I saw that the Hextube marathon of The Sopranos just finished so I want to discuss with others! Overall, fantastic show, I love the idea that the mafia is a microcosm of white American society as a whole and how selfish and morally bankrupt it is. It's shockingly funny at times too, they really nail the black comedy aspect (the Columbus episode was hilarious from start to finish 
). All of the characters are phenomenal too, it's hard to choose favorites, but if I had to I'd probably say Adrianna, Carmella and Junior in that order (honorable mention to 
for being a goofy little freak)
Other random thoughts (spoilers for the ENTIRE show)
-As I've said before, reading The Will to Change alongside watching this show makes it clear just how well the writers understand white supremacist imperialist patriarchy, even if they wouldn't use that term to describe the society the show takes place in. And all the mobsters are well written and often endearing despite being undeniably evil pieces of shit.
-I had Christopher's death spoiled for me before watching the show but honestly I could tell the dude was gonna get got right from season 1. He's too hot-headed and overly ambitious, he was never gonna survive, but I did NOT expect the way it went down, that was fuckin brutal. And then Tony goes to Vegas, trips balls and LAUGHS about his death. I saw some people say "that was the moment I knew Tony was irredeemable", and like yeah that really drives the point home but also cmon it took you that long to make up your mind about that?
-The most heartbreaking part of the whole show was Adrianna's death. She's definitely not a complete innocent in the grand scheme of things, she financially and materially benefits from Chris' extortion and murder of others and is totally complicit in it. But the way she gets completely trapped between the mob and the FBI really makes you feel for her, she's among the more moral characters on the show and I desperately wanted to see her get away.
-I've seen redditors and their ilk say that they hated Livia which blows my mind. She's funny as fuck every time she's on screen, just a pathetically manipulative old narcissist, and I love watching her and Tony interact.
-I've also seen redditors say that they hate Meadow and AJ, the former for purely misogynistic reasons and the latter because he's "annoying". Like yeah they're kids, they're supposed to be immature and obnoxious at times, but they both grow into their own people and I like both of their arcs (moreso AJ's, Meadow gets a lot more complicit with the mob shit in the later seasons which made me sad)
-I'm still not totally sure how I feel about the ending. Ultimately when I imagine any other more "definitive" ending, it doesn't quite feel right. If I accept the theory that the cut to black is Tony getting shot, I think that's works brilliantly since he's the primary POV character and it hits harder than outright showing him getting whacked. I'm curious to hear other peoples' interpretations.
I'll probably think of more things to comment on as I contemplate the show more, but I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't. There's a reason it's so highly regarded and memed on. And of course I want to hear others' thoughts as well! There's a lot to unpack in this show and I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface of its themes and ideas.
I've watched the show a few times and I've tried to see it through a different lens each time. The first time, I watched it as-is, taking everything at face value.
The second time, I tried to find realistic explanations for stuff that happen. For example, in the Pine Barrens episode, the interior decorator managed to hide without Chris and Paulie noticing him in the snow/up a tree/in the brush.
The third time (and probably the most interesting way to watch the show) I assumed the supernatural in the show was true. Like when Chris has a near-death experience, he really did venture further into Hell where Irish goons terrorized mafiosi. One interpretation of the whole show is they're all in a type of purgatory which is why the Soprano family has this darkness lingering over them, causing their misfortune. It's why Paulie is accosted at the seance. Or why there seems to be ghosts in different scenes. Tony's life as a furniture salesman was his real life, but he's being tested. Another is the lack of consequences. We constantly see these mobsters attack people in broad daylight with zero consequences.
There's some type of Lovecraftian horror happening, a cosmic and uncaring universe with esoteric old gods who feed on the misery of the characters.
Other stuff I think about the show: Adrianna and Furio are interesting to me because they were both born into this life and they've never known anything else. Adrianna, especially, has never been outside the mob life.
People's reaction to Dr. Melfi's sexual assault will tell you all you need to know about a person. People often complain about how it's never resolved or how the episode is "just filler." It's one of the most realistic portrayals of what happens to survivors. They're often ignored, law enforcement is unhelpful, and they have to just bottle it up and "move on." It also illustrates why criminal organizations exist. When the law doesn't help people, justice is sought by other means. Melfi doesn't cross the line because she's trying to get Tony out of her life, but she would have been justified in calling a hit on the employee of the month.