You know what’s awesome? Paint fumes are awesome. Seriously, there’s a remodeling project going on literally four feet from my desk, and for the last hour I’ve been a little bit high and a lot headachy. Not to mention that for ten minutes of every hour, I have to leave so the crew can set a ladder in my cubicle.
Anyway, The Sopranos last night: brilliant episode. Not quite the best of the season (I’m still a huge fan of “Join the Club”), but great in all sorts of ways. Of course, the symbolism is being laid on with a trowel – the subplot about the mafia being no match for the forces of corporatism was jaw-droppingly obvious for this show – and the Cavalcade of Gay Stereotypes continues apace (muscly firemen are sexy – and gay! Gay men are all swishy queens who call each other “cunt” – even when they’re firemen!), but I’m feeling more willing to overlook these things at the moment.
-Robert Iler did not suck for the first time ever. The scene between Tony and A.J. at the car might have been my favorite moment of the season thus far.
-Sure it was hamfisted and obvious, but I really loved the shirt-buttoning motif. The conflict between Tony’s better and worse natures is absolutely the best part of the show right now.
-Indeed, I loved all of the editing in this episode, even though a lot of it was kind of typical; especially the cross-cutting in the early moments.
-Finally, we get a perfect Melfi scene, in which she talks with Dr. Bogdanovich, and she accuses him of being interested in Tony as tabloid fodder. Which is an amazing unreflective moment for a voyeur who gets off on hearing Tony’s stories of power.
-A.J. as a Michael Corleone knockoff: going to end badly. Hopefully before they drag the storyline into unbearability.