Best Season of The Sopranos

[1987_Lakers]

Made a best season of the wire thread last week now I want opinion on the sopranos.

Season 1
http://www.filmdetail.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/The-Sopranos-Season-1-Bluray.jpg

Season 2
http://pixhost.info/avaxhome/2007-12-07/Sopr_2.jpg

Season 3
http://images.moviecollector.net/large/d4/d4_d_54009_0_TheSopranosTheCompleteThirdSea.jpg

Season 4
http://www.gandolfini.com/sopranos4.jpg

Season 5
http://cantorarecords.com/sites/default/files/sopranos_season_5_bg1.jpg

Season 6
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51as9yZL0rL.jpg

My rankings...
1. Season 2 (Richie Aprile made this season the best)
2. Season 1 (Tony vs Uncle Junior)
3. Season 3 (Pine Barrens, nuff said)
4. Season 5 (I liked how they added new characters to the show)
5. Season 4 (Disappointing season, Seemed like I was watching a soap opera at times)
6. Season 6 (By far the worst season, especially part 1. They focused way too much on Vito & him being gay.)

[Rose]

I agree entirely with your rankings.

[1987_Lakers]

I would also like to say that Ralphie was by far the funniest & most sociopathic character in the entire series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Z1yQnZMdg

[PHX_Phan]

I still need to check out this show. Never really watched it but I've had season 1&2 on DVD for years now.

[Scientist]

I still need to check out this show. Never really watched it but I've had season 1&2 on DVD for years now.
:facepalm

it's arguably the best show of all time with a ending that didn't let down.

[PHX_Phan]

:facepalm

it's arguably the best show of all time with a ending that didn't let down.

I don't follow very many TV shows at all. Outside of animated shows (South Park, Boondocks, ATHF) I've never watch an entire season of a television series.

[Ol Dirty Bastard]

The Sopranos was/is my favorite show of all time. I have seen every season except the last more than once/twice.

I was obsessed with this series and got hooked right from the first time I got season 1 on DVD.

Season 2 is the best, however critics have claimed seasons 1 & 2 to having the best story line in any show ever.

Season 4 was slow but had some great episodes. Season 6 was pretty lame except for the last 3-4 episodes which had viewers on edge.

[LilBTheBasedGod]

I thought this was the Simpsons...


*walks out of thread*


Actually you can't walk out of a thread, its out of our dimension...


*thinks of something wittier to say*

[Thorpesaurous]

I absolute love the series too. I haven't seen an episode in probably three years though. I bought that complete series DVD set and watched it all over a month or so.

I find this rating a lot tougher than The Wire (which I also absolutely love), because the seasons are so much more distinct in The Wire. In Sopranoes, the story is far more linear, and it sort of bleeds together in my head over time. Some of that is just my distance from it, but it's still much more true than it is of The Wire.

I'll say that season 1 has some definite lulls, and far less commitment to the characters. You can almost tell that it was written as a movie script and fattened up to stretch it out. There's a few episodes that are nearly complete non-sequators, like the stuff with AJs football coach, which as the series progressed, felt so out of place. I remember rewatching it and thinking how small time it made them seem compared to my recollection of them over the years.

Each season has some extreme highs, and some definite lows. Season two I really hated the way they dealt with Nancy Marchant's death, the women who played Tony's mother, by editing together some gibberish to get some closure (Marchant actually lived next door to a friend of mine, and was a pain in the ass in real life too, a real "get off my lawn" type old lady).

I'll also say that as much as I loved it as it was going on ... I was one of the appointment TV guys who gathered with friends on Sunday nights ... watching the show in whole form over a short stretch and a not new, was a completely different experience, and one that made me enjoy much more. Knowing what was coming allowed me to not focus more on the smaller details, and while it took from that suspense element the show had, I also wasn't always looking for stuff to happen that wasn't going to happen, like waiting for the shoe to drop on the missing Russian in the pine barrens.

[dunksby]

Its a close race between 2nd and 3rd and I agree that Ralphie was the best guest character.

[1987_Lakers]

I absolute love the series too. I haven't seen an episode in probably three years though. I bought that complete series DVD set and watched it all over a month or so.

