Just after chasing the first season of "The Sopranos", I kept trying to jot down something. As for American dramas, there are not many that have been chased before. There are a total of three "Prison Break", "Game of Thrones" and "Breaking Bad". Since last week, the movies, American dramas, and documentaries that I have decided on will exist in my life in a normalized way throughout my life. If there is nothing special, spend half a day on weekends every week to "waive".
After having the experience of watching American dramas, domestic dramas will be difficult to get into the eyes of the law. Except for the best works like "The Name of the People" and "Langya Bang". I found that there is a fundamental difference between American TV dramas and domestic TV dramas. In the portrayal of characters, American dramas are basically full of controversial and flawed realistic characters. The protagonist of a domestic drama must be the incarnation of a heroic saint who is tall, handsome, brave, and responsible. In terms of the storyline, American dramas respect human nature as their main lines, while domestic dramas come about how bizarre, bloody, and confusing.
Take "Breaking Bad" as an example. The protagonist Lao Bai in "Breaking Bad" is a cowardly drug maker who makes drugs, murders, and launders money. You can hardly imagine that a series of protagonists with such behavior can be produced and broadcast on the TV stations of every household. Even though there are differences in Chinese and Western cultures and values, you still have to submit to the freedom, democracy and legal system of Western countries.
Tony is a "three middle school man" under typical realism
When I first saw the name of the drama "The Sopranos", I thought that most people should have an instinctive reaction just like me. This play probably tells a heroic gangster brother, with ordinary brothers, performing a feud about black and black, infighting, drug trafficking, rushing, and happiness. If you think so, then I tell you, you are wrong.
The protagonist Tony in "The Sopranos" is the leader of the mafia, that's right. In addition to the role of the mafia, at the same time, he still has a father with one son and a daughter, a son who is old enough to support his mother, a wife who is in marital crisis, and a girlfriend who has an extramarital relationship, even more incredible. He is a gang boss who needs to see a psychiatrist. Seeing this, some friends will definitely wonder what kind of gangster drama this is, this is obviously an urban life drama.
In fact, we can interpret this drama in another way. If we consider the gangster to be Tony's "professional", we will be surprised to find that this is a realist drama with strong realism. If under the assumption that the gang is a profession, Tony is a typical representative of the "three middle men" in society. The so-called "three middle-aged men" are people who have three portraits of age, middle class, and the backbone of society. In reality, the three middle school boys are generally under pressure from their careers, tired of married life, troubles with their children's education, and the obligation to support their parents. From this perspective, it is not surprising that Tony is going to see a psychiatrist. After all, everyone grows up from human flesh, not a vajra body. The secular society has given a person too many roles. It is not easy to play each role well as an employee, as a parent, as a child, and as a friend.
Whether it is for family, career, or friends, you can hardly describe him as a good person or a bad person. No matter what, Tony is really visible and tangible, as if he is a friend by our side.
In terms of family, Tony circulates around his mother, wife, and children, tossing around. It was an act of filial piety to send her mother to a nursing home, but her mother thought it was an unfilial act of abandoning her parents, so she secretly sighed "Why didn't God take me away as a poor person" all day long. After many years of marriage, there is no passion between my wife and family, and family quarrels are commonplace. Under such circumstances, Tony married a Russian girlfriend, often seeking extramarital stimulation in the past. The son and daughter are in the youth rebellious period. On the one hand, Tony wants to communicate with his children more in an equal environment. On the other hand, in the face of disobedient children, more often use the father's majesty to impose restraint, but further alienate the distance from the child.
Regarding his career, Tony was frustrated, whether it was helping small or small matters, or the aftermath of getting into trouble for the younger brother, and the dispute with the underworld boss with his uncle.
Treat friends. At the end of the brother’s cancer, sending a woman to the hospital was the last enjoyment of life. As a gang leader, Tony has always wanted to clean himself up and make so-called middle-class friends in society. So when I went to a neighbor’s barbecue for a banquet, I wanted to talk to a guest friend who was a stockbroker, but I was treated as an object of pleasure. According to Tony, it feels like a bear dancing in the crowd. And when he suspected that his brother Pusey betrayed him, he had to deal with his bad mood and act cautiously.
In this respect, you have to convince the American dramas with their screenwriting and storytelling to make the underworld leader who needs to see a psychologist brought to life by Tony.
Tony’s character archetype, in your and my life, is there a sense of sight that is familiar to you.
View more about The Sopranos reviews
