The Sopranos Season 6 Episode 16 'Chasing It' Full TV Reaction!!
Added 2023-06-19 17:56:28 +0000 UTC
Comments
Thinking of the gambling that springs up in this episode as just a sudden, full blown addiction, it totally seems out of place. But both Carmela and Melfi note that it seems to be about much more than it appears on the surface. The biggest tell that it’s not really about the money is that Tony clearly could have paid Hesh back at any time — the second Renata dies, Tony chucks it all in a brown paper bag and drives by his house. Melfi’s called Tony out on the facetiousness of his financial whining before: in 6A she questions his focus on Vito supporting Carmela during his coma (“you’ve implied you have millions of dollars, was your hospital stay actually that costly?”). Yes, budgeting is always on the mind to some extent, but Tony’s current spiral seems disproportionate to his financial developments. Melfi questions if he’s really chasing a high from winning; we might think of this as a reason the “typical gambling addict” might not be able to quit, but this doesn’t seem to fit Tony. Melfi’s question, intended to be an “aha” for him, doesn’t really get much of a reaction, and as the session continues, he largely just regurgitates “typical gambling addict” lines — “good money after bad” and such. Compare him, for example, to good ol’ Davey Scatino in Season 2, fully convinced and pleading for Tony to understand that his luck is going to change. While we see lots of stressors in Tony’s life, in my opinion he’s not conveying the type of painful emotional burden that we associate with addiction. There is something dark going on inside of him, but it’s not as simple to understand as chasing the win. I think to best understand what’s going on inside of Tony, we can focus less on the gambling itself and the financial losses, and more on his relationships. Hesh especially — his ties run back in the family to Johnny Boy, yet here Tony effectively destroys this generation-spanning friendship. One could attribute it to the stresses of debt combined with Tony’s temper, but a lot of the incidents in this episode are him going out of his way to be nasty. Hesh tells Eli that the “money in one hand, out the other” thing isn’t new for Tony, and we can assume they’ve lent money between each other before. What *is* new and concerning for Hesh, more so than the late payment, is this attitude of his. When he shows up to the office, Tony starts chiseling him about the debt (a) completely unprompted, (b) won’t let it go even when Hesh says not to worry about it multiple times, and (c) chooses to make aggressively antisemitic remarks. To again bring up Davey, his relationships suffered because he was completely between a rock and a hard place. Conversely, there’s nothing pushing Tony to go full asshole here. Again, if he wanted, the boss of the family could grab some cash from the safe, chuck it at Hesh, and tell him to fuck off — that would be way less damaging than what he’s done. Yet when the debt is cleared and the stress should be gone, Tony says not one sincere word to Hesh about Renata, driving the final nail in the coffin. What drives Tony to essentially tell Hesh that their friendship is meaningless to him, even when the money problem is resolved? What drives Tony to continuously shout abhorrent things at his wife, even when she didn’t do anything and had retreated from the argument? What’s been driving Tony to habitually cancel therapy sessions, if he’s clearly on a downswing and seemingly nothing’s been coming up to interrupt them? What’s driving him to basically throw away money when he sees he keeps losing? These don’t seem like the actions of someone who’s chasing the high of winning — quite the opposite, they seem like the actions of someone who’s chasing the bottom, and that’s how the plot of this episode is contextualized. It’s not about the gambling per se, it’s about the fact that despite his unconvincing explanation to Carm (“big picture wise, I’m way up!”), Tony has a deep, roaring unhappiness with his life. This isn’t simply that the circumstances within it are stressful, but if we look at what his subconscious tells us in the 6A dream sequence, it’s that *he’s living the wrong one.* Something deep inside of him wants out, and increasingly, it’s making the subconscious displeasure into a conscious reality, with Tony’s self-sabotage avenue of choice being financial. If only somebody’d warned him about gambling… Well on that cheery note, on to the final few episodes!
a. tree
2023-06-20 18:31:08 +0000 UTCI think you're spot on with this! Like most guys in that life, Tony's always gambled, often a lot, but I don't think he's compulsive (ie an addict). There's an ebb and flow to his gambling and in this episode he's definitely on a losing streak, but as you rightly point out, with his best earners gone, he's feeling the pinch when he loses like he's never had to before, so he's panicking and hence, chasing it. We know how low his threshold for boredom is, and I think the gaming action he needs corresponds to how bored he is at any given time. It's subtle, but instead of being behavior coming out of nowhere, it actually earned from plenty of groundwork in episodes both recent, and not so recent.
