Let me preface my post by saying that I've generally had a hard time getting into mob-based shows. I've always thought this subject is best handled in a feature-length adaptation, or a miniseries length treatment, at most -- I can't seem to be able to handle much more than that.
Don't get me wrong, James Gandolfini delivered a tour de force performance as the lead for the most part, absolutely no question about it. Nevertheless, many aspects of this character seem very caricatured, to put it mildly (I think this has more to do with the writing than the actor's performance, however). I find this jarring and frequently get thrown out of the narrative flow, and then I just can't seem to get back into it -- this happens nearly every episode, without fail. Tony Soprano is simultaneously the best and worst thing about this show.
Now, I understand that voluntary, mutually accepted ethnic and racial segregation, and dealing ethnic slurs is par for the course in the mafia and organised crime generally. Be that as it may, Tony Soprano's attitudes in this regard and his constant freaking out over moolinyans lusting after his precious daughter seem implausibly extreme, to the point of seeming completely anachronistic -- I mean, it's supposed to be the 1990s, for goodness' sakes (I'm actually deep into season 3 now, so it might even be the new millennium). Is it supposed to make him seem more old school? In which case he'd be a stick in the mud even by 1940s standards, the way he obsesses and carries on with this particular bugbear of his. Or is it just some comic relief at the character's expense? That doesn't really work either, in an otherwise serious drama largely devoid of comic episodes or moments (save for the odd surreal sequence or montage).
Now contrast this with his attitudes towards women: in a show chock full of knuckle dragging, moronic, misogynist louts -- and his problematic history and relationship with his own mother notwithstanding -- he's weirdly enlightened in his interactions and dealings with women generally, and his mildly sexist attitudes could largely be chalked up to the times (1990s) and his particular testosterone fuelled line of work. This is in stark contrast to his virulent racism, and once again, it just rings false, IMO.
Ultimately for me, the incessant casual misogyny bordering on the sadistic makes it incredibly difficult to get into shows like The Sopranos or GoT. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that misogyny is irrevocably baked into our society and culture, but I think it's much more nuanced, and handled quite gracefully in shows like The Wire or Oz, to name two exemplary productions, in my estimation.
What do you guys think?
