How 9/11 Changed The Sopranos

[@WTFudgeMaster]

After 9/11, Tony felt hatred towards three kinds of people: - Terrorists - Anyone saying anything anti-American - Varsity Athletes

[@richardg8651]

Varsity Athletes ?

[@iansalsich6508]

@@richardg8651 Tony never had the makings of one, according to his uncle Junior

[@littlea5111]

@@iansalsich6508 small hands was his problem

[@aisosaihama]

@@littlea5111 that and a lack of focus on flyballs

[@jpmnky]

You left one out. AJ Soprano.

[@howardmctroy3303]

The first three seasons take place in that post-Cold War, pre-9/11 world; where for ten years it seemed like history had ended somehow. The last episode before 9/11, Tony says "the U.S. hardly goes to war anymore" as part of his justification to put A.J. through military school. Even though it was unintentional, the last three seasons taking place in the post-9/11, controversy-riddled world of the Bush-era 2000s worked nicely with the arc of the show. As Tony's life and career became more dysfunctional and fearful, so did society around him.

[@Voucher765]

Before September 11th the US if not the entire world was prosperous but afterwards unfortunately everything changed, We lost lots of good people in the attacks and our way if life was altered forever.

[@czeslaw.1066]

@@Voucher765 lol

[@milovarquiel]

@@Voucher765 No, retard.

[@williamjnothingburgeresq]

​@@Voucher765 I walked through blood and bone looking for my brother. He was in northern Canada

[@Sernival]

@@williamjnothingburgeresq 9/11.

[@saulgoodman1236]

Tony trundling down the hill to collect his paper whilst World Destruction plays sums up the state of America and is also one of my favourite moments Shoutout to the animal blundetto (I can’t even say his name) for taking a week off and returning to his old job as a firefighter to help out after the attacks

[@chonchjohnch]

Steve buscemi is an amazing human

[@hoze1235]

Love the animal blundetto season

[@roymunson1]

He was just a kid

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

Absolutely... there's definitely a _before/after_ demarcation point in _The Sopranos_ and it's 9/11. The whole series begins to take on a different tone and focus. I think it's actually the point where the series goes from being the greatest TV show ever, to being one of the greatest works in the history of motion pictures or pop culture.

[@iansalsich6508]

Before...and WAY before...

[@TheStaggaz32]

This guy ever stop breaking balls.

[@AgileJTC]

Ya hear what I said Ton’?

[@adrithmanvik1853]

@@iansalsich6508 lmao good reference

[@frwystr]

🙄

[@danielmzlos1895]

The worst part about 911 was how bin laden stabbed Paulie in the heart

[@qwertyqwest8485]

Он пошел на компромисс…

[@TonyVerrazano]

The truth of the matter is 911 changed America. Prior to that day, each decade seemed to have its own signature. The 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s were all pretty unique from each other but since 911, it's all been like one long dark decade that doesn't end. There's no real difference between the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Except for covid...which may be the new point where we seperate a before and after. The sopranos did a great job portraying that change on screen and had the show kept going, it would've been interesting to see how they handled the pandemic.

[@Dratchev241]

9/11 brought on the collapse of the empire faster, so instead of a slower collapse over time shit just happened faster. the collapse is like cancer stages. 60/70s was like stage 0 80/90s was stage 1. 9/11 happened and we pretty much went from stage 1 to stage 4 then to terminal very fast. where had 9/11 not happened we would be likely in late stage 2 going into 3.

[@rikiishitoru8885]

The 2000s and 2010s have massively different cultures Advertising, like in every decade, changed drastically Touchscreen smartphones took off and became the norm Occupy Wall Street kicked off the CIA intersectionality psyop NSA spying on Americans became more publicly known Frutiger Aero vs Minimalism The rise of hipster culture Race relations got worse in the 2010s (related to the Cia psyop) Movie culture shifted to superhero domination bc of Avengers Though I will say 2008 was a big turning point for this stuff as opposed to 2010, due to the great recession. Sopranos was ahead of its time too

[@jacquelineanswer2992]

Don’t tell paulie

[@EliminatePOSJobRecruiters]

@@rikiishitoru8885what the hell is the intersectionlity phyop?

