I'm Only Sleeping: Awake and Asleep on The Sopranos

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With apologies to The Beatles for cribbing a song title for the title of this thread, but it seemed appropriate. As I watched the full 6/7 seasons (depending on which way you look at it) again recently, I was caught by the number of times episodes in the final nine began with Tony in bed and asleep, waking up just as the camera pans over him. I recall finding this curious as I watched the episodes the first time and I think now I have an idea of why it was the case. Sleeping on The Sopranos is a symbol of the character's inability to "wake up" and change. It seems to fit with my previous understanding of the show, most especially with my theories regarding the ending (which can be found by following the link in my signature among other places.) The short form? The series came full circle and I see many ways in which that was announced to us through symbolism and outright visuals. One of these was the sheer amount of sleeping going on, especially by Tony. He did not change by the end but rather stayed exactly as he was from the very first episode.


The Final Nine



Every season seemed to have a theme to it and the last is no exception. Throughout, there are signs of finality from the death of major characters to signals such as songs used ("When the Music's Over" playing at the Bing in The Blue Comet) and references towards circles and orbits (a fantastic theory on this can be found in this thread by Fly.) I won't belabor the point other than to point out such things as the many times we see a roulette wheel, the circular onion rings fed upon at Holsteins (best in the state, they say), the article torn from Melfi's Departures magazine at their last visit (and see too the very name of the magazine), the spinning toy helicopter seen as Bobby lay dead and the many references to the beacon seen during Tony's coma dream (as well as by Carm in Paris and Tony both during the "I get it" moment and in the very last episode as he looks up at the sun.) One might even consider the repeated moments of the wind reminders of what Schwinn tells Tony in the hospital about the two boxers - they are like tornadoes, just wind moving in opposite directions.

While previous seasons always had a foil for Tony, this last had only himself. Beginning with the shooting, he worked his way back forgetting anything the coma experience might have taught him and instead found himself fighting a losing battle against what he had been offered time and time again - a way out of the morass of his life. As discussed in another thread Tony might never have had this chance given his raising and the peculiar nature of his parents, but man does have free will and Tony time and again refused to exercise it. In The Test Dream, he seems to have been considering a way out, perhaps via the witness protection route witnessed by the Valachi Papers reference, Artie's major role and his old coach Molinaro dream - he wanted out somewhere deep in his subconscious, or at least to be a normal guy. But how to get there? In his coma dream (or whatever one might like to call it) there are further moments where his deeper mind is looking at his life and what it meant - his soul would be charged with a lawsuit for his crimes and once he awoke, he seemed as if he might move towards a better direction. But he never did.

One might look at his behavior in the final nine as abnormally rough and mean, a thought I had as I watched it - he seemed to be burning his bridges with all those that meant something to him...certainly Junior, though he did offer him one final moment near the end; definitely with Hesh; he considered whacking Paulie on the boat during Remember When and went as far as to kill Christopher for very much the same reason - fear they would snitch him out to the feds. I wonder if he wasn't a little angry at himself for not changing or finding a way out. But either way, he wasn't going to change. After all those years of therapy with Melfi, he never really "got it" even if he said he did. Witness the discussion with Melfi of this very moment in The Second Coming - sometimes you have these thoughts and then they are gone (I paraphrase.) The thought, to Tony, is fleeting. There and then gone. Tony walks around awake but asleep, never able to grab hold of anything meaningful that would cause him to alter his life (and by doing so, draws all those around him into the same hell.)

Consider that of the nine episodes of season 6b, Tony is first seen asleep in exactly every other episode:

Sopranos Home Movies: It starts with the scene from the end of season 5, then we see the kid find the gun and then we see both Tony and Carm asleep. They wake up to the pounding at the door and Carm says "Is this it?"

Stage 5: Starts with the scene from Cleaver (a nasty portrayal of Tony, to be sure), then we see the boys in the editing room and then Tony in the basement (interestingly enough asking Chris if he's talked to the guy with the air mattresses.)

Remember When: Starts with Tony asleep. He then wakes up, washes his face and looks in the mirror. Then he moves to the window to see Paulie come up the driveway with the news about Willie Overall, his first hit.

Chasing It: Begins on a shot of a roulette wheel as the boys are gambling then moves to Little Vito in a graveyard.

Walk Like A Man: Begins with Tony asleep and then cuts to a scene of him walking downstairs singing "Comfortably Numb."

