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James Gandolfini: "Whitecaps"

 There are canonical moments in "The Sopranos" in which someone "rips the veil": Someone just tells the truth. A therapist informs Carmela that her money is blood money. Melfi tells Tony that he is "not respectful of women, not respectful of any humans, really."


In Season Four, the wonderful Russian emigre Svetlana offers harsh truths to Tony: "You Americans are coddled; you expect life to be easy." When Tony expresses his admiration for Svetlana's toughness, her inspirational example, Svetlana snorts. "Yes, that's why I exist. My life is just a story, to give you comfort as you embark on your journey."

This is my favorite scene in Season Four, because it leads to a twist: Tony suddenly notices Svetlana's sexual magnetism. And--through elegant plotting--the news of the Tony/Svetlana dalliance makes its way back to Carmela.

People complain about Season Four because Carmela's "emotional affair" feels too lightly plotted. I'll concede that Furio seems like a device; the actor can't give us much in the way of "intriguing inner life" moments. But I admire the writers' idea. Emotional affairs do happen in the world. The stakes are high--even if no one ends up murdered or even half-undressed.

The other part of Season Four that really moves me is Meadow's role. As the Soprano family "show pony," Meadow enjoys quoting SUNY Buffalo literary scholars, and alluding to scenes in "Billy Budd." At the same time, she is sort of an idiot. Carmela is right to observe that it's a foolish choice to leave one's door unlocked, if one is living in a Manhattan apartment in 2001. Additionally, Carmela scores points when she silently tolerates Meadow's snobbiness. ("Maybe I'll just enroll at Montclair State and drop out right away, like you did.") Meadow has--of course--flirted with the idea of becoming a dropout, and her lack of empathy in Carmela's presence suggests that she is kind of a twit.

And yet, and yet. I love when Meadow quietly pieces together what is really happening with her mother. Meadow then tries to coach her father, who believes that Carmela's emotional problems are "just something that has to do with menopause." Meadow is making great leaps, uncomfortable with the knowledge that she can see her parents in a new way. She wonders what to tell her father. All of this happens via subtext.

In my early twenties, I thought "Whitecaps" was just about the spectacular fights between Carmela and Tony. Now, I see that the hour is also--subtly--a story about Meadow Soprano.
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