[@MunguAkubariki]

The 2000s culturally is way different then the 2010s let alone the 2020s. I doubt a show like the Sopranos or The Wire would even be able to thrive in the 2020s.

[@KainedbutAble123]

Instantly one of your best videos. Always thought it was a gutsy and brilliant decision for the show to confront and incorporate the events of 9/11.

[@sean.furlong1989]

9/11 changed the world forever. I remember the optimism of the 1990s, life was good and it seemed the good times were here to stay, we all looked forward to a new millennium. Then 9/11 happened and the optimism of the 90s disappeared overnight, gone in an instant.

[@mattmaccaronio5990]

Which was exactly the way our lovely government planned it

[@isopropyltoxicity]

Yeah the government did it. This is definitely not the first time they ever faked terrorist attacks

[@leftconfection3037]

Life wasn't good for Bosnians lol

[@ussJK]

@@mattmaccaronio5990I’m not saying Bush did it, but he knew something would happen and just didn’t do anything.

[@getschwifty9531]

​@@mattmaccaronio5990they just couldn't sell it.

[@Recovery305]

Very observant Kino. The sacred and the propane.

[@victorsforza5578]

He's a pissah this kino kid.. Hehe

[@davidoneill7554]

I like this Pure Kino guy, very allegorical

[@Slayyyaphine]

Propane and propane accessories

[@leegsy]

A pint of blood costs more than a gallon of gold

[@PhillModder]

Sharp as a fuckin cue ball

[@brynmor5921]

Great video man! Another interesting thing I think worth mentioning is the irony of Tony giving Agent Harris information about the Muslims he assumed to be terrorists; something which obviously increased post-9/11, and yet all of the Italian Americans throughout the series showed disdain towards the US Media and wider Establishment for stereotyping them as mobsters due to their heritage.

[@ChrisLawton66]

Following in the footsteps of Luciano.

[@benfelps]

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance

[@yeahwhatever8774]

That’s what I was thinking, Tony and other members of the show have animosity to anyone that isn’t Italian yet complain about how theyre are/have been discriminated against or stereotyped due to their heritage. This is the excellent nuance shown by the writers of this show.

[@LaurenAtTenn]

They were possibly terrorists. It wasn’t a stereotype

[@lambknot]

9-11? Reminds me of that tragedy.

[@andycummings-music]

Terrible name for an airline.

[@airmackeeee6792]

IKR?! Phil Leotardo walked thru blood and bone looking for his brother ....

[@Mike-zd8wq]

Jackie Aprile Sr is dead? Didn't even know he was sick.

[@Gu1d-0]

@Airmack Eeee Yet his 47 years old baby brother was in North Jersey.

[@airmackeeee6792]

@@Gu1d-0 He was just a kid!

[@ChrisVillagomez]

The bit where Christaphah says he phoned in a bomb scare to Jimmy's funeral and Silvio says "Now that's too far" is just so funny 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Sjon_E]

When i watched the sopranos this year I thought it was weird that there's very little discussion on how much 9/11 played such a tonal, characther, and narrative shift of the whole show. Dwight Harris goes from Tony's biggest antagonist to one of the few people he feels like he can trust by the end of the show, simply because 9/11 happened.

[@CommanderquesoTV]

This was one thing that i saw on reddit years ago. Its barely mentioned in sopranos but the Subtle talk about it is great

[@kushaldeotale7639]

you forgot to mention steve buschemi aka tony blundetto in the video, he as involved with firefighters in aftermath of 9/11 #neverforget

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

Honestly, Buscemi is such an amazing human being... so many people don't know what he did in the aftermath cause he didn't want recognition. He did it out of pure love.

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

He was a fdny volunteer firefighter iirc. He was working 12 hour shifts and he wasn’t doing it for the cameras. Another reason why he’s awesome

[@carols.8103]

as a new yorker i hated shows that didn't acknowledge it. especially sitcoms bc while my hometown was a living hellscape, these stupid shows that were set in New York like FRIENDS had people joking and laughing as if nothing happened. no "special episode", no dedications, just a bunch of production companies trying their best to scrub it from every media source that wasn't a news network. i really appreciate The Sopranos for weaving it into the story

[@hitman321100]

I understand why Friends didn't mention the event. When it comes to TV and entertainment you watch it to distract you from reality.