Kennedy and Heidi: Starts with a shot of asbestos being dumped, then the meeting between Tony and Phil, and then the car crash leading to Christopher's death, to the tune of "Comfortably Numb", I might add. I could also mention, this episode hearkens back to the episode in the previous portion of season 6, The Ride. Tony and Chris don't have quite the same fun time this time around.

The Second Coming: Begins with another shot of asbestos being dumped in Jersey as it pans up to show the NY skyline and then cuts to...yep, Tony asleep. To further the point, the next thing we see is A.J. asleep. Curious as this is the episode in which AJ attempts suicide.

The Blue Comet: Starts with Burt Gervasi getting his paper, Sil then kills him, jump to Phil deciding to take out Tony, then to AJ in the hospital and finally to Carm and Tony talking to a hospital admin who suggests that "Kids in crises mostly need an environment of calm."

Made in America: I think we all know it begins with Tony asleep. We first hear what sounds like funeral music that is really the beginning of a version of "You Keep Me Hanging On." The song choice cannot be coincidence, not in Chase's vision. It could possibly be a shout out to those that think Tony might still have a shot for change. And it is used more than once, brought back again as he and Bissel park their van at the safe house where Carm is staying with the kids.

Why show us Tony sleeping so much? Perhaps to suggest that he will never wake from this "depression." Pills didn't work. Melfi could not help him (or he would not let her.) Being shot at in Isabella didn't seem to do it. Nor did actually being shot in Member's Only. The risk of being thrown in jail did not seem to stop him. In the end, he ends up right where he started and in the process took nearly every one else down with him.


Sleeping as a metaphor



Tony is not the only one that sleeps on the show, to be sure. Recall after Christopher is made in Fortunate Son that he finds the position more than he bargained for. After several setbacks his only solace is his bed. When Tony calls, he rolls over and throws the cover over his head. Consider too another of my favorite episodes, Second Opinion. Carmela spends much of the episode coming to a realization, first with Melfi and then her far more confrontational mentor, Dr. Krakower. He pointedly tells her what it is she is doing and what she must do if she truly wishes to save not just her own soul, but those of her children. What does Carmela end up doing? Sleeping on the couch. Recall she mentioned that every one else does it, so why not her? It is only when Tony finally gives in and offers to donate the money to Columbia that she gets up. Meadow and AJ are often seen in their beds sleeping, though these could easily be simply an honest portrayal of youth. However, I find Meadow's example interesting and I'll return to that below. I could also mention, it is rather interesting to me that Agent Harris is in bed when he gives Tony the information on where Phil might be. The beginnings of his "turn?"

One might also consider these words by Chase himself just after the series finale:
Did you expect people to be so pissed off?
We didn't expect them to be that pissed for that long. It's one thing to be deeply involved with a television show. It's another to be so involved that all you do is sit on a couch and watch it. It seemed that those people were just looking for an excuse to be pissed off. There was a war going on that week and attempted terror attacks in London. But these people were talking about onion rings.
Now granted, I am likely one of those so deeply involved with looking at the inner workings of not just the show, but so too the players involved from the director all the way to his characters, but the phrase is telling. Here Chase suggests that there is a larger world out there. Is it looking too far to suggest the title of the final episode, Made in America, might mean more than just the characters in the show but so too perhaps the American public that took to it so much over the years? Could he be suggesting that Americans walk around asleep, not seeing things in front of them as perhaps they should and more focused on television shows than real world events? It's certainly possible. He was not shy about including his own personal beliefs in the show. I was always curious about the Arabs from the first part of season 6. Could they have meant more than just a way to bring Tony closer to Agent Harris? Could they have also been a way to show real world events happening right there next to Tony while he went about his merry way, avoiding the piano hanging over his head and in so doing, show us too?

Then, of course, there is the very simple "death = the long sleep" to consider. Those that could not or would not alter their ways found that very thing. Pussy, Ade, Jimmy Altieri, Vin Mackasian, Johnny Sac, Phil Leotardo, Ray Curto, Tony B. and Ralphie, etc. - they all were part of the life and all seemed to ignore that same piano over their heads. Of all of them, Ade was perhaps the saddest. While she enjoyed the fruits of the life, she continually attempted to get Chris away from it. She seemed to just want to be with him. But like Carmela, would she have found happiness as a poor woman? It is an interesting question.


