how easily his protracted charm eats at one’s soul
Oh man, u got right to the edge of it. Wish u had gone a touch further and asked what if the most basic existential conflict within Tony is that deep down he knows he did have a choice and regrets the one he made.
I think the therapy helped. The problem was the patient/Tony himself. He just wanted to do what he wanted to do whether it be good or bad. He just felt entitled.
@@estevanluis it (and the medication) likely helped with his panic attacks, that was about it. I agree with you that therapy didn't help for his self-improvement, it just made him a more effective manipulator 🙂-- it's clear this is the case early on when Tony uses Melfi's advice on dealing with the elderly to set up Junior as a figurehead boss with no power.
Wow man that’s the greatest understatement ever. Following the most thorough and deep analysis of Tony and the psychological outline of this show, the writing „just an observation“ appears. Great work man!
The episode that really showed Tony completely going off the rails was "Chasing It". The show was just dark by mid season 6. The humor was falling away.
I've never watched this show, but it's my father's all time favorite, so I was curious. I'm a psych student, currently studying the great therapists, and this was absolutely incredible.
I just don't get why u wouldn't watch the show but instead would watch a yt video full of spoilers. I couldn't do that when so many people and critics praise this as one of the greatest shows of all time. I avoided spoilers for this show for many years so I could enjoy it to the fullest once I would watch it.
@@DenseEpiphany Same here and just finished it. It was the single greatest television viewing experience I ever had and I'm grateful I didn't know what was going to happen next. I feel sorry that someone would rob themselves of the exprerience by watching a RU-vid video. To each their own, I guess.
By far the most interesting video essay I've ever seen on a tv character. Really was just excellent, well done mate and you're a fellow Irishman which always helps.
incredible work. Somehow managing to offer new perspectives and bring unique stuff to the table on an already endlessly dissected and analysed character. love it
The depth and quality of "The Sopranos" is even more impressive when one remembers that it was among the very first cable dramatic series. It blazed the trail, setting an extremely high bar for the genre, one that very few series have met. Enjoyed your analysis. Thanks for posting.
try letting go of control... Love tends to find you when you are not looking for it... And rage is not an attractive quality to most. Baby steps. Take your time. Count to ten. Be glad you have a functioning brain. I do wonder if you have friends (I never had many), being lonely often doesn't help. Having fun with some person does help in being noticed. I can remember being baffled that when I had a girfriend for a while, suddenly all kinds of females tried to get my attention, where they left me alone as a single. I was much more passive by the way, more depressed than angry.
As a HUGE fan of The Sopranos for a long time, i am trully happy with this resurgence of the show. There´s more and more quality content appearing on youtube, dissecting the personality of, probably, the most complex character on tv show ever. This is a very good insight into the mind of Tony Soprano.
It never gets old. Every once in a while I think I'm done with it. Then someone comes along and reminds me that I haven't seen deeply enough. Pehaps I'll never be done with it until I'm done with myself. That sounds very David Chase.
"You born into this shit...You are who you are" What a line that could really mean something for so many different people. Or everyone really. Because you are technically born into your family's cycle which creates your cycle. But still, you are born into this world. You are born into what other's have created for you. Created on purpose or on accident. Great video 🔥
The main reason why i hate redemption arcs is because how most of these arcs undermine how difficult it is for a man to change his nature, to me characters like tony and bojack are the prime example of characters who always go through these struggles.
Tony never actually KNEW Ralph killed Pie O My, he was just enraged at Ralph's relief. Relief which was warranted, the horse was a huge moneysink and Ralph had a child in the ICU. Ralph, in that episode, is also becoming a better person himself, and Tony completely destroys that and any chance of it.
No. Ralph’s kid in the icu was just an excuse. Ralph wasn’t watching his boys and it shows his absenteeism and lack of effort in anything that requires work. Same with the horse. He was happy to cheer it on and make winnings on it but the minute the horse needed time or investment for its own well-being Ralph couldn’t have cared less. He didn’t even pay the vet a few hundred bucks to keep it alive. Ralph didn’t change. He just finally got a slap in the face that he couldn’t burn down or run away from responsibility when his kid was hurt under his supervision
I always viewed ralph as sneaky and manipulative. Was so glad when he was finally dealt with. He got his misses son killed and then left her when she was grieving, killed a pregnant young woman for calling him out and then burned down the stable. He deserved it.
I am truly thankful to everybody involved with telling this story. It’s a great lesson for very real struggles that exist in Italian families, and all other families too. But the attention to particular detail in Tony’s Italian Anerican manifestation of this tale is unbelievable
One of the biggest turning points for tony in the show is when he kills pussy. He realized that anyone in the family can turn on him, no matter how long they’ve known each other and how close they were.