[@schrisdellopoulos9244]

Might be your best bit of writing on the channel brother. Well done.

[@christiansander7517]

Meadow was also affected by 9/11, but became inspired unlike her father and brother. She became more passionate about human rights in the United States and provided criticism to Bush era treatments of Muslims in America. I think it was great of the show to bring up the consequences of the war on terror and have conversations of how America was changing for the worse.

[@earam88]

lol

[@CrazyGuyoftheWest]

Common Meadow W

[@yazidrahmatzuyu1693]

and then.... she decided to be a mafia lawyer

[@xaangelo]

also her tryna defend italian then minority discrimination n prejudice for da “innocent” the moolinyans

[@Sernival]

@@xaangelo That character development was pretty realistic, a lot of people use mental semantics regarding socioeconomics and oppression to justify or excuse bad things more than before, and regardless of whether it's right or wrong, I simply point out that it's a mainstream idea.

[@keithmichael112]

I thought the opening song for the season directly after 9/11 was perfect, "world destruction". even at the time i was like, that's dead on

[@shawnbrodrick8673]

Good point...something I just noticed is Tony walks down to the newspaper and instantly starts reading it, almost looking for answers..we became hyper focused on the news.

[@keithmichael112]

@@shawnbrodrick8673 I never thought about that, he was making sure nothing really bad happened real quick

[@LemonTree9280]

Pure Kino, man I love your dedication to finding new topics to delve into with the Sopranos. Keep up the good hard work buddy!

[@geordiejones5618]

The show and characters really captured how the nation felt immediately after. The world felt different for most American adults and teens. Even as a kid I saw how my mom and grandparents were more suspicious and a bit more dramatic in the years after.

[@emmiella3027]

My family was like that too. It got to the point where we stop flying for 10 years

[@rman52]

Phenomenal writing. With many more inferences and observations than your usual plot analysis videos. This one shows that you are truly a varsity commentator.

[@emmiella3027]

I agree 👍

[@kloveda5]

Part of my degree in college was looking at TV and Movies from the past and seeing how the times reflected in the media. Media is a time capsule to places and feels we normally don’t see when researching history. Great Depression = more depressing outlook , WW2 = optimistic / rally around the flag , 9/11 = apathy and suspension

[@thac0twenty377]

interesting. find anything that stands out to you?

[@intern1234567]

These days.. doom and catastrophe, plus dancing TikToks and celebrity gossip are all the rage. Just as "Don't Look Up" and "Squid Game" show our current tightrope of today's zeitgeist. Not the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@thekrakensdaughter]

​​​@@intern1234567squid game is just a kaiji rip off tho

[@cloudbloom]

You know, Quasimodo predicted all this

[@ghostface_killer06]

Quasi who?

[@joaovictordemesquitamendon2092]

And also Notre Dame

[@mrturtletail3945]

5:13 this is the most realistic portrayal of depression I've ever seen. God, James was a God tier actor

[@finnpountney3814]

Great video! As someone born post-9/11 who never felt those emotions that 2000s America felt, I never really understood how it played a role in The Sopranos.

[@imdankarlin]

Hey Kino!! Honored that my interview with Matt Servitto (Harris) was included in this!! Been a fan of yours for upwards of a year now, so I’m sorry it became necessary that my ugly mug had to be featured :-P Keep up the awesome work, man!

[@PureKino]

It was a great interview! Matt seems like a great guy, so cool you got to chat with him!

[@imdankarlin]

Thanks man! I’d love to have you on Sool Radio to talk Sopranos and BrBa if you’d be down :-D

[@PureKino]

@@imdankarlin absolutely! Shoot me an email or Twitter dm and we'll set it up!

[@imdankarlin]

@@PureKino Check your Twitter DMs!

[@bluntamainia444]

I lived during all of that, the way the Sopranos acknowledges 9/11 and incorporates it into the storylines made it feel more realistic. Also those were extremely stressful times I think worse then Covid because we literally thought one minute the great times would last forever to 9/11 and plus the fear we might get nuked or another terror attack. The wars that came after weren’t so great either

[@rikiishitoru8885]

As someone who's only lived through covid, I always thought covid was worse in that government response (and people's acceptance of government response) shows how blind the general populace has gotten. Though I assume people felt like this when Bush was reelected?

