tudo aquilo que os Sopranos foram e são...

Esta semana a série Sopranos cumpre 20 anos desde a sua estreia. Marcou uma era de ouro para as séries de televisão (que depois se tornaram apenas séries que podem ser vistas em qualquer plataforma). Quando chegou era arrojada, politicamente incorreta, com personagens ao estilo cinema, que tanto podíamos odiar como amar. Um protagonista gordo, careca e enorme hoje não seria pouco comum, mas não era nisso que Tony Soprano - interpretado com a indiferença, brutalidade, violência, crueza, assombro, sentimentalidade (fui ver, existe mesmo) e coração aberto exigidas pelo malogrado James Gandolfini - era brilhante e diferente. O grande Tony distinguia-se, isso sim, precisamente por ser um assassino sem escrupúlos com problemas reais que os quais o comum dos mortais também de pode, em parte, identificar. E só por isso ficavamos naquele conflito entre amá-lo ou detestá-lo, dependendo das circunstâncias. Essa mesma qualidade, nada pacífica nem aceitável nos tempos atuais, dos paradoxos humanos de figuras (neste caso ficcionais) nada consensuais, também se viu em Frank Underwood e em House of Carfs, provavelmente o último dos moicanos a ter um público vasto e sem ter medo do politicamente incorreto.
Sinto falta de Tony Soprano, era uma personagem tão diferente de um Seinfeld, dos protagonistas de Friends ou do Todos Gostam do Raymond, mas por quem tínhamos um carinho igualmente especial, mesmo que lhe desejassemos mal em certas circunstâncias.

Big Tony, em citações:
"I can't find Pussy anywhere."

Tony: "Uncle June, how was Boca?"
Junior: "Wonderful. I don't go down enough."
Carmela: "That's not what I heard."

"Hey, I don't even let anyone wag their finger in my face."

"You don't s**t where you eat. And you really don't s**t where I eat."

“Those who want respect, give respect.”

“Log off. That ‘cookies’ sh-t makes me nervous.”

“You got any idea what my life would be worth if certain people found out I checked into a laughing academy?”

“All due respect, you got no f—in’ idea what it’s like to be Number One. Every decision you make affects every facet of every other f—in’ thing. It’s too much to deal with almost. And in the end you’re completely alone with it all.”

“A wrong decision is better than indecision.”

“It’s good to be in something from the ground floor. I came too late for that and I know. But lately, I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end. The best is over.”

"They say every day’s a gift, but why does it have to be a pair of socks?”

“When you’re married, you’ll understand the importance of fresh produce.”

“This is gonna sound stupid, but I saw at one point that our mothers are … bus drivers. No, they are the bus. See, they’re the vehicle that gets us here. They drop us off and go on their way. They continue on their journey. And the problem is that we keep tryin’ to get back on the bus, instead of just lettin’ it go.”

You know when I was depressed I said I didn’t want to live? Well, I’ll tell you something — I didn’t want to die

I’m like King Midas in reverse here. Everything I touch turns to shit.

“I find I have to be the sad clown: laughing on the outside, crying on the inside.”

“If you can quote the rules, then you can obey them.”

There’s an old Italian saying: you f–k up once, you lose two teeth.”

“What kind of person can I be, where his own mother wants him dead?”