I find this rating a lot tougher than The Wire (which I also absolutely love), because the seasons are so much more distinct in The Wire. In Sopranoes, the story is far more linear, and it sort of bleeds together in my head over time. Some of that is just my distance from it, but it's still much more true than it is of The Wire.

I'll say that season 1 has some definite lulls, and far less commitment to the characters. You can almost tell that it was written as a movie script and fattened up to stretch it out. There's a few episodes that are nearly complete non-sequators, like the stuff with AJs football coach, which as the series progressed, felt so out of place. I remember rewatching it and thinking how small time it made them seem compared to my recollection of them over the years.

Each season has some extreme highs, and some definite lows. Season two I really hated the way they dealt with Nancy Marchant's death, the women who played Tony's mother, by editing together some gibberish to get some closure (Marchant actually lived next door to a friend of mine, and was a pain in the ass in real life too, a real "get off my lawn" type old lady).

I'll also say that as much as I loved it as it was going on ... I was one of the appointment TV guys who gathered with friends on Sunday nights ... watching the show in whole form over a short stretch and a not new, was a completely different experience, and one that made me enjoy much more. Knowing what was coming allowed me to not focus more on the smaller details, and while it took from that suspense element the show had, I also wasn't always looking for stuff to happen that wasn't going to happen, like waiting for the shoe to drop on the missing Russian in the pine barrens.

I think that was season 3.

[Abd El-Krim]

OP is right on.

The last 2-3 seasons were complete trash and took place over such a long period of time that I decided that the show had always sucked. Recently rewatched the first 2 and was gripped just like the first time I saw them.

[Thorpesaurous]

I remember all the frustration of those last couple seasons. The long waits, and all the seemingly unanswered questions, and untied ends. People constantly tuning in to get resolution, and only getting more questions. But when I went back and watched it over a shorter span, and didn't have the frustration of anticipating things I knew weren't coming, those last couple seasons aren't nearly as bad as I remember when they were happening. In fact there's a lot of good stuff in there. The dream stuff when Tony was in the coma is actually pretty compelling stuff, but at the time I remember people being incredibly frustrated by it.

The gay Vito stuff wasn't very good, not even for it's being so overtly gay as much as it's distance from the rest of the ensemble. I remember reading that there was some issues upon contract negotiations regarding how much work people would do for the rate they were being offered, and because of that there was a need to push another story line to occupy the time, so there was some thinking that had something to do with it at the time. I don't really believe it, but it's an interesting notion.

[Gundress]

I have all of those seasons...(I think my favorite is 2nd Season)

The worst is 6th where the Vito with gay shit, I can't stand it but still good show.

[1987_Lakers]

I'm glad most agree with me on Season 2 being the best. The last 2 episodes of that season were amazing & unexpected.

[SilkkTheShocker]

Old thread bump.....

But imo Season 5 was a masterpiece. I loved every episode and the show went back to its roots after it started to lose some steam after Season 4. Steve Buscemi, James Gandolfini, and Michael Imperioli put on an acting clinic that series.

-Introduces Tony Blundetto, Phil Leotardo, and Feech La Manna. Absolutely loved how they were introduced in the opener as the "Class of 04".
-Tony and Carmela's divorce. We get a bigger look into Tony's inner circle this season.
-The FBI is putting the pressure on Adriana to give them more information or she will be put in prison.
-Junior's condition is worsening. Classic moment where he states Tony never had the makings of a varsity athlete and he loses it.
-Feech La Manna going against Tony and his eventual demise.
-We find out Vito is gay
- War between Little Carmine and Johnny Sack erupts and Tony's attempts to stay neutral.
-Adriana and Tony almost getting it on and the rumors that follow.
-The whole Tony Blundetto storyline. How he attempts to go straight but it doesn't last long. The family never really fully recovers from his actions.
- Contains my favorite episode all time in Cold Cuts. We get to see just how screwed up these guys are in the head.
-Tony's Test Dream and the amazing amount of symbolism involved in it.
-Adriana and Tony's B deaths finishing up the series. Tony getting away from the FBI at the end to symbolize that he survived this whole mess.

[T_L_P]

Bump...

