Freakin' Good

I've been watching The Sopranos reruns on A&E and the show sure holds up. It may be the best drama ever on TV. And, to my surprise, removing all the swearing and nudity hasn't hurt it too much.

The final episodes (so they say) will debut next month on HBO. All good things must come to an end--I just hope it goes out at its best.

QueensGuy adds: I had precisely the same reaction. There are some quick breaks in suspension-of-disbelief when they dub in "freakin'" or the like, but those really are just momentary. It's nothing nearly like the experience of watching Big Love right after Deadwood, where the sudden switch to "gosh darnit," sometimes is quite jarring.

Some Sopranos episodes are even better the second time around. E.g. when you know that Tony's going to apply Dr. Melfi's advice about giving older people the illusion of control to propose Uncle Junior as (figure)head of the family, it sheds a whole new light on the way Tony reacts during the session.

On a related note, am I the only one who really enjoyed the "johnny cakes" story arc? I thought it was the best psychological examination of the past season.