There is a great moment halfway through the second episode of the sixth season of "The Sopranos" when Tony (imagining himself as a middle-class salesman) looks up from his dinner and pronounces to no one in particular "there's always a faster gun."
For "Sopranos" fans, these words have taken on extra weight as the season has dragged on. We're at the halfway point of the sixth season of "The Sopranos," and now is as good of a time as any to say it: The show seems to have lost some of its luster. Everything feels curiously hollow and mechanical.
Part of this, I suppose, can be chalked up to getting things back in motion after a two-year absence. I've never been one of those "Sopranos" fans who protests over the long waits in betweens seasons — it takes time to map out and film an entire season — but I can't help but think the layoff is to blame for the curious lack of urgency so far this year. Maybe it's rust or the simple fact that creator David Chase has the entire thing programmed and is just biding his time — either way, most of what we've seen this year has felt inconsequential. Everything feels tangential, like unused B-material from earlier seasons. The supposed Big Revelations — the truth about Paulie's mother and the truth about Vito Spotafore's homosexuality coming to light — seem forced and needlessly melodramatic, as if the writers are trying to compensate for not having much to say.
Take, for example, what so far has been the defining event of this season: Tony being shot by his senile Uncle Junior. It was a shock, to be sure, but it didn't advance anything. We know Junior's mind is too scrambled to hatch a plot to kill Tony, so any dramatic tension, or any hope that this could be spun out into another plotline, is effectively neutralized. Junior hasn't had any real power in almost four seasons, and there won't be any repercussions inside the family. The only lasting effect from the shooting will be Tony cutting off his uncle yet again, which never seems to stick since Tony is inherently sympathetic to his family. Why not have somebody from the crew accidentally shoot him? Even A.J. would have been an inspired choice. Junior isn't strong enough to be another Richie Apriele or Ralph Cifaretto. And don't get me started.
Indeed, Tony's anger at his uncle over the shooting has been strangely baffling. Tony's misdirected rage is a theme that has grown tiresome over the last six years, but without a nemesis, it becomes downright tedious. This isn't Gandolfini's fault — he's been rendered impotent by scripts that don't seem to know what to do with Tony and, as a result, play to his engaging character traits.
To make matters worse, the next two episodes, "Join the Club" and "Mayham," were spent laboring on a protracted arc in which Tony's dying, morphine addled mind imagines what his life would have been like if he wasn't connected. It was interesting — for about 15 minutes — but the novelty of watching James Gandolfini pull off a WASP honk quickly wears thin. By the end, the obvious symbolism (highlighted by the stunningly obvious decision to give Tony's alter ego the name of Kevin Finnerty to try and suggest metaphysical depths) became grating.
The whole alternate reality plotline was a waste. It didn't deserve two episodes. We get it — Tony worries about the morality of his actions and is terrified of facing the afterlife. We've been on that theme for six years, and now it just feels like everything is going in circles.
The problem at this point is that the first half of the season failed to establish a consistent tone or point of view. Relentless focus has never been one of the show's strengths — indeed, part of the charm of the show in early years was how plotlines were casually dropped and then picked up again — but the haphazard plotting this year makes it seem like Chase and his gang of writers are circling the wagons.
The fault does not lie with the actors, all of whom have been superb. Really, what more can you say about the cast — they are the best ensemble on television. Special praise should go to Edie Falco, who has toned her "TOE-KNEE!" shrillness and moved mafia bride Carmela back from the realm of caricature.
Some of the most intriguing moments have come from guest stars. Tim Daly reprised his role as screenwriter and compulsive gambler JT Dolan (the scene where Christopher pitches him a new screenplay which plays like "'Saw' meets 'Godfather I'" was the best throwaway moment of the year) Hal Holbrook was able to bring home the whole metaphysical plot arc with a gentle, nuanced performance as the rocket scientist who tries to iron out Tony's confusion with the nature of the cosmos.
The question of whether the show can recover from the slow start of this season isn't really a question at all — it's not a question of if, but when things are going to be put back together. You have to remember, the show is no stranger to these kinds of lulls (look at the beginning of the second season), and it always manages to pull through any creative valleys. Aside from some pacing issues in the first and third acts, the first episode of the season ("Members Only") and last week's episode ("Mr & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request") were finely crafted. This gun still has some bullets left — it just needs to remember how to fire them.
Rating: 3 out of 5