Just got done re-watching the show, and my rankings would go like this (note: 6a and 6b are two different seasons for me):

1. Season 5
2. Season 1
3. Season 6b
4. Season 3
5. Season 2
6. Season 4
7. Season 6a

Top 10 episodes

1. Long Term Parking (Season 5, Episode 12)
2. The Second Coming (Season 6, Episode 19)
3. University (Season 3, Episode 6)
4. Army of One (Season 3, Episode 13)
5. Made in America (Season 6, Episode 21)
6. Whoever Did This (Season 4, Episode 9)
7. 46 Long (Season 1, Episode 2)
8. The Test Dream (Season 5, Episode 11)
9. Marco Polo (Season 5, Episode 8)
10. For All Debts Public and Private (Season 4, Episode 1)
HM: Members Only (Season 6, Episode 1)

*I know almost everybody has Pine Barrens in their top ten, but the episode is too remote for my liking. It's still one of the better episodes, though.

GOAT show :bowdown:

[KingBeasley08]

^ That's exactly how I would list my favorite seasons as well.

[T_L_P]

^ That's exactly how I would list my favorite seasons as well.

Ha, that's funny. Most people I encounter detest season 5. I have no idea why. :lol

I can't believe I liked the show even more than the first time I saw it.

[KingBeasley08]

Ha, that's funny. Most people I encounter detest season 5. I have no idea why. :lol

I can't believe I liked the show even more than the first time I saw it.
Loved the new characters they introduced that season. Tony B's tragic character and Phil Leotardo vs. NJ were great storylines. And that dream sequence was great as well. Just a brilliant season overall

[DonDadda59]

Ha, that's funny. Most people I encounter detest season 5. I have no idea why. :lol

Really? Usually people hate season 4 and 6A and either love or are indifferent to season 5. Not my favorite season, but there was a ton of great characters introduced (Feech, Tony B, and obviously Phil).


I can't believe I liked the show even more than the first time I saw it.

Not surprising. I've said it before- The Sopranos has the best replay value of any drama I've seen. It's not plot driven and reliant on 'mystery' or any other gimmicks that lose their weight after they're revealed the first time around. Plus there's a ton of things and easter eggs you miss during initial viewing.

Personally I'd go:

2
1
6B
3
5
4
6A

Got a new found respect for 3&4 after rewatching. 3 and 5 are interchangeable for me. The Blue Comet, Join the Club, Employee of the Month, Pine Barrens, Isabella, To Save Us All From Satan's Power, and Funhouse are some personal favorites I didn't see on your list.

[T_L_P]

Loved the new characters they introduced that season. Tony B's tragic character and Phil Leotardo vs. NJ were great storylines. And that dream sequence was great as well. Just a brilliant season overall

I agree. I like season 5 the most because it manages to combine the terrific character explorations of seasons two and four with the more thoroughly plotted arcs of seasons one and three.

And Long Term Parking is probably the greatest episode I've seen from any show.

[T_L_P]

Really? Usually people hate season 4 and 6A and either love or are indifferent to season 5. Not my favorite season, but there was a ton of great characters introduced (Feech, Tony B, and obviously Phil).



Not surprising. I've said it before- The Sopranos has the best replay value of any drama I've seen. It's not plot driven and reliant on 'mystery' or any other gimmicks that lose their weight after they're revealed the first time around. Plus there's a ton of things and easter eggs you miss during initial viewing.

Personally I'd go:

2
1
6B
3
5
4
6A

Got a new found respect for 3&4 after rewatching. 3 and 5 are interchangeable for me. The Blue Comet, Join the Club, Employee of the Month, Pine Barrens, Isabella, To Save Us All From Satan's Power, and Funhouse are some personal favorites I didn't see on your list.

I'm referring to the people who I've actually met...but yes, I do usually see season 5 around the middle of the pack on people's lists.

And I definitely agree with your stance on it being far more character driven than other shows. That's actually why I like the ending so much (Spoiler alert): I don't think Chase was trying to tease us on Tony's death; I actually think he was making the point that Tony has been dead since the very first moment of the show, metaphorically speaking of course. It doesn't really matter if the Members Only guy walks out of the bathroom and shoots him, because even if he doesn't, he will die under those circumstances, eventually.

