Down Neck

Absolutely amazing episode. Brought to much vibes to the real world and how we live. This show is starting to change me, just like Mr. Robot did. I unfortunately have no plans on putting Sopranos above it, but I do for having it in the top 2. Anyways, my favorite characters in this episode were Tony, AJ, and Uncle Junior. My favorite things about this episode were the Protagonist, the storyline, and the dialogue. Now that I think about, I really to wosh that some of these episodes were just a little higher rated. This is starting to become a must-watch, and becoming hard to ask myself, "why does my friend think that On My Block is better than this masterpiece?"

Tony and Carmela are called to school to address AJ's behaviour.

This is a brilliant episode with great psychological themes, character development, and performances.

The plot focuses on Tony's anguish over AJ's development and how he might turn out, whilst reflecting heavily on his own childhood memories. In doing so it provides great character history on Tony, Livia, and Johnny-Boy Soprano. There are also some small but important moments crucial to the overarching narrative of the series.

There are strong existential themes tackled by the writers, such as fate and free will, along with the influence of both nature and nurture on characters like Tony and AJ. As always in The Sopranos these topics are done in an entertaining way. Most of it is addressed quite philosophically in the discussions between Tony and Dr Melfi.

As a parent I have the same hang ups as Tony and Carmela about my children and can identify with the worry that goes along with situations like this. The way this is portrayed is not only entertaining but feels very real.

I loved the scenes of Tony and Carmela with the school psychologist which are as funny as they are plausible. There is clear scepticism towards conditions like ADD and it is a subject very much in the firing line of the writers. The family dinner is absolutely hilarious, as they often are with a mixture of such great characters. Also the scenes where Tony and Carmela go to bed reflecting on what's happening with AJ and the noisy morning after, are classic Sopranos moments.

Another great aspect of the episode are the flashback sequences. This transitions fantastically well with the use of 'White Rabbit' and these scenes are well staged and performed. It's not nostalgia for nostalgia sake, but crucial to understanding how Tony was parented, his development as a person, and the relationship he has with Livia.

Visually it's excellent as ever and tells a story with practical cinematography, strong editing, and focus on the interaction of characters like during the ice-cream sundae sequence.

All performances are as top-drawer as ever with James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Nancy Marchand, and Laila Robins standing out for me.

Anthony Jr. Gets into some fairly serious trouble at school, and while he goes through a series of psychological tests, Tony typically works out his feelings in sessions with Dr. Melfi. Here he recounts pivotal moments from his childhood, when he first saw a different side of his father (Joseph Siravo, "Carlito's Way") and eventually learned what Dad actually did for a living.

This intriguing set-up leads to some particularly sharp writing as the characters and the viewers alike are obliged to ponder the whole idea of free will versus things that may be "preordained". Tony doesn't exactly want his son to end up just like him, knowing that the kid has potential (although the idea that Anthony Jr. Might have ADD is floated a lot throughout this story). Tony is always quick to point out the straight-arrow life that his daughter Meadow is living, as evidence that the circumstances of the parent don't have to dictate what happens with their offspring. Tony admits that sometimes he wonders what might have happened if he hadn't followed his fathers' path in life.

The main asset of 'Down Neck' is some great flashback material, with Bobby Boriello ("Man on the Moon") as the young version of Tony. The casting is right on point, with familiar faces like Rocco Sisto ("Innocent Blood") cast as a younger Uncle Junior, and Laila Robins ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles") cast as a formidable younger vision of Livia. Here we see that Tony's dad did tend to show some preferential treatment to his sister Janice. With the dad a rather fabled figure up to this point, it's nice to see him as a flesh and blood character for the first time.

The father and son scenes are the best in 'Down Neck'. When you get right down to it, you see that Tony *is* a basically good father who wants the best for his children. In fact, the ending moments with Tony and Anthony Jr. Bonding (while Jefferson Airplanes' "White Rabbit" plays on the soundtrack) end the proceedings on a very pleasant note.

Eight out of 10.

If there was ever an episode of Sopranos that should have been thrown in the trash, it's this one. Between having to sit through more than 20 minutes of pointless flashback scenes with non-actors and dealing with Melphie's grating voice for another 15 minutes the episode revolves around the topic of ADD (made up by the pharmaceutical industry). There may have been one 30 second part in this entire episode that wasn't the most uninteresting crap in the world, but I don't remember it.

So, if that weren't enough they decide to play the most annoying song of all time (White Rabbit) not once, but twice. That's just downright intolerable.