The Sopranos

[ishtarzana]

marywebgirl said:

1. Who is the woman Carm had dinner with? I thought it might have been Angie, but I don't think it was.

Pussy Bumpancero's wife or widow (I know I mangled the spelling of his name)

marywebgirl said:

2. Have we seen much of the guy who killed himself before?

Not that I ever noticed. I would think that someone given that much of a story would have been a more important player in previous seasons.
But who knows, maybe he was a major player in that big hiatus. Seems a few things happened (Janice) that were different from the last season.

I get the idea this episode was meant more for shock value, grab the audience back after the long absence. I also get the feeling alot of folks are 'meh' over it.

[Daisy Pusher]

My problem with the Eugene Pontecorvo storyline last night is that he wasn't a character I had any investment in, so his suicide didn't really jar me as much as Uncle Junior losing his freaking marbles (he looked like a gremlin when he came down with the gun) and shooting Tony. Eugene has usually been on the fringes, with the notable exception of the construction site scene in "Unidentified Black Males" (and that just made me hate the dude). The actor did a great job in the death scene, don't get me wrong, but still...up to now he was always in the background, like Yeoman Johnson (e.g. transporter accident waiting to happen) on old Star Trek episodes.

Otherwise, it was good. Carmela as Harpy McShrew with her nouveaux riche got-rocks car, Tony fretting about his weight (ha), poor bumbling Bobby with his Conductor Charlie hat, Uncle June well and truly flipping his shit, and I loved loved loved Vito eating the weenie. Nice one.

[satellite]

I was shocked that Eugene committed suicide, since it would have been interesting to have a new rat to follow.
I like the way that the show will have someone in the background for years, then all of a sudden give them a major storyline. It seems that Vito will be important this season.

[WitchyPoo]

Maybe Eugene's suicide will be a springboard for Tony to deal with death. His own mortality. His possible guilt over thinking he may have caused Eugene's death. If he had sent Uncle Junior to a home he wouldn't have gotten shot. I didn't expect the first episode to be that exciting. I expected a bit of catching up and felt it was a set up for a bang up ending.

[buckdutter]

Rant on, Kafka! Carm needs to die horribly and slowly...or at least have each of her acrylic claws pulled off slowly and horribly, and one at a time.

Smug bitch. Yeah, she wanted to "cheer up" Ginny Sack with a spa day, my ass. Her husband's locked up, she's losing everything, but of course knowing that her highness has a brand new cahhh is just the thing to lift the dark clouds.

Come on, Junior, surely she resembles somebody from your past who needs shot??

[sleepy]

I'll be the lone voice and say that I was underwhelmed by this episode.

You're not alone. The episode warranted a fat meh from me. I can forgive them one, though, because I'll give the benefit of the doubt and look at it as a warm-up.

[groovethang]

I'm rewatching the episode from last night and forgot all about this little Carmela-ism. As she's gushing over the new truck, she says "oh, Tone, it's beautiful. I still wish you had called the building inspector guy. But, this is so beautiful!" Ha. Nothing pleases that woman.

Someone on another message board was thinking that now with Eugene's suicide, that it leaves an opening for another rat. Surely the Feds will try and turn someone else. Wonder who it might be...

[heyalice]

I vote Paulie as the next rat. Why? Because no one would see that coming at all.

[satellite]

Maybe Eugene's suicide will be a springboard for Tony to deal with death. His own mortality. His possible guilt over thinking he may have caused Eugene's death.

This is excellent point. Also, remember that Gloria hung herself too, so this definitely won't go unnoticed by Tony. He didn't find out about Gloria's death until later, and then he couldn't really express grief openly except to Melfi. I think Eugene's death will bring back all his guilt about being a "toxic person" just when things were going good in both families.

Not that religion is really here nor there with these guys, but would Eugene be able to have a proper Catholic burial having been a suicide, or did they update that rule? I always wondered if there was any reason why they always had funerals in the funeral home rather than a church, aside from filming issues.

I vote Paulie as the next rat. Why? Because no one would see that coming at all.

I don't think Paulie would ever turn rat. He's greedy and self-serving, but he's done time before. Not to mention that I think he really enjoys being a sociopath. He killed his mom's friend and that Atlantic City waiter just for getting in his way. We haven't seen any greater moral good in Paulie that the Feds could appeal to. Plus, he has no wife and kids and his mom is pretty old so the Feds have few bargaining chips. They played on Ade's naivite by telling her that she and Chris could go off and have a life together. We don't know why Eugene turned, but it could have had something to do with the druggie son.

[heyalice]

Suicide, huge sin. NO change on that one.