But Tony is so interesting because of what he’s capable of. Melfi considered telling him about the rapist, she didn’t consider telling anyone else who didn’t already know. It’s because of his strength, power and street smarts. He could literally kill and get away with it. Most people wouldn’t be able to do anything if they’re loved ones were raped.
I think the therapy did help Tony but only in bursts and temporarily. After certain pieces of therapy Tony does better for a while, but he almost always goes back to his old ways after a while. He cannot keep up his good behaviour after he starts it. Which, I think, relates to what "The Sopranos" really says about changing. Which is that it is possible to change, but it takes consistent hard work and effort to change and stay changed. And few people are willing to put in that hard work and effort because it's so easy to fall back into old patterns.
I think also the problem is in the structure of his life and profession. He can't really try that hard to be a more happy and sensible person. That would ultimately make him incompatible with being a mob boss.
this channel is AMAZING!!! i always wanted to hear someone break down the characters in such detail in a way that allows me to really understand the premise of a show. thank you for your work and amazing editing.
@@BBWahoo I wouldn't and couldn't change anything, Nothing's perfect. I'm saying that one of the show's main devices is flawed. Of course you may think the Melfi storyline is believable. As I believe she would in reality have dropped Tony as a client much sooner. It made good TV, but is in no way credible.
@@louistracy6964 I always viewed her taking on Tony as a client as flaw in her character, not a flaw in the series. She seemed to be getting some kind of thrill from having him as a patient and was basically obsessed with him, eg standing on the toilet to see his house at her friend's house. Also, she talked about him a lot during her own therapy. I think she thought she would be the one who could change him which created many blindspots for her. When it became undeniable that Tony was beyond help, that's when she terminated the sessions.
@@TheSlingmustard Yes, just about everything that comes into Tony's orbit is crushed. But, over the series, it's convenient to the plotline that this well-qualified doctor, under supervision, shows so little insight into her own complicity in enabling Tony; the research on Narcissistic PD was well-known. She is so aware of his crimes and his nature. In the end I just found it impausible, and Jennifer being 'obsessed', turning to alcohol and such, just kinda throws her into the 'silly woman' trope, with zero agency until the very end of the show.
Generally speaking a good, thought-provoking video. But you completely misunderstood one of the best moments of the show, Jennifer's famous 'No'. Around 13:00 you say Melfi refuses to seek Tony's help to avenge her attacker because she doesn't want him to relapse. If you watch the episode again, you'll understand that it wasn't the reason for her decision. Melfi had a huge internal moral struggle. She was brutally harmed, and the attacker got away with it due to a technicality. She rightfully felt that she deserved revenge, and knew that she just had to say the word, and Tony or his crew would rip the guy into pieces. But she saw where that road lead, and didn't want to go down there. Not for Tony's sake, but for her own morality.
Tony is absolutely right about being born into it : royalty , abusive dysfunctional families, poverty , etc … choices exist indeed…. But how to escape the pressure, distraction, etc . Is the struggle. Exceptions occur .. but how many Jordan’s. Tysons, Jackson do we know in a generation?
This is a great video, as always. However I think you get some things wrong here. Melfi, for example, isn't the one that convinces Tony not to kill the soccer coach. Artie convinced him that it was wrong after getting an earful from Charmaine about it. A more crucial inaccuracy, however, is saying that Melfi didn't tell Tony about her rapist in protection of his progress. That "No" at the end of Employee of the Month is so powerful because Melfi is rejecting Tony's way of dealing with life. She sees the unfairness in the world, but decides to listen to her own morality by not having Tony act against her rapist. All of this is to say that The Sopranos is an extremely nuanced show and while this video condenses 6 seasons of one character's arc neatly, there is a lot of complexity behind the simplifications made here.
I agree with you that’s what Melfi is doing when she says “no”, it’s rejecting his way of dealing with things regardless of her temptation, but I also see it as she would become morally corrupted into his world by doing so. But yeah I was trying to be as succinct as possible. Maybe its not clear enough as I was trying to serve my own point haha. Thanks for the feedback!
I think Artie and Melfi both had to be there to tell Tony to stop. I think the message wouldn't have been fully received if only one of them had attempted to talk him out of harming the coach. He was already conflicted about it because of Dr. Melfi, and then Artie was the final straw that made him realize that what he was planning on doing was "needlessly" self-indulgent. The other point is spot on; Melfi doesn't want to stoop to Tony's moralistic level and allow him to deal with the rapist in a brutal, albeit justifiable way. She said it best herself when talking to her ex-husband, Richard, "I won't break the social compact." The implications of telling Tony about the rapist is that he would mete out a horrific, self-indulgent fate upon this man (somewhat akin to the coach) and Melfi would subvert the law in which she wholeheartedly believes in and advocates. I honestly think Melfi's choice is the strongest show of character in the entire show. It's really just too good.
