A BEAUTIFUL MIRAGE | The Sopranos S1 Ep. 12 "Isabella" First Time Watching & Discussion

[@deuceb0i]

love these guys watchin this...hate the people literally spoiling crap in the comments for them.

[@pentagramhands]

Priest said, "I come as a friend." So Carmela did not invite him. He came after he heard about the attempt on Tony's life.

[@sasha_sash9660]

This episode is a masterpiece ! The dialoge,,the music lyrics.Tonys(james gandolfini i mean ) acting ! Its just incredibel ! Never seen anything as good on tv ever as the sopranos ! It blew me away and it still does !

[@Nick_Barone]

To help add context to the Livia debate: There’s always been a bit of a divide among fans. You either believe that Livia is suffering from dementia and doesn’t fully understand what she’s talking about OR you believe that she’s using her age and partial dementia as a cover and manipulation tactic…….(either way, she’s definitely a toxic person with ill intent but how much you blame her is ultimately left up to you to decide)

[@redox.cinema]

Can understand where the divide comes from 100%

[@LaCheeserie]

I’m never coming back to this house as she takes another huge bite. Hilarious!

[@tidepride86]

Lmao I love that little moment when Mikey startles Uncle Jun with his reflection at the wake

[@redox.cinema]

Uncle Jun was spooked lol

[@tidepride86]

@@redox.cinema lol Uncle Jun has the best lines in the show though. You guys are in for such a great show

[@chrisbotron]

Sopranos definitely had an influence on the mainstreaming of mental health treatment. In the 90s, there was a much bigger stigma around depression, etc.

[@imvandenh]

Not much different now, really. I've suffered from major depressive disorder for 50+ years and I still get shamed and laughed at for it all the time by people who do not understand the disorder or believe it even exists. The ignorance and stigma are still very common, folks who simply think I just want attention when frankly that's the last thing I want.

[@rouxbe3595]

I saw the wind & earthquakes as natural/supernatural forces of turbulence & instability representing the conflict his subconscious is trying to bring to the surface. A wind that blows his illusions away could bring awareness. The awareness that his mother is the exact opposite of the ideal fantasy of loving & nurturing, in reality she is malicious to the point of wanting him dead would shake his world like an earthquake that destroys his foundation.

[@Retsea]

15:09 Interesting how Livia asks Carmela if he’s sick instead of Tony himself. She can’t even have a conversation with him.

[@redox.cinema]

Good catch!

[@carlomanesc08]

Great episode!, I love it when the show tries to bring forth unconscious thoughts/feelings in the form of dreams and fantasies. And it sure was a very windy episode. With the cold wind blowing in, is perhaps a storm ahead?

[@redox.cinema]

Ahaaaa - we’ve gotten to the season finale, I see what you’ve done here. Model comment for how to foreshadow without spoiling 👏🏾👏🏾

[@flarrfan]

My favorite S1 episode...

[@redox.cinema]

Definitely up there!

[@mugglemikki]

You guys should really listen to the Talking Sopranos podcast with Michael Imperioli and Steve Schrippa. It gives so much good info on each episode.😊

[@darth856]

Great reaction, guys. You are right that Livia played this very smart; she never confirmed that she understood exactly what Junior was talking about. So she gave herself plausible deniability.

[@redox.cinema]

She’s an evil mastermind, it’s becoming clearer.

[@WiseGuy5674]

Just the fact that the guy in the center is questioning how the FBI would know that Tony is in danger proves that he is way over his head. Did that guy in the center ever consider the fact that the FBI could have informants…or rats? 🤔🤣😎

[@redox.cinema]

Very true they have informants/rats 🤪😎😎😜 But the point that was made is that he doesn’t know that Junior is the one behind the assassination attempt. The Feds can obviously infer that someone is trying to kill him, but it’s clear that him coming to Tony just after he got shot with Carmela in the room, is all about leverage. Clearly they want Tony to be a rat because the info they haven’t aren’t good enough to charge/indict

[@Spinelli__]

You guys aren't off the mark regarding Livia "only in hindsight". All throughout the first 11 episodes she's occasionally been manipulating, deceiving, giving orders/suggestions (eg. give Chris another chance but not Brendan), playing victim ("I should just be a mute and die") right after opening her mouth and purposely starting beef between others (eg. between Tony & Junior), etc. Love the vids!

