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The Sopranos: Join the Club (2006)
One of the show's greatest episodes
My current rewatch has revealed unlikely front-runners among the episodes of The Sopranos and, so far, this and The Test Dream I hold in extremely high regard as moments of effective introspection. If you are someone who was not a fan of the early dreamier moments of the show (like Funhouse), then I can understand some dissatisfaction here. But for those who appreciate them, these later seasons really offer a lot.
In this, and in The Test Dream, the dreams take on more supernatural qualities. They are not simply visually symbolic nonsenses which appear during sleep. I would even posit that they are not dreams, but visions. The narratives they contain are sophisticated and fleshed out (unlike a dream) and, especially here, their pacing is the pace of real life. In this episode we see Tony either in purgatory or just having a dream about what his life would be like if he was "normal", i.e. outside of the mafia. There is a healthy sprinkling of post-9/11 anxiety which exists in prior seasons too, which forms part of the "normal" Tony's conundrum. It's worth noting, as 'current affairs' form a large part of the discussion of anxiety that the show conducts.
I always say to fans of Mad Men who have not seen The Sopranos that the last two seasons of the show is where Mad Men was born (arguably, the Gloria Trillo plot line is very significant too, but I believe the best part of that arc occurs after her death, in season five). This episode is an illustration of that.
Outside of Tony's purgatory dream is another stellar moment for Edie Falco and a continuation of minor characters' arcs amidst the general plot stasis caused by Tony's hospitalisation.
The Sopranos: Members Only (2006)
The Unglamorous
The Sopranos might best be described with the subtitle "everyone is miserable" (followed shortly by "mummy problems"). Whenever the writers focus on a particular minor character one knows that, inevitably, it will end horribly. Most glamorously, it could end in an assassination, but usually, it is something a lot more ordinary and more bleak.
The season six premiere is an excellent example of this. Firstly, you have the unglamorous death of Ray Curto, who goes out in an instant in an FBI agent's car. At his funeral he is praised as one of the principled old guys who would never snitch to the authorities. A symbol of what the mafia once was to the new guys, or at least what they were lead to believe it was; the illusion of tradition and honour.
Most principally, though, is the tale of Eugene Pontecorvo. The spotlight shed on him suggested a tragic story, and I cannot think of a single other episode that depicted such an arc (of which there are many - Adrienne for one) from beginning to end. His death - suicide, urinating onto the ground below him - is not glamorous, but obviously pathetic and depressing. You expend some energy hoping for better things for his family (stricken by drug use and a general universal depression), but because this is The Sopranos, you learn quickly not to waste your time.
And finally, there is Tony's shooting. Not a hit, which would be far too stately for a man of his rank, but an accidental shooting by his deranged senile uncle.
In many ways, including those outside of those mentioned above, Members Only is a quintessential episode of the show, which embodies all it is about. Its America is a hellscape in which nobody is really happy.
The Sopranos: Sentimental Education (2004)
L'Éducation Sentimentale
The Flaubert novel evoked by the title is not immediately a cogent fit for the episode until its conclusion. The novel, for all its initial promises of romance and excitement, ultimately boils down to nothing. Its romantic protagonist ends the novel where he began, in his provincial hometown remarking with an old friend that a mundane experience was more memorable than everything else he experienced during his life in Paris.
In a sense, this episode does something similar. With Carmella's love affair and Tony's excitement about starting his massage parlour, the first half of the episode gives wholesome and positive promise for two characters who seem to deserve it. But by the time the credits roll, all of this is turned to dust. These two characters' fundamental flaws make these great achievements instead fleeting failures.
Tony asking the other Tony, a man with whom long ago he worked happily, to be let back into 'the business' at the end, in a brief scene, can mirror Frederic Moreau's brief conversation with his old friend Deslauriers in Flaubert's novel. For all of life's possible adventures, ultimately we stay who we are.
