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The Sopranos; All Seasons Discussion
Topic Started: Jul 21 2013, 10:44 PM (2,276 Views)
bilki
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This should be a little easier than having to scan through the Summer Viewing thread.


KMInfinity
 
1X04 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowlands_%28The_Sopranos%29

The Jackie, acting Boss, dies. Tony decides he can use his therapy to find solutions, so he is gonna try letting Uncle Jr. be the figurehead. It's the end of childhood innocence as Anthony jr gets into fights and learns about his dad's real business. Doc Melfi's date is targeted with a police beatdown, thanks to Tony.

The funeral of Jackie Aprile was really well integrated and well done. But I didn't buy into most of the plots or their character developments. It all felt forced and contrived to me, especially the stuff with Tony jr. and the stuff with Melfi's date.

I promised Mark I'd watch the whole first season before deciding if I'd be dropping it...and the poor sweetie saw me wincing at Chris' buddy Brendan shot in the tub and kindly said I didn't have to watch... then did a doubletake and wanted to know why in hell I can't watch the Sopranos but watch SOA and a bunch of other 'crap.' lolol

(I had to recreate this post, dammit, since my power went out for the third time in two days.)

Mazzy Star's end credit song was beautiful...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1q4MEUdOIw



I can feel myself becoming more invested in the characters with this one. Really enjoyed Tony vs. Uncle Junior. Felt pretty bad for Melfi's date when he was getting the shit kicked out of him by the idiot cop Tony hired to spy on her. Didn't understand why that happened until I read the wiki recap, which explained that the cop thought Melfi was Tony's mistress.

I don't know about Anthony Jr finding out about what his dad does. He seems too young to have a solid moral code that it might go against. I just figured he'd think it was cool and want to grow up to be like Tony.

Mazzy Star's song was great. One of the few I've liked, so far. Don't care for the opening theme song at all.
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Dax
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>> Don't care for the opening theme song at all.

I've always liked it (I didn't know it prior to the series, but...). Think it really marries well to those lovely opening titles..

I do love the Mazzy Star song.

Only ten more days in July... if 2 is going to replace 1 On Demand when the month changes... hurry.
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bilki
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Dax
Jul 21 2013, 10:51 PM
Only ten more days in July... if 2 is going to replace 1 On Demand when the month changes... hurry.
I know, right! It's part of the reason I've cut some of the shows I was watching. And now I see that they're only available until 7/29!

Episode 5-College
This is supposed to be one of their best episodes, according to Time and TV Guide. Wouldn't say I loved it but probably enjoyed it most of what I've seen so far.

The father/daughter conversations were fun. I liked how they started out by revealing truths, then went back to Tony being evasive and lying by the end. Enjoyed the tension of Tony vs. Fabian Petrulio. Interesting that David Chase says that, originally, HBO didn't want Tony to kill him. There was a point at which I wondered if Tony would let it go as a father being empathetic to another father. But no.

Really felt like Carmela and Father Phil were going to go there, so it was nice surprise that they didn't. Appreciated the awkwardness Father Phil felt the next day but Carmela was relatively cool about it. Of course, it's OK for Carmela to get all cozy with Father Phil but not for Tony to lie about having a female psychiatrist.
Edited by bilki, Jul 21 2013, 11:37 PM.
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Dax
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I don't know if 'College' is one of the BEST episodes, but it's one of the most 'important' in the development of the show... it's brought up a lot, both for that mix of 'families' that is in the pitch ('Tony takes Meadow on a tour of colleges, and runs across something he needs to take care of') - it's an easy go-to for what the show was about (like you'd mention the looking-for-their-car or waiting-for-a-table episodes of early-Seinfeld), and for what was then a very big deal, having the show's protagonist commit a murder very hands-on. Yeah, HBO questioned it...