[@redox.cinema]

If she is 100% aware of everything she is doing and doing it with full intention, then she has got to be hands down the best master manipulator on TV.

[@passwordprotectedd]

Apolgies if y'all discussed any of this. I find Isabella to be an interesting piece of symbolism. Isabella is a biblical name from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning 'God is perfection' or 'God is my oath'. This is significant considering her aesthetic revolves around the color of white, which is typically associated with heaven, angels, and purity. It's almost like Tony is subconsiosuly dreaming of having almost a perfect, angel-like mother. I believe this symbolism is even more reinfoced at 9:15 when we see the white arch way, almost acting like the gates into heaven. You could also say Isabella was like his guardian angel episode, keeping him alive from both depression and his assasination attempt. 15:53 This isn't the exact shot but there's a shot in the episode where the chair is sitting there empty, obviously mirroing the painting shown in episode 3 of the empty chair and swimming pool. Sopranos Autopsy said it best- "Tony looks for Isabella in Cusamano’s backyard, but finds her chair empty. Chase has given us a poetic shot of an empty chair before. In episode 1.03, an anguished Tony focused on the unoccupied chair in Hockney’s painting “Another Splash.” In that episode, he grappled with the possibility that life is meaningless, asking Melfi, “All this shit’s for nothing?” In the present episode, mired in depression, the possibility that it’s all meaningless takes on a greater likelihood for Tony. He tells Melfi, “I don’t feel nothin’. Dead. Empty. I’m not a husband…I’m not a father…I’m not a friend…I’m nothing.” The sign at 19:00 is pretty telling, its placement is pretty obvious. "Safe families, everyone needs one." Yep, AJ and Meadow would definitely benefit from a safe family lol.

[@redox.cinema]

Awesome symbolism we didn’t discuss but super insightful - thank you for sharing 🙏🏽

[@KBdoubleo3]

I think the thumbnail image is the wrong episode lol, that's S3E7.

[@redox.cinema]

Honest mistake. Thank you for letting us know! Thumbnail has been updated.

[@dylanblue2271]

Yes, you're absolutely right that he refuses to confront the issue of his mother in therapy. And the reason for that is shame. He feels it's shameful to admit that his mother may in fact be an awful person. He can't deal with that proposition. I think that is a normal thing for therapy. Unless there's been something horrendous and fully evil enacted by a parent on a child, people in therapy often have difficulty acknowledging that their parent isn't a good person and they internalise the guilt.

[@AClockworkMelon]

It's more that by acknowledging who his mother is he'll be forced to come to terms with how having a mother like that has shaped who he is today - a monster all his own.

[@redox.cinema]

Both Valid

[@wolfstrela]

You guys misunderstood the first comment in light of the last comment - about her feeling powerless. There is no conflict, the first comment says "She feels powerless... boy are you guys off the mark." The second statement obviously refers to the first - she doesn't feel powerless, she pretends to be so. That being said, there is no contradiction or conflict in how her character is perceived. She is manipulative and her character is built up in such a way as to subtly show that she is the actual boss of the family. Anyway, great reactions.

[@redox.cinema]

Thanks for watching!

[@dongiano]

I know im super late, but Livia isnt developing alzheimers, she just thought ahead and is trying to make it seem like shes losing it so Tony doeant think she tried to get him killed on purpose

[@heretowatchstuff5335]

are you guys going to make a patreon for full length reactions?

[@redox.cinema]

Definitely! Only a matter of time now, we’ll keep you posted

[@Filimaua13]

I think at the end of the day, it all comes back to the struggle of the generations. Just like Tony, Uncle Junior is clinging to the old days and can't accept that a new generation is pushing him out. From what we heard from Hesh in episode 1, Junior has had feelings of inferiority for a long time. He never had the respect that he feels he's deserved. Even in his prime, Johnny boy (Tony's father, and his younger brother) was the more respected and liked one. And now just when he thinks he's finally gained a true position of power and respect.. turns out he was being played a fool once again. The old players are fading away and the new generation is taking over. Must sting even more for such a prideful and insecure person like Junior.

[@flowname]

0:07 "I may not know my flowers, but..." kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYC9imqbar2BbNU

[@wavesinthe5112]

I can’t stand his mom 😂

[@johnduval633]

Hella far? That word has to end.

[@redox.cinema]

Bro is the word police 👮‍♂️