[DonDadda59]

Yeah I never bought the whole 'clue' thing that some claim Chase wove in there to show us that the random dude in the members only jacket killed Tony. It was more a short glimpse of the paranoia he lives with on a daily basis, the MO guy was a red herring for lack of a better word. Just a guy getting coffee and then going to take a piss. In the end, as was the overall arching 'theme' of the show, it was all a big nothing. It would've been completely disingenuous to end it with anything definite or the usual neat bow on top.

If you want to speculate on Tony's ultimate fate- just listen to what he says in the final scene. 'It's Carlo... he's gonna testify'. He spent the whole series avoiding, sometimes barely, being taken out by rivals, snitches, the government, etc but the Feds finally have someone close to him giving grand jury testimony and willing to take the stand against him. And as they had shown, the Feds had been building a case on Tony for years (including several RICO predicates like the Scatino bust out and the gun that was featured in Season 5+6). Having a high level guy who was close to Tony and in charge of his construction schemes (another RICO predicate, racketeering) is the icing on their case's cake.

In all probability, he would spend a significant amount of time behind bars. But maybe he would, as in the past, find a way around it. Maybe bribe/intimidate a juror, maybe find a way to get to Carlo, maybe go on the lam again ala 'Remember When'. We don't know and will never know.

[RoseCity07]

Can someone tell me when this show gets good? I'm a few episodes into season 2 and I have to say I'm underwhelmed. I expected much more. There are far too many times that I have no f*cking idea what they are even talking about business wise. I get the gist of what is going on but the dialogue gets kind of boring at times.

The best parts of the show seems to be the therapy sessions that Tony has with Dr. Melfi. Other than that the rest of the show is pretty mediocre. It's sad because I liked the parts I did see before I started watching.

I can definitely see why so many Sopranos fans thought Breaking Bad is better. There was never one time during Breaking Bad that I didn't know what is going on and where things stand. There story was much more fluid and coherent. I'm starting to notice side plots that go nowhere in Sopranos. Bad writing and story telling if we're being honest.

[Andrei89]

Season 2 or 5

[ArbitraryWater]

Can someone tell me when this show gets good? I'm a few episodes into season 2 and I have to say I'm underwhelmed. I expected much more. There are far too many times that I have no f*cking idea what they are even talking about business wise. I get the gist of what is going on but the dialogue gets kind of boring at times.

The best parts of the show seems to be the therapy sessions that Tony has with Dr. Melfi. Other than that the rest of the show is pretty mediocre. It's sad because I liked the parts I did see before I started watching.

I can definitely see why so many Sopranos fans thought Breaking Bad is better. There was never one time during Breaking Bad that I didn't know what is going on and where things stand. There story was much more fluid and coherent. I'm starting to notice side plots that go nowhere in Sopranos. Bad writing and story telling if we're being honest.


Yeah I kind of felt the same. The sad thing is it doesn't get much better. Season 1 is the best, and I as well expected much more when I started/watched it.

[RoseCity07]

Yeah I kind of felt the same. The sad thing is it doesn't get much better. Season 1 is the best, and I as well expected much more when I started/watched it.

That worries me because season 1 wasn't anything special in my opinion. I think season 2 is already more entertaining. I thought it was a desperate move for the writers to let Tony's mother live and Junior. I really hate how we're supposed to act like everything is back to normal. Wasn't Tony going to kill his mother and Junior? Now, it's like he doesn't even care. You don't keep characters because you want to do more with them in the next season. They should have killed both of them and had a new conflict this season.

[T_L_P]

That worries me because season 1 wasn't anything special in my opinion. I think season 2 is already more entertaining. I thought it was a desperate move for the writers to let Tony's mother live and Junior. I really hate how we're supposed to act like everything is back to normal. Wasn't Tony going to kill his mother and Junior? Now, it's like he doesn't even care. You don't keep characters because you want to do more with them in the next season. They should have killed both of them and had a new conflict this season.

I think I appreciated the show the most for the simple things: how well it depicts the decay of the modern family; the fact that even the smallest characters are well though-out and written; Gandolfini's incredible acting (it's by far the best performance in television history in my opinion); the social commentary; how it could shift gears from being terribly funny to terribly sad; the letimotifs (themes from the music); the use of dream sequences and therapy sessions to keep the audience involved and up-to-date.