The Soprano family is the best series ever made

Series come and go. Dozens of new productions are being rolled out by VoD and television. Every year, there are at least some phenomenal pieces. But none of them is able to compete with this success. The Soprano family is timeless .

The series was broadcast from 1999 to 2007. It can be said that one leg was still in the nineties crazy and today it is considered as if it came from a different time. Already in the second episode of the first season, one of the heroes attacks a truck and steals it from DVD players. When distributing part of the loot from the mafia family, Tony Soprano worries about the lack of content on this outdated carrier from the current point of view. This adds charm to the production and, although unintentionally, arouses nostalgic feelings.

The Soprano family is more than a cult series.

In those years, she could be without equal, today without major problems it spreads in the most popular productions. . Of course, I am extremely subjective in this opinion, because I do not intend to deprive anyone of the right to claim that the dragon jumping from the egg is more moved than the visit of a psychiatrist to a mafia. However, I have the feeling that the Soprano family has managed to withstand the test of time, despite the problems that it had to comment for the workshop at the turn of the century

The theme of the series is "gangster depression". It's because of the 1999 feature film with this title, but it works very well. The protagonist, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), has a panic attack, and the doctors say nothing hurts him physically. He will therefore consult a psychiatrist to obtain medication against depression. Some of the treatment is also therapeutic sessions, which are so difficult that Tony can not talk about the details of his work, because there is no medical secret in this case of the therapist.

This narrative procedure allows to comment and complete what we see on the screen. Role, however, gives us access to the nooks and crannies of the patient's psyche. We can follow his treatment, try to get out of the trauma and discover why he is unconscious in pleasant family circumstances. This, of course, is only a starting point for thinking about much more serious things. At the very beginning, there is a problem, because a visit to this type of specialist is a suicide for the mafia – his opponents, his subordinates only wait until showing weakness and losing his authority. It is also a question of patriarchal education and a traditional necklace, which terrifies the protagonist and does not allow him to ask for help.

Tony often says that when a man was a "strong, silent" type.

He complains today he goes to a psychiatrist, everyone has problems, and in the first – ideally idealized – man has done it alone. He means hard guys who define models of masculinity. In this way, he admits that he can not reconcile himself with his problem

And show me the second series, which would examine the depths of the psyche of so successful way, analyze it and ask questions about masculinity in the modern world? The big liars, who after all were a big series, have only touched on some of these problems, without indicating the motivation for infidelity, violence, male domination. And yet it's one of those productions that has most honestly drawn psychological portraits of heroes.

Because if we look more broadly at the Soprano Family, it will turn out that the mafia theme is a contribution to telling a completely different story. The brutal resolution of problems, novels, prostitutes, gambling are an important part of history, but in my opinion, this is only a tool to analyze the mentality of a particular minority, descendants of Italian immigrants.

So a fairly closed social group, which combines not only interests, but also a common origin. Moreover, the heroes often assert, they talk about how "their people" hurt in America. All this was invented by the Italians – says one of the heroes, standing in a cafe – esspreso, cappuccino, and the Americans enrich . Of course, there is no shortage of discussion about who invented the radio (of course, that he did Italy, Marconi) and others who are supposed to show the pride of their origin. At the same time, almost none of the characters speak Italian.

This pride is a little ostentatious, facade. Even religiosity, which is an essential part of their identity, is very superficial, not to mention the fifth commandment of the Decalogue.

I think of popular stories that show local communities and try to draw miniature worlds, to show dependencies, the specificity of the place. Look Dark, and even Polish Raven … or Belfra. The creators of the Soprano Family succeed not only in successfully drawing the minority living in a big city, but also in playing with stereotypes and using them to comment on the national identity that is gradually turning into a parody of itself.

[19659005] I do not mean, of course, that what I mention here is decisive, that the topics raised are more valuable than American politics games or Litchfield prisoners, but I am convinced of maturity.

a few seasons behind

The Sopranos lasted six seasons. There are worse and worse series, episodes among them. What is surprising, however, is the consistency with which creators build their characters. From season to season, the characters get older and the kids grow up, and that's their example that shows how the protagonists should be singled out.

The seemingly unimportant scenes of the early seasons turn out to be in the future. Like when Meadow discovers what his father is doing, and his parents explain to him – unsuccessfully – that the Italians have to organize and get closer to defend themselves in these early stages of emigration to America . The girl rejects this argument, which portrays Italians as victims. However, in one of the last seasons, he uses exactly the same arguments during a discussion with one of his peers.

Another situation, when Anthony – the son of the main character – begins to manifest educational difficulties expressed in pessimism, cynicism, a sense of hopelessness. And then it turns out that the boy has serious psychological problems, these elements begin to match.

This series – although I do not think the writers writing the first episode, they knew how this story will end – is a proof of the series has the potential to tell stories. It's not the art of jumping from one event to another, and when ideas run out, to think of more and more bizarre and unbelievable events

The advantage of the Sopranos is that it does not maintain the status quo for the force. If one of the most important heroes has to die, he dies. If a significant couple has to divorce, he goes away. However, these dramas are not the key points of the series, they are a natural consequence of the actions and they do not have to animate the plot and to remain in suspense because the transformations that take place in the people are more important. This is important because we think less here in the category of screen maintenance at all costs. The plot continues and does not promise that every fifteen minutes you will drop us off in the chair, that's just the case.

The series should just tell a story like this. They have plenty of time to develop their heroes.

I came back twice to the Soprano family. Whenever I noticed some fascinating new topics. And the older I am, the more I understand the problems with which the heroes are struggling – and no, I am not a member of a mafia family. The Lilyhammer series brought me some rest, when in the last episode the hero, played by Steven Van Zandt – in The Sopranos the actor is played by the mafia Silvia Dante – goes to New York to finish some business. He meets there part of the cast of the cult series and in this spiritual way refers to the series that brought him popularity.

Of course, the sequel will not be because James Gandolfini died five years ago in Rome. From time to time, it is reported that a prequel of the series is getting ready, by the way, late for at least a few years. However, I think the task will be difficult because it will be very, very difficult to match the original series.

Join us on Facebook and stay up to date!