Sopranos Season 6B Episode 7: "The Second Coming"

Spencer: A few thoughts this week as I can't seem to compile anything into a coherent whole.

Tony's rescue of A.J. at the pool was quite a powerful moment, and especially nice was the dichotomy between gangster Tony (the "what the hell is wrong with you moment") and fatherly Tony (as he coddled AJ in his arms). AJ's arc has not been what I expected it to be - once he started moving towards the gangster lifestyle I was worried that the "father becomes son" storyline was going to play out, something that always seemed contrary to the way AJ's character has developed. So I'm glad Chase has, for now at least, had AJ reject that lifestyle and in fact view it as reason for suicide.

I want to return briefly to the point I made last week about comparing the Sopranos to the final Seinfeld episode, which was basically a giant middle finger to the audience. I think the Sopranos is winding down in a similar way and is making a parallel point, forcing us to take a deep, hard look at the characters we've been watching - and enjoying - for 6+ years. Like the plot of the Seinfeld finale, which exposed how effectively "evil" the 4 leads in that show really were, the Sopranos is showing us not only how terrible its characters are, but also posing some harsh questions to us. AJ confronts the truths of the world and finds it too much to bear - we find it entertaining. Melfi's psychiatrist finally confirmed this week what many viewers have long suggested, that if her therapy is doing anything for Tony, it's effectively making him a better criminal. That condemns Melfi, but it also condemns us, as Melfi has long served as the representation of the audience in this show.

This season has felt drastically different than any seasons past. Part of me thinks that's a good thing - I'm glad they didn't just repeat themselves - but I still believe that they are structuring the episodes around making a "point", rather than making great episodes. Sometimes those two goals collide, and I do appreciate the ambition of the writers this season, but in many ways this has felt like a very different show.

I'm also glad it's ending. Gandolfini has expressed some sense of being done with the Tony character and if this season confirms anything for me it's that TV series should really not try to extend too long - you end up repeating yourself or sacrificing your characters to try something different in the show. Some of the action of the past few episodes - Christopher's death, AJ's suicide - haven't really affected me emotionally because I view them with some sense of detachment. I think the tone of this season and its attention to themes and messaging encourages that - I don't feel a loss when Christopher dies, I feel it more as a point that Chase is trying to make. Like I mentioned earlier, I think Chase is very reactive to his audience, and I think that feeling shows up in the show, which makes it interesting to see where he goes, but makes me care about the characters less, because I know he's only trying to outguess us.