The Sopranos - The Complete Second Season | Continuing to be a great "television event"

The Sopranos - The Complete Second Season | The second season continues the story of Tony Soprano

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highly recommended

Continuing to be a great "television event"

There aren't many television shows in the 50+ years of television history that can be categorized as a "weekly event". A "weekly event" show basically has everyone talking about the episode the next day. In the 1980s, shows such as "Dallas" and "Dynasty" were "weekly events". In the 1990s, "Seinfeld" would take emerge as the show that would become a "weekly event". As Seinfeld wound up, another show would soon take that title into the 21st century - that show being HBO's "The Sopranos". "The Sopranos" would be different in that it was a show that appeared on a premium (pay) cable station and would prove that premium cable stations can produce high quality shows that provide high levels of enjoyment. I'm not someone who subscribes to HBO so I felt on the "outside" on the "talk" would surround the episodes of "The Sopranos". However that didn't stop my curiosity about wanting to watch the show. Once I watched "The Sopranos - The Complete First Season", I not only got an appreciation for the show - but I now understood where all of the hype came from on this show. I was pleased when for the most part, "The Sopranos - The Complete Second Season" basically picked up with Season 1 left off.

The show focuses on an organized Italian-American crime family that is based in North Jersey. The main character of the show is Tony Soprano played brilliantly by James Gandolfini. Tony is the head of the fictional DiMeo crime family. On the show, we see Tony try to balance his "work" in the DiMeo crime family with his home life. Tony also suffers from panic attacks and depression and therefore sees a psychiatrist - Dr. Jennifer Melfi (played by Lorraine Bracco).

Here are some of the key storylines from Season 2:
1-Tony is now the head of the DiMeo crime family. We see the pressures of this responsibility begin to eat at Tony, raising signs of aggression and depression. This makes a strong testament to how great an actor James Gandolfini is.

2- We are introduced to two new characters, Tony's sister Janice (played by Aida Turturro) and Richie Aprile (played by David Proval), the brother of former DiMeo Crime Boss Jackie Aprile. Throughout the season, we see both Janice and Richie become involved with each other. Both will drive Tony crazy throughout the year.

3-Sal Bonponsiero (played by Vincent Pastore) is working for the FBI and his job is to get information on Tony in order to help the Feds proceed with an indictment. This is a very good storyline that will last throughout the entire season.

4-Dr. Jennifer Melfi begins to battle alcoholism as well as feelings for caring for Tony. This storyline continues to drag from Season 1. The alcoholism and Melfi's visits to her own psychiatrist do give more insight to her character than in Season 1, but overall I found this storyline not very interesting.

5-Christopher Moltisanti's (played by Michael Imperioli) continues to explore his dream of becoming a writer while at the same time trying to become a "Made Man". There are only about three episodes that really highlight Christopher's character - I would have liked to have seen more.

6-David Scatino (played by Robert Patrick), an old friend of Tony's becomes indebted to Tony and Richie following some gambling debts he accrued in a high stakes poker game. David's life slowly unravels as he deals with the financial stress he is under. This was a good storyline.

7-Uncle Junior (played by Dominic Chianese) is under house arrest as he awaits his day in court to battle the Federal Charges he is facing. At the same time, he is battling health problems. There is really only one episode that showcases Uncle Junior and during the rest of the year he is more of a supporting character.

8-Tony is still at war with his mother Livia (played by Nancy Marchand) over her attempt on Tony's life. At the same time Livia is battling her own set of health problems. Livia's role is not as prominent as in Season 1.

9-Meadow Soprano is trying to decide on a College to attend as her graduation is pending.

10-Anthony Soprano Jr. (played by Robert Iler) continues to try find himself as he begins to enter his teenage years. The episode surrounding his confirmation is one of his best.

11-Carmela Soprano (played by Edie Falco) begins to face the problems of her marriage and family - including Tony's infidelity as she begins to be attracted to another man.