"To sleep, perchance to dream"



This, to me, seems the most interesting part of the theory. Some might call it a flaw. However, I consider it a supreme irony. It is ironic to consider sleep equaling blinders while we see so many of Tony's wish fulfillment, chances of awakening and/or insight to occur while he is actually sleeping. Yet as he walks through life, sleepwalking one might say (and does he not discuss this type of thing with Melfi in the very first season?) he finds those items that offer him a chance out of that hell when he is in bed, either in the coma or during natural sleep. He went to therapy in the first place to stop passing out, for crying out loud. Yet he never fully committed enough to make anything of it. He never did like dream interpretation.

Carmela too if you consider her dreams about Ade much the same - a wake up call that she pushed the snoozer button on when offered some other material item (and I am reminded of the very loud horn in Join the Club that blows just after Roe gives Carm some straight talk about AJ as Tony lies unconscious in bed.)

What I find completely telling is that another we see dreaming is Melfi. And her dreams take her in the opposite direction. They call her back to Tony in Big Girls Don't Cry and then later after her rape in Employee of the Month. Ironically it is in bed, while she is awake when she finally reads the Yochelson study suggesting that sociopaths take advantage of talk therapy and decides to end her treatment of Tony once and for all.

Our other dreamers are Chris (the 3:00 dream we never see), Sil and Paulie. One ends up dead, the other in a coma he is not supposed to wake from and the third likely to die if you consider his fear of the Aprile/Cifaretto crew appropriate. They are in the life and in the same boat as Tony.


The Family at the End



The theme of part one of season 6 seems to me quite simple - once you are in this life, you cannot leave it. I believe this to be the reasoning behind the first episode's title Member's Only. And we then see that play out - with Eugene as he tries to move to Florida but cannot and eventually commits suicide; with Vito as he tries to escape to New Hampshire once his homosexual lifestyle is found out and yet, he must return and try to get back into the action; with Paulie as he attempts to forsake his mother but realizes he really has no one else given his own demeanor and "image" and eventually returns to her; with Chris as he attempts to go straight with the drugs and alcohol only to return to it time and again (to deathly results we find out later) and finally with Carmela as she once more goes through a period of searching while on her trip to Paris only to return to focus on her spec house forsaking thoughts of Ade.

This last is what I really find fascinating. While the Family will surely continue on in the same vein, there may still be some hope with the family - Carm and the kids. Carmela even sees that the longer the children stick around, they remain complicit. She tells Melfi that "there are far worse crooks than my husband" and finally even gets behind the idea of a club for AJ after he works for Little Carmine. She truly is complicit along with Tony at keeping the children close. While it may be out of desire to keep the boy safe, it will likely do no good for AJ in the long run. In the end, the three of them, Tony, Carm and AJ sit at Holsteins eating (circular) onion rings and waiting on Meadow...to me, the only one with a shot at getting out.

While it may seem that Meadow too is taken in with the family at the end - living at home and dating a mobster's son, there are signs that she has a shot to get above that and truly wake up. Her moments of innocence lost occur in bed obviously with Noah in University, but this episode also shows another young woman completely taken in the life. The comparison could not be stronger. Meadow then takes up with Jackie Aprile, Jr. and seems completely at a loss when he dies such that she ends up in bed again and Carmela is forced to "wake her up." She struggles with his death, spending a lot of time away from school and worrying her parents but in the end, she finds some solace in working in law, donating her free time. It might seem that she gravitates towards it due to seeing her father's "persecution" but she is also the one that we see trying very hard to park her car correctly in the end. She's not with her family at that table. She seems to be separated from them. Is it possible she might truly "wake up?"
* * *
There is so much to take from the show at its end that it is hard to wrap my mind around all of it. Even watching it from beginning to end causes the brain to go into overload. "Tony is unprepared" is a huge thought that constantly rolls around in my head and if one wishes to see why he doesn't wake up, that is the case. Yet he only recognizes that while he is asleep. There is also the curious title of Kennedy and Heidi that I think plays deeply into this series and many others have more than scratched the surface on that. If one wanted to look closely, I think we can at least see that there is a connection between the blackout of the "Heidi game" and the blackout that occurs at the end of the most Kennedy centric episode of the series - In Camelot. Of course, the "Heidi game" also brings back football symbolism that speaks to Tony "never having the makings of a varsity athlete" that bugs him so much - and yet again causes one to consider his unpreparedness dream. Witness too the huge football centric mural hanging over Tony's head as we see him framed in Holsteins before the family shows up. I'm still puzzling over the lack of the third verse of "Three Bells" - we hear bells in Holsteins but we don't hear the last verse of the song. Could it be that the bells represent an alarm and it never rings for Tony?

