'The Sopranos': The sons of Tony Soprano

Seemed like old times last night on “The Sopranos.” 

Bullet to the head, check (Hey, Tim Daly, sayonara and God speed on your “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off).

Mob pals engaged in conflict-resolution, check (Christopher throws Paulie’s cousin out a window, so Paulie does doughnuts on Christopher’s front yard. Call it a push).

Tony and Carmela wondering what to do about morose A.J., check (what percentage of the kid’s scenes, over the years, have featured him spaced out in front of the TV?).

There have been rumblings that “The Sopranos” isn’t so much hurtling toward a conclusion as jogging there, at its own pace, with coffee breaks. But a major thing happened Sunday night — A.J. Soprano went on Lexapro.

OK, so he isn’t going to inherit his father’s business. But a son going on Lexapro where his father takes Prozac is a modern-day pharmaceutical equivalent of a father-son picnic.

Series creator David Chase (though the episode was written and directed by Terence Winter) made sure we understood how Tony’s lieutenants have all produced junior scumbags and thugs, whereas A.J. will just get blown into the life while going about in pity for himself.

Tony’s other, less official son, Christopher, finally returned with a vengeance, though I feel a little deprived that his story has apparently moved beyond last year’s affair with fellow user Julianna Margulies. AA meetings are Christopher’s chosen mode of therapy  (favorite scene of the night: Christopher bonding on a stairwell with a fellow alcoholic whose experiences at Unicorp mirror his own).

Subverting audience expectation, Chase has made it clear he doesn’t see these final nine hours of “The Sopranos” as an exercise in good housekeeping. He’ll do an entire episode on a lake, and you’ll like it. Sunday night’s episode had much more of what established “The Sopranos” in the first place as a jazzy riff, a show about the mob in which the same brutish man who commits acts of wanton, old-school violence buys into empathic New-Age approaches to stress.

A.J. was the only member of the Soprano nuclear family who had yet to consult a therapist. Last night, distraught over a breakup, he finally arrived at his destiny. Is it just me, or did he look like a total natural, engaged and focused, sitting opposite a shrink in a roomful of minimalist furniture?

The scene cut away quickly to the Bada Bing, as if to say: Our circle is complete.

(Photo courtesy HBO)

Comments

[angela]

The old day are back it was like watching Season 4 finally. Yes I agree AJ looked quite comfy in the therapist office, pulled that off quite well. How do you see the next 4 shows wrapping up? Who goes; Tony, Chris, A.J., Paulie, Bobby? Anyone's guess......

[Tony A.]

Tony Soprano has got to be the ultimate antihero in this remarkable TV show. Tony cheats on his wife every chance he gets and then bribes her with jewelry,berates his troubled son AJ,hates his daughters boyfriends,beats his bartender,beats his bodyguard,and takes time out to kill a "rat" while touring colleges with his daughter Meadow. Let's face it, Tony Soprano is not a nice guy. He always blows up like a volcano at poor Mrs. Melfi only to return for his weekly sessions! Not to say he is without merits. He did care for his nag of a mother Livia and his senile Uncle Junior after both of them tried to have him killed! He did show up with an automatic weapon when that pesky bear was stalking his family. And he did try to be a father to the self destructive Jackie Jr. He was no Mike Brady but dammit he tried to get that kid to come around. Then there was his ill-fated nephew Chritopher. Tony loved him like a son but Christopher liked to get high,had a bad temper and a smart mouth,and liked to challenge Tony's authority. Let's face it,folks. Chrissy,as Tony referred to him,was just not cut out to be the boss even though many thought he was the heir apparent. So let's review current events on The Sopranos. Christopher is dead -by Tony's hand less a mercy killing,more of an opportunity for Tony to keep his power base! Phil unleashed his hitmen on The Jersey Crew after telling Butchie "No more of this(Tony's B.S)!" Bobby Baccala,the gentle mobster,was gunned down in an otherwise peaceful hobby shop purchasing a Blue Comet for his train collection. Poor Bobby. Then the hitmen laid siege to The Bada Bing ambushing Silvio and Patsie in their car! Patsie got away but now Tony's consigliere lies near death in a hospital. Death is walking behind Tony Soprano who went to bed cradling a machine gun after putting his family on the lam. So how will it all end? All we can do is play the guessing game. But with David Chase at the helm,one thing is for certain. This ain't The Cosby Show,folks. So don't expect a happy ending! Tony was shot in the gut by his goofy Uncle earlier this season and AJ tried to kill himself later on. Chase and his writers gave us a bloodbath with the penultimate episode "The Blue Comet". It only serves for a grim finale. In "Made In America" Tony Soprano and his beloved family will finally pay the price for their mafia lifestyle,living off of "blood money." Look at the way Johnny Sack died,in the fashion of John Gotti. So,as this great show comes to an end so does the criminal career of one Anthony Soprano.

[jeannie mac]

Guess I was somewhat disappointed in the last episode June10th. Don't know what I was expecting but it seemed lika like a let down from the norm of this series. But, in retrospect tho - I kinda thought it was clever on the part of the writers! I too thought something went beserk with my tv set! oh well ---