Here are some other points to consider from Season 2:
- Overall, I thought the season started slow, but gained momentum by mid-season. By season's end, the show reaches heights beyond Season 1- including two terrific episodes to close the season.
- I was disappointed that Silvio "Sil" Dante is not a prominent character during Season 2. This is probably because he was touring with Bruce Springsteen during filming of this season.
- There is one episode where Tony goes to Italy with Paulie Walnuts and Christopher Moltisanti. The episode was filmed in Naples. Paulie's visit to the "mother land" provides some great comical moments, but more could have been done with Christopher's visit.
- Paulie Walnuts continues to be one of the better characters. His visit to a psychic is classic.
- The episode "From Where to Eternity" features a terrific scene between Tony and Melfi where Tony explains to Melfi why he is a soldier and does what he does - great stuff.

I called Season 1 to be "the most exciting 60 minutes on television". Despite the slow start, I still feel Season 2 continues to back this claim I make. As for the DVD packaging - besides the usual extras, one thing I really liked was how there was a brief textual synopsis provided on the screen before playing the episode. Overall, this is a very good and entertaining set - highly recommended.

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The second season continues the story of Tony Soprano

The Sopranos, the second season, is just another season in one of the greatest shows HBO ever put on. The Sopranos follows the life of Anthony [Tony] Soprano, and his hectic life of being a mob boss. In this season Tony has been put in charge of the entire family, has to deal with new characters that come into his life, such as his sister and the brother of a deceased former boss of the same family, and deal with the life of being a normal father of two. This season is full of twists and turns, and probably a little more violence than the last season, but is still part of a fantastic show...

This four disk set comes with 13 episodes including:

1] Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office: Tony has been put in charge of the entire family after the old boss, Uncle Junior, had been arrested on a federal indictment. Tony is adjusting to his new life, trying to talk to his old psychiatrist who won't see him, and has a new twist in his life as his sister, Janice, arrives to take care of their mother Livia in her retirement home. Tony tells anyone who asks that is mother is dead to him after she took out a hit on him in the first season and it failed. Also, an old associate of Tony's from his crew returns after mysteriously disappearing in the end of the first season.

2] Do Not Resuscitate: Tony has taken over the income of Uncle Junior's old side of the business, but still allows Junior a small piece of the pie. Tony even intervenes in a construction site where black protestors are picketing based on racial claims. Also one of the crew members of Tony's may have a second side of him that Tony doesn't know about, and that could hurt him badly. Meanwhile Uncle Junior has gotten out of jail but is under house arrest.

3] Toodle-F*cking-Do: Tony catches his daughter, Meadow, at a party in his mother's abandoned house when she was moved to the retirement home. Also, Tony's old psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, finds herself in an embarrassing moment when she bumps into Tony in a restaurant. And a new face appears in the series as the brother of Jackie Aprile [who was a former boss of the family but died of cancer] named Richie, shows up in town after 10 years in jail. Richie came back for one thing, to cut himself in on the action, and he is not afraid of who he rubs the wrong way.

4] Commendatori: Tony goes to Italy with two of his crew members, Paulie and his nephew Christopher, to try to get going a car importing business that he inherited from his uncle. Tony is also surprised who the real mob boss there is, and after coming home Tony has a new ally, a new lieutenant named Furio, who will aid Tony in the states.

5] Big Girls Don't Cry: Tony's new ally, Furio, proves himself useful in the U.S., and Tony learns a couple of new things about his own father from a family friend. Meanwhile Richie finds a member of the Soprano family he can relate to, and Tony's nephew, Christopher, gets enrolled by his girlfriend, Adriana, into a writing class because he has dreams of being a famous screenwriter.

6] The Happy Wanderer: A high school friend of Tony's, David Scatino, has a gambling problem and gets heavily in debt to Richie. After being banned by Richie from any of Richie's poker games, David goes to a game of Tony's and gets heavily in debt to Tony as well. Now Richie and Tony clash [one time in many confrontations between these two as they clashed over Richie reclaiming old turf] over who David should pay back first. Also, Tony is finally in the same room as his mom as they come together for a funeral and Tony sees Richie escorting his mother and Janice into the building.

7] D-Girl: As Tony's son, Anthony Jr., gets ready for his confirmation, his apathy starts to disturb Tony and his wife, Carmela, greatly. Meanwhile Christopher, who gets on the set of a movie production thanks to a friend of his who works there, lets out a family secret that eventually makes its way onto a screenplay for a future movie.