I can get behind the thought of Tony dying at the end as it seems a natural end for a guy like him. He said it himself. There are plenty of clues. But there seems more there than just death, though as we all know, it is the "big sleep." :icon_wink: There just seemed more offered to us in the show than just that. And when asleep it is likely that "you probably don't even hear it when it happens." To me, a deeper meaning of "it" is truly waking up. How can he hear it? Tony's sleeping.
"Leave the gun...take the cannoli." - Clemenza

Think Tony Died? Consider this...

Visit my Blog at Hear the Hurd

Re: I'm Only Sleeping: Awake and Asleep on The Sopranos

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Some great insight in this post, DH.

Before MIA even aired, I recall some around these parts noting how many episodes began with shots of Tony sleeping. One of them was the episode where Meadow enters her parents bedroom to warn them of the suicidal signs she's seeing in AJ. Tony was prone, apparently sleeping or on the verge of sleeping, and Carm is reading a book. As ever, Meadow is the Soprano with most awareness and honesty about what's going on around her, and it takes her warning to literally make her parents sit up in bed and confront the seriousness of the situation developing down the hall.

It's beyond coincidence that that same episode features Tony singing "Comfortably Numb" as he comes down the stairs and that the same song features as soundtrack to Tony suffocating a drugged out Chris, I believe in commentary on Tony's oblivion to the deeper motivations for his heinous act.
Detective Hunt wrote:Here Chase suggests that there is a larger world out there. Is it looking too far to suggest the title of the final episode, Made in America, might mean more than just the characters in the show but so too perhaps the American public that took to it so much over the years? Could he be suggesting that Americans walk around asleep, not seeing things in front of them as perhaps they should and more focused on television shows than real world events?
Chase said almost this very thing after the finale, not in the interview you linked but in another that I can't put my finger on at the moment. He expressly mentioned the larger American themes he was touching on in the episode: oblivion or unwillingness to confront the harsher realities of the world . . . terrorism, war, foreign oil dependence, etc. AJ is the ironic mouthpiece for most of this in the episode, including his diatribe in Vesuvio about Americans' fascination with certain vacuous reality shows.

One of the principal, overarching themes of the Sopranos is about how people use materialism -- buying things or the pursuit of the money necessary to buy things -- as an anesthetic and diversion from having to confront unpleasant truths or questions about themselves and about the world around them. He even mentioned that he himself always feels better short term when he goes shopping and buys stuff. So it's definitely accurate to state that Chase sees a lot of people as sleepwalking through life and using a variety of things -- drugs, alcohol, violent action, shopping, pursuit of money -- as methods of staying "comfortably numb".
What I find completely telling is that another we see dreaming is Melfi. And her dreams take her in the opposite direction. They call her back to Tony in Big Girls Don't Cry and then later after her rape in Employee of the Month. Ironically it is in bed, while she is awake when she finally reads the Yochelson study suggesting that sociopaths take advantage of talk therapy and decides to end her treatment of Tony once and for all.
Just an excellent observation and contrast between how Melfi and other characters react to the flares sent up by their own subconscious minds.

There was always a sad catch 22 about Tony's therapy in that the very things he needed to be most honest about he couldn't be, for obvious reasons. The therapy had no chance of succeeding because the only things Tony was willing to open up about were the things affecting his purely interpersonal relationships, stuff with his mother, Carmela, and his kids. Melfi couldn't possibly help him see the whole truth behind the Ralph killing and his inordinate grief for Pie O My because Tony never shared the fact that Ralph killed Tracee and that Tony suspected he killed the horse. Imagine how different the Calling All Cars session might have been had Melfi known those details when he narrated the dream. He had no idea that his Test Dream was screaming at him to kill his inner gangster, to leave the mob, and that part of his fear was that his wife wouldn't approve of that. So, as a result, Melfi never heard about that part of the dream. And she never new that the critical problem motivating the dream was that Tony had to kill his cousin or risk seeing his nephew and/or other crew rubbed out in a war ith NY.

