Introduction +My take on the "Seven Souls" Montage

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First of all, hello all! I'm a huge Sopranos fan thrilled to discover this forum. The show has been off-air awhile but it looks like there's still some quality discussion humming, and I'm giddy to be a part of that. Looking forward to discussing this terrific show with you all.

(Before anyone asks, no, I don't think Tony died at the end, but I only came off that bandwagon recently.)

I'd like to start by posting my analysis on the montage that opens season 6. This is literally copied/pasted from a YouTube comment I made, and is solely my opinion without doing much secondary research. I'm sure many of it will be in line with what several others around here have already pieced together.

1) Ren = Janice. She gets the important role of "director" because she is the show's living surrogate for Livia, who has, arguably, directed the soul and life of Tony Soprano more than anyone. Her shadow hangs over all six seasons of this show despite only appearing in two (plus one episode).

Miscellaneous notes: A) Vito gets some camera time before the montage really gets going to signify the huge role he has in the first half of season six. B) The cut to the train before the line "...to death" foreshadows Bobby's death in "The Blue Comet." C) The noticeably long close-up of the Bisquick logo is strange. Maybe signifying Americans' "taste" for consumerism, a connection to the "taste" comment in the first scene of this video? I'm reaching.

2) Sekum = Eugene. He gets the spot in this montage because of the role he plays in this episode, but he represents the mob. More specifically, he represents capos and soldiers who take orders (who "presses the right buttons") from Tony.

3) Khu = Meadow. She is the guardian angel because it is her voice that guides Tony back from Costa Mesa in "Mayham." Taking it a step further for those who think the show's cut to black in "Made in America" represents Tony's death, she would have been Tony's guardian angel again if she knew how to freaking parallel park!

4) Ba = Raymond. This one's pretty easy. Raymond is "treacherous" because he is a mole for the FBI, and we get a shot of President Bush for some nice, on-the-nose political commentary.

5) Ka = AJ. He is "the only reliable guide through the land of the dead" because of what becomes of him near the end of the series. Recall the scene in "Made in America," after Bobby's funeral, when AJ is talking bluntly about life, and no one listens to him because no one is willing to confront the harsh realities of life.

6) Khaibit = Adriana. As the "memory," she represents all those who Tony has seen perish due to his mafia activities. Adriana gets the role in this montage, but the list of dead who could qualify, after five seasons and 65 episodes, is long.

7) Sekhu = Carmela. She is "the remains" because she will be what remains when Tony dies. I don't personally think this means Tony dies at the end of "Made in America" (though I think he did), but Tony's lifestyle--and, frankly, his weight--means he is almost certain to die before Carmela.

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