12 Questions about "The Sopranos"

1) Has it truly been TV's greatest drama or is it overrated?

2) With all the Italians in the mix, how much credit for acting and how much type casting?

3) Do Carmela and Dr. Melfi adequately counterbalance the sociopathy of the main action, or are they insignificant appendages, or foils?

4) Do you think the sensitive A.J. was the right son for Tony Soprano, or did the writers blow it?

5) Will Paulie Walnuts' hair style take over the rave/punk world, and why hasn't it started, or has it?

6) Wasn't the actual business side of the mob neglected, save for a few negotiations, references to construction and preying upon cigarette trucks? Why weren't the lawyers and accountants more prominent, so central to a modern business?

7) If you missed a couple of episodes, did it really matter that much, or did the general milieu sustain your interest without all the threads?

8) Does anyone not have "Pine Barrens" as their favorite episode?

9) Are Dr. Melfi's calves really that big or is it the camera angle? And why does she so often wear short skirts with a male patient?

10) Given the phenomenon of the show, why were there so few "name" guest stars, when no doubt many actors would have given their eye teeth to be on an episode, as in the more accommodating Simpsons?

11) Would your life be any different if there had been no Sopranos?

12) Finally, who will be whacked and who will be spared in the final episode? I say Phil goes down but Silvio and Tony survive. Then there is also the breaking of the code; you don't whack family--which may result in some surprises.

I'm not a huge fan, missed a lot of episodes while in Mexico, have rented some seasons but can't quote chapter and verse. Still, cynically, to participate in pop culture today it was a choice between Paris Hilton and the Sopranos, as "American Idol" is over for the season (but don't miss "America Has Talent" this summer which I find very amusing so far).

Who says America doesn't have culture?


No television critic, just a hack waiting on a whack,

CE