[@joeycommet45]

Never understood Patsy's spore remark until now. Thanks for helping me understand the joke.

[@jacquelineanswer2992]

That’s not funny

[@nilssorensen6599]

Really fantastic video. I always thought this. The tone of the show completely changes after 9/11. Always found it very enjoyable to see Tony and Agent Harris eventually reconcile to an extent.

[@mohammedphilonous6856]

I have been waiting for this analysis for years

[@hjluke4807]

I agree. 9/11 didn’t just change Sopranos, it changed American storytelling in general.

[@nothingtoseehere449]

Meadow was most likely in New York when 9/11 happened on Tuesday at 9 AM in class at Columbia

[@theunknownatheist3815]

She was probably sleeping 😴

[@chrisxavier3147]

Was an iconic part of the opening, and also very noticeable once removed

[@life09m]

In the super bowl remake of the intro they added it back in !!!

[@Women_Rock]

Can’t believe that plane building stuff happened. This is the first time I’m hearing about it

[@mikewhipkey6863]

We have 9-11 to thank for the Rise of Pete Davidson.... Isn't that the real tragedy?

[@poop_storm]

No

[@mikefloyd3152]

Yes😔

[@noblepolygon8694]

😂

[@johntitor7989]

Rest in piss Skeet/Osama Gay Laden lmao smoking that pack

[@kevinc2746]

Kinda fucked up to say that his dad was a hero that lost his life being a fire fighter.

[@XanderShiller]

The writers took it out on the Sha of Iran who was found hiding in a closet.

[@christianvennemann9008]

In an incredibly portentous twist of irony, in the S3 finale (the final episode that aired before 9/11), Tony says to AJ (to keep him from being nervous about military school) something along the lines of, "America hardly goes to war anymore." If only he knew what the next 2 decades would have in store...

[@KidFresh71]

Really thoughtful analysis. Another fantastic upload.

[@14AspenDrive]

One of the best videos on the sopranos. Great work!

[@MeyerBen27]

One of my favorite lines in the entire show is when Christopher says to a stressed out Adrianna, "You don't listen to the President? We're gonna wipe the floor with the whole fuckin' world. The whole world's gonna be under our control. So what are you worried about?" _(Irregular Around The Margins: S5 Ep5)_ Lmfao that was my understanding of global politics in 2004 ( I was 11). "

[@NeverSaySandwich1]

Speaks to the talent of the writers. To adapt to the real world around the characters and change the trajectory of the story like that

[@VAIZEN]

I'm not american but I was raise on the US and I have a big place of 🇺🇲 in my heart , 9/11 was a day that make me realise that you don't need to born in a country to love it. God Bless America! 🇺🇸 🙏🏻 ❤️ ❤️❤️ beautiful video as always ma boi Kino ! ❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@davidoneill7554]

WTC7, whatever happened there… 🌚

[@theunknownatheist3815]

That building was just a kid.

[@Boxmediaphile]

AJ wanting to be Trumps pilot lol

[@theunknownatheist3815]

A reminder that people didn’t hate Trump until the left and the media told them to. Years of negative propaganda have deranged millions of people. I’m not saying hes perfect- he has problems and flaws- but he isn’t Austrian mustache man.

[@Finkelthusiast]

Great video, enjoyed your perspective and the examples you gave were eye opening and will definitely affect how I view the series going forwards.

[@Roddy556]

Having been around for the event it's weird seeing stories about 9/11 that give backstory about it but I realize people have been born, grown up, and got college degrees since it happened.

[@itsblitz4437]

You know little fact here, Lilo and Stitch movie was pretty affected by 9/11 has to changed the scene involving a flying space ship close to a building. Also South Park also did a episode on 9/11 and hold nothing back.

[@tactical_narcotic2690]

Well done! Love these videos! Keep em coming!

