Tony Soprano: I'm like King Midas in reverse, everything I touch turns to s**t

Tony is depressed after Big Pussy Bonpensiero disappeared.

[@greggoat6570]

The scene is so heartbreaking to go back to because he sounds so close to a personal breakthrough, closer than he is for most of the series that follows.

[@MrBustALoad_225]

What ep was this😊

[@chris_player2995]

​@@MrBustALoad_225 somewhere around the end of season 1

[@greenmarine500]

@@MrBustALoad_225 Isabella

[@romanpattysstuff]

​@@MrBustALoad_225 "Isabella", season 1, episode 12

[@masterzombie161]

The only time he was ever honest with himself and with dr melfi. As time goes on he loses this sadness and becomes numb.

[@nuckymancini7013]

@gorgeous piece of @$$

[@jessestinson3560]

Dont spilt hairs with me. Because ive had it with you

[@nicholasplesko533]

Dr. Melfi abandons her patient, and any shred of credibility she had. She left a man seeking help, to suffer alone. Some doctor.

[@anthonyfernandez82]

@@nicholasplesko533 I'm just surprised she didn't abandon him sooner. Given his physical outbursts. She likes "treating" a mob boss

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Melfi was a bad shrink. Only told him what he wanted to hear to make him feel better. And it made him feel more confident about the evil stuff he does. She made him into a way worse person. All the bad shit in Tony’s life happened after therapy.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Sums up what it’s like to be depressed so well.

[@goodyeoman4534]

depression does not exist

[@OGmartibt]

Good Yeoman wait, what?

[@goodyeoman4534]

@@OGmartibt It's a made-up term that lacks an objective falsifiable test. As its existence is presupposed then the evidence used for it is invalid.

[@Kaei7]

@@goodyeoman4534 people like you who go through the loops of using unnecessarily sophisticated language to say the dumbest shit anyone ever heard are annoying and a bit funny, too

[@keithkarvelis82]

You are very stupid. Of course depression exists. Get a clue.

[@arodgefan589]

Funny how it takes an assassination attempt on his life for him to break out of this depressive stage.

[@brandonjustis]

Talk about a jolt to your system

[@pizza7738]

I got knocked off my bike by a van last year and afterwards I laughed more than I had laughed in ages.

[@funnybone6149]

Their should be a service that puts you in survival near death situations Well I guess I just described sky diving

[@valentinom.4292]

@@funnybone6149 Let's go an extra step

[@timovangalen1589]

You never feel more alive than when you're closest to death.

[@GarrettP130]

Ive used that King Midas line a lot since I heard it. Its exactly how depression feels.

[@_AZBT_ASHUTOSHKUSHWAHA]

Midas mighty touch of gold couldn't even have the basic things needed for life. Of course his story is one tragic tale, but he redeemed himself and got his daughter back from rock solid gold. But tony loses everything that he touches that makes his fable more tragic and heartwrenching

[@torinwulfren9463]

“Don’t split hairs with me...cuz I’ve had it with you.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Snarkythecat]

There was an edge to that though. A real warning.

[@dislikebuttonuser4996]

To this day this shit is so real

[@tbandz9423]

It really is

[@richardesponja693]

Yeah, no matter how hard you try, you always slip back.

[@andrewvelonis5940]

I like how she picked up on that little smile of his.

[@martincurran6432]

It all stems from his childhood with his mother. All that anxiety and fear he grew up with, he started to repress it and that became his lifelong way of dealing with things and the childhood pain he has. It all caught up with him with the panic attacks. He needed help and the medication made things go to another extreme where he felt nothing. Numb. The only thing that made him feel anything here was the thought of that woman he hallucinated. What he wished his mother had of been in instead of what she was. The cause of his trauma and imagining what he really needed

[@sasagrcevic475]

Dude no. Quit that bs "childhood trauma" shit. He never faced his fears. Entire mob thing is organized cause its bunch of cowards who are lazy fucks that don't wanna work legal jobs. So they make groups with simmilar people and call it mafia. I understand when it comes to prohibition era and industrial age cause working conditions were shit then. But now? You can have a decent, normal life with good paying job right now. But they all want everything by the tomorrow. Its low intelligence lazy people leeching on others. When shit got too stressful he got panic attacks. What really fucked him up is his father. When we are young our fathers are role models to us. At least for sons. So he sees his father warning money by doing nothing all day, driving good cars, having a loving family and where that shit comes from? From chopping people hands. Tony realized early as a kid that you have to grow a pair of balls and do vile shit to make it in that world. Its actually commendable in that line of work to be an psychopath. People can then rely on you and ask you for guidance. Cause you have no morals and only see the money, the end goal in all of that mess.

