Aspiring mob boss Tony Soprano has a fainting spell and ends up in a shrink's office. It quickly becomes apparent through his chat with the shrink and a series of mostly comical flashbacks that he is a very bad man involved in some very bad stuff. You can feel the makings of a show here, obviously based on both THE GODFATHER and GOODFELLAS. Everything feels a bit rushed, but hey, it's a pilot and there's a lot to establish. Characters are not truly formed yet. Carmela is a typical New Jersey shrieker of a housewife, the kind we see in movies and hope never to meet. Sil and some of the other "boys" are only briefly glimpsed. Tony himself is not quite yet the Tony we will come to know; the gravitas is missing, if you'll pardon my use of that $100 word. But watch Tony's face as he gleefully runs down the guy who owes him money. He obviously loves the rough stuff, while feeling guilty about being both that guy and a family man with family responsibilities. By the way, the little bit of screen time Uncle Junior and Tony's mom have is worth its weight in gold, as these characters are played by two very sharp veteran actors. But just as THE GODFATHER was all about Marlon Brando, THE SOPRANOS ultimately will be all about James Gandolfini. Bring on all the guest stars you want, but without Gandolfini, there would be no THE SOPRANOS.
Review of Pilot