[@ulisesfarinas]

For me, it's the only true recollection of that time period without mythologizing it or demonizing it

[@onemoreminute0543]

Crazy how in the season 3 finale 'Army of One', Tony reassures Carmela that AJ would be fine as a soldier as the military 'barely goes to war now'. 4 months after that episode aired, 9/11 happened and the War on Terror began

[@Fadzi2342]

I can picture the guys sitting in Satriale’s glued to the TV and once the second plane hit they all go “OOOOOOOOOHHHH!” With Paulie following up with “Oof Madone!”.

[@white_heat.truth76]

Seeing the towers in Tony's rear view mirror speaks for itself.

[@TheShounak111]

It's good that someone addressed the tonal changes of narrative post 9/11attack,on Sopranos.

[@adamspeckert7296]

Georgie getting beat by Tony is the reason Paulie doesn’t like to discuss politics. Those things happen.

[@jacquelineanswer2992]

Exactly

[@haydenunsell]

the towers, the pentagon, and a field in pennsylvania…

[@Siegefya]

I watched the show again this year. I find myself watching it pretty much every year since I first watched it in it's entirety, when it first aired I only watched certain episodes when I was teen as my pops liked the show and I'd watch what I could with him, obviously heard about the ending before I actually watched every episode. But around 3 years ago I watched it in it's entirety for the first time. Kinda strange feeling after finishing the show... almost don't want to watch other things. They made the show so realistic... Like you're really watching these people's lives and it's so interesting, such great acting, such a great and deep storyline and depth to characters. So it's nice to come on here and listen to what other fans have to say about certain things. Yeah they handled the 9/11 tragedy pretty masterfully. Everything about the show was masterful. I'd say one of the greatest shows that I've seen, probably top 10 all time.

[@jbanks979]

I think it was partially the compressed nature of the first three seasons (airing from 99-early 2001), and then s4 not airing till the fall of 2002. But yes s1-3 are more comic than not. S4 is far more somber (and that tone never really changes even in the far more plot driven s5)

[@cyberpimp29]

Lets not forget the plane that was brought down by its passengers - choosing to fight rather than give up and accept their fate... "Let's roll!"

[@diabang4440]

Pure fiction

[@fathergabrielstokes4706]

@@diabang4440 Silly opinion

[@Cabal662]

@@fathergabrielstokes4706it is though? Americans will eat any shit from their leaders

[@MeyerBen27]

Great video btw!

[@joseaguilera6355]

It’s definitely something I picked up on my first town viewing also found it interesting to see agent Harris was moved to counter terrorism

[@josho1994]

Steve Buscemi who is on the show was one of the former fighters who stopped what he was doing to go down to ground zero to help in the recovery effort.

[@Pidcaso]

amazing video bro

[@Kylo_ren518]

Still cant believe the Sopranos was responsible for 9/11 just so they can elevate their show's status. Bravo Vince Gilligan.

[@tobinharris8107]

Well done Kino. A particularly good one.

[@dannigro8794]

Even though the Sopranos took place in New Jersey which was adjacent to New York City New York was a big part of the show and of course anybody in neighboring areas will be deeply affected by that so it’s good that the Sopranos handled it and then Incorporated it because that’s something that you couldn’t just ignore especially when they’re in close proximity.

[@faltyuse]

Great analysis!

[@joshpointoh]

In a very sick way, it was eventually hilarious when he would beat Georgie. The first couple beatings you're thinking "Dude, just shut up already", but by the last one, as soon as he starts talking you're thinking "Yup, here is comes"

[@KR1736]

Excellent video

[@thac0twenty377]

0ne thing about getting older is I'm fascinated by living through these things ad an adult abd seeing people who didn't have that perspective look back and analyze it.

[@darkgreenrifleman4871]

Pure Kino = Pure Wisdom

[@emmiella3027]

Great video as always ❤️

[@janellemaynait]

The spores joke from patsy was from the 2001 anthrax attacks

[@andylymbo]

Great video as always, Kino.

[@robjabbaz]

Great video. very comprehensive.

[@djgreen7453]

Gabagool melts steel beams

[@burymeinjhenny918]

Lmaooo

[@JCM-LedZeppelin-Stories]

Saw this show with my dad in school and high school. The best show to this day...i am offended by Game of Thrones, The Sopranos MADE TV!

