Tony Soprano is the greatest television character of all time. He also happens to be my favorite. The large, New Jersey mobster reigned over cable television for eight years, and while there have been many great successors to the throne of anti-heroes, none can live up to Tony’s engrossingly disturbing battle with himself.
One of the reasons Tony was so
engrossing was that he was so relatable. He may be a murderer, philanderer, and
later on a sociopath, but he dealt with the same anxieties and problems many
adults in their forties do. We got access to all these anxieties to his time
with Dr. Jennifer Melfi, his therapist. These therapy sessions revealed a man
who, though definitely a bit of a thug, have a sensitive side to him. And he
had to work, in his work and professional life, to constantly suppress this
emotional side. And while this may seem tedious, it never was. And the series
evolved this dynamic over time.
As the series went on, Tony clearly
became less and less interested in solving his emotional issues and much more
interested in using the therapy to understand how to manipulate others. He
slowly became a monster (or revealed his true colors, depending on who you ask),
using all around him for nothing other than to benefit himself. For almost any
other show, this would make the character despicable. And yes, this happened
for the Sopranos too. But somehow, even when he was being absolutely repugnant,
there is something intangible about him that made him likable. He could do
horrible, atrocious, selfish things and I would still enjoy watching him exist
and genuinely care about him. No other television character has pulled of that
dynamic of love and hate as well as Tony Soprano has. And that is why he is my
favorite.
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