Liars and Saints

 One genre "The Pitt" uses is the mystery story. In that particular story format, a crime has occurred in the past--detectives must do the delicate work of an investigation. A wrong move can (unintentionally) bring about the silence of a crucial witness. While doing the work of probing, two detectives can become closer (or can get pulled apart). A recent episode concerns a young woman who may or may not be the victim of trafficking. Her employer seems overbearing; the employer never takes a hint, never leaves the examination room. (At the same time, the employer is clearly very pregnant--an odd, intriguing detail.) The doctor wants the victim to admit that she is a victim. But an emphatic series of questions might cause the victim to run away. The ambiguous semi-victory here concerns a special pen. The pen has a phone number for victims to call--but the number is concealed within the inner organs of the pen, so a pimp will not realize exactly what the pen "means" fo...

  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 light...

  As my kids "prepare" to reenter school, I'm rewatching the extraordinary third season of "The Sopranos," and I'm surprised to empathize with Tony. The Soprano patriarch has always had a special bond with his daughter--this is captured early in the series, when a weary Meadow says, "Dad, to some extent, we're *all* hypocrites"--and it's part of the show's brilliance to turn these two characters into enemies. Meadow's arrival at Columbia represents a crisis for Tony; Meadow will now encounter people, and ideas, that clash with Tony's own point of view. Though Tony is footing the bill, he feels ambivalent about Meadow's new moments of self-exploration. Meadow begins dating a good kid (given that this is "The Sopranos," the kid is of course pretentious and absurd, but still "decent")...The kid represents an "exit" for Meadow; she could (maybe) have a normal life. Tony objects, ostensibly for ...

Everyone is dazzled by "The Other Woman," just as everyone is dazzled by "The Suitcase," and here's why. - The sequel. It seems to me that "The Other Woman" can be viewed as a reprise of "The Suitcase," even though the two episodes are separated by an entire season. "The Suitcase" is a mid-series check-in on Peggy and Don; as others have noted, Peggy is halfway through her climb, and Don is halfway through his ignominious "slide." Throughout "The Suitcase," we see Peggy standing, or in a maternal position, while Don crumbles to the floor or curls up like a small child. "The Other Woman" gives us a bit more of that. Here, Don, sitting, kisses--and kisses, and kisses, and kisses--Peggy's hand, while Peggy remains standing. It's a nice gesture but--as we all know--it's also too little, too late. Peggy will continue to soar. She will leave Don in the dust. - The misunderstandings. Peggy be...