10 Things About The Sopranos That Haven’t Aged Well

soprano The series premiered 25 years ago and has been the standard by which other crime series are measured ever since. From fascinating characters to gripping plots, the HBO drama has a lot to offer. The quality is no surprise considering that most of the storylines are written by some of the industry’s best writers, including the talented trio of Matthew Weiner, Terence Winter, and series creator David Chase. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America named it the best written show of all time.

It is also rust resistant. soprano It may seem like it has some questionable, pointless, or annoying aspects, many of which were justified when the show first aired, but they are more apparent now. Given how far society has come and how much better television has become, it is now time to hold the show accountable for some of its crimes. While the charges may not ruin the reputation of the crime drama, the entire story might have been a lot more fascinating if these issues had not been present.

10 Strange Stories About The LGBTQ Community

Many of the best TV gang shows don't have major LGBTQ storylines, so soprano This series is at least notable for following this path. However, gay characters are treated very harshly. One of the leaders of the Di Meo crime family, Vito Spatafore, has been in hiding for a long time. He has even married and had two children. When a member of the Lupertazzi crime family sees him in a gay bar, Vito chooses to hide.

For Vito, gang life is better than a perfect relationship.

The general level of homophobia is frightening, and what makes it worse is that the victim is still portrayed as the villain. Vito is the kind of character to be pitied and cheered for. Instead, the show makes him hateful.All because of his questionable choices.

During his time in hiding, he begins a relationship with Jim, a fast-food chef. Jim falls in love with Vito, but the gangster later abandons him to return to New Jersey to resume his gangster life. Along the way, he kills a stranger after a minor disagreement. Upon returning to his hometown, he is brutally murdered.

9 Tony's Conspiracy Shield

soprano The film subverts many gangster movie tropes and offers a realistic portrayal of modern gangster life in the post-Gotti era. Unfortunately, Tony, like many screen heroes and antiheroes, benefits from too much armor to protect him from conspiracy. There is only one serious attempt on his life (which he survives), and the FBI seem less interested in catching him, but they still pursue everyone with ferocity.

The leader of the De Meo crime family navigates the entire show without ever appearing before a Senate committee or setting foot in prison.

Is Tony very smart?

Some fans might argue that Tony doesn't benefit from plot armor or luck. He's simply too smart. But is he? If Phil Leotardo was able to tear Tony's organization apart in such a short period of time, the FBI wouldn't have to struggle to catch the man.Worse still, no member of the Di Meo crime family has made any serious effort to bring Tony down. Taking down the boss has been a common practice in the Mafia since the early 1920s, but Tony has never had to worry about such problems. Richie Aprile thinks about it but never really goes after the goal.

8 blatant racism

generally, soprano The film is a fascinating study of the toxic effects of greed, adding darkly comedic touches to the familiar get-rich-quick premise. However, it occasionally strays from the subject by turning some of its characters into racists. Take, for example, the scene where Tony Meadow’s daughter introduces her black boyfriend, Noah, to him, and he goes absolutely nuts.

When Meadow briefly goes to her room, Tony shamelessly orders Noah to write a breakup letter.

“When my little girl comes down the stairs, she will say how nice it was to meet me, then she will go and take her to school, then she will say goodbye.”

Tony becomes a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

David Chase gives great performances from Patrick Tally and James Gandolfini in this scene. Tally is even more impressive as he transforms from a concerned third party into a tough teenager willing to stand up to racism.

He tells his girlfriend's father to “go to hell,” but his short response is noble compared to what Tony throws at him. The gang leader calls him a coal, a “mulligan,” and a “ditson.” This kind of phrasing is strange, coming from one of the greatest TV characters of all time.But there was no uproar 25 years ago. The show also has another questionable plot where Tony's men try to break up a Native American protest.

7 Many unsolved stories

Where did rapper Massive Genius (Bokeem Woodbine) go? From the outside, the show may seem like it doesn’t have any outstanding threads, but it actually has plenty. One major thread stems from one of the show’s most memorable episodes, “Pine Barrens.” In this episode, Christopher and Paulie believe they’ve killed Russian mobster Valery, but when they go to bury his body in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, he goes on the run. The cat-and-mouse game ends with no payoff and Valery is never seen again.

The guessing game continues.

To be fair, most crime dramas have a perfect ending, but that doesn't mean mistakes should be tolerated. The best written TV show ever shouldn't have any separate cables. Fans want to know what happened to Furio after he fell in love with Tony's wife, Carmela, and fled to Italy. Was he tracked down and killed, or did he choose to violate the Law of Omerta before entering the Witness Protection Program? Only David Chase knows.