Another factor is she knew tony would kill the guy. Thats all fine and well but two things. she would then know he did it and could be made to testify if he would get arrested for it (even though he probably wouldnt). More importantly, if he did it, she would owe him in some way and she know what he would want.
Just watched it for the 1st time and the ending with the black screen was deafening. Crazy to see how he would go from being a good human being to repeating the cycle again until he ultimately seals his fate in his lifestyle for good. Wish I watched this show so many years ago
Wow--thanks for this revisit to the series I'd enjoyed, and an in-depth cinematic analysis of what makes it so excellent. Of all the fine features presented in "The Sopranos", the ultimate star is the writing...there's so much there.
I'd say Tony and Gul Dukat are probably the two best written villains of all time. Both charismatic and gregarious, both deeply troubled by their place in life. Odd to think of the two of them in the same sentence.
This analysis deserves some type of award, you have no idea what watching this has done for me, aside from the killing and all that, these flaws, hypocrisy's and everything else resonate so deeply that I have had true revelations about myself because they mirror this so well. Thank you
I don't think Tony gave a damn about killing Chris, and the Vegas sequence confirms that. It had nothing to do with the baby seat, as that only gave him an excuse to justify his decision
The magic of Chris' death is how the monster side of Tony operates. Given full control of the situation, he revels in the fact he decides over other people's lives, utmost manifestation of power. When this control is taken away from him, during assassination attempts, relatives doublecrossing or letting him down, the monster recedes, giving way to the soft, victimized and vulnerable Tony to pick up the pieces and atone for his sins. Everytime his hand was forced, this vulnerable Tony fell prey for the monster. When he was challenged about his feelings and convictions, the broken Tony would lash out or panic to avoid confronting the monster. At the end, regardless of what supported the monster taking over, it did. And killed Tony's humanity that was left for good.
The sopranos is a masterful example of mental illness and sociopathy. The writing and acting is so good they really convey the push pull nature of the narcissistic sociopath. At times you think tony is the good guy. At times the bad. The story arc really follows dr Melfi realizing like the viewer that tony is an unchanging sociopath who cannot be helped. Tony isn’t a good guy. He’s a monster
This video was an eye opener to my own psyche, almost all of Tony's issues except for the mother aspect are things I've struggled with for my whole life.
Hey man, this was a fantastic video. My favorite show of all time and I’ve seen it so many times. Yet, you made me want to start from S1E1 to notice and appreciate everything you’ve pointed out. Awesome work.
I just finished rewatching the series from beginning to end last night. After watching the hbo movie that Christopher made about the previous generation, it was like watching a whole different tv show from its first run (which was the only other time I had watched it). It was so much better this time around. I agree with your opinions of Tony’s growth and ultimate psychopathy that stunted his ability to really change. I’ve known a few in my life, and they really do consider themselves better than normal as people that just happen to let themselves blow from time to time…a character flaw that they are willing to live with in their quest for goodness. I hope you make more of these. Great shows like this (and my other obsession coming back on tonite for last 1/2 season, Better Call Saul), are almost to good for mere mortals to take in. Thanks again for this video, I’ll look for more from you about this show.
Man, everytime I watch a new sopranos video I feel even more confused about certain things. I always thought it was very ambiguous on whether or not Olivia actually was cognizant of the attempt on Tony's life. Same with the whole "smile". Which could have easily been a look of fear. Yet everytime I see people talk so concretely on the subject. I'm still not sure one way or the other to be honest. I always thought that was the point.
She knew. That’s part of her personality, she’s miserable and dragging others down to her misery is the only way she feels better about it. If you’ve ever been around that type of person in real life you know everything livia does is intentional.
I’ve always felt that because Tony grew up in a family where his dad was a hyper-masculine jerk and his mom was emotionally abusive he developed an inability to trust fully. Lack of trust helps foster feelings of isolation and we see countless times throughout the series that Tony can’t even be honest with himself or others. He never learned to trust and accept his feelings, which I think plays a role in the constant justifying of his actions. Another point is think gets glossed over is even nice and good people, when riddled with anxiety and put in stressful situations, can lash out and become a nightmare to be around. Tony has decades of untreated childhood trauma and his job is almost always life or death, bravado or cowardice, make peace or make war. Anyone in that situation, good or bad, would be prone to making impulsive and horrifying decisions or at least mistreating everyone around them.
