June 4, 2006

"Sopranos," "Big Love."

Big finales tonight. Unfortunately, I had to do something in the real world, so I haven't watched any of it. I'll catch up in a day or so. But you can go ahead and talk about the shows. Don't worry about spoiling in the comments.

17 comments:

Rick Lee said...

"Giving a bike to some hoods so they won't wake up his girl's baby? How lame is that?"

Well... it's lame in the context of the show, but in the real world? Would you prefer he go out there and crack heads and possibly end up in the hospital himself? I dunno. Perhaps it shows growth. Problem solved.

Thers said...

I still think you're a dingbat.

You know, I proved you were wrong. Why did that make you so mad?

Why do you feel vindicated now that you know where my wife works and my young children go to school?

I never understood you. But email my dean if it pleases you.

Thers said...

So was GWPDA a "deer"?

Was "watertiger"?

Uh huh. "Why here"? Are you insane?

You went after specific, real, women, in an insane fashion, for silly reasons.

Glad you're happy my kids are now getting death threats. Cheers!

Ann Althouse said...

Thers: I'm just glad you deleted a blog that was full of nasty things about me. Why don't you say why you chose to stalk me and why you idiotically obsessed over me, embarrassing yourself? You only did it because you had a pseudonym and because you knew I couldn't return the attack in kind because I use my real name and accept responsibility for what I do on the web.

That made you a pretty low character. I was ignoring you, not even reading what you said about me. Then you got yourself into trouble. Of course, I'm going to take pleasure in that. That's what happens in this world when you make people despise you and ready to enjoy your misfortune.

But you're still too creepy even to thank me for not piling on and repeating your name or personal information. And you're leave your comments in this thread because you think I won't see them right away, since I said I haven't watched the shows yet and invited people to spoil. So you're still sleazing around in the outskirts of life, you miserable loser! Good luck to your daughter, who will have the chance some day to read how her father talks to and about women that he's decided he disagrees with.

Ann Althouse said...

For the mystified, "Thers" is "Thersites," who had to delete the blog "Metacomments." You may remember his abject trollage on this blog in times past, before I took to systematically deleting his comments and he went on cyberstalking me on the blog he's now deleted. He's the person I wrote the post titled "Blind Item" about, and now he wants to call attention to who he is here, so I'm letting him.

Ann Althouse said...

(And that should be "And you're leaving your comments....")

Ann Althouse said...

I watched the first 15 minutes of "The Sopraons" before I got called away. It didn't seem too promising. This season has been so boring. If I have to see one more shot of Edie Falco's concerned fact, I'm going to scream. Too many hours, dragged out forever. You have to pay a lot of attention to understand what's going on, but what does it really matter? There's some deal, someone gets pissed or betrayed, and someone must die. Meanwhile, Carmela sleepwalks through life and maybe, just maybe, someday she will see that she's married to a monster. But, whoops, we like him too. Maybe we are sleepwalking too... sleeplounging in front of the TV.

amba said...

Dave -- if he'd done anything BUT give them the bike, they'd have left him for dead. He solved the problem, not heroically, but effectively, using what he had, which was NOT macho fighting prowess.

amba said...

And didn't you think he was going to get some kind of semiautomatic or automatic weapon out of that trunk! David Chase fooled you again.

Freeman Hunt said...

The Sopranos "finale" was no finale at all. It was what a regular episode would have been in past seasons. I was disappointed.

This season has seemed kind of haphazard.

Joan said...

The Sopranos felt like someone should get whacked, throughout, but consistent with the rest of this season, no one was. I called it about half-way through: nothing was going to happen. My husband and I were laughing about how much sex there was, though. The rule apparently is, if there is no violence, there's lots of sex.

I can't watch Big Love anymore. It's too painful. That won't stop me from going over to TWoP to read the recap, though. It's just that Bill Paxton's character is dumber than a bag of bricks. I couldn't watch this last episode because it seemed to so obvious to me that Barb was trying to get out of the polygamous arrangement -- if she was out in public giving speeches and whatnot, how could she maintain their secret lifestyle?

These characters are supposed to be sympathetic but they are too unrealistic. Ironically, the only one I like is Nicki, because she's the only who understands exactly what they're doing and what must be done in the real world to maintain their status. Everyone else is just some version of Margie (whom I would cheerfully strangle) -- skating along, not really thinking about anything. (I wrote that and then remembered the credits -- nothing like being hit over the head with a metaphor, huh?) That attitude would so manifestly fail them, and quickly, that it amazes me that so many of the characters possess it. Then there are the older kids, who are in constant pain over the situation, but their parents remain oblivious to that -- it's just too infuriating.

Ann Althouse said...

Dave: I routinely cancel out this guy's contributions here, but this time, I wanted to take advantage of it to "unblind" the blind item from the other day. Dopey of him to want more exposure, but I felt like taking advantage of him, because he's behaved despicably towards me.

Unknown said...

Tim, you're right. The text was mysterious. I thought Tony was going to die!

John Stodder said...

Carmine Jr. finds out honesty is not always the best policy.

Tony shows Phil his spiritual side.

Agent Harris gets into the Christmas spirit.

Revenant said...

Agent Harris gets into the Christmas spirit.

I think that was more about preventing Chris from getting whacked. The FBI seems to be building a case against Chris, probably in hopes of turning him on Tony.

Anyway, I thought the final episode showed just how empty most of the season has been. It was like all of the interesting character development that should have been happening during the previous 12 episodes got shoved into the final episode to make room for coma dream sequences and the pointless Vito-in-NH arc.

The "Carmilla hiring a private detective" arc has got to be the most ridiculous thing yet. Carmilla's never given any indication of gross stupidity -- just greed and denial. A mobster's girlfriend goes missing, she suspects him of being behind it, and she's thinking about HIRING A PRIVATE DETECTIVE TO INVESTIGATE IT? Is she insane?

loner said...

Well, Chase called the episode "Kaisha" and once I figured out what was going on I thought he did a damn fine job of putting everything together so that things have never been better for Tony when he and his family get together on Christmas Eve in 2006. Talk about enlightened self-interest. January 2007 is way too long to wait.

Joe G said...

I liked the Big Love finale okay. The Sopranos ep - well, I don't idolize it the way some of youse fellas do. It wasn't as bad as the one with all the ghosts.

There were a few good touches.

I liked the Christmas tip.

I am getting increasingly aggravated by Christopher, and want him offed "toot suite." Yes I know how to spell in French.

My own review of the Big Love episode is here.

Ann: I also took your name in vain, a great deal, in my most recent post, on blogging with pictures.

Also, please feel free to ban the IP of Thers. He adds nothing to any comment thread he's in.