The Sopranos: 46 Long First Watch

October 21, 2021 5:39 PM - Season 1, Episode 2

Tony is getting fed up with his mother. Brendan Filone acts against Tony's wishes. Salvatore and Paulie try to track down A.J.'s teacher's stolen car.

“Marty! Kundun! I liked it!”

posted by overeducated_alligator (5 comments total)

- It’s the 90s! A fancy coffee store. Paulie’s resentment over yuppies co-opting Italian coffees.
- This show has so much material about manhood, and patriarchy as a virtue. Christopher sees the value of respecting the hirearchy, instead of Brendan’s nihilism. Tony feels the pressure of the expectations of him as patriarch. He has to take care of his mother, not only as a son and a good person, but as a person others will be judging harshly.
- The B plot with the teacher’s stolen car was a bit silly but I still enjoyed it.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 5:48 PM on October 21, 2021 [1 favorite]

Do you mean that it endorses patriarchy as a virtue? Or that it depicts it?
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:53 PM on October 22, 2021

That it depicts it, and shows how those who work within it want to preserve it even if it harms them.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 4:56 PM on October 23, 2021

Yes, totally!

The Kundun quote is one of my favorites from Season 1. Also:

"Your uncle... Pussy?"

"My dad's a hero!"

It's like the clown version of Christopher.
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:52 PM on October 24, 2021

Oh I forgot, this episode has a hilarious Tony moment:

When he's breaking Mikey Palmice's balls, and after every insult he's like, "I'm just kiddin', how you doin'?" and shakes his hand... it cracks me up every time because it is just SO insulting. When Tony wants to fuck with someone, he's a goddamn comic genius.
posted by Saxon Kane at 1:36 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]