6 Gender-based violence

Several of the main characters in the series get physical with women. Tony does this during an argument with Carmela before breaking up, pinning her to a wall. Christopher gets his hands on Adriana, and Ralph publicly murders his girlfriend Tracy. Tony's sister, Janice, is also attacked by her lover, Richie Aprile, but she takes her revenge in a dramatic way by shooting him.

There is rarely any punishment.

The sad thing about these incidents is that There were rarely any consequences.Throughout the show, we see characters get punished for other misdeeds. For example, Ralph pays for his continued disrespect for Tony and the other gangsters, but he never pays for killing Tracy. Christopher also doesn’t pay for abusing Adriana. Instead, she gets punished for talking to the authorities, but she wasn’t the one who called them in the first place.

5 Women's empowerment is little or non-existent.

The Mafia has always been male-dominated, but as a show that has aired mostly in the 21st century, soprano It could have given women more power. Of all the female characters, only Dr. Jennifer Melfi has maintained a stable career path.Others like her who get decent jobs, like Agent Deborah Cicerone, only appear briefly, while the rest are sidelined to play the role of gang wife.

missed opportunity

Female crime bosses can be interesting. Shows like Griselda, All the Queen's Men, and Queen of the South Prove it. So, the HBO drama wouldn't have been weaker if it had strong women.A great opportunity is lost with Annalisa Zucca, the Camorra leader whom Tony meets during his visit to Naples. She could have played a crucial role in the proceedings, but after four scenes, she is never seen again.

4 Where is bobby in season 1?

As the nicest gangster on the show, Bobby Bacala finds more fun being Junior's personal assistant than committing crimes. He is introduced in season two as one of the main members of Junior's crew. Eventually, he becomes a top member of the De Meo crime family. But where was he in season one? Given how much Junior relies on Bobby, he must have been there from the beginning. No explanation is given as to where he is.

Simple answer behind the scenes

Regarding Bobby's absence, the answer is simple: Steve Schirripa has not been selected yet.The producers also had no idea that such a character would be needed. However, a proper plot explanation was in order. After all, the show perfectly explains the absence of several other characters, notably Richie April and Ralph. The reason for Big Pussy's absence from the screen is also explained in detail.

3 Simple continuity errors

HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series seems to be meticulously written and perfectly edited. With its careful use of varied camera angles, quiet shots, and multi-layered storytelling, it has become a model for other genres. However, On close reading, some continuity errors can be detected.proving that David Chase and his team were human after all.

Has anyone noticed that?

There are many examples of continuity issues in the show, although most of them are related to the visuals rather than the story.

When Gigi was talking to Tony at Bada Bing, a stack of cash next to them kept appearing and disappearing. When Tony was talking to Agent Harris at Satrial's pork shop, his Escalade (which can be seen through the window) also appeared and disappeared. The same can be said of the magazine Valentina was reading when Tony visited her in the hospital, and the blood stains on Tony's jacket after his fight with Bobby.

2 Mob traditions are not adhered to.

Cosa Nostra members live by certain rules and traditions. Why do so many characters ignore them? Like Dominic Toretto, the characters continue to emphasize that nothing is more important than family, yet Paulie, one of the most prominent mobsters, is unmarried and has no children, despite being in his fifties. He also has no goma.

In season 6, it is revealed that Bobby has never killed anyone, leaving viewers wondering how he became such a respectable man in the first place. Additionally, several gangsters become informants. Not to mention Furio falling in love with his boss's wife.

Rebellion without consequences

Many gangsters are rebels and face no consequences. We can assume that this was the nature of the Cosa Nostra gangs in the 1990s and 2000s. The new generations are usually used to breaking the old rules.

It would make sense for Silvio to pressure Paulie into marriage.making him realize that his bachelor lifestyle is part of the reason why their enemies consider this a “glorious crew”. It would also make sense that Bobby wouldn't be a special person since he hasn't “made his bones”.

1 Lots of body shaming

Weight is the main issue in the presentation, Like racism, it is not dealt with well.“Oh, look at that! It's like a weight loss center commercial. Before that, way before that!” Paulie says after seeing Bobby and Vito standing next to each other at Bada Bing. Tony also tells Bobby to stop leaning on his car because he might accidentally flip it over. The most insensitive remark comes from Ralph, who jokes that Johnny Sack's wife, Jenny Sacrimoni, had a 90-pound mole removed from her rectum.

There are better ways to address the weight problem.

soprano He could have benefited from a little sensitivity. After all, There are better ways to address the weight problem, and the show even embraces one of them.For example, in the first episode of season six, “Members Only,” it was revealed that Vito had lost 160 pounds and even appeared in a weight-loss commercial. This approach sends a better message than having Jenny hide packages of candy to eat when her husband isn’t watching.