[@Goatman710]

The lack of security is so bad someone could sneak a nuclear bomb behind a chain link fence and we’d all be dead, but I can’t even think about it

[@alyssarichardson2544]

This should be very interesting! Peace from Australia and respect for the lives lost 🌹

[@badxradxandy]

Those "Arabs" Tony rats on were involved in what got Adriana in trouble

[@danielmcallister4816]

9-11... Whatever happened there

[@Blacklung123-i]

Phil: ¡¿whatever happened there?! Tony: alright then.....

[@Blacklung123-i]

@Big Daddy jajajajajajaja bro jajajaja

[@tylertilwick6852]

I always thought Agent Harris becoming an ally of Tony was meant to be kinda symbolic of the sense of unity and togetherness every New Yorker had after 9/11. Kinda like the bridge scene in Spider-Man - "You mess with one of us, you mess with *ALL OF US* !!" How it didn’t matter there differences, at that moment they all had one common enemy.

[@cherrycola542]

I remember Lilo & Stich originally having the characters fly a plane through the city to try and rescue Lilo & Stitch, but upon it's release in 2002 it was changed to an alien spacecraft, I can't remember if it flew through the city but it probably didn't, it most likely flew through the forest.

[@KainedbutAble123]

Crazy to think that in these years of the 2000’s we had the three most iconic television deconstructions of America all playing at the same time: The Sopranos, Deadwood and The Wire.

[@mervannear603]

Lovely video, Kino.

[@JoshWaters2]

You know Quasimodo predicted all dis’

[@ziggy8253]

“Agent Harris. How’s the war on terror?” -Tony

[@davidperez5089]

Carm had to go and ruin tonys beloved bowl of ice cream. OHHH!!!

[@budwhite9591]

Georgie couldn’t even think about it.

[@pennystocklocks]

what rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem

[@airmackeeee6792]

YEET(S)! 😉😜

[@xSubliminalxVersesx]

Great video Kino, very allegorical.

[@BrianMcBig]

Bush ate gabagool

[@CallofFreaky]

I never got why they would censor any depiction of the towers in media after. The slogan is “never forget” so why are you censoring it, instead of saving and preserving as much footage, and as many pictures of the towers as you can for historical purposes?

[@clipsdelosmajes]

Because it was seen as a sensitive topic. It wasn't about deleting the past. It was that now the mere reference or showing of it had to be delicate, it wasn't just buildings anymore, they were the symbols of a tragedy.

[@jkg7297]

I wasn't a huge fan of the first 3 seasons. I gave it like 3 tries over the years. Liked the 1st season, then I gave up in the 2nd, then gave up in the 3rd. It just felt like the most overrated thing ever. It was ok, had it's moments and that's it. It was nowhere near the level I expected it to be by all the reviews. But then, I finally gave it another go and got to season 4, and I just binged-watched the whole thing in a week. IMO, that darker, more serious theme was what Sopranos needed. It's unfortunate that 9/11 caused that, but like I said it made Sopranos one of the best of all time for me.

[@Gu1d-0]

The last seasons were a fucking masterpiece. Breaking Bad was like that too. Shit got real since season 4.

[@luisfernandez1387]

Nah the first half of the series is better. Nothing fucking happens In season 4

[@SuperGrimupnorth]

911 bein featured in the sopranos (& how it featured it) is just another reason why this show will be looked back on as the so real mirror image of American society, in which it very cleverly mimicked... more than any other show of it's time 💯

[@Sernival]

I saw a Sopranos documentary where during this time, people did stuff like post a pic of the guys outside Satriale's and a caption like "Bin Laden, we're gonna find you!", so Tony and co. were considered these tough guys that'd set the terrorists straight. It may reflect how Italian neighborhoods felt about the mob, like how Rocco cheered for Johnny getting out of jail despite getting beaten up by him before. Interesting how it played out in the show, Tony couldn't really help Harris and was more concerned with avoiding death.

[@pemauck]

9-11 brought the Sopranos to the precipice of an enormous crossroads

[@codeeater0]

It’s like a refeed of our reality, through the TV 📺

[@FlymanMS]

Show definitely for darker after

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Butchie said it was like 911, Tony wanted Uncle Phillys attention