Imagine if Melfi was privy to what the audience was privy to. It's a little like imagining a frog with wings, but it would be the only way to know with 100% certainty that Tony's sociopathy was beyond any kind of therapeutic intervention. The half-assed therapy itself is almost a metaphor for the "comfortably numb", sleep walking theme you mention in that Tony was given medication to alleviate his symptoms of depression and anxiety. Yet the counseling was mostly superficial, confronting psychic issues of considerably less weight than what he felt the first time he killed a man (on orders from his father, no less.)

I don't really fault Melfi for that, although I think she was far too naive at times. And in a wierd way I don't overly fault Tony for that because it's quite a leap to expect anyone, let alone someone who swore an oath of Omerta and would be a certain assassin's target for violating it, to talk about the kinds of things I mention here. Factor in how much Tony needed to feel some level of respect or likeability or affection from Melfi (Chase once reduced the therapy to Tony's effort to "remother himself"), and you see how unrealistic it was to expect him to share the really ugly parts of his life with her. He always regretted telling her about the finger chopping because he knew it brought an indelible stain of shame (to his father and to himself even) that could never be undone in her eyes. Imagine if he told her how he blasted his cousin's face off with a shotgun or ordered the death of Adrianna.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: I'm Only Sleeping: Awake and Asleep on The Sopranos

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Great points, Fly.
It's beyond coincidence that that same episode features Tony singing "Comfortably Numb" as he comes down the stairs and that the same song features as soundtrack to Tony suffocating a drugged out Chris, I believe in commentary on Tony's oblivion to the deeper motivations for his heinous act.
I really think "Comfortably Numb" is rather crucial. It speaks to his (their) mindset - throughout these last episodes. He (they) seems to be in his own little world. While Meadow's mention of AJ's state occurs prior to the suffocation of Chris, both Tony and Carm are clearly in their own little world, unable or unwilling to see beyond themselves. They cannot seem to get beyond the blinders they have put up for their own world. Sure, they are concerned with AJ's position, but their reaction is to "set him up" as it were. And in the end, AJ ends up spoiled, for right or wrong.

And a great mention of an over-arching theme of the series - indeed, so many went about concerned with money or materialism. Carm, especially, seems to inhabit this role. So too Chris, as you see him at the end of Long Term Parking. One might even think of The Ride as it deals with the excitement of the life compared to the letdown of the after. It is clear that Chris has little in common with Tony anymore other than what Tony has done for him. But we see that means little when it really comes down to it. The only thing that really seems to matter in this world is the bottom line - who is bringing in the money? We see that in Tony's indecision with killing Vito while all around him tell him he should do so and with Tony's acceptance of Ralphie until he finally does something that hurts Tony personally. Sleepwalking until it really effects one personally. That seems the only thing that wakes Tony up...that and a bullet. But how long does it last, that epiphany? Not long.

Imagine if Melfi was privy to what the audience was privy to. It's a little like imagining a frog with wings, but it would be the only way to know with 100% certainty that Tony's sociopathy was beyond any kind of therapeutic intervention. The half-assed therapy itself is almost a metaphor for the "comfortably numb", sleep walking theme you mention in that Tony was given medication to alleviate his symptoms of depression and anxiety. Yet the counseling was mostly superficial, confronting psychic issues of considerably less weight than what he felt the first time he killed a man (on orders from his father, no less.)
And what a great thought - what if Tony could actually tell Melfi the real truth? She herself even makes much notice of the fact he can't talk about his real life actions. They just can't "go there." But he never really wanted to, in my thinking. He only utilized the time with her so as to better himself as boss and mafia member. See his use of Sun Tzu and how to deal with the aged. He took what he could from the therapy and left the rest alone unless it helped him immediately. He just didn't have the time. See how many sessions he missed and how that came to be an issue between them. Tony just wasn't serious about therapy. He just wanted enough to keep him moving. I'm surprised Chase never made mention of sharks in how they move - once they stop, they die (as I believe has been mentioned before.) Witness how Tony reacted when things were slow (while he is in his "state" until the attempted hit in Isabella, in House Arrest when Mink tells him to stay quiet and occupied with legit business- witness the title of the episode, and even in The Ride, Tony seemed to grow bored even after the excitement, though so too did Chris.) He never could deal with inaction. He always had to find something to keep him moving. And more so, he never could open up to Melfi totally, keeping their therapy superficial.

