Re: Dream Squence Thread

12
chrisishot1 - an even better look at that. I don't know my Catholic "death areas" well, I admit. A born and raised Methodist that has struggled with religion since.

But it fits the "questioning" thought I was having, certainly. This is the dream in which Tony ponders what life might be like on the outside. And it seems to show him little answer. A bit like Limbo (which, to be honest, I always thought was another term for purgatory. Blame Dante, and not Sil, - but Allegheri never used the term limbo that I recall.)

</p>

Re: Dream Squence Thread

14
Also noticed...in the telephone conversation with the wife in the dream...Tony tells her "I miss you". She tells him it is his fault because he has been too busy, too involved with work. Tony realizing that "this thing of ours" is responsible for almost destroying his relationship with Carm and signalling a re-dedication to the nuclear family after (I hope) he recovers?

</p>

Re: Dream Squence Thread

15
Did anyone else notice the Muzak song that was playing as Tony entered his hotel room for the final scene? It was "Day After Day" by Badfinger. The lyrics are:

I remember finding out about you
Everyday my mind is all around you
Looking out from my lonely room, day after day
Bring it home baby make it soon I give my love to you.

I remember holding you while you sleep
Everyday I feel the tears that you weep
Looking out from my lonely gloom, day after day
Bring it home baby make it soon I give my love to you.

Looking out from my lonely room, day after day
Bring it home baby make it soon I give my love to you.

I remember finding out about you
Everyday my mind is all around you
Looking out from my lonely room, day after day
Bring it home baby make it soon I give my love to you.

So...Tony was "looking out from his lonely room"...day after day.

Very eerie

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p098.ezboard.com/bthechaselounge ... ac72261</A>
Image
at: 3/20/06 12:25 am

Re: Dream Squence Thread

16
On the absolute surface, if we take the dream at face value, the main thematic elements of the sequence seems to revolve around the idea that Tony is having an identity crises of some sort. While at certain points in the dream the dialogue might seem quite removed from this central idea, at others it is almost painfully obvious with Tony saying things like “I’m Lost” , “I’m 46, Where am I going?”. We must also consider the symbolism of his misplacing his wallet and briefcase and as a result not being able to identify himself to the people around him. He is just a faceless nobody in the dream.

So what is the root cause of Tony’s identity crises? Well if I remember correctly, at some point in the first or second season Tony is discussing his adolescence with Melfi and he makes reference to the fact that his uncle and father were both involved in mafia and then goes on to say “maybe for me, being a rebel in my family would have been selling patio furniture”. I think this goes to show that Tony’s subconscious is entertaining the idea of what a different life might have been for him; one where he is an average Joe who has to deal with all the petty annoyances of everyday life. A person who has to let hotel clerks walk all over him and random people to harass him only to escape unpunished.

Now I don’t think this is the real reason behind Tony’s newfound crises to discover who he truly is. Weather or not he realizes it this is about his Uncle and his Mother and his inability to come to terms with the fact that two members of his immediate family who are supposed to be loving and supportive never appreciated him. Tony’s whole life philosophy revolves around family. Not just in a business sense but also as a sort of religion. To Tony family bonds are the only things that really count. This is why he continued to care for Junior after he tried to have him killed. This is why he blames himself for his Mother’s reaction to putting her in a lovely RETIERMENT COMMUNITY. Even in the dream when the doctor makes reference to Alzheimer’s you can see that Tony still empathizes with his uncle. The same man who has now tried to kill him twice. Even after all this Tony can’t come to terms with the fact that his FAMILY betrayed him. Not Carm or his kids….just Livia and Junior. But that alone is completely enough to shatter Tony’s worldview.

If Tony Soprano isn’t the man who takes care of his family at all costs who is he? What’s the point of being a Mafia boss if you don’t believe in family?


</p>

Re: Dream Squence Thread

18
Some good thoughts here, guys & gals.

I'm going with shotgun, jumbled observations for now because I don't begin to have a coherent, holistic interpretation yet.

