The Sopranos Sessions

I've only watched the show in its entirety one time, but The Sopranos has managed to touch me in ways few media can. What starts as a straightforward gangster show eventually evolves into a satire of people's affinity for violence, toxic masculinity, capitalism, and 21st century America in general. It's more than just people with exaggerated accents shooting each other, which admittedly, was what I thought the show was about before I began watching. The Sopranos is a show about life, how we perceive it, and its ability to both change and harden people.

This book by TV critics Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall dissects the series episode by episode, drawing some of the more subtle themes of the series into the limelight, while also providing insight from the show's creator, David Chase, in a series of interviews. In other words, this is a great book for Sopranos fans. While some of the conclusions the authors draw are extremely obvious, there are some themes mentioned that I didn't come close to catching on my first viewing. I also liked the various production fun facts the authors would mention. I thought it was amusing how the show's creator mentions the writing process being very off-the-cuff whereas the show itself feels so intricately plotted, like every detail was planned before the first episode was shot.

This book also isn't afraid to critique the show at various points, which I found refreshing. There isn't a whole lot to criticize -- I think out of the 86 episode run there are only maybe 4 or 5 episodes that aren't great, and even fewer than those you could call bad. I would definitely consider The Sopranos to be up there with the best of the best in my personal TV hall of fame: Cowboy Bebop, Twin Peaks, Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's that good.

So, if you're looking to fester in further appreciation for the series, this book is worth your time. If you haven't seen the show, or didn't like the show, stay far away. This book is less concerned with proving the quality of the series than it is in basking in the hidden details and character relationships that make it so entertaining.