I always think it's kind of interesting that this was the only script credited to James Manos, Jr. (who would adapt Dexter to television), and it was a 'big' one.
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KMInfinity
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ughhhh... I'll have to at least get through S1. A good friend of mine stopped over Saturday. She loves Dexter and does not love Sopranos...hasn't seen S1 of Dexter in years so we watched the last three from Dexter's season One. :P

Mark is horrified that we are watching Dex and not Tony. lolol.....
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bilki
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Episode 6-Pax Soprano

Tony being "in love" with Dr Melfi was interesting. Thought she'd have let him go as a patient, or reciprocate his feelings. But his feelings for her are just a part of the therapy working. Ok, that makes sense. Appreciated Father Phil reasoning with Carmela about Tony, though I may not agree with some of his rhetoric.

Loved Livia being the motivation behind Uncle Junior taxing Hesh Rabkin. She's such a schemer! Tony's visits to the retirement community are always a favorite part of an episode. Livia bitching about the woman next door using too much water made me LOL.

Intriguing end with some man of authority (wiki says FBI but I didn't figure that out myself) shifting Junior's picture up to the "BOSS" position.


-------------------

My friend, who's watched the entire series, keeps telling me to just wait until Janice shows up. I guess she's a real piece of work.
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Dax
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Just curious... which major character death was by-cultural-osmosis spoiled for you, that you were referencing in the gate/RW talk?

Spoiler-tag it, just in case KMI doesn't know...

Janice is great, yes. Aida Turturro, John's cousin... Tony/Janice is very fun brother/sister dynamic, and she's definitely her mother's daughter... She pops up in 2.1 (but wiki just reminded me that you'll meet her in 'kid' flashbacks in 1.7...).

You just met NY's Johnny Sack. He becomes a pretty major player, and I love the actor (Vincent Curatola).
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bilki
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For Dax--
Spoiler: click to toggle


Episode 7-Down Neck

Cool flashback-like episode. Interesting look at how the legacy of lies and deception have been passed down. Learned behaviors. Tony was proud of his father, and wants Anthony Jr to be proud of him, but not like him. Free will, or destiny? Do we really get to choose to be something different than what we've learned? Appreciated the way the show presented those questions. Did Livia really stop Tony's father from moving the family to Nevada, or is she just someone to blame? Maybe a little of both.

Pretty great when Tony tells Livia she was more ruthless than his father. Funny that she thinks psychiatry is just a racket created by the Jews.

Yeah, we meet Janice in this one. Little brat. Makes me even more anxious to meet adult Janice. And then there's a baby crying in the background. Another one? Haven't heard anything about another sibling, except that wiki tells me there's a younger sister. lol.

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Dax
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Ah, okay. I could just think of three or four 'big things' that got major entertainment news coverage, so I was wondering which one it was...

Other sister (Barbara) isn't a major role (but she is recast along the way, something I didn't notice watching 'live'...).

Joseph Siravo (Johnny Boy Soprano) was one of GL's mobsters (Carlos Sandoval), as was Rocco Sisto (Young Corrado Jr.; he was one of two guys to play Carlos' brother, Bernardo). Mob brothers on two very different shows...
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KMInfinity
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Don't worry about spoiler tagging. I won't peek.

I will try really hard to knock out S1 by Monday, but Mark is NOT cooperating. I ASKED him to watch 1X05 but he wanted to watch baseball. See, for him, one or two drama shows a week is his speed -he thinks it's overindulging or gross to marathon....sort of like pigging out on the whole ice cream container, makes you sick.

I may ask him if he cares if I watch them myself since he has seen them (edited) - or try to emphasize that OnDemand goes away. I won't buy it because i doubt I will ever rewatch and he almost never rewatches things.
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Dax
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A season a month is not too hard, but yeah, you're running out of time now, so...

Regardless of whether or not it goes from On Demand, if you have HBO-GO, they should all always be available...

Worse comes to worse, I could mail you some loaner dvds...

