WASHINGTON DC: The first time I watched David Chase’s acclaimed crime drama “The Sopranos” was 2002. My husband and I were journalists living in Cairo, seeking to learn about the Middle East after Sept 11, 2001. We were broke and pretty desperate for any form of entertainment (these were pre-streaming days). A friend from the States told us about a new technology called Napster that could be used to ‘rip’ a movie or TV show, turn it into a digital file and burn onto a DVD. Voila! We binged the first few seasons while eating McVitie’s and overly sweet pastries. In a weird way, it was a connection to home as well as a great escape. We were hooked, and stuck with the series until it finished in 2007.
“The Sopranos” is by David Chase. (Supplied)
I recently bingewatched the entire show again, this time with my 13-year-old son (who ducked under a blanket every time the ‘Bada Bing!’ strip club sign was on screen). Once again I was drawn in by the life of Italian-American mob boss Tony Soprano, explored in sessions with his psychiatrist Jennifer — taking in many nuances that had escaped me in 2002: The truly painful conundrum faced by Adriana (the fiancée of Christopher — whom Tony sees as his natural successor), his wife Carmela’s contradictions (superbly portrayed by Edie Falco), and the horrific clothing choices. One nice thing about being nearly 50 is that I had forgotten major plot points, allowing me to enjoy the twists — and cringe at parts — all over again.
“The Sopranos” is a crime drama (Supplied)
Yes, I also noticed bad edits and some useless subplots (Tony’s come-and-go girlfriends, whose character profiles are as paper thin as their bodies; Christopher’s mysterious wife, Kelly, who was never really introduced but just appears out of nowhere; Carmela’s random trip to Paris that I suspect happened because the showrunner wanted to see Europe). But none of these things took away from the nostalgia of re-watching an America where the biggest threat was a fat mobster. The true beauty of the show — that a murdering monster can also have a complex and fragile inner life — shines through, regardless of the times.
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