By AMIR GALBAN
Opinions Editor
It’s been 25 years since the iconic mafia-based TV show, The Sopranos, aired. Created by David Chase and starring the late great James Gandolfini who plays the enormous role of Tony Soprano. Watching the Sopranos is almost like watching a bunch of thriller movies back to back. The consistency and quality of plot twists and violence keep the fans interested to this day.
We get to experience what life is like for Tony as he juggles the problems with running both his mob family and wife and two kids at home. The writers gave each character their own unique storylines to coexist with each other. Through the twists and turns, Tony Soprano proves to be the most dynamic anti-hero on TV. Tony remains a compelling character that you can’t help but root for.
Through sessions of therapy and introspection, the viewers are drawn into Tony’s mind and his psyche played by Lorraine Bracco. For the first few seasons, the relationship between Tony and Dr. Melfi was very complex and evolved into some of the series’s most dramatic scenes. We can see Dr. Melfi become intrigued with Soprano, even as she is frightened by his simmering violent and anti-social.
Tony’s son, played by Robert Iler, is a great example of a post-9/11 youth where he struggles to find his identity with a rapidly changing culture. As Anthony Jr. got older his thought process changes while trying to understand his father’s lifestyle, making him more interesting, but he still lacked purpose throughout the series.
Tony’s daughter Meadow, played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, on the other hand is an intelligent girl who has more of an idea of what her father does for a living, something that is kept under wraps at home. Meadow starts life as an ambitious girl with aspirations to go to college and obtain a stable career.
Other notable characters are Silvio Dante, played by Steven van Zandt, Tony’s consigliere and second in command, giving advice throughout to help Tony close deals and make important decisions, like if someone’s “got to go.” Silvio is a likable and capable character in the crew.
Tony’s nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, is played by Michael Imperioli. He is brilliant and determined to prove himself to his uncle and to his peers in the crew. Chris has one of the best character arcs starting with his attempt to break into Hollywood with screenwriting to his struggles with heroin after finding his father’s killer. Christopher delivers many extraordinary performances and stayed a fan favorite even through his setbacks.
This show is the godfather of television. There is still the touching theme of honor and loyalty among family. Tony has some amazing quotes relating to honor such as, “if you can quote the rules then you can obey them,” and “those who want respect give respect.” Despite Tony’s unresolved issues in his domestic life, he prevails against all his foes and gets mostly everything he wants through a combination of cleverness and grit.
Controversial issues are discussed such as terrorism, social inequality and injustice, drugs, homosexuality, etc. This show set the standard for television. A prime example of this is when Meadow Soprano Jamie-Lynn Sigler brought home an African-American boy, something Tony disapproved of.
Although being the main character, like any other, Tony had to evolve. It was for the worse though. We see Tony get chance after chance from near death experiences, to panic attacks that signal him to change his behaviors. Tony becomes more of a monster than a man, and James Gandolfini portrays that hateful and violent side masterfully. Creating a main character that can create a love-hate relationship with the audience is what connects us with Tony.
The Sopranos did a great job with mixing disturbing violence and thematic laugh-out- loud humor, creating a great balance in each episode.
The popularity of the series grew so large shortly after it first aired on Sunday nights on HBO in 1998 that a new phenomenon developed called “water cooler buzz,” in which people would go to work and gather around to talk about the show on Monday mornings. James Gandolfini passed away in 2013 but still remains one of the greatest main characters on one of the greatest shows to ever touch a screen.
If you have never seen The Sopranos, it is well worth watching. And even if you have, the series holds up well to watching again as you’ll see many things you missed the first time around.