I agree too much ice cream can be too much. And I like marathoning, but think I might have a limit of four episodes of a single show in a day - you brain should always be able to work out what happened in a single episode, and if you watch TOO many at once, it blurs, and you forget stuff, I think ... more than four, I'd probably rather switch to something else....
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KMInfinity
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yeah I'm being strict with dexter...Four and done. But i gotta say, I WANT to see what's next. lol I'll take it to the Dexter thread...
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bilki
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3 down, 3 to go. HBO OnDemand says tomorrow is my last day to watch season 1, so I'm trying to make it to the finale.

Livia told Junior about Tony seeing a psychiatrist. Tony finds about Junior's skill with cunnilingus. Funny scene when they're at the golf course making veiled comments to one another about what they know of the other.

FBI comes a knockin'. Tony warns Dr Melfi he may miss a session if he has to go on a 'vacation'. In a later session, she tells him he must pay for the missed session, he gets pissed and throws money at her. Of course, he comes back for his next session. Still makes me chuckle when he gets pissed at her but comes back for more.

The soccer coach was having sex with one of the students but Tony decided not to have him killed.

Mikey Palmice thinks Tony is the FBI informant.

Meadow has really grown on me. She's become one of my favorites.

Episode 10-A Hit Is A Hit has been the one I've liked least, so far. Didn't care at all for the story with Christopher, Adriana and Massive Genius. Even FF-d through parts of their scenes. While I didn't mind Christopher in the earlier episodes, I'm starting to find him somewhat annoying. He seems like such a poser/wanna-be. Cool to see Saundra Santiago and Robert LuPone. It was like a mini GL flashback.



I enjoy the character-driven nature of the show but I'm starting to get antsy for something BIG to happen.
Edited by bilki, Jul 29 2013, 12:32 AM.
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Dax
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I just saw Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza) on House of Cards...

Love that Tony/Junior and Tony/Melfi stuff...

Agree that Christopher can be annoying, but there's some very funny stuff with him throughout the series, too. He is a pretty ridiculous guy.

I've always liked LuPone, and it was fun that he and Santiago are a couple on the show...

I love Meadow.

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bilki
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Episode 11-Nobody Knows Anything

Wow, this one went by fast!

Vinnie Makazian tells Tony he thinks Big Pussy is an FBI informant. Tony doesn't want to believe it. Makazian jumps off a bridge after he's arrested at the whore house. Funny that he was so frustrated to get through traffic just to jump off the bridge. Disappointed to see him go, though, as I enjoyed his interactions with Tony.

Livia tells Junior about the other capos having meetings and bringing their mothers to the retirement home. Junior thinks they're conspiring against him and decides to put a hit out on Tony.

It's starting to get crazy! :applause:
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bilki
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BUMMER! Thought I'd have the rest of the night to finish the last 2 episodes but HBO OnDemand pulled them already.
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Dax
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Oh, shit. That's not fair...
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bilki
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Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Finally downloaded HBO Go and got the info needed to log in. Watched it on my iPad mini, which isn't the same as a big screen, but it works.

Episode 12-Isabella

Another good one!

An even more depressed Tony meets the beautiful Isabella. While having lunch with her, he dreams of her lovingly nursing a child named Antonio. When the Cusamanos return, Tony realizes she just a part of his imagination.

The hit on Tony is a big fail. Loved that whole scene. Junior is pissed at Livia for pretending to not know who Meadow is while they're visiting Tony after the attempt on his life. Another great scene with Junior and Livia.



The preview for the finale looks pretty crazy.
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Dax
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Oh, good. Right, better small than not at all...

>> The hit on Tony is a big fail.

Yeah, that didn't go very smoothly.
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bilki
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Episode 13-I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano

Really good finale! It definitely exceeded my expectations. Wished KMI would have stuck with it to hear what her thoughts would have been.

Livia telling Artie about Tony burning down Vesuvio, then Artie going to confront Tony was one of high points for me. With the way Livia was babbling about everything else but the Tony revelation made me think on some level Artie already suspected Tony being involved. Why was that the one thing she would be making sense about midst all the other nonsense?

