For Junior Homecoming, my friends and I decided to dress up like the Rat Pack. Like most of our high school bits, we thought we were uproariously clever and cutting-edge cool, while the rest of our class didn't take any notice and probably wouldn't have gotten it even if they did. Still, it was a fitting choice for us. Junior year was the time we really came together as a group. From that point through graduation, we were pretty much inseparable, always associated with one another to the rest of our class.
At one time, Tony had the same relationship with his cousin, Tony Blundetto. Excited that Tony B was home after 15 years in the big house, Tony probably assumed the two would pick up where they left off. But those 15 years away put plenty of distance between them. As with everything else in his life, Tony handles the change poorly. And he responds like he always does in these types of situations: by exerting his power. He chooses to go the petty route instead of flashing the big guns stealing Carmela's component cords so she can't have her movie night anymore. Tony, we know you want to prove you're still the man of the house over there, and it was bad enough that you would take out your frustrations at work on your family when you lived at home, but doing the same even after you've moved out? This is why I have a hard time connecting to this guy. Just bullying for bullying sake.
Tony B's desire to go straight puts even more strain on their relationship. The tension within Tony, with one side valuing the mob game, the other recognizing the benefit of a clean life, has always been one of the most interesting (and I feel, underpursued) aspects of his character. When he started to see Anthony Jr. treading the same path the he had, it scared him. But at the same time, it's the family business. He doesn't want to lose his Family. So when Christopher suggests that they should see if Tony B would take out a snitch, Tony flies off the handle. He tells them to respect his cousin's desire to go clean. All this while Tony insists on hooking him up with a job through his shady channels. It's a constant struggle for Tony, balancing these two sides, and I don't expect him to ever really figure it out. Nevertheless, his old Rat Pack is gone, with any hope of it tossed into the river.
Poor Adriana. She's stuck in a world made up of murderers, cheaters and liars, all supported by a gaggle of apologists, and she finds herself on the inside looking out. Christopher might be her soulmate, but she's certainly not in love with the world he's inextricably apart of. She sees one informant killed, has Rosalie Aprile likening Big Pussy to a less-honorable Judas, and it's all starting to get to her. When the FBI agent told her that she was finally on the side of the good guys, I wasn't sure if she really believed it, but by the end of the episode, she was ready to turn over any and everyone who's involved in mobster-like behavior. That slut with the fox coat throwing herself at Christopher? Yeah, she's first on the list.
Adriana's struggle has become one of the most compelling parts of the show for me. She's one of the few characters with a strong interest in a life removed from the gangster culture, and one of even fewer actively working against it. Unlike with Tony and Carmela, her relationship with Christopher is easy to root for. Also unlike with Tony and Carmela, I get the impression that if it wasn't for the mob life of Christopher, things would be much more smooth sailing between the two. Christopher isn't saddled with Tony's baggage about his mother and his lust for power. He could be capable of having a healthy relationship removed from all the temptations that come with life in the Family. But Christopher's as ingrained in the Family culture as anyone else at this point, and when he finds out what Adriana's been up to, she better be very, very far away. Forgiveness does not run in the Soprano family.
Soon enough, Rosalie Aprile is going to put two and two together between her conversation with Adriana and her subsequent breakdown in the Soprano family movie theater, and when she does, the whole thing will unravel. I like where this season is going already.