It's funny...I always faulted Melfi for falling for Tony's charms - not the romantic ones, but his natural charm - and to an extent, she did. She always held out some hope that she could do some good for him. I truly think she had not only his best interests at heart but so too the actual act of psychotherapy. She truly felt she could help him and even felt guilt for it (see again her dream in Big Girls Don't Cry) even after he was part of one of her patients death (that she had to go away and thus the patient committed suicide.) She certainly had a dilemma in taking him back. We were witness to therapy scenes in which this was discussed. In truth, while I fault Kupferberg for being an a-hole in his unprofessionalism, he had the right idea. So too her ex early on (and so too was he a tool about it.) There just wasn't much there to work with. Tony never would cooperate. He couldn't. I truly wish there was more with Tony and Melfi in the end, but now that I think on it, what good would it really do? So much the same for the final scene and ending. What more did we need to see? We'd seen it all already. It's a shame (and would have made for great scenes) but it is so very true.
"Leave the gun...take the cannoli." - Clemenza

Think Tony Died? Consider this...

Visit my Blog at Hear the Hurd

Re: I'm Only Sleeping: Awake and Asleep on The Sopranos

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Detective Hunt wrote:Tony just wasn't serious about therapy. He just wanted enough to keep him moving. I'm surprised Chase never made mention of sharks in how they move - once they stop, they die (as I believe has been mentioned before.) Witness how Tony reacted when things were slow (while he is in his "state" until the attempted hit in Isabella, in House Arrest when Mink tells him to stay quiet and occupied with legit business- witness the title of the episode, and even in The Ride, Tony seemed to grow bored even after the excitement, though so too did Chris.) He never could deal with inaction. He always had to find something to keep him moving.
Actually the shark analogy was given in House Arrest on the very point you raise. That clip was played during a Fresh Air interview done on public radio with Chase back in 2000 or 2001-ish, and he made some interesting comments after hearing it.

I agree that Tony was not serious about therapy, at least not after the point when his severe depression and panic attacks stopped, which was really in season 4 forward. I think he had periods of being somewhat serious about it when he was passing out regularly or feeling suicidal.

The idea of making a gangster more emotionally comfortable with prozac and other drugs is not a particularly palatable one from the outside, and Melfi betrayed some of this even when she wrote the first prescription. "With today's pharmacology, there's no need for anyone to suffer from feelings of anxiety and depression." She said it, but her facial and body language suggested that it was without full conviction in this instance.

Notably, the one time that Tony actually had a panic attack in Melfi's presence was also the one time that he was honest with her in ways that he never was before or since (Unidentified Black Males). I can't help but think that if the drugs had been less successful, the therapy itself might have been more successful.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: I'm Only Sleeping: Awake and Asleep on The Sopranos

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Not to take the direction toooo far off the angle this is going, but back in the Scene-by-Scene analysis thread in the last episode thread; we talked about the following:

http://www.thechaselounge.net/showthread.php?t=2229

Opening Scene: Tony sleeping...

....btw- different posters way back had noted the placement of Tony's bed in this scene: - in the coffin position (feet towards the door). Per Chinese Feng Shui and other philosophies, --the worst place for the bed is right in front of the door with your feet facing toward it. Labeled the “coffin position,” because the dead tend to be moved feet first, and placing your bed in such a manner promotes the wrong type of energy, or bad luck, insomnia or unrestful sleep, etc…

But one of the cures for this alteration of chi around the house? Get a household pet! (Lucky Color orange cat!)

I can't believe putting Tony's bed in that position was an accident. And as usual, Tony seems to also have a scene or action that may counteract whatever symbolism that may have implied. But again, trying to keep the focus on just that scene, it does seem that Tony did not have a very good night's sleep.

What i was trying to say, and thought of again here, is that the orange cat was like a counterbalance to that scene- a yin-yang symbolism within the same time period. Sleep-Awake cycle, alternating episodes.

For example, like when desweeney catches those amazing "oracle scenes" that predict a later scene, perhaps the same could be said of the alternating sleep theme: In the very last episode, it starts off with Tony sleeping in the 'coffin' position. The "next" episode (not yet revealed to us but possibly created in Chase's mind) would logically start off with Tony awake.
....However, i won't assume just where he awakens-- in this life or the next! :icon_wink:
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