Loved the chase to kill Mikey Palmice! As a character, I liked Mikey being in the mix of things but he was a big stinking ass. So satisfying to see him taken out like that, lol.

Carmela calling Father Phil out on how he preys on women was pretty great.

Poor Dr Melfi! First, Tony verbally attacks her and trashes her office. Then, he tells her she has to go on vacation. She just can't catch a break!

Tony trying to smother Livia with the pillow was awesome. "She's smiling!" Loved it!
Edited by bilki, Aug 4 2013, 08:54 PM.
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Dax
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Ah, the pillow...

I read the wiki recap last week, but Mikey's death isn't visually fresh in my memory... many of the others made much greater impressions...

(Feeling really dumb for not remembering you're a big Breaking Bad fan - it IS listed as your favorite show under your name, after all...)

So now you're three into Season 2.... your first impressions of Janice and Richie?
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bilki
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Janice is interesting. I like her, so far. She has that West Coast mentality. Yoga, spirituality, talking about the ego, that wacky name. Different point of view, in a way. But you can see that she's a manipulator. Up to no good. Should be fun to watch her and Livia try to play each other. I like her fights with Tony.

Just met Richie. He's just been released from prison in the episode I'm currently watching. Damn, he seems like trouble. Told Junior he'll do whatever Junior tells him to do.

Missing the Tony/Melfi therapy sessions. Curious what they're going to do with her now that Tony's no longer seeing her. Ok, now she's seeing her therapist in this episode.

It's funny how Livia finds out about things by Anthony Jr going to visit her and unknowingly feeding her info. First, Tony's seeing a psychiatrist. Now, Tony and Janice are discussing a DNR for her.
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Dax
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Bilki - How far are you in now?
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bilki
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Only 2 more. With a number of other shows I'm enjoying, I have a little less time to squeeze in episodes of Sopranos.

Commendatori

The trip to Italy was OK. I liked the idea of Tony having to deal with a woman-in-charge (Annalisa) better than what the show did with it. Paulie's adventures in Italy were funny, though. That was the first time I found myself amused by him.

Enjoyed the stuff with the ladies gossiping after Pussy's wife revealed she was unhappy with him and contemplating filing for divorce.


Big Girls Don't Cry

Good episode. Really liked the stuff Dr Melfi talking to her therapist, then deciding to call Tony and ask him to come in for an appointment with her. Her Wizard of Oz dream was hilarious.

This was probably the most I've liked Christopher. He went to an acting class for writers. Appreciated the inner conflict of a "tough guy" having a creative side.

Tony finds Richie has stayed the night with Janice at Livia's house. Furio arrives in town and Pussy is jealous. Hesh reveals to Tony that his father also had panic attacks.

Two episodes without Livia doesn't make me happy.
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bilki
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Two more--

Episode 2.6- The Happy Wanderer

David Scatino is an annoying dipshit but I did enjoy the repercussions of him worming his way into the Executive Game. Tony explaining to Meadow that everything they have was paid for by him, so getting Eric Scatino's SUV really is no different was a high point.

Really appreciated the scene in which Richie comments to Tony that he makes the rules, and Tony responds by saying that the rules were already made a long time ago.

Not sure what I think of it but I am intrigued by the Tony/Melfi therapy sessions becoming more contentious. It's like she wants to piss him off now.


Episode 2.7- D-Girl

I enjoyed AJ's existential crisis. Really great scene when he goes to see Livia and she remarks about how lonely life is and that we all die in our own arms.

While I've liked Christopher's struggle between his mob life and being a writer, I didn't care at all for the storyline with him and Joe Favreau. The only thing I did enjoy was the scene of them shooting a scene for one of Favreau's movies.

-----

I feel like the show was really growing on me at this point during season 1. Feeling a bit more ambivalent about this season. Not as excited to watch the next episode. Decided to look up the show's "Best Rated" seasons, of which S2 wasn't on the top of both lists. Made me feel a little better.
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Dax
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I liked both of those episodes a lot. Robert Patrick's Scatino is just sad, and Meadow getting the car... that's an interesting intersection of Tony's worlds...

