Francis Ford Coppola's notorious flop, "The Godfather, Part III," began with a slow montage of shots of the Corleone family's dilapidated Lake Tahoe mansion. The house, once host to festive parties and scores of gangsters, was now barren: a victim of years of ignorance and a shadow of the mob's once intimidating physique.
The scene was harrowingly bittersweet; it brought back fond memories of the first two films while simultaneously setting the tone for the rest of the movie. Only five minutes into the film, Coppola's audience had immediately reconciled the sixteen-year gap since "The Godfather, Part II."
David Chase, creator of HBO's "The Sopranos," has channeled the same muse with the opening sequence of the premiere episode of Season 5. Much like their North Jersey house, the Soprano family is broken, Tony and Carmela are separated while Meadow and A.J. play the dutiful roles of difficult children.
The material symbols of Tony's mind and body are in shambles. The swimming pool which was home to the flock of ducks that gave Tony such joy in Season 1 is covered and unused. The barbeque grill that he used as a gathering point for his family and "family business" is corroded and in pieces.
Most importantly, the newspaper, which Tony would grab each and every day in his robe and pajamas, is carelessly left in the middle of the driveway.
With just a few simple overhead shots of the House the Mob Built, the crew behind "the Sopranos" has beautifully pieced together the emotions of the past four seasons and established where the characters stand as Chase leads the charge of the show's penultimate season.
The entirety of the non-whacked cast is back in full force, replete with f-bombs and instinctive bouts of violence. Tony (James Gandolfini) still stands as the boss of the New Jersey crime family, but now he must deal with the "Mafia Class of '04," a mishmash of former mafia hoods now out of jail after serving their time for convictions from the 1980s. Many are looking to jump back on the wagon, much to the chagrin of the current made men.
Christopher (Michael Imperioli) and Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) have resolved their petty feud that had been brewing since season four, but not before murdering a helpless waiter who asked for an explanation regarding a $16 tip for an $1100 meal. Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) is becoming increasingly senile even while under Tony's close watch. And Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola) is trying to strengthen his hold on the New York crime syndicate underneath the nose of his aging boss Carmine (Tony Lip).
Now separated from his wife and family, Tony seems to be content and comfortable with the situation. Carmela (Edie Falco), meanwhile, is left to cope with her moody, drum-banging, teenage son A.J. (Robert Iler) and his emotional instability. Carmela's fight between her indoctrinated dependence on her husband's dirty money and her own ethical ideology is bound to be a central topic of this season, and can only be exacerbated by her reliance on Tony's weekly monetary support.
The genius of Chase's show is its exceptional timing and juxtaposition of scary and comedic situations. While Christopher and Paulie are whacking an innocent waiter, A.J. is in tears over a black bear in the Soprano backyard. There is a surreal nature to each episode, creating the atmosphere that nothing projected on the screen can possibly be real. But the writing, acting, and overall production are so sharp that everything seems authentic.
The world of "The Sopranos" has finally returned after no new episodes in 2003. It takes a master such as David Chase to pick up all the pieces and plotlines of a show with such a long break between seasons, and he has done so with great expertise befitting the awesome cast. Tony Soprano may have a broken life, but his show is clearly in tip-top shape.
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