The Sopranos: Eloise (2002)
A Carmella Episode
Carmella is unfairly described by many critics, and yet treated too kindly by others. She is not childish necessarily as much as she is desperate, and either too stupid to realise the implications of her actions for other people (ie Furio and that DIY guy from the previous season) or selfish enough to knowingly bring them into a dangerous situation. You could certainly make the argument that her dissatisfaction is such that she doesn't care much about implications, but I think this is probably something most people deal with. This episode is prime Carmella material and Edie Falco is stellar. Probably one of the best in this season.
Side note: I have never seen a hangover represented as well as Gandolfini when does it in one short scene in this episode. I can feel his feelings in this moment.
The Sopranos: University (2001)
Another very dark moment for the show
After episode four, which featured a disturbing topic and one scene in particular that is hard to watch, this is another very dark moment. It is incredible - and something The Sopranos does best - when the writers construct these mini arcs within one single episode, and Tracey's demise is a prime example. Paralleling Meadow's story of university romance and breakup - a youthful folly - is the tale of a similarly-aged stripper, a mother to a neglected child and herself completely immature and taken advantage of. Another tough one to watch at certain moments, but incredibly insightful.
The Sopranos: D-Girl (2000)
Nitch
Such a classic episode, what with AJ discovering existentialism and "Nitch". But also the whole Christopher getting into Hollywood thing is great. I love the way they take the Favreau bit, where he's directing a scene in his film, and they shoot the scene Favreau's shooting but with the TV camera, devoid of any cinematic style.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Tarantino's best film by quite a bit
None of the annoying dialogue of his earlier films, not much of the glorious violence of some of his noughties films, this is an odd film from the director. It holds his best qualities - an extreme attention to detail, a complete adoration of everything he puts in frame - but with somehow more maturity, more emotion. Have you ever cried in a Tarantino film before? OUATIH might be the first time that'll happen to you. I do not wish to reveal the ending, but I will say that he manages to deal with a real situation with respect and sophistication. Anyone offended or confused ought to think again about it. If this was to be the final Tarantino film it would be a perfect swan song - I can't think how his tenth could be better than this.
Game of Thrones: The Bells (2019)
One of the best of the post-season 3 episodes
I do wonder why people have only suddenly become angry with Game Of Thrones when it has been shoddily written and has butchered character arcs for a few seasons now. What is worse here than in the dreadful season 7? I have long given up with the show offering good writing*, and have looked for spectacle. This episode is a blimey good one if that's what you're after. Far more so than the Battle of Winterfell, this is visceral and intense. Every blow, every gust of fire, brings with it a sense of fear, anger, or sadness. Some of it is a little silly and video game-like, such as the long-awaited "Cleganebowl". But the drama that precedes the battle is not the worst stuff the writers have done in past seasons. It certainly beats the dreadful season 7.
*That is to say well-written characters with arcs that make sense, and relative realism in the plot. I care little for "oh, those tactics were silly in that war" or "she would have survived that stabbing".
Fleabag (2016)
I could not hate it, as much as I tried
Fleabag is very clearly the work of someone with a double barrelled surname. It shows in every second of the show and then is only confirmed by the credits. But I've sort of gotten over my phase of bitterness to middle class Londoners anyway, so it's okay to me (I still hate Richard Curtis). Fleabag is exceptional stuff. Given how scanty Phoebe Waller-Bridge's IMDb page is for producing and writing, it just seems absolutely absurd how good this show is. She has scary talent, and if Fleabag is just where it starts, then goodness knows what highs she's going to get to over her career. My main excitement is with the performances in this, which are some of the best I've seen on British television in so long. Olivia Colman's great in everything we all know. Sian Clifford is someone I've never seen on screen before and she was phenomenal. Her character's deeper feelings are always shown with slight changes in attitude which Clifford deals with so well. I've always had a lot of time for both Bill Paterson (for The Witches - one of my favourite films, in which he is perfect) and Brett Gelman, and while the latter is still amazing, Paterson here might just be the highlight of the entire series. His portrayal of the father struggling to show his emotions (but really holding quite a few) is humorous and real. Really impressed by everyone, and of course Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who somehow made breaking the fourth wall not in the slightest bit cringey. That is an achievement in itself. Not to spoil anything, but I love the priest's interaction with the fourth wall, and the implications this has for the character.