Livia is so funny.

I think 'D-Girl' Alicia Witt is super-attractive (I adore redheads), and I liked her as a child actress in David Lynch's Dune, Twin Peaks (memorably Doc Hayward's piano-playing daughter in the season 2 premiere), and Hotel Room...

There weren't any Sopranos seasons I didn't like, but if I were ranking them, 2 would be towards the bottom... but I do love Livia, and the outcome of the Big Pussy problem is really good... Richie (though I do like actor David Proval) just isn't as good an antagonist as those that are coming...
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bilki
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The S2 finale, Funhouse, was on all of the Top Ten Episodes lists I found. I think that's when the problem with Big Pussy is resolved.

I know that Nancy Marchand dies, so that's been weighing on me, too. She hasn't been on much so far this season, and I know with each episode she has fewer left to do the things that make me love her.


Episode 2.8-Full Leather Jacket

Good stuff with Carmela, Jeannie Cusamano and her sister, Joan. Fun to see Carmela being threatening without making threats. Pleased they gave Saundra Santiago more to do in this one. I've always loved her voice.

Sean and Matt make me laugh with their desperate attempts to get noticed by Richie and Tony. An odd scene with them there smoking a bong in their underwear, not that I was complaining. Was the show trying to imply they're gay, or just make Furio look like a homophobic asshole? Seemed like the latter. Can't say I was disappointed that they tried to kill Christopher, though it was pretty stupid on their part. Sean was probably lucky that Christopher killed him. It can't be anything but awful if they ever find Matt.

LOL at Richie and that jacket, and the look on his face when he realized Tony gave it to his maid's husband.

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Dax
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Yeah, Marchand wasn't well during this...

They do their best to give Livia a final scene (after Marchand's death), with a little recycling and digital tinkering, but it's still pretty wonky and unsuccessful.

I like Santiago's voice. Good stuff with her and Carmela.

Don't remember that Sean/Matt/Furio-looking-homophobic thing... but I did like Furio... homophobia in the mob world DOES become a huge storyline, but that's not for awhile yet...

Richie and the jacket. Fun.

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bilki
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I wondered if Marchand's health was failing at this time, and if that played a part in why we're seeing so little of her.

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Don't remember that Sean/Matt/Furio-looking-homophobic thing.

I noticed I didn't mention that Furio shows up at their apartment to collect money for Tony, then makes them give him an extra $1000. He notices some underwear hanging over the steps to a bunk bed and comments to the guy with him, in Italian, that they (Sean and Matt) suck each other's cocks. They both laugh as they walk out of the apartment. It seemed to me that if Sean and Matt were actually gay they would have done more to conceal anything to indicate homosexual activity.

Episode 2.9-From Where To Eternity

Well, that was fast! Poor Matt, they found him sooner than I thought.

Some funny stuff with Silvio after Christopher tells about his visit to hell while he was clinically dead. Silvio's seeing the psychic, and being told that Mikey Palmice was laughing because of the poison ivy, was great. Also loved him going to the priest and telling him he was no longer giving to the church because his previous donations hadn't seemed to help. Of the many mob guys, Silvio is probably my favorite.

Also got a chuckle out of the scene with Carmela going to see Christopher thinking he'd been to heaven, because that's what Tony told her. And all the while, Christopher is clicking on his morphine drip button.
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Dax
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>> I wondered if Marchand's health was failing at this time, and if that played a part in why we're seeing so little of her.

Yeah. I don't recall if Chase said he had to write her out of anything, but she was sick, and her death wasn't entirely unexpected...

> Of the many mob guys, Silvio is probably my favorite.

Silvio's a 'good' guy. I like him. And though Van Zandt was not an actor, and is kinda playing the most outright 'mob stereotype', the performance still just kinda magically 'works'.

I remember being thrown by how short 2.8 was (43 minutes). Christopher gets shot, and... wait, it's over already?

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