Robert Livingood
2023-06-20 08:44:10 +0000 UTCI actually don't think the gambling is completely out of nowhere. It really starts showing up as I remember with the horse racing with Ralphie. I think what is being conveyed is that with first Ralphie gone, then Vito, his best "earners" are gone, and he is losing big amounts of money that maybe had been covering some losses. The other thing is in that episode where he had a very long dream, his old boss mentioned that he always takes the easy way. I think the gambling is actually an attempt to get the money to pay bills. This might be related to the issue with his son too, who doesn't seem to be able to maintain the lifestyle he wants to, with the people he wants to, working a normal job. Neither he nor his dad can just work (we saw how hard it was for Vito). There are severe character issues that the gambling fits into.
David Anderson
2023-06-20 06:50:31 +0000 UTCYou guys are definitely on the right path with your analysis of this season so far. No spoilers but pay really close attention to Episode 18 next week. Monumental episode of the entire series.
Wayne Delaune (cardaderdention)
2023-06-20 05:31:56 +0000 UTCBuon'anima.
Marcus Cato
2023-06-20 04:35:53 +0000 UTC"Chasing it" is widely regarded as the episode where Tony is at his most reprehensible and unbearable. Due in large part to his treatment of Hesh and Carmella. Also, Tony's gambling doesn't come out of nowhere. He's clearly shown to be a gambler since the beginning. His illegal casino, the card games, the horse track. Near the end of the season it's starting to get out of control though. But it's not some anomaly.
Joe Lazarus
2023-06-20 04:14:56 +0000 UTCIt's done that way on purpose. It's supposed to be yet another example of how far he has fallen.
1920sBuffaloGuy
2023-06-20 03:31:42 +0000 UTCJames Gandolfini died a decade ago today. Absolutely crazy how much time has passed as I can remember it like it was yesterday. RIP :(
JG
2023-06-20 02:16:01 +0000 UTCFor Howard Stern fans, High Pitch Eric was in front of the guys when they were watching the horse race.
Korny
2023-06-19 23:48:30 +0000 UTCThis episode is controversial amongst Soprano fans. It’s typically seen as the weakest 6B episode because, you are right, it seems Tony’s gambling issues came out of nowhere. Especially when you look back at the episode where Tony’s dad tells him in a flashback to never gamble. But as Tony explains, his gunshot survival changed him and his outlook. At first it seemed a little positive. “Everydays a gift”. But now? He’s fallen so far from that.
Stan the Man
2023-06-19 23:22:10 +0000 UTCI think it's pretty incredible. All of the 6B episodes are perfect imo. Although, I understand why you may dislike it, as I did when I watched the show for the first time. It's an unusual episode for sure, right down to the way it's filmed, but I've come to see the brilliance in it over the years. Tony has finally hit rock bottom; severing all of his friendships and becoming what his father warned against: a gambling addict unable to pay his debts.
Ryan O'Neill
2023-06-19 22:48:15 +0000 UTCI think the reason for giving him the gambling addiction was that his father always warned against owing money and not paying debts (flashback with the finger getting sliced in Season 3). Tony has finally descended to that level, in addition to all of his relationships breaking down. In 6A, he wanted to change after the shooting. He started reverting back to his old ways towards the end of that season, and now he's realised he can't change (or doesn't want to), and is now regressing. Look out for the line "I get it! I get it!"
Ryan O'Neill
2023-06-19 22:42:08 +0000 UTCWorst episode of S6
jf_lametta
2023-06-19 22:40:26 +0000 UTC“What are they congratulating?”. Phil is now officially boss of that family. In name and everything. That was his party
Stan the Man
2023-06-19 22:38:14 +0000 UTCYep, you've reached the top of the roller coaster. Strap in, it's going to be a bumpy ride from here on in.
Opie Wan
2023-06-19 22:25:25 +0000 UTCThe next five episodes include some of the best ever!
Tommy Smith
2023-06-19 21:11:22 +0000 UTC5 Episodes left. :(
Ghost Crusaders
2023-06-19 21:09:26 +0000 UTCA lot of people get confused at this episode. Tony is making erratic decisions as the tension gets thicker. He doesn't have a gambling addiction in the classical sense.
James Boyd
2023-06-19 19:51:59 +0000 UTCEpisode *16
dieselbeast
2023-06-19 18:21:18 +0000 UTCI hate to drop in on an unrelated upload for this, but I finally watched your reaction to The Green Mile. I've been putting it off for so long because it makes me ugly cry EVERY time I see it. Lol Great reaction, guys. I could hear Daniel holding it together and I was right there with him 🤘 I've been going back to some of your older reactions I haven't seen yet. I saved 'em in case y'all hit a slump. And how are you feeling, btw? I'm sorry, that's probably all you hear. Hope you're having a good day 😊 Oh yeah...did you ever notice John Coffey had the same initials as Jesus Christ? 🤔
ShadowVessel π
2023-06-19 18:18:10 +0000 UTC