8] Full Leather Jacket: Worried that her daughter Meadow wont get into college that she wants, Carmela asks a next door neighbor, Jean Cusamano, for help as Jean's sister could write a letter of recommendation. Meanwhile Richie gives Tony a jacket as a peace offering, but what Tony does with the jacket only adds fuel to the fire between him and Richie. Also, two young gangsters, Sean and Matt, look to make names for themselves by pledging their loyalty to Richie with an act that will guarantee everything will turn upside down.

9] From Where to Eternity: Christopher has been shot and has an out of body experience which sends Paulie on a trip to a psychic to try and find some answers. Tony and his crew look for the shooter in order to avenge Christopher. Meanwhile Dr. Melfi has been seeing a psychiatrist herself in order to explain her complex relationship with Tony, and also discusses her substance abuse problems. And lastly Carmela wants Tony to have a vasectomy for "the good of the family."

10] Bust Out: Richie starts to complain to Tony about how Tony is running things and tries to find an alliance with Uncle Junior. Meanwhile Tony realizes there is a witness to a murder he committed and starts to make plans to leave town. However before he goes he makes an unwilling partner of David Scatino, his high school friend who owes him money, with his hardware store. Meanwhile Carmela decides to decorate and finds herself very attracted to the decorator.

11] House Arrest: After dodging time in jail, Tony is advised by his lawyer to spend time working at his legitimate business. Uncle Junior finds a way to spend his house arrest time by talking with a widowed wife of a police chief. Tony and Richie also fight once again, this time over drugs that Richie is selling on his routes. And Dr. Melfi creates a scene at a restaurant with her son.

12] The Knight in White Satin Armor: Richie and Tony's sister Janice are about to be married, and even though Tony doesn't want Richie near his children he still throws an engagement party for Richie and Janice. Carmela is tired of Tony sleeping with his other woman, but Tony's mistress doesn't want Tony to say goodbye. There is also a BIG surprise in this episode, and it all starts as Janice and Richie settle down to dinner one night.

13] Tony is finally forced to sit down and talk to his mother, the same woman who ordered a hit on him last season, to discuss living arrangements for the future. Tony also gets food poisoning, which gives him several weird dreams that hint at something Tony always suspected, but could never really accept. Meadow is about to graduate high school and is on her way to college. And finally Tony and his crew members go on a boating trip, but one of them never returns.

This season of the Sopranos is full of twists, turns, and a lot of violence. This is one great show and this season is essential to add to your collection. Highly recommended.

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Season 2

Having recently gotten into "The Sopranos," after I finished watching the first season; I rushed to get this. Let me just say, I loved the first season; But I love this more. This is a great season of a great show. Not only are the jokes funnier, the acting stronger, the plot twists more surprising, but they also made a couple good decisions. First off, Livia Soprano (Tony's mom) was a big part of the first season (and frankly, she wore out her welcome several times). Here, her character is decreased and when she does appear...It's not bad. Anyway...Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his family, including wife Carmela (Edie Falco), daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), and son A.J. return with a whole array of family and business issues. Tony is still seeing Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), his shrink. Christopher (Michael Imperioli) tries acting. Adreanna's (Drea De Matteo) uncle Richie shows up in the beginning of the season, becoming a main character and ends up dating Tony's sister Janice; Despite a personal-and-business feud between them. Oh, and there's a rat in the family. I don't want to say too much, because I think with any show, it's better to watch each episode without any real knowledge of what's going to happen. But, rest assured, if you like the 1st season. You'll definitely like this one. Here's the list of episodes and a few comments:

1. Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office-The first episode of the 2nd season picks up basically where the first one left off. Tony's uncle Junior is in jail, which makes Tony new boss, he's severed ties with his mother, and his psychiatrist won't see him. In this episode his sister Janice shows up.
2. Do Not Resuscitate-Nothing really significant occurs in this episode, but it is pretty entertaining. It's not the best, but it's not the worst.
3. Toodle F**king Oo-This episode is pretty funny, except my interest in Tony's mother in the hospital goes down everytime there's a scene that takes place there.
4. Commendator-In this episode, Tony goes to Italy without Carmela or the kids for business purposes and Pussy's wife wants to divorce him. The episode is written by series creator, David Chase...So, it's one of the better episodes even though it's different from the other ones.
5. Big Girls Don't Cry-This is the most entertaining and cool episode so far and features Christopher joining an acting class and letting out some of his inner demons as well as Tony returning to therapy.
6. The Happy Wanderer-This episode has an array of cool things. Guest appearances by Frank Sinatra Jr. and Robert Patrick; And you hear the song "Down" by Stone Temple Pilots played in the background in one scene. The season is getting a lot better later on, because this is a really great episode.
7. D Girl-This episode is extremely close to perfect. Guest appearances by Jon Favreau, Janeane Garofalo, and Sandra Bernhard.
8. Full Leather Jacket-A surprising (and funny...kinda) ending makes this episode one of the best this season.
9. From Where to Eternity-This episode is written by Michael Imperioli, who plays Christopher, and deals with what happened in the previous episode. Very dramatic, very funny, and very entertaining. The classic R&B score works really well.
10. Bust Out-In this episode, Carmela comes close to having an affair with a painter. It's an entertaining episode.
11. House Arrest-This episode is very funny and you also get to see a sensitive side to Uncle Junior.
12. The Knight in White Satin Armor-This episode wasn't my favorite, but the last 20 minutes were great. One of the main characters may or may not die in this episode.
13. Funhouse-When an episode of a show is written by it's creator (especially when it's the season finale) it's usually really good. This is one of the strongest episodes.

GRADE: A

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The Sopranos- The Complete Second Season

The second season is my favorite season even though I kind of saw it out of order but not the first disc,the first disc was the first episodes I ever saw.second season dvd's have a cool menu.And the second season has the best stories.Lillo Brancato Jr. from A Bronx Tale is in the second season so thats good I was glad to see him in there.This is the only season I want to own.

"It was very a good year..."

So sings Old Blue Eyes in the wonderful montage that opens Season 2 of The Sopranos, and of course he's right. The second season is often considered to be the best of the series by most fans and it's hard to argue with that assessment. For example, one of the two-season long storylines - is Pussy a rat? - is resolved, but not in a quick and fleeting fashion; it is carefully built up over the course of the year and leads to a devastating emotional payoff that will haunt Tony forever. Here are brief capsules for each episode in this excellent outing for Chase and Co.:

Episode 1 - "A Guy Walks Into A Pyschiatrist's Office..." - Uncle Junior is in prison, Melfi has flown the coop, and Pussy returns from his mysterious vacation. Naturally, Tony's anger issues resurface. Christopher's new brokerage license fails to pay dividends for his employess, courtesy of two new incredibly stupid goons, Matt Bevelaqua and Sean Gismonte. To top it all off, Livia is in the hospital and her psychological double, Tony's sister Janice, is suddenly very interested in the family again (and their assets, of course). Fantastic first episode; all set-up but doesn't play like it.

Episode 2 - "Do Not Resuscitate" - (SPOILER) We learn the sad truth about Pussy - he is indeed a rat. Notice that the creators do it early in the season instead of keeping us guessing - it allows the tension of what Tony suspects to amp up for the ENTIRE season. It was a great choice to make, and allows us a lot more insight into Pussy as well as a little fun. Also, we see AJ blurt out again to Livia, with hilarious results.

Episode 3 - "Toodle-(bleeping)-OO" - The colorful title is misleading; Jackie Aprile's brother, Richie, is out of the can isn't wasting any time reclaiming his turf. Tony isn't too happy, and Richie still thinks of him as a kid. Not a good harbinger for Richie. Also, Meadow is caught partying at Livia's house, which leads to tensions between Tony, Carmela, and Janice. And Dr. Melfi is caught in an embarrassing situation.

Episode 4 - "Commendatori" - A fun episode as Tony, Paulie, and Christopher visit Don Zi Vittorio in Italy to jump start a car operation they "inherited" from Junior. All three get more than they bargained for - Tony discovers the Don is a doddering old fool and his gorgeous and fierce daughter, Annalisa, is actually running things; Paulie finds his attempts at hospitality repeatedly thwarted; and Christopher shoots a LOT of heroin. But the trip is a success also yields a valuable new soldier, Furio. On the home front, Carmela is forced to question her own marriage as Angie Bompensiero, Pussy's wife, seeks a divorce. And Pussy is preoccupied with and Elvis impersonator who saw him with an agent.

