Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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billymac wrote:DH: Count me in favor of another sweet 16 when the time comes!
Hate to dilute the thread too much, but let me add that I'd be in favor of another "best of" poll for two reasons:

(1) As much as I love the classic sports paradigm of a tournament, it's really geared to picking a single winner. That's fun, and I remain very interested to see which episode emerges here. But I think we all agree that it's next to impossible to really pick "a" best episode of this show. It's impossible for most of us individually let alone for the collective "us".

(2) This tournament excluded the finale from consideration. While I honestly don't think its inclusion would have made any difference, I think it would be nice to do a different kind of voting game where each and every ep is eligible.

I'd propose one of two formats: everyone naming their individual top 10 episode lists (no order required). The 10 episodes named most often would then comprise the forum's top 10.

OR

Everyone simply vote for every episode they rate "perfect" (or a 10 on a scale of 1-10). We could require a quorum of 50% of total voters naming an ep on their list in order for it to comprise part of the final list of "Perfect Episodes".

This method appeals to me because it allows each voter to recognize as many episodes as they deem worthy of special distinction and eliminates the extremely difficult task of trying to rate apples as better than oranges in order to achieve a single or limited number of best episodes. The final list could consist of only 5 episodes or 22 episodes, however many that at least half of the voters rated as perfect.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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I'd propose one of two formats: everyone naming their individual top 10 episode lists (no order required). The 10 episodes named most often would then comprise the forum's top 10.

I don't know about everyone else but compiling a "top ten" list is just torture for me.

First, I have the problem that I never got to see the name of the episode when it was broadcast. So I can describe some great episodes to you, but I have no idea as to their names.

Second, any time I try to construct a list, it just becomes hopeless. Given that there are 86 episodes and I think the show just got better and better as time progressed, I basically love all the episodes starting from Season 3 (episode number 27) except for some of the Vito episodes in Season 6A. But to narrow down all those episodes to 10? I've tried but it's just hopeless. I would probably just start with the Top 16 and eliminate the winner and then eliminate 5 of the others and call that my Top Ten.

I like DH's format. I have no problem when given two episodes to pick the one I preferred. I can handle that with no problem.

Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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We already have a top 10 list. Take the final 8 and add the top 2 shows that missed the cut for nos. 9 & 10. Furthermore, if we so chose, at the end of the tournament, we could have the list in priority order, again using the vote totals. Otherwise, if some feel the sports "paradigm" is too constricting, then simply produce a list in which the 1-10 order is irrelevant.

We can all develop our own top 10 lists, which, when compiled, I suspect will have several of the shows already listed in the "tournament." I'm not trying to discourage us from going through the exercise, as it's a worthwhile experiment. The real difference will be the ability to have more than two shows from a given season on the list.

Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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One possible suggestion that may help in keeping this site active in the future would be to appoint someone (looking at DH) to compile a list of our Top Ten or Top Twenty or whatever and edit together some remarks or explanations from some of the members.

In other words, when voting, it would be required to make a brief (or not so brief if you prefer) explanation of why it is a favorite. Then someone could edit together all the explanations of the winners and then, when the site is advertised or listed on other sites, one of the drawing points could be, "Contains a list of the Top X episodes as determined by true Soprano fans as well as an explanation of why the episodes were so good" or possibly call them "reviews". In this way, it would help draw new people to this site to see something that is not readily available elsewhere. I know of no other site that attempts to identify the Top X episodes as chosen by true fans and given reviews by those same fans. I think it would be of big interest to anyone who wanted to get involved with the show.

Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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To be honest, I was just commenting that there are enough good episodes that it would be possible to have another sweet sixteen. I did not specifically mean that I was planning such. But I certainly don't mind putting together another project to determine a top 10 or 20 or list of favorites. We have many ways to get to that as evidenced by the previous comments here. Let's post our thoughts and remarks in another thread devoted to that, however, so we can save this one for the final four.

And speaking of that, voting is open for just a few more hours. Make sure you get your votes in. Those last four episodes once more:

Bracket A: Funhouse (season 2) vs. The Sopranos, Pilot (season 1)

Bracket B: Whitecaps (season 4) vs. Long Term Parking (season 5)
"Leave the gun...take the cannoli." - Clemenza

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Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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And once again, I guess I had better get my own vote in before it's too late. :icon_redface:

A: Funhouse

B: Whitecaps

Funhouse simply has so much going on and that wonderful closing moment (that I think Chase should have utilized once more, at least in part.) And Whitecaps is not only the longest Sopranos episode, it also contains such a defining moment between Tony and Carmela - the reason I watched this show.

And I just realized, if Long Term Parking and Whoever Did This was the battle of "whacks" then Long Term Parking and Whitecaps is the battle of breakups. Each episode deals with the break up of the two big couples on the show.
"Leave the gun...take the cannoli." - Clemenza

Think Tony Died? Consider this...

Visit my Blog at Hear the Hurd

Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - Semi-Finals:

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Bracket A: The Sopranos, Pilot (season 1)

Bracket B: Long Term Parking (season 5)


Tough choices here.

Bracket A: I love Fun House, but I have to give the nod to the Pilot. When it was first aired it was so unlike anything that had come before; it provided an instant hook into the series and it introduced us into the Sopranos’ world in a gritty yet warm fashion. We got our first glimpse of the characters. We are given our first look at the storylines. I think it is more difficult to establish the world in which the story will be told than it is to tell the ongoing story in the future. That is what the Pilot did. It defined the Sopranos’ world for us and began to tell the story of family man who is also a Family man. Before it, there is no reference point, no previous episode upon which it depends or on which it can rely for greatness...it is great simply because, all on its own, it is great.

Bracket B: Long Term Parking is just too perfect an episode to vote against for me.

Re: The Sopranos, "All Time Favorite Episode" - The Finals

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Season One could not hold out against Funhouse, with the Pilot finally falling. And Long Term Parking keeps making the tough run towards the finals. Whitecaps made a late showing, but support for the season five penultimate show was too strong. And so, we have a finals:
Image
The Finals:

Funhouse (season 2) vs. Long Term Parking (season 5)


* * *

Funhouse (season 2) (Dir: John Patterson; Writers: David Chase and Todd A. Kessler)
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Tony gets food poisoning the day before Meadow's graduation; while trying to recover, his dreams lead him to resurrect old suspicions about an old friend. The FBI executes a search warrant, and arrests Tony.


Long Term Parking (Dir: Tim Van Patten; Writer: Terence Winter)
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After she tries to cover up a murder, Adriana is met with increasing demands from the FBI, with tragic consequences; Tony reconciles with Carmela. When calls for an absent Tony Blundetto’s blood are made, Tony makes a final stand for his cousin.

* * *
Winner to be announced July 8th.
"Leave the gun...take the cannoli." - Clemenza

Think Tony Died? Consider this...

Visit my Blog at Hear the Hurd

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