The Best TV Series in Ten Years?
The Sopranos is is the best television we've seen, possibly ever. What's good about the Sopranos?
1. The writing. There has not been better writing for TV to my knowledge.
2. The viewpoint. We are made terribly uncomfortable by this series, because it holds a mirror up to our own desires (some cultural, some more deeply ingrained). It's a show about aspirations, materialism, power, family love, but ultimately the values distortion that occurs when we convince ourselves that we should put our love for people before values and principles. It's about people who either are or can be converted into slaves to their own desires, whether for drugs, sex, gambling or just love. The viewpoint deals deep and common emotions without sentimentality, which is mighty tricky.
3. A constant exploration of narcissism. If we are self-absorbed, we can be exploited by our vanity.
4. Tragedy's best basis is folly and coincidence.
5. A talented and effective leader always risks the loss of the very thing pursued: the genuine love of those led. When Tony is given evidence of that kind of love, he doubts and rejects it.
6. Consumerism, maybe even more than money, is the root of all evil. And we all are consumed by consumerism.
7. The effective depiction of family moments, created via extremely effective writing, direction and acting, will knock your socks off.
8. Psychology practice operating without morals or even ethics cannot save us from our own self-created torments. Pulp Fiction is shocking, frank and violent, and so is this wonderful series. But The Sopranos presents so very, very much more than that.
And then there's "The West Wing..."
1. The writing. There has not been better writing for TV to my knowledge.
2. The viewpoint. We are made terribly uncomfortable by this series, because it holds a mirror up to our own desires (some cultural, some more deeply ingrained). It's a show about aspirations, materialism, power, family love, but ultimately the values distortion that occurs when we convince ourselves that we should put our love for people before values and principles. It's about people who either are or can be converted into slaves to their own desires, whether for drugs, sex, gambling or just love. The viewpoint deals deep and common emotions without sentimentality, which is mighty tricky.
3. A constant exploration of narcissism. If we are self-absorbed, we can be exploited by our vanity.
4. Tragedy's best basis is folly and coincidence.
5. A talented and effective leader always risks the loss of the very thing pursued: the genuine love of those led. When Tony is given evidence of that kind of love, he doubts and rejects it.
6. Consumerism, maybe even more than money, is the root of all evil. And we all are consumed by consumerism.
7. The effective depiction of family moments, created via extremely effective writing, direction and acting, will knock your socks off.
8. Psychology practice operating without morals or even ethics cannot save us from our own self-created torments. Pulp Fiction is shocking, frank and violent, and so is this wonderful series. But The Sopranos presents so very, very much more than that.
And then there's "The West Wing..."
posted by John Bernat @ 8:15 PM
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