Tony Soprano: Just a Big Cuddly Bear?

I’ve started watching The Sopranos again on DVD and every time I watch an episode Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) gets cuddlier and cuddlier. Settling down on these winter nights with the lights turned down, surround sound up high; you can really appreciate just how fantastic the series is. Before I only watched them sporadically, but now, one by one, the story is falling into place.

An unusual comment I like to make on a regular basis, is that Tony Soprano is the sweetest character in the show. I believe that this is because of many things, his lovely Italian-Jersey accent, his big bear like shoulders and his unhappy face, which features on a regular basis. 

In the office of Dr. Jennifer Melfi, he talks of his life, and it is here he acts like a child, helpless and confused. He frequently acts up, throws tantrums and then is silent. Melfi acts as parental figure, guiding him through his problems. His home life is as stressful as his work life. 

The flashbacks to Tony’s childhood are variable in violence. Tony’s fist panic attack happens in one of these flashbacks; where he witnesses his father mutilate the hand of a butcher. You learn more about the mother, her coldness and unwillingness to crack even the tiniest of smiles.

So, next time you watch The Sopranos, see if Tony reminds you of a big bear. He will do, so give the TV a cuddle.