That issue is magnified in this episode by the grief of everyone around him. Their sincere feeling is a mockery of the hollow within him. He would argue that they are all putting on a show, reinforced by his reference to Kelli as “a movie star.” He points out the hypocrisy of Chris’s mother’s grief, the fact that her feelings now are marred by the fact that she wasn’t there for him before. At least Tony was there for Chris through his life, it was her failure that turned him into an addict and forced Tony to kill him.
One notable thing about the episode is the fact that Tony isn’t so much guilty about killing Chris as he is annoyed that everyone else cares so much. The characters on the show have always been intensely selfish, but I don’t know that it’s ever been taken to this extreme. Much of this season has been concerned with tearing down the mythology surrounding Tony and exposing him for the murderous thug that he is. Some people see this as a betrayal of the previous seasons, but I think it’s consistent with what’s always been there. Tony is no less interesting because we see him this way; if anything, it’s fascinating to watch the pull in this episode, as we’re subconsciously aligned with Tony because we know what he knows. I had some real sadness after Chris’s death, but as the episode went on, I became more interested in the way Tony was dealing with his lack of feeling.
Concurrent with this, we get an interesting parallel story with AJ, a story that reveals that, contrary to what we saw last week, AJ is not his father’s son, he still has a conscience, and a naïve wish that everyone could just get along. I don’t think we’ve ever seen him, or Meadow, fully interrogate their upbringing, in the way that Carmela had to interrogate her marriage in the early years of the show. The critical difference between what AJ saw last week and what happened this week was that this victim was an innocent, a guy who was just riding along and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He can’t support that, and it forces him to reassess his initial infatuation with the mob life. Notably, he seems to have more of an academic interest this time, the combination of Israel/Palestine and Wordsworth pointing him to a moment where he questions the world he’s been immersed in. Tony had to kill one ‘son’ because he got lost in the world of the mob, but things are looking better for AJ. Now, that could change quickly, but the contrast between AJ’s real moral trauma and concern for those beyond himself, and his father’s thorough self-absorption was very telling.
Article comments
1 - gil
Thank you - I looked at several reviews of this episode and wondered if they saw the same episode I did.
Your insight into the peyote trip, the Kevin Finnerty similarities were spot on I think - great review thanks!
2 - David
Great review. I agree that this episode was one of the best. I think the last two episodes have been very good. I also like the way Chase set the murder up. A few episodes ago, Tony was on the boat and almost took advantage of an opportunity to take out Pauly after he point blank questioned his loyalty. In this episode, an accident conveniently helps Tony to do what he knows needs to be done. I thought he was going to give the order to Bobby when they were fishing in an earlier episode and he was expressing disappointment in his heir apparent.
I also think Tony projected his role in Christopher's death in almost every conversation (Carmella, the guys, Melfi, the stripper girlfriend) and it was perceived as survivor's guilt. The only ones who I think recognized that maybe it wasn't an accident was Sil (great look of recognition) in the bedroom scene when the guys visit Tony and Melfi when Tony admits that he's actually kind of relieved.
I also liked that great scene with Butchie laughing as Phil expresses his condolences.
3 - El Bicho
Very good review.
"Tony yells out, “I get it,” and seems to have a moment of revelation."
I read some people thinking Tony said, "I did it," which didn't make much sense. I don't think his "insight" at the moment will be remembered. I lean toward Phil taking Tony out.
4 - Phillip Winn
I wasn't sure if Tony said "get" or "did," either. Will watch it again tonight.
Two weeks ago (after the "Cleaver" episode) I explained to some coworkers why I thought Tony was going to have to kill Christopher, and was mocked for my trouble. The following week they'd started to come around, and of course this week they're marveling at my predictive ability. But like you said, Chase seems to telegraph things pretty well. I guess some people just don't pay enough attention.
Great write-up, thanks!
5 - Victor Lana
Amazing review, Patrick. I believe Christopher has always been a marked man. Remember the scene of his initiation into the mob? The black bird landed on a branch outside the window. Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore?" It was a neat piece of foreshadowing by Chase.