The wildfires of Costa Mesa. Suggestion of hell or some place very close to it. When asked if Costa Mesa is a great place to live, the bartender says it's "dead around here". BTW, does anyone know what "Cosa Mesa" means? I assume "coast" something. Mountains?

Blackened Grouper. Don't know what it means, but I find it curious in view of the fact that Tony has been on a raw fish binge. Suddenly the fish is burned. Possibly a reference again to the proximity to flames.

The briefcase mixup. Someone else took the life he should have had. He even comments that "his whole life" is in the missing briefcase. He also notes that he didn't catch the switch at first because Finnerty's briefcase "looked like mine". It was only after he got inside it that he realized it wasn't his.

Being refused the same hotel room. He gave up his lodging -- his body -- but now needs it back because he is not in fact ready to die. The clerk tells him he can't have it because he already checked out, the rooms are all booked, and he can't draw on the previous account. He suggests Tony try another hotel. Translation: he can come back and have a different body, a different life but can't reclaim his old one. It's gone.

The dark brain spots/Alzheimers. His intuition, premonition, enlightenment, what have you, that he will suffer brain damage as a result of the shooting and cannot be the same person he was. It could also be just a simple, unfounded fear of becoming like his Uncle. And I agree that it could also symbolize his own psychopathology.

Kevin Finnerty, dealer in solar heating products, offering no warranty or contact information, only dissatisfied customers, including monks. God? The sun is God's creation. He is "the light". As the bar customer pointed out, the name connotes "Infinity", i.e., the alpha and the omega. Mrs. Soprano assures Tony that Finnerty will make contact, but so far he hasn't, much like God picks and chooses the ways in which He reveals Himself. The monks blame Finnerty and his defective solar heat for their crappy winter, in keeping with the blame heaped upon God for all mankind's ills.

The airport light on the horizon. Lot's of good interpretations of this already. The one that occurred to me first was that it was a beacon beckoning him to death. He sees his imminent demise on the fading, dimly-lit horizon. The same light appears to be shimmering while he's in the bar.

The phone calls home. They establish his strong love for and connection to his family, his desire to be with them. Yet, after the Alzheimer's diagnosis, he cannot bring himself to call them again. The Moby song supplies all the subtext:

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>Where were you when I was lonesome?
Locked away with freezing cold
Someone flying only stolen
I can't tell this light so old

I don't want to swim the ocean
I don't want to fight the tide
I don't want to swim forever
When it's cold I'd like to die

What was that my sweet sweet nothing?
I can't hear you through the fog
If I holler let me go
If I falter let me know

I don't want to swim forever
I don't want to fight the tide
I don't want to swim the ocean
When it's cold I'd like to die<hr></blockquote>

This plays while he stares longingly at the horizon. By the end of the episode, Tony is tired of fighting and wants to die.

This is just a start. Will be watching this ep many more times and avidly reading others' thoughts to try and get the most out of it.

</p>

Re: Dream Squence Thread

19
Do you guys remember Tony and Carm were talking on the phone in S5 and how the sun shined brightly on Carm...I believe the final dream sequence is in correlation with that S5 scene.

Carmela is going to be the reason behind whatever is Tony's fate in this coma condition.

Since we all know that Carmela is the best thing for Tony on every level...I think everything will be OK for Tony.

</p>

Re: Dream Squence Thread

20
Ohhhh! The being refused the same room analogy didn't occur to me at ALL! Thanks, Fly.

But 'blackened' food doesn't mean it's burned. It's a matter of seasoning and spices that results in 'blackening'.

Oh and i'm SO glad someone besides me picked up on that song as Tony was entering the hotel room and kicking off his shoes. The way it ended abruptly right into hymn-like organ music was odd but fitting, i suppose.



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p098.ezboard.com/bthechaselounge ... tangled</A> at: 3/20/06 1:32 am

Return to “Sopranos Symbolism and Subtext”