The Sopranos - The Complete First and Second Seasons (1999)

The Sopranos, writer-producer-director David Chase's extraordinary television series, is nominally an urban gangster drama, but its true impact strikes closer to home, chronicling a dysfunctional, suburban American family in bold relief. And for protagonist Tony Soprano, there's the added complexity posed by heading twin families, his collegial mob clan and his own, nouveau riche brood. The series' brilliant first season is built around what Tony learns when, whipsawed between those two worlds, he finds himself plunged into depression and seeks psychotherapy--a gesture at odds with his midlevel capo's machismo, yet instantly recognizable as a modern emotional test. With analysis built into the very spine of the show's elaborate episodic structure, creator Chase and his formidable corps of directors, writers, and actors weave an unpredictable series of parallel and intersecting plot arcs that twist from tragedy to farce to social realism. While creating for a smaller screen, they enjoy a far larger canvas than a single movie would afford, and the results, like the very best episodic television, attain a richness and scope far closer to a novel than movies normally get.

Alternately seductive, exasperated, fearful, and murderous, James Gandolfini's Tony is utterly convincing even when executing brutal shifts between domestic comedy and dramatic violence. The first season's other life force is Livia Soprano, Tony's monstrous, meddlesome mother. As Livia, the late Nancy Marchand eclipses her long career of patrician performances to create an indelibly earthy, calculating matriarch who shakes up both families; Livia also serves as foil and rival to Tony's loyal, usually level-headed wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Lorraine Bracco makes Tony's therapist, Dr. Melfi, a convincing confidante, by turns "professional," perceptive, and sexy; the duo's therapeutic relationship is also depicted with uncommon accuracy. Such grace notes only enrich what's not merely an aesthetic high point for commercial television, but an absorbing film masterwork that deepens with subsequent screenings.

In its second season, The Sopranos repeatedly defies formula to let the narrative turn as a direct consequence of the characters' behavior, letting everyone in this rogue's gallery of Mafiosi, friends, and family evolve and deepen. That gamble is most apparent in the rupture of the relationship that formed the spine of the first season, the tangled ties between Tony and Livia, whose betrayal makes Tony's estrangement a logical response. Filling that vacuum, however, is prodigal sister Janice (Aida Turturro), whose New Age flakiness never successfully conceals her underlying calculation and opportunism. Soprano's relationship with therapist Melfi also frays during early episodes, as she struggles with escalating doubts about her mobbed-up patient. At home, Tony contends with wife Carmela's ruthless ambitions on behalf of college-bound Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), as well as son Anthony Jr.'s (Robert Iler) sullen adolescent flirtation with existentialism--the sort of touch that the show handles with a smart mix of sympathy and amusement. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com

BADA BING...BADA BOOM...

My son is a big Sopranos fan, so I bought him the DVD set for the first season for Christmas. I myself had seen maybe two or three episodes on cable and had enjoyed them. So, when he began watching, I was right there watching with him. What a terrific show! It is absolutely gripping.

It is a marvelously creative series with a stellar cast. For those of you who have been visiting relatives in Antarctica for the past several years, the story revolves around the mob in New Jersey. It centers on one family specifically, the Sopranos, headed by Anthony Soprano (James Gandolfini), who is married to his loyal childhood sweetheart, Carmela (Edie DeFalco). Together they have two children, Meadow and Anthony, Jr. Tony's dangerously manipulative mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand), is bound for a retirement home, if Tony has any say.

Tony, however, has another family, comprised of a bunch of murderous henchmen, who occasionally march to the tune of a different drummer. He also has a Russian mistress. Trying to balance all this has given Tony panic attacks, so he goes to a psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), whose relationship with her client alternates between fear and fascination.

The writing for this series is splendid and the interweaving of comedic and familial moments with the darker, more violent ones provides the viewer with an intelligently woven plot. James Gandolfini is outstanding as Tony Soprano, a powerful mob boss, who can also be a teddy bear of a guy and a good friend, unless you are perceived to have been disloyal. Then, you may kiss your buns goodbye. Tony is mercurial, sexy, fearful, cautious, and, given the right circumstances, deadly. He is a fascinating and beguiling character. Edie DeFalco is warm, funny, loyal, and the glue that binds their immediate family together. Yet, she too has her own sting, and she knows the power that her husband has. She is not above using it herself, if necessary. The late Nancy Marchand was terrific as Livia, the manipulative, scheming mother.

While the first season was sensational, all I can tell you is that the second season is as good, if not better, than the first.

There are some major plot developments. Livia and Tony's uncle hatch a plan that can have murderous consequences for Tony. Carmela is doing all in her power, and I mean all, to help Meadow get into a good college. In her own sweet way, Carmela can be just as scary as Tony. Janice (Aida Turturro), Tony's sister, comes back home, wreaks havoc, marries the former mob boss's jailbird brother, and then leaves town with a bang. One of Tony's best friends becomes a snitch for the Feds. No wonder Tony continues to have anxiety attacks and still needs to see his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi.

The writing continues to be intelligent, and the story lines are as well thought out and engrossing as ever. I absolutely love this series!

The first and second seasons DVD sets each come nicely packaged with four discs. The nice thing about the DVDs is that before an episode begins, if one likes. one may read a plot summary of that episode. The visuals and audio are crisp and clear. There are also some bonus features. There is a terrific interview with David Chase, the creator of the Sopranos, and some behind the scenes featurettes. All in all, this is a great show, and these are two great DVD sets to add to one's personal collection. I have already seen the first, second, and third seasons. I now can't wait for the fourth season to come out on DVD. January 5, 2003

Best show ever!!

I hardly ever watch TV except for sports. But I was recommended to watch this by a friend and let me tell you, if you like goodfellas and shows like that then you will love this. The first season is the best without a doubt. The second season you really get into and then the third season starts off slow but the end is really great. This is by far the best TV series I have ever seen, even better than the simpsons(entertainment value wise). I tell you what, I can't wait for the fourth season to come out because I will get it right away. November 2, 2002

the sopranos best seasons

by far the first and second seasons of the sopranos were the best and now there on dvd, nothing could be better. October 11, 2002

More reviews at Amazon.com ...