The Sopranos Season 5 Episode 11 'The Test Dream' Full TV Reaction!!
Added 2023-04-21 23:59:58 +0000 UTC
Comments
I am one of those people that hate the dream sequences. And this one I forgot all about but all the annoyances that I had when I first watched it came back and made me remember. I’m sorry, i’m not a fan of them. They’re a drudge. And it’s not like i’m against having surreal dream sequences. Twin Peaks is one of my favorite shows, so I enjoy surrealism as much as the next weirdo. In the Sopranos tho I could never get into them. For those who enjoy picking apart the symbolisms and imagery they can be fun I guess. And that’s fine. But to me it disrupts the narrative and bore me completely. So this episode is not for me. Still a fun react with you guys tho.
Haye Zeus
2023-04-23 22:30:27 +0000 UTCI honestly don't know every single meaning of The Test Dream other than in the back of it all he was worried that Tony B was gonna kill Phil. I've never fully analyzed the episode like I wanted to. I could be totally off, but what I interpreted it as was Tony not prepared to lead his mean into a potential war if Tony B went through with violence. The thing I appreciated the most about the episode was the realistic depiction of a dream. We've all had a dream where for instance you're maybe talking to a good friend at a bar or something then without even realizing it you're now talking to some old classmate you haven't seen in years. Or you're mother or something. Something random like that lol. Like the Finn and AJ switch up in the restaurant scene. You don't realize how weird the dream is until you wake up. I actually wanna analyze this episode more myself. It's already one of my favorites, but I know I'd appreciate it even more. Also I can't wait for the next episode. The season finale. One of my top 3 of this season. My other two favorites were these two.
daron85
2023-04-23 04:33:25 +0000 UTCI’ve seen that video but in reality, Gandolfini was extremely shy and self-deprecating in real life. He hated the spotlight and was harassed constantly by the paparazzi, hence why he lashed out at them. In fact, because he was so mild mannered, he would have to do things like come to set extremely hungover, forgo sleep the night before, walk with rocks in his shoe, constantly punch himself in the face etc, to get into the full blown rage mode of Tony.
JG
2023-04-22 17:25:47 +0000 UTCA few notes: - Tony's garbled dream state probably couldn't distinguish between the names of Vin (the crooked detective from Season 1) and Finn, so that's why they inexplicably appeared as father and son. - Annette Bening is an actress who more than likely is a celebrity crush of Tony's, hence why she's roaming around his subconscious. Her saying "There's something Bugsy about him", is a reference to her role as Virginia Hill in the movie, Bugsy (1991). I highly recommend you watch it at some point ;) - Falling Teeth in dreams is a sign of personal loss and/or important life changes to come in the very near future. All of Tony's dreams usually have a deeper meaning attached to them. They are either a warning from his subconscious to change his ways, or to take care of something that he's been avoiding.
JG
2023-04-22 15:08:26 +0000 UTCProbably already said but Finn’s dad was played by the same guy who played the Detective that worked for Tony in season 1 & 2. Annette Benning is a famous actress (more notably for her role as the mother in American Beauty) she also played Virgina Wolf in the gangster biopic “Bugsy” based on real life gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel who built Las Vegas.
Ghost Crusaders
2023-04-22 08:02:18 +0000 UTCIn regards to what Sam was saying during the show intro: James Gandolfini had mentioned that a part of his personality is Tony, and the challenges that brought him when doing this role. On Youtube there's a video of James angrily confronting a paparazzi and he sounded exactly like Tony. I'd link it here, but I'm too afraid of you seeing spoilers in the related videos.
Laura Palmer
2023-04-22 05:10:38 +0000 UTCThere's definitely a ton of references we wouldn't have known, thank you for sharing these! -Sam
TBR Schmitt
2023-04-22 05:01:00 +0000 UTCAh the detective!! I knew he was from The Sopranos haha -Sam
TBR Schmitt
2023-04-22 04:52:58 +0000 UTCThe test dream was incredible. This is what the show was really all about: The psychology of Tony Soprano. And no episode exemplifies what goes on in his head more than this episode. It was controversial when it came out, but this is why the show was so great.
Richard Cowgill
2023-04-22 04:52:00 +0000 UTCCan't have that! -Sam
TBR Schmitt
2023-04-22 04:50:42