I've exhausted my basic adjectives now and so I feel I should leave. Fleabag is some of the best British television I've seen recently. This and Wanderlust prove that British drama is not dead yet.
Wanderlust (2018)
Misunderstood
Wanderlust is a lot more ambiguous and complex than people have seen it as. If confused and offended by it's first episodes, let it play out until the end, when everything becomes clearer and gains extra dimension. It is not, as many have suggested, a blatant criticism of marriage and the model of family life.
Happy Valley (2014)
Gripping, but flawed
Imagine how much better the finale scene of season 1 would have been without that sentimental music and needless flashbacks. British drama has not, on the most part, been able to crack the whole subtlety thing, and that was my biggest problem with the recently-popular Bodyguard. This is a shame, since so many things are done so well in Happy Valley. A usually well-directed, intense show with some superb performances does not deserve a script so scruffily written. Pieces of dialogue often slip into the soap opera arena, making this feel like a high-budget episode of Coronation Street at times. Not that everything is bad in how it was written. The standout of the season for me would probably be Steve Pemberton's performance, although his arc is a little confused by the finale.
Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower: Part 1 (1996)
Kino
Is this Twin Peaks: The Return?
The ending of this episode of Goosebumps is the scariest to me. The idea of the kids being completely alone in some weird alternative universe is frightening.
Game of Thrones: The Dragon and the Wolf (2017)
Schlock, Schlock, Schlock
I would say that Game of Thrones' problems began in season four. Here we are, in season seven, and I am still watching. And I will still watch until the show's end. I am only doing so for the possibility of grandeur, such as that was delivered in season six with the phenomenally staged Battle of the Bastards and the blowing up of King's Landing. There is an awful lot of criticism of 'the new' Game of Thrones going about, but a lot of it centres around 'plot holes' and the like, which I couldn't care less about.
The characters of the show are now merely caricatures. It is clear that the writers, no longer following the novels, have absolutely no idea what they are doing. They do not understand writing outside of crowd-pleasing, shock-driven schlock à la The Walking Dead. Characters' arcs (if they exist at all) make no sense and deaths occur not when fitting, but when writers fear the audience is getting bored. I detest, by the way, what has happened to the Hound. He's merely a comic relief character now, and not even funny at that. "Oh he's northern and he swears and insults people". Visionary. Him meeting his 'brother' in this episode could have been great - but it wasn't. Of course it wasn't. Because these writers cannot write. This is a great example of where everything has gone wrong.
God, every single line of dialogue in this thing is awfully delivered - a combination, I think of it being badly written and badly directed. I would say that these writers need to take classes, though I fear they are beyond help.
What a polished turd of a show. Next season better just be rammed full of battles and they better all be directed by that Miguel Sapochnik guy. If you can't write then just do spectacle.
P.S. if you go into an episode of the show asking "who's going to die?" then it's either a shit show, or you're looking at it in the wrong way.
Mad Men: The Wheel (2007)
Nearly Perfect
Mad Men's first season is undoubtedly its worst. That it is still fantastic says a lot about the show overall. The finale is perhaps a good embodiment of where the season works and where it doesn't. Where it doesn't is in the unsubtlety of certain character moments. The characters themselves, written brilliantly to be complex and real, are often betrayed by moments of odd, obvious dialogue, as if the storyteller wants the viewer to be unsure of what they think of them. On a similar vein, certain plot elements are awfully soap opera. It is clear that the writers have not quite hit their stride, though I would venture that Mad Men was still, at the time, the best-written show on television. The problems I have with this season are also issues I have with some points of The Sopranos, so perhaps it is a televisional problem.
The Wheel is by far the season's best episode. It is a finale of mostly understated drama, and a statement against sentimentality. The presentation of 'the wheel' is itself superb, then the episode's ending is a deconstruction. It says a lot about Don's character, and parallels the finale of the show almost ten years down the line.
The early scenes with Peggy are wicked. Her development throughout the season is exceptionally handled. It's interesting, also, how her promotion comes out of Don's competition with Pete and not out of his kindness.