Remembering The Brilliance That Was James Gandolfini

July 27, 2024

June 19th marks three years since James Gandolfini--one of the best actors of his generation, in my opinion--died of a heart attack while vacationing in Rome, at the tragically young age of 51.

I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news that one of my favorite actors had died. I had just come home from the store, and I quickly logged in to my Facebook account--more out of habit than any other reason. I'd noticed a few of my friends' Facebook posts: "RIP, Mr. Gandolfini." "OMG--I Can't Believe It." "Man, this can't be true!" My heart sank.

I had finally relented to my friends' wishes, but not until after years of constant badgering: "You have got to watch 'The Sopranos'. It's the greatest show ever. I mean it. You'll love it, man."

"Yeah, yeah," I brushed them off. "Sure. I'll check it out sometime." But in truth, I was reluctant to check out the show. It was, after all, a TV series, and at the time, I did not equate TV dramas with the likes of quality motion pictures. Those were the days before "Breaking Bad" had become enormously popular, before "True Detective," and before "Better Call Saul." I had a good excuse. But then one day, I fell woefully ill from the flu. Unable to do anything else, I browsed Netflix. "Nah, nah, nah," I said, checking out the mail-in section online. Finally, the little arrow hovered over "The Sopranos: Season One." More out of impulse than any actual genuine interest of watching the show, I ordered the first season.

A few days later, the DVD arrived, I popped it into my DVD player. The pilot episode was great--it was the unique story of a gangster in therapy. The stresses of everyday life were getting so bad in 1999 that even hardened mobsters were cracking, saying: Hey, enough is enough. I can't take this anymore.

And that is exactly what happens to Tony, during the first episode of "The Sopranos." Something strange is happening to him, but he just can't pinpoint what it is. At the beginning of the show, we are introduced to Tony's family: His wife, Carmella; his preteen son, A.J.--Anthony Junior; and his outstandingly precocious teenage daughter, Meadow. They all seem like very nice, happy people, however we see a huge tension between Tony and Carmella later in the episode. As the pilot episode unravels more and more, we discover that Tony is the the throes of a middle-age crisis. After unceremoniously collapsing in his backyard while cooking at the grill, an MRI reveals Tony’s pain is not caused by any physical affliction--no heart attack, no stroke, or anything of the sort--but stress. Tony begins seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Mefli, to figure out what's wrong with him. And that's when "The Sopranos" really takes off. That's when they officially had me hooked.

The show's mastermind, David Chase, is a genius, in my opinion. Chase had worked in the entertainment business for years, writing for the hugely entertaining weekly series starring James Garner, "The Rockford Files," about a lovable and spunky sleuth, Jim Rockford. Rockford was an exceptionally good private investigator, but he had his own failures and foibles just like the rest of us.

Tony Soprano was the same way: He was good at what he did, even though he was working on the other side of the law, but Tony had foibles, foibles galore. He's extremely, unapologetically human. One week, we might be disgusted with Tony. The next, we might actually be on his side. The first time I remember feeling bad for the character is when his own mother set him up to be murdered by his Uncle Junior, who feared his nephew was reining-in on his territory.

The scene where Tony Soprano confronts his mother Livia, after a failed assassination attempt on his life, is one of the greatest examples of what a terrific actor James Gandolfini was.

In this super-intense scene all the calmness and composure drains away from Tony's face. He's no longer a rugged and merciless mafia boss to us the viewers.

He's a vulnerable, crestfallen child.

"I tried to do right by you, and you tried to have me whacked!"

As Tony shouts these words at his malicious mother, we can see a wide range of emotions on Tony's face: Hurt, disappointment, vulnerability.

It's scenes like this that make "The Sopranos" one of the, if not the, greatest TV dramas ever.

We miss you Mr. Gandolfini.

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