[@landlockedcroat1554]

yeah

[@Marksman_12]

Your comment made me think a certain way. Often, I blame myself for choosing humanities from a third rated college and worse than that, never giving my 100%. But now, I realise why things are the way they are. The biggest gift I received after my school was done, was the isolation and rarely but never at all, solitude. It made me think a certain way about my problems and see them in a new light. I saw myself for who I am really when you take away forced regimentation of 8 hours a day being away from home, doing stuff I, on most days am indifferent or scared of. When boredom and fear are mostly the two things that run your day, you are bound to not be in a place where you can go back to drawing board. But after the school was over, it was possible and for more than five years now, I finally have some sort of understanding of who I am. It could go into the shitter the very next moment but at least I have an idea. I am sure it wouldn't have happened had I been under a new regiment. Would I be busy? Yes. Would I be sort of free? Yes. Would everything be great? Maybe. Would it be risky? Absolutely. And that is the reason I didn't became serious with my studies or chose the science stream. And if the world wants to curse me for it, fine. They don't know the real thing. I do.

[@Marksman_12]

Correction: but never not at all

[@padraigdoyle9262]

when he mentions the "laughing acadamy it never fails to make me laugh

[@willsorry]

Mr.Galdonfini Such a great actor,his eyes tell so much Gone real soon ,rest well my friend,even tough never meet you

[@portugal5698]

Crazy how one of my most regrettable life moments was walking past him and Ralphie being filmed on my walk home from school when I was 12. I didn’t really know much about him then. I’m 27 now and wish i could have said hi and told him how much i loved the show being a diehard fan now.

[@Marksman_12]

May he be at peace.

[@the_local_bigamist]

Two titans of acting here. And this episode in particular captures the essence of depression in a way better than any other I've seen in TV or film. Of course the series does it in a general way, but this episode in particular really speaks to those feelings. If you've been there, you know. What I hope is that James Gandolfini was acting here in the purest sense and didn't experience this himself, but that would be a ridiculous thing to hope for. He nails it and was one of the greatest talents we have ever seen. Apparently a great man as well. RIP to him and much respect for Lorraine Bracco.

[@harrycarter388]

I don’t think people acknowledge just how much of an impact this character / series will have had on shedding light on mental health

[@maryk446]

I wonder if the writers of this script got the phrase "King Midas in Reverse" from a song by The Hollies in the 1960's. They had a song with that exact title. It was not such a well-known song, though. Their best songs were "Bus Stop" and "Carrie Ann."

[@sashachitownvillegas6850]

He Ain't Heavy- he's my brother is the best song by the Hollies

[@jofo1274]

@@sashachitownvillegas6850 long cool woman

[@terrypussypower]

Obviously they did. There’s music references all through The Sopranos.

[@jonathanbirch2022]

They play “Carrie Anne” in the flashback to Tony’s childhood in the 60s. Part of his baby boomer nostalgia

[@mountainguyed67]

@@jofo1274 When I was in the Army I’d sing that “long cool woman in a flak vest”.

[@BradMackComedy]

This is by far my favorite scene in the whole show. Amazing performance.

[@mellowandjello]

You should go to some place where you can be looked after You mean like a hospital, with the straitjackets? No, no straitjackets, a RETIREMENT COMMUNITY!

[@killerfrank8974]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@thatpart]

Ma was thriving there!

[@Marksman_12]

I wonder how Tony would be if he just paid a dude to yell at him or roast the ever living shit out of him? Maybe he would be better. Of course, considering that Tony wouldn't whack him or the other guy would follow the code of not snitching.

[@sabatino1977]

Laughing Academy? I went there for my post grad work after I graduated from Slip and Fall School.

[@TrevorMoses312]

😆😆

[@scotts148]

Do you talk like a mulinyan?

[@timovangalen1589]

I took an academic leave after a semester and a half of college

[@yuppiehi]

Tony should hide out in Elvis Country... Where there are no Italians or Jews.

[@maxmurphy4476]

Not cool.

