I was in chat last night with jouster and Universal Polymath, and I got the distinct impression that they are feeling a bit the same.wgaryw wrote:As usual for almost all the episodes in season 6, I had to watch this twice before really absorbing it. And as usual, the episode only seemed *more* layered and complex after the second viewing, which I guess is a good thing.
My overwhelming first reaction -- OVERWHEMLING-- is that I would probably have unconditionally loved this episode if it had aired *before* last week's. I suppose they'd have to snip out the references to the peyote trip in Melfi's office; and the scene with Kelly where she talks about the house being too big now that Chris is dead. But otherwise, continuity-wise, you could pretty much stick this episode before "Kennedy and Heidi".
The problem is, I'm disgusted with Tony and nothing in tonight's episode redeems him in my eyes. It's not that I'm looking for redemption, either. It's just that it leaves me emotionally disconnected with the show in a way I've never felt in all the years I've watched it. It's a weird way to feel towards a show I love, two episodes before the end.
So I tried to imagine how I would have reacted to this episode if it had happened before Tony killed Christopher, and it really hit home how much last week's episode devastated any empathy I once felt towards Tony Soprano.
In many ways, "The Second Coming" felt like an "old school" episode. Two good Melfi sessions, a session with Eliot, focus on the domestic family, all the stuff I love the most. Alongside this, the mob story was high tension, with a fairly typical Sorpanos scene of an innocent getting beaten (the construction guy). All good. All deeper and more interesting on a second viewing.
So why was I left so cold? I think it's because I just don't like anything about Tony anymore. At his most sympathetic moment, when he was cradling AJ in his arms repeating "It's all right, baby"-- a scene which many folks apparently found so moving -- all I could think of was the dead look on Tony's face as he suffocated Christopher. I think maybe *I* have post traumatic stress disorder.
Do you think this is the intended reaction (if there is such a thing)? Am I alone in feeling so alienated from any positive aspects of Tony's behavior at this point in the series?
So I thought it would be interesting to pose a poll question to see if we can identify and even quantify this phenomenon. If you do feel similarly, what do you think it would take for you to regain your emotional stake in Tony's fate?