re: The Sopranos is still the best TV series ever

You misspelled The Americans

Gloria: “Look, I’m not back in 10 minutes they call the cops. Standard operating procedure.”

Patsy: “Here’s some standard operating procedure: stay the frick away from Tony Soprano. Shut the frick up and listen. It’s over. Capeesh? Over and done. You call or go anywhere near him or his family and they’ll be scraping your nipples off these fine leather seats. And here’s the point to remember: my face is the last one you’ll see, not Tony’s. It won’t be cinematic. We understand each other?”

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. And here’s the point to remember: my face is the last one you’ll see, not Tony’s. It won’t be cinematic. We understand each other?”

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TV at its best

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I'm on my 7th watch through and im still picking up on things I missed before



I know it’s been 20 years but damn - do you not have a life?

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The shite on TV today makes me nostalgic for a show that didn't push a political agenda.

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I really wish they would have had Tony or someone confront that guy. I get why they didn't but it would have made for a great end of the episode. Didn't that scumbag work at Popeyes or something? or they apprehended him at a Popeyes?

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He was employee of the month at Starbucks. I think the point of the entire Melfi being assaulted storyline was to highlight the contrast of morality between her and Tony. She knows she can tell Tony and have the man killed but chooses not to since it would be morally wrong even with his crime.

Also from another post, Pine Barrens is probably the funniest episode of Sopranos. Chris and Paulie alternate from heated rivalry to buddy comedy throughout the entire series and it's one of the best parts of the show.

I watched it again a few months ago and while the series is obviously out of date it still holds up pretty well and is fun to watch even after having done so many times.

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One thing I don’t get is why do all these small businesses keep paying the mob thousands of dollars a week. I understand ones that work with unions but the bars, pizza shops, etc that you see handing envelopes over to Chrissy and company I don’t get.

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Its the classic "protection racket", or an extortion racket. Basically one of the oldest mob tactics, dates all the way back to the days of the "Black Hand." Basically pay us weekly for the privilege of operating and we'll make sure your business stays safe (we won't frick with you and we won't let other gangsters frick with you). You gotta think back in the northeast back in the day, especially NYC/NJ, multiple families were operating in one area so you have multiple people trying to extort your business and won't take kindly to refusal, so you pay whichever you think is going to protect you from the others the most lol. That and they sort of come in as a "business partner" and if you stop paying them (for protection/for a loan/ etc.) they may take it over or "bust it out" like Tony did to the sporting store, or Paulie did to the restaurant in Goodfellas.

Edit: in the "Its over for the little guy" scene with the Starbucks type place where Patsy and Bert (I think) go to extort the guy and he's basically like look corporate isn't gonna give a shite if you break a window/assault a manager/blow the building up, they have thousands of stores.

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it's because Sopranos and the Wire (and breaking bad to a slightly lesser extent) are the most common choices for greatest show of all time, and many people have them 1 and 2.

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They both also broke the paradigm on what a TV drama was and could be, and set a new standard. I love them both and couldn't pick a favorite of the 2.