[@tumortuner]

@@maxmurphy4476 Very cool

[@purest_evil]

@@maxmurphy4476Especially less Jews lmao

[@iama2509]

i dont get it

[@sweetpotatofries99]

@@iama2509 Elvis's house, the Graceland mansion, is in Memphis, TN, an area not known for its population of Jews and/or Italians. Although I doubt he'd enjoy it there either. In 2022, easily 60% of Memphis is Black.

[@timovangalen1589]

I love the callback to this scene at the end of Test Dream, where Tony tries to whack Coach Molinaro but the bullets turn to shit in his hands.

[@joshcavanagh9843]

I love how much of a wise guy Tony is at the end

[@MMAGamblingTips]

God damn I love this show!

[@vinto34]

Great actor...he mastered the doped up on drugs look perfectly.

[@orianultimer]

"Don't split hairs with me, cause I've had it with you" Gandolfini was such an S class act.

[@drummachine86]

It´s sad when they go young like that...

[@darthhoover3710]

When THEY GOOO???

[@marttitanner7470]

@@darthhoover3710 Yeah. Whatever happened there...

[@angryanakin]

@@marttitanner7470 whatever happened there?

[@ViniciusPacheco1914]

@@angryanakin the shooting... God rest his soul, huh?

[@jessestinson9252]

The shooting

[@jeffcordova9633]

Hard to believe I’ve never seen this show… this scene has me captivated just cause I’ve dealt w depression my entire life…

[@richardesponja693]

Thats why I rewatched it 10 years later, last year when I was ill. It's so relatable

[@Rekon-se6wv]

Oh poor youuu!

[@Nefare1781]

Discontinue the shinebox

[@davicus100]

king midus in reverse here everything I touch turns to shit lol so true dammit

[@Theplaymaker_Yt]

James Gandolfini man , what an actor he was .. he left so early 😔

[@cygnustsp]

Holy crap they filmed this on totally different days

[@drea4pres970]

I hate that you pointed this out lmao

[@makidtrej]

Sad part is: if Tony had taken Melfi's advice of going to a treatment centre, he could have been finally free of his depression. But he is also right: if anyone in his "family" fond out... he was a dead man.

[@hypnos9336]

I'm not very fond of people fonding things out about me

[@active96]

I don't think that's true, Tony had no chances to begin with. Therapy doesn't work on everyone

[@user-rl4gd9dx4b]

A terrible man learns to forgive and accept himself. Inspirational.

[@self-proclaimedcomedian1037]

Learns to accept himself as terrible and loses all remorse for his awful deeds

[@chrisxavier3147]

"Laughing academy!"

[@radioheadinc]

I heard King Midas graduated slip and fall school

[@Dman40000]

😂

[@Di0genes818]

I love how Tony slowly changes from a numb state of mind to his aggressive-dominant side because he is confronted with the reality of healing his condition being impossible while he is still alive. Therefore at the end, he lets his mafia-rotten side through, becoming angry in the consequence.

[@clairestark9024]

See this is the real price of evil "dead empty."

[@barmbailey6934]

"Do you think it would help if you went someplace so you could rest up awhile?" "Oh you mean like Vegas?"😃😏 That Wiseguy; hopeful response got me. 😆🤣

[@grinchoi1]

laughing academy 😂

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Other people pointing out this really is one of the only times in the whole series Tony is totally honest with anybody.

[@Apemopo]

like Vegas??

[@vuktucakov1125]

"Nothing else to do, I gue.."

[@deenigeechte387]

..Ss

[@farooqmahmud8934]

No, no straight jackets. A treatment center. It's more like a holiday at Cap d'Antibes.

[@laza6141]

Who's he ?

[@ellemjay]

A captain who owns luxury hotels or something, I dunno.

[@waltwhitman7545]

1:18 interesting. if she suggested visiting Avellino, think that may have been a cool turning point

[@adriantorres7998]

He said "Like Vegas?" Nooooo

[@smokdawg8478]

He is literally me

[@DomozoveoGZ]

A jolt in your system is what some people need when depressed. I'm a pizza delivery driver, and one day last summer I was feeling depressed while working; I got a flat tire and it snapped me right out of it, and the rest of the day I was in a good mood

[@olababatunde584]

That happened to me, too. I worked at a snowplowing company,and I hadn't slept since wednesday. I worked two mornings the last morning,I was completely twisted up, and then the sun came up, and my colors were back. Depression is a strange, complicated thing.

