Season 5 opens with the release from prison of a load of new faces back into the Family, both in New York and in Jersey, most notably Tony's cousin Tony, who got pinched on a job that TS himself was meant to be on many years ago. This device made me think that perhaps the season would be following the same sort of thread that it had done before with Richie/Ralphie being an ambitious and rebellious thorn in Tony's side, however this is not really the case as the new faces are used in different ways but mainly to lead to a power struggle in the NY families. As with previous seasons, Tony's proper family is very much a part of things with him and Carmela separated and AJ struggling academically as usual.
In terms of playing as a straight mob-drama, season 5 is actually one of the stronger seasons due to the sheer scale and violence of it. Events spiral out of control, death comes quickly and from trusted "friends" and generally the plot is engaging as the many threads all support one another in that regard. It also links well to the previous season in terms of Tony's relationship with Johnny Sack and other aspects, which is not something that the previous seasons had perhaps been as strong at, as some of the mob-related threads would be more of a season-long frame for everything else. The downside of this is that the other material doesn't sit quite so easily as part of the show, even though it still does do a very good job of developing character and analysing Tony.
The problem is more that this side of things feels very isolated from the main narrative. The on/off stuff with Melfi feels a little old and isn't particularly well done but otherwise the very good material in this regard is put into a couple of specific episodes which, although part of the narrative, do feel a little like stand alone episodes. The one that sticks in the mind the most is the episode where Tony meets his father's old flame. This delivers a lot about Tony in one episode and it is well supported by other threads in other specific episodes where we really get a good understanding of him and find him to be a very unpleasant character. One example is his inability to see his sister coping with her rage better than he is (and baits her into failing, producing a tangible joy in him) but there are several. This episode also features standalone material for Junior and Chris. Junior's is funny and tragic as he finds happiness at funerals as they release him from house arrest (and are just another time in his life when he gains pleasure at the cost of others). Chris' section is better though as it perfectly sums up the duality of the life he is in, as he totally separates his business from his life – witness the incredulity on the face of JT as Chris (as friend) tries to help him from the rock-bottom that Chris (as loan shark) has been a massive part in leading him to. As much as the drama of the power-struggles and personality clashes within the Family gripped me throughout the whole season, this episode was my favourite because of what it did away from this thread.
No matter where they fall within the narratives, the cast are roundly strong but still Gandolfini is head and shoulders above. He does such great work conveying internal thoughts and struggles with just tiny changes in expression and it is sometimes easy to forget this as a lot of his performance here involves violent expression rather than subtle – but he is great yet again. Falco benefits from a strong role in the season, and does very well with Carmela's journey, discovering her limited options and who she now is as a person. Imperioli's character is not as strong as I would have liked but he plays it very well – a bit over the top at times but it fits the show. De Matteo does good work in the season and, although she is not given a "big" final scene, it fits the show again in terms of how sudden and unsentimental it all is. As always the rest of the cast play up to the genre clichés while also making their characters work within the context of the show's drama, thrills, development and comedy – Sirico, Van Zandt, Chianese, Schirripa are all good examples of this. The new additions do good jobs as well, although Buscemi's season long thread is perhaps a bit too obvious as a thing.
Season 5 is not the perfect season but it is still very good stuff indeed. Some of the material that makes the show good is fragmented into different parts or different episodes rather than making it all a good blend but it does still work very well with the usual qualities all present and correct within the frame of an engaging power struggle and fallout between the various families and factions. Well worth seeing and another very good season under the belt ahead of the final one.
In terms of playing as a straight mob-drama, season 5 is actually one of the stronger seasons due to the sheer scale and violence of it. Events spiral out of control, death comes quickly and from trusted "friends" and generally the plot is engaging as the many threads all support one another in that regard. It also links well to the previous season in terms of Tony's relationship with Johnny Sack and other aspects, which is not something that the previous seasons had perhaps been as strong at, as some of the mob-related threads would be more of a season-long frame for everything else. The downside of this is that the other material doesn't sit quite so easily as part of the show, even though it still does do a very good job of developing character and analysing Tony.
The problem is more that this side of things feels very isolated from the main narrative. The on/off stuff with Melfi feels a little old and isn't particularly well done but otherwise the very good material in this regard is put into a couple of specific episodes which, although part of the narrative, do feel a little like stand alone episodes. The one that sticks in the mind the most is the episode where Tony meets his father's old flame. This delivers a lot about Tony in one episode and it is well supported by other threads in other specific episodes where we really get a good understanding of him and find him to be a very unpleasant character. One example is his inability to see his sister coping with her rage better than he is (and baits her into failing, producing a tangible joy in him) but there are several. This episode also features standalone material for Junior and Chris. Junior's is funny and tragic as he finds happiness at funerals as they release him from house arrest (and are just another time in his life when he gains pleasure at the cost of others). Chris' section is better though as it perfectly sums up the duality of the life he is in, as he totally separates his business from his life – witness the incredulity on the face of JT as Chris (as friend) tries to help him from the rock-bottom that Chris (as loan shark) has been a massive part in leading him to. As much as the drama of the power-struggles and personality clashes within the Family gripped me throughout the whole season, this episode was my favourite because of what it did away from this thread.
No matter where they fall within the narratives, the cast are roundly strong but still Gandolfini is head and shoulders above. He does such great work conveying internal thoughts and struggles with just tiny changes in expression and it is sometimes easy to forget this as a lot of his performance here involves violent expression rather than subtle – but he is great yet again. Falco benefits from a strong role in the season, and does very well with Carmela's journey, discovering her limited options and who she now is as a person. Imperioli's character is not as strong as I would have liked but he plays it very well – a bit over the top at times but it fits the show. De Matteo does good work in the season and, although she is not given a "big" final scene, it fits the show again in terms of how sudden and unsentimental it all is. As always the rest of the cast play up to the genre clichés while also making their characters work within the context of the show's drama, thrills, development and comedy – Sirico, Van Zandt, Chianese, Schirripa are all good examples of this. The new additions do good jobs as well, although Buscemi's season long thread is perhaps a bit too obvious as a thing.
Season 5 is not the perfect season but it is still very good stuff indeed. Some of the material that makes the show good is fragmented into different parts or different episodes rather than making it all a good blend but it does still work very well with the usual qualities all present and correct within the frame of an engaging power struggle and fallout between the various families and factions. Well worth seeing and another very good season under the belt ahead of the final one.