I have ideas about how it will end. Tony's last name is "Soprano" after all. Why does the caged bird sing? Maybe, just maybe, this one can avoid the cage if he sings a happy tune about Phil and all the rest of the wiseguys.
Stay tuned.
6 - Charley
Wow that was some great insight into this article. I really enjoyed reading it - the parallels with the Kevin Finnerty storyline are awesome...I never thought of that, although I knew there was some sort of mystic underlying storytelling going on there...great stuff.
7 - Randy
You never know for sure about the symbolism with this show, but my theory is that Kevin Finnerty was a shadow piece of Tony Soprano, one that feared to accept the truth about Tony that the light would have shown on him. On peyote, in the desert, Tony finally accepted the truth of who and what he is--a murderous thug; nothing more, nothing less. I suppose that it's also possible that Tony's realization also implies an acceptance of his own mortality. If that's all true, watch out Phil Leotardo, and watch out Jennifer Melfi, though even David Chase might flich at whacking the character who seems to be a stand-in for those of us who get vicarious thrills from mob dramas. Of course, I could be wrong, and there could be more to Tony's enlightenment. The Tibetan monks in the Finnerty dream and Carm's dream narrated by William S. Burroughs must play into all of this somehow.
I had thought the Kevin Finnerty dream sequence was a waste of time during the first half of season six, when it never came up again. Now it does make sense.
8 - Pat
I thought the episode was great. I was thinking that maybe Tony "gets" the high that drugs offer..as in Christopher....maybe he now will "relate" to Christopher on this level..and might even feel remorse for what he did...he never believed Christopher when he said it was a disease..he completely dissed it...only saw it as a weakness.
9 - aimes2
Great deconstruction of the show. I emailed it to my crew of Sopranos watching buddies.
I am still just saying "wow" about the whole episode. The Sopranos is the best television program in history. There is no way anyone can argue against that.
Last night was the first time I said to myself, "Tony is a psychopath," and yes, of course he has been a psycho the whole time. Awesome.
10 - aimes2
Oh yeah, also wanted to say that the "sun blinking" -- I just couldn't place that until you mentioned the lighthouse.
Anyone know where I can get some peyote?
11 - Eric Berlin
Great great review. This episode is putting us into the end run of perhaps the greatest show of all-time, and man it was a whopper, dense and rich and thematic as all get out as you say.
I've also had conversations about whether it was I get it or I did it! (I thought it was "get," and more people *seem* to agree with this).
One final tid-bit that I picked up on that I haven't seen anyone else mention: Chris wearing the Cleaver hat during his final car ride. In my view this clearly hearkened back to the pilot episode of the show. The first time we meet Chris he's driving Tony and wearing (I believe) a black hat. A darkly comic chase of a dead beat gambler ensues. I don't recall Chris ever wearing a hat in between these two book-ended scenes.
12 - fdssa
Why did he continue to fuck with the radio. I mean it was up all the way, he found the song he wanted, why was he still messing with the radio? Don't get it.
13 - Lamar
So who played the Stripper Sonya in Vegas? Can't find the actress' name.
14 - El Bicho
"Why did he continue to fuck with the radio."
Because he was wasted on drugs.
"So who played the Stripper Sonya in Vegas?"
She was also on The L Word
15 - Patrick
He kept messing with the system because it "had no balls."
And the actress's name is Sarah Shahi.
As for the hat, I can't remember for sure, but I'm almost positive he was wearing one at some point. But, it's notable that back in the pilot, I believe Tony said he'd kill Christopher if he sold his story for a screenplay. And, now he's wearing the Cleaver hat. That played a critical role in Tony's decision to kill him, as we see in the dream therapy session. The beauty of the show is the way it can present a scene we can all relate to, Tony's disappointment at Christopher's portrayal of him in the film, then turn things with Tony's reaction, the murder, which is totally out of ordinary.
16 - Lee Stranahan
Great review - I have a bunch of stuff on my blog at Stranahan.com about theories on this episode that tie into peyote, Van Morrison, and a lot more...
17 - Max
to answer #13 Lamar--
Sarah Shali played Sonya in that episode of Sopranos. Quite beautiful. Born 1980