Episode 5 - "Big Girls Don't Cry" - A power structure is in place and Pussy isn't in the loop. Furio's up to his name as the new Italian lieutenant yields immediate, violent dividends in a collections dispute. Chris is taking acting classes, a gift from Adriana, but is he really cut out for it? Tony goes to Hesh for "advice" and learns his father had blackouts as well. Dr. Melfi decides to take Tony back as a patient, just in time.

Episode 6 - "The Happy Wanderer" - Tony has taken over the executive poker game, formerly Junior's, that got him "made" - when he successfully robbed it without killing anyone. Big stakes are involved (Frank Sinatra Jr. is at the table), and Tony's old school friend Dave Scatino is desperate to get in. Problem is, he's a gambling addict and is already into Richie for too many "boxes of ziti". He adds onto the bill, this time with Tony, and it's going to cost him - bigt
ime.

Episode 7 - "D-Girl" - Ugh. After so many great ones in a row, I almost forgot about this one, almost universally considered the worst Sopranos ep ever. AJ has suddenly become a nihilist and smokes pot at his confirmation. The FBI wants Pussy to wear a wire - since he's the confirmation sponsor. But mostly, the episode focuses on Chris' misadventures in Hollywood. Midly funny but mostly pointless diversion with little meat.

Episode 8 - "Full Leather Jacket" - Carmela wants Meadow to get into Georgetown and "requests" a letter of recommendation from her terrifed neighbor Jeannie Cusamano, who's sister was a prominent student there. Richie Aprile gives an unsolicited gift to Tony, and it ends up causing a great deal more harm than good for both of them. And Matt and Sean do something completely moronic, with kills one of them and puts a bullseye on the other, and Christopher is the one worse for wear. Very dramatic but also funny bits, in the unique Sopranos mold.

Episode 9 - "From Where To Eternity" - Christopher is on life support at the hospital and Bevilacqua is a marked man. The family - both of them - are coping in different ways. Carmela turns to prayer, for Chris and also Tony. Paulie, totally spooked by a vision of Christopher's, goes to a medium with predictably hilarious results. Pussy tries to get back in Tony's good graces by doing the hit on Matt with him, to the great consternation of the FBI. And Janice Soprano is trying to pull a Lady Macbeth on Ritchie. Life for Tony is never easy...

Episode 10 - "Bust-Out" - Tony hears the worst news possible - there was a witness to the Bevilacqua murder. Now he needs cash and plans to skip town before the feds indict, which also means "busting out" Dave Scatino. Carmela gets flirtatious with her new decorator but when he learns who her husband is he has a sudden change of heart. And lucky for Tony (and Pussy), the witness has one, too.

Episode 11 - "House Arrest" - After the Bevilacqua episode, Tony is warned by his lawyer Neil Mink to start spending more time away from the Bada Bing. He goes to the waste management business for a while - but finds it boring save for the secretary. Richie and Junior decide to sell coke on the garbage routes as well and Tony is furious. Junior also runs into an old friend while under house arrest and reconnects for a while.

Episode 12 - "The Knight In White Satin Armor" - A decision needs to made about Richie Aprile. He conspires with Junior to attack Tony, but Junior smartly tips off his nephew for a greater long-term benefit. Richie is taken care off, in an unexpected way. Tony's goomah Irina is also giving him agita as he tries to break it off. Now only one problem is left - Big Pussy.

Episode 13 - "Funhouse" - In perhaps the strongest episode in Sopranos history, the season finale ties up all the unresolved storylines from this season and the previous one. Tony still has his mother to deal with; of course she foolishly gets caught with stolen airplane tickets. He also gets ill from some Indian food, and his subconscious shows him things he doesn't want to confront. He fears the worst and goes with Silvio to investigate; they confirm the truth about Pussy. Along with Paulie, they take Pussy on a bittersweet fishing trip.

All in all, Season 2 somehow manages to raise the lofty heights of the first run and builds confidently to the inevitable tense emotional conclusion. If you enjoy TV at it's finest, The Sopranos is simply unbeatable, and as future seasons prove it continues to get better.

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