The Sopranos - Season 6, Part 1 (Blu-ray Disc, 2006, 4-Disc Set)

Many fans of The Sopranos bemoaned the last season of the show as being both boring and pretentious. Arriving as the swan song to one of the greatest television shows in history, both Part I and Part II of Season 6 ignored the expectations of fans and presented an appropriate ending for its main character and the ultimate antihero: Tony Soprano.

Anybody who's paid attention to what's transpired in the show since Season 2
should not be surprised at the direction creator David Chase chose for the final episodes. The tone and actions of the show have become darker and more acerbic, beginning when Tony murders his best friend, Pussy. Each successive season saw Tony commit unthinkable and unredeemable acts. In Season 3, Tony encourages Ralph to kill his best-friend's son, Jackie Jr. Ralph meets his end by Tony's hands in the following season. We also learn during this season that Tony may have help precipitate the suicide of a former girlfriend, Gloria. Lastly, Tony kills his cousin in Season 5, Tony B., and arranges the death of his nephew Christopher's girlfriend, Adrianna.

With all of these storylines, it should be no surprised that Season 6 continued to slide into darker territory. And although the storyline involving Vito is deserved of criticism, the rest of Season 6: Part I is a fitting and entertaining setup for the show's last nine episodes.

The shooting of Tony in the set's first episode serves as the character arc for the season's first 12 episodes. Tony is given the chance to redeem himself. He's given a second shot at improving his life and the lives of those around him. But we know this man. Happiness and contentment have never been aspects of his character. This concept is the overriding theme of Season 6: Part I.

The picture and audio quality on the Blu-Ray transfers are fantastic. The outdoor scenes give viewers the feeling of being present with the characters in their environments. The monochromatic scenes are beautifully shot, reveling the actors' faces in the shadows that occupy their characters' tempermants.

For anyone who has been a consistent fan of the show, Season 6: Part I will not disappoint.

BE WARNED: The following section will more than likely reveal plot spoilers, character discussions and would just generally be bad if you haven't watched the show before, so read this at your own risk

I love watching The Sopranos, and I don't mind when these little layoffs in between seasons occur. However this wasn't always the case; When I first saw the teasers for the then-fledging show to air, because of the anticipation for Analyze This, I was expecting a cheap, semi-knockoff gangster show that would fade away. But then as I watched the show more and more, I noticed the show that was, in fact, quite serious, with many different layers of family tensions and relations, aside from those of the "man of the house" variety. And when last we left Tony (James Gandolfini, The Mexican), Carmela (Edie Falco, Sunshine State) and the gang, Tony was fleeing a FBI raid at Johnny Sacrimoni's (Vincent Curatola) house, coming home to safety.

In Season Six, the hiatus was explained away as "Johnny Sac" being brought up on federal RICO charges, while Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent, Goodfellas) serves as the de facto head of the family during his proceedings. Phil and Tony have some still-lingering blood between them from season five when Tony's cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi, Fargo) killed a family member of Phil's.

The shows start off innocently enough in the opening episode, and then the viewers are all in the lurch as Tony is shot by Junior (Dominic Chianese, Godfather Part II, When Will I Be Loved) and remains in intensive care with a coma. "Join the Club" is clearly an attempt to score Falco an Emmy nod as she wonders what to do about Tony, not to mention herself, upon seeing him and discovering the news, but she turns in an amazing performance, arguably her best work since the end of season four, when Tony and Carmela finally had it out about his continued infidelities.

For me a disappointing part of season six was that some of the events that occurred to some of the supporting characters were almost ignored. Christopher (Michael Imperioli, Summer of Sam) was still trying to deal with having to have his fiancée Adriana (Drea de Matteo, Joey) killed for being an FBI snitch, so he briefly fell off the sobriety wagon and used heroin, only go back on it again, and even became engaged to a woman in the process. AJ (Robert Iler, Daredevil) was embracing more and more of his father's name and lifestyle, until Tony found out and dealt with him on his most blunt level to date.

For fans of the show, it's not the best season in the world in terms of quality. You're talking to someone who (aside from the first season) found season five to be the best that the show's done collectively over the course of a season. Season Six, Part I, is a disappointment and shows that wasted potential may be worse than no potential at all.