TV

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories
Image credit: HBO

The show could have been even better, can you imagine?

Some shows are just meant to be talked about for many years after they are finished. And one of the brightest examples of such cases is definitely The Sopranos. The mob drama premiered in 1999 and had a great run until 2007, becoming one of the most iconic series ever created.

What’s great about The Sopranos is that the show’s premise is so complicated that it gives a lot of food for thought. There are no one-dimensional characters, they all have complex personalities even though it may not seem so on the first look.

Most of the stories are somehow related to the show's main character, Tony Soprano, and his attempts to live a decent life while being a mentally troubled mob boss. Still, I feel that many of these stories were rushed and deserved a better closure.

1. Furio’s future

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories - image 1

Furio’s future is one of the things that still keeps me up at night. Their tense fling with Carmela was one of the most entertaining little stories of the show. Despite my love towards Tony, I wanted them to cross the line so hard that the moment I realized he flew back to Naples and will never come back I was devastated.

I am not going to judge the writers’ choices, but at least a little sneak peek into his life in NAples would have been nice. Maybe see him reminisce about the time with Carmela and feeling sorry for not running away with her… Wildest dreams, I know, but still he deserved a chance.

2. More Junior!

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories - image 2

Well, of course, the most complicated and eccentric characters are always the best for the viewer, so every time Junior was on screen, I was ready for something unexpected to happen. Dominic Chianese with his Corrado John "Junior" Soprano, Jr. character was equally perfect in both bizarre and dangerous storylines.

It would have been interesting to see more of his life when he was already confirmed to have dementia. Maybe see his life in the clinic. There's a good chance we would have had so many scenes that would have made us feel something.

3. What about Irina and Svetlana?

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories - image 3

One of the show's most interesting yet icky parts is Tony Soprano’s love life. The Sopranos introduced me to the term goomah, which is just a fancy word for a mistress in the mafia world. And Tony had a lot of those mistresses, with all of them having their own place in his mind and even heart.

Irina was the first goomah we met on the show, and she stays in the story for two seasons. But after a while, their relationship goes from bad to worse, and Tony breaks it off. Irina shows up a few more times later, causing Tony a lot of complications. For example, the outing of his affair with Svetlana, her cousin.

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories - image 4

Now, about Svetlana. Olivia Soprano's caretaker, she was strong, pragmatic, and the worst goomah Tony had in terms of causing a lot of trouble.

Still, after a while towards the end of the show, they both just sort of disappear, and we know that's a bad sign. It would have been much better if the writers had shown us their final storyline rather than just dropping the main supporting characters along the way.

4. The end of Dr. Melfi

I Watched The Sopranos Twice & I Still Think Writers Screwed Up Big Time with These 4 Stories - image 5

I think the story of how they ended things is the worst written part of the show. It felt rushed, we never really got to see why Melfi would do that after so many years of therapy for him. And the fact that Melfi never told Tony about the rape is also a huge missed opportunity.

If she had, there's no way Tony would have let it go. He would definitely have punished the rapist and made him suffer. Of course Melfi is against violence, but I am sure she would have wanted justice.