Amazon.com Customer Reviews
Weakest overall season...three stars for the risks taken - Review written on May 17, 2008
Rating: 3 out of 5
I agree with the Amazon review on two points.
First, the Vito story line overstayed its welcome in epic proportions. What should have been a minor subplot in the season became its centerpiece instead (sharing almost equal screen time with Tony's recuperation and lessons learned).
Second, after 5 seasons of significant season finales, the low-key, "so what" episode in Season 6 Part 1 seemed like more of a ploy to dash audience expectations than to craft something of quality. When the "Season 6 Part 1 and 2" plan was announced, the immediate reaction from series fans was to hold out hope for a season 7, season 8, season 9...and my personal belief for the entire 12 episode run of Season 6 Part 1 was that creator David Chase was trying to wean his audience from their stubborn attachment. The fact that Season 6 Part 2 came back with a vengeance supports this.
The one strength of the somewhat tedious story arcs in Season 6 Part 1 is Tony's ongoing "If they perceive you as weak" paranoia, but once again, it's played out in a clumsy manner during his altercation with "Penne Arrabiatta" at Satriale's.
If the Sopranos seasons could be expressed in terms of Rolling Stones albums, this would be "Their Satanic Majesties Request"...some mildly interesting elements that never quite gel into a satisfying whole and only leave us hungry for the hopefully better efforts that follow.
The Spatafores - Review written on October 06, 2007
Rating: 1 out of 5
3 customers found this review helpful, 4 did not.
SPOILER ALERT: VITO IS GAY (no seriously there are other spoilers too)
Season 6: Part 1 should have been called "The Spatafores" instead of "The Sopranos" That's right this season decided to take a minor character (at best) and make him the focal point of most the season. The writers of this series turned one of the best dramas ever into a day time soap opera. Let me brake it down for you. Everybody finds out Vito is a homosexual so he has to flee town and into the arms of a gay firefighter / pancake cook called Johnny Cakes (seriously). You think I'm kidding? Well I am not. So THIS becomes the main story line of this season...Not Tony getting shot...Not the coma...Not redemption...not Junior....not even the SOPRANO FAMILY at all. THE MAIN STORY is Vito, and how he is gay (not that I have a problem with that)and what the mob is going to do about him being gay, and if he should be Gay in New Hampshire, or Gay in New Jersey. They took a running joke from previous seasons (Vito seemingly being gay) and turned it into a freakin' soap opera. Not only did they take a minor character and turn him into a focal point, but they chose one of the worst characters to do it with. Vito was never likable and I don't know who would want to root for him. And I am not bashing it because the character is gay. I am bashing it because it has no point. The creator made a big ordeal about having two parts to the last season and they wasted all those hours, all that time they could have developed main characters on this? This garbage had nothing to do with the Sopranos at all really. Tony takes a backseat to this Vito story line...and Tony quite frankly doesn't care one way or another about Vito so really it doesn't effect him at all (he says Vito is a good earner). You could skip this entire season (as long as you know the situation with Tony) and watch part 2 unaffected. That is how important this Vito storyline is. It is so important that he is mentioned about one time in Season 6: Part 2. This whole season after the first episode, I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never happened. Just a gay love story in New Hampshire, Vito getting killed because he was gay (wow didn't see that coming), and the mobsters moving on with life in their berets from France. Lame, terrible season that should never have been made.
The Sopranos - Season Six, Part One - Review written on May 22, 2007
Rating: 4 out of 5
7 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.
After five brilliant seasons of "The Sopranos", the groundbreaking HBO series finally took a slight nosedive for the first half of season six. While "The Sopranos" Season Six, Part One has its share of great moments, it doesn't quite stand up to the first five seasons. Many of the series' regulars return again (James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, etc.), and they all do a great job as they have done in the past. But there are a few episodes that come off weak, and this is thanks in part to a storyline that just didn't belong here. The storyline involving one of Tony Sopranos' capos who turns out to be gay was unnecessary. This type of storyline might work on some shows and movies, but in the case of "The Sopranos" it just didn't work. Not to mention the storyline ends in predictable fashion. I saw the ending to this storyline coming a mile away. On the other hand, most of the episodes come off as superb as they have in the first five seasons. The first episode where Tony gets shot by Uncle Junior at the end is a great one, and the next few episodes that follow (where Tony recovers in the hospital) are as good as it gets. Another great episode is the one where aspiring writer Christopher flies out to California and meets Ben Kingsley and Lauren Bacall. The scene where a masked Christopher mugs Bacall is a riot. Just listening to the legendary actress using the F-word had me laughing out loud. And there's some good work from former "ER" star Julianna Margulies, who pops in for a couple of guest appearances. Emmy voters also seemed to have gotten a little tired of the show. For season six part one, it received only seven nominations, the fewest nominations the show has received for a single season. Although it was nominated again for Best Drama Series, Gandolfini and Falco were passed over for nominations in the Lead Actor and Actress categories. Michael Imperioli (who plays Christopher) was the only series regular to receive a nomination. "The Sopranos" only won one Emmy for season six part one, and it was for a category that it has dominated during the show's long run: Best Writing for a Drama Series. This was its fifth Emmy in this category, and that's fitting because one of the major strengths of "The Sopranos" has always been sharp writing. So I wasn't surprised when it won this category. Although it's not as great as it once was, "The Sopranos" - Season Six, Part One is still a very good season. It also sets up for the conclusion of the show, with its final episode set to air June 10, 2007. It will be interesting to see what will happen to Tony Soprano.