How would you grade this episode on a 1-10 scale (10 being the best possible quality)

Total votes: 0

Re: Episode Review and General Comments

21
bobC wrote:There are some inconsistencies in the Pilot, which is understandable. See OldManDiMeo1997's post (above).
The only thing in the pilot that still bugs me is Carm grabbing the Ak-47. The rest of the series doesn't give us any indication that she'd be so at ease with using an assault weapon for personal protection.
Bacala: You know, Quasimodo predicted all this.
Tony: Who did what?

Re: Episode Review and General Comments

22
Pork Store wrote:The only thing in the pilot that still bugs me is Carm grabbing the Ak-47. The rest of the series doesn't give us any indication that she'd be so at ease with using an assault weapon for personal protection.
An amazing coincidence, PS. I was telling my brother and sister-in-law virtually the same thing tonight. Thought she was far too casual, far too quick, and far too comfortable wielding that weapon.

There are a couple of what seem to be false notes in the pilot (as opposed to just story anomalies or inconsistencies). The assault rifle is one and the light-hearted, comedic treatment of Tony going after the guy in the car with the 50s do-wap playing in the background is the other IMO. Chase offered in the pilot commentary that it was a bad choice on his part musically, and I whole-heartedly agree.

He lamented in later years that the audience was too in love with Tony, too comfortable with him. And that may well be true, but he was too comfortable with him in the beginning, and so it's not entirely the audience's fault. The whole vibe of that scene would have changed had the music either been eliminated or replaced with something that underscored the nastiness of what was taking place.

I thought Jamie Lynn Sigler improved by leaps and bounds as an actress as the series (and the first couple of seasons in particular) progressed. Meadow is annoying enough without an overacted performance increasing the yuck factor.

But everything else is so perfect. I loved Chase's direction in that first episode almost as much as his writing. The first sequence in Melfi's office remains a landmark, a tremendous example of how much can be said with silence, fine acting, and great composition and editing.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: Episode 1.01: The Sopranos - Grades & General Review

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The scenes with Livia/Tony (the overbearing mother), Livia/Junior (the influential mob widow), Livia/Carmela (the persecuted mother-in-law) were classic in defining her character and her role in the series.

I wonder how different the series would have been had Chase not been forced to make detours because of Marchand's illness and ultimate death.
bobC
---

some will win, some will lose,
some were born to sing the blues,
the movie never ends,
it goes on and on and on and on........

Re: Episode Review and General Comments

24
FlyOnMelfisWall wrote: I thought Jamie Lynn Sigler improved by leaps and bounds as an actress as the series (and the first couple of seasons in particular) progressed. Meadow is annoying enough without an overacted performance increasing the yuck factor.
Her annoyingness to me was more magnified due to the nose-job in between this episode and the second one. It made her look the MOST different, imo, as compared to the rest of the series. Also very fun to watch the hair of the main characters in this first episode, particularly the nuclear Soprano family, Paulie, and Silvio.

Re: Episode 1.01: The Sopranos - Grades & General Review

25
When I got the email from Fly saying that the forum is going to start watching from Season 1 I got excited! I have been a lurker here for a while and came from the Sopranoland forums but never posted much because I found others said most of what I thought.

The Pilot ep for me was always a mixed bag. I live in the UK and when the show premièred on TV I watched it after hearing amazing things about it. But I was disappointed from what I had seen (obviously the whole season had been showed in the US so the rave reviews where coming from the whole season not the first ep.)

First I never knew a thing about New Jersey (i thought it was a New York suburb), so I didnt understand why there was no mentioned of the five familys in New York and why there was no New York scenes at all.

The Godfather references and the cast made up from various supporting roles from classic Mafia films, made me feel is this a second rate show with supporting actors that plot points will be lifted from those classic films the actors came from?

So watching the pilot again after seeing the whole show is a much different experience. I now know where New Jersey is, I understand the whole set up they had and obviously the characters develop so much from ep 1 to 2 that the pilot can be excused from my original feelings for it. So I .gave it a 8.

Re: Episode 1.01: The Sopranos - Grades & General Review

27
I dusted off the DVD and watched this after the series finale, to see if they tied together. There is foreshadowing of season six. At Tony's cookout, Christopher is talking about knowing a "D" girl and wanting to write a movie. Christopher makes his first killing and the direction shifts to a chopping board with a cleaver as blood sprays on it from his victim...giving us the Cleaver logo. The part I got a kick out of was Tony chasing the deadbeat down in Christopher's Lexus, despite dozens of witnesses at the scene.

Re: Episode 1.01: The Sopranos - Grades & General Review

28
bobC wrote:The scenes with Livia/Tony (the overbearing mother), Livia/Junior (the influential mob widow), Livia/Carmela (the persecuted mother-in-law) were classic in defining her character and her role in the series.

I wonder how different the series would have been had Chase not been forced to make detours because of Marchand's illness and ultimate death.
i totally agree- the loss of nancy Marchand was huge and irreplaceable- like losing one's own mother- for better or for worse. its to Chase's credit that he didn't try to directly replace her role, but rather, bring out her despicable daughter more and let that evolve. maybe its one of those detours that really truly shaped the rest of the series, much like after losing your own parent which unforgettably alters the rest of your life and makes it what it is.

Re: Episode 1.01: The Sopranos - Grades & General Review

29
badabellisima wrote:i totally agree- the loss of nancy Marchand was huge and irreplaceable- like losing one's own mother- for better or for worse. its to Chase's credit that he didn't try to directly replace her role, but rather, bring out her despicable daughter more and let that evolve. maybe its one of those detours that really truly shaped the rest of the series, much like after losing your own parent which unforgettably alters the rest of your life and makes it what it is.
Good post. If I may add; this topic could never have been discussed in this manner had we not decided to re-watch and re-review the series. Whoever introduced the notion for us to partake in this exercise; it was a great idea.
bobC
---

some will win, some will lose,
some were born to sing the blues,
the movie never ends,
it goes on and on and on and on........

Re: Episode 1.01: The Sopranos - Grades & General Review

30
To Fly - thanks again for getting this idea about rewatching all seasons' epsiodes chronologically every week. For us fans outside of the US, its allows us to participate fully - although I have now, thanks to another UK fan in this forum, seen the final episodes!

I have rewatched the pilot many times now and still find it a great pleasure to see again. Seeing how young Tony and Carm look - and Meadow and AJ is a laugh - a bit like looking through an old family album! (PS: another poster mentioned Jamie Lynn-Segal's 'nose' change later - I thought her nose looked very different in the pilot.) Watching this first episode too, brings back memories of when The Sopranos entered my life several years ago and made a huge impact on it, in so many ways. Some fans have, in the past, mentioned that Livia reminds them of their grandmothers, or mothers even, and from the moment she appeared on screen, I saw my own grandmother too, who had died earlier that same year the The Sopranos was finally first broadcast in the UK. Again, the comparison to 'family' comes up. Anyway, rewatching brings it all to the surface again. The character Livia added so much to the Sopranos' story. Even after she (and Nancy Marchand) died, her presence was always felt, I thought, especially through the therapy sessions which facilitated flashbacks and backstory about Tony's family history, etc. Sorry, getting off of exact pilot epside topic! In short, I think Livia's presence in the pilot really sets the tone for the great Mob family drama that follows. Look forward to rewatching episode 2 soon.
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