[@vj9988]

This happened to me too. I'm a brain surgeon, and one day last winter I was super depressed but then I screwed up a surgery and my patient died an agonizing, excruciating death. It was just the jolt I needed, I was in a good mood the rest of the day.

[@biggusdickus1689]

@@vj9988 LOL

[@koikat3708]

@@vj9988 jesus christ

[@user-wq1pi4px4u]

@@vj9988Based

[@jakep1979]

It's not a hospital...its a residential treatment center Tony just like a temporary retirement community😂

[@jordanflores5687]

Sure why not awesome line for drugs

[@Timquan.]

James Gandolfini looked like the guy who played Sonny Black in Donny Brasco

[@tonylovesducks2501]

like Michael Madsen? Hmm. His Body Type maybe..

[@maxmurphy4476]

No way.

[@Timquan.]

@@tonylovesducks2501 Yea I was thinking the body type and the eyes( I think they both had heavy eyeliner or something during these times of filming but when I see Tony's eyes in the 1st 2 seasons I see Madsen's Sonny Black. for some reason.

[@Timquan.]

@@tonylovesducks2501 Yea I was thinking the body type and the eyes( I think they both had heavy eyeliner or something during these times of filming but when I see Tony's eyes in the 1st 2 seasons I see Madsen's Sonny Black. for some reason.

[@Timquan.]

@@tonylovesducks2501 Yea I was thinking the body type and the eyes( I think they both had heavy eyeliner or something during these times of filming but when I see Tony's eyes in the 1st 2 seasons I see Madsen's Sonny Black. for some reason.

[@TonyBMW]

We call this Kotmidas

[@fthmydn]

Tony always felt like he could live another life, and Melfi could be his wife in another life.

[@miguelpasamano4995]

This is why AJ tried to kill himself.

[@_AZBT_ASHUTOSHKUSHWAHA]

Meadow turned out fine.. AJ needed the deluxe treatment and tony ain't giving it to him.. As he says, take what is thrown at you like it is, but AJ wasn't a cut out of his facade like life

[@ooommm4024]

Looks like I learned from the master of King Midas on Opposite Day. Then, I realized there is a huge market for 💩 like in farming , sold it, and figured out how to turn 💩 into gold. No Prozac nor Lithium Carbonate required for that madness! 🤪

[@someonewhoexist]

The good thing about reverse king midas is you can still eat....sort of aahaha

[@_AZBT_ASHUTOSHKUSHWAHA]

Sometimes the eyes can tell a whole lot from a character point of view, if they are angry or suppressing.. But when he warns her to not create distinction with that don't split hairs with me line, we dont see much in his eyes, because that baritone delivery expresses a whole lot, its so out of life yet the threatening makes it a lot scarier knowing he can pounce on her at any given moment and kill her. Thats why gandofilini and only him we can imagine playing tony

[@capri8225]

Rocking the psychiatrist would be a jolt to my system

[@brandoncastillo_05]

Anomaly inc brought me here

[@stevens1041]

Ah, King Merdas

[@nuckymancini7013]

Somewhere you can go to rest up @while (*u mean like vegas?!?)... #ROTFLMFAO

[@ArthurVerhulst]

You can write SHIT if you mean it. No need to use **, it's not the fifties anymore. After all, everybody knows that word. Don't be shy.

[@larry930legend]

don't watch this but I figured he'd tell the doctor 'like to get you under the sheets'.

[@darth856]

He did tell her that at other times.

[@Motoko1134]

What episode is this?

[@ellemjay]

Isabella

[@caiusKeys]

So you're like 0'Bama?

[@jinasugata4869]

What season and episode is it from?

[@kevinouellette5316]

Isabella, Idk what season but I think season 1, maybe 2

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

1x11, I think

[@TimdogQ]

Whoopsie DayZ S1E12 “Isabella”

[@goodguy6630]

What episode is this from

[@Norwoodg00ner]

The sopranos

[@CJ_GROVE_STREET]

S01E12

[@MelodicVirus]

"Isabella" is the episode name btw

[@craigm72]

Can some explain the King Midas line please?

[@zee2826]

King Midas was had the power to turn anything he touched to gold in myths, you can guess the rest

[@craigm72]

@@zee2826 thanks mate 👍

[@atilax6452]

That's my last 15 years, in a nutshell.

[@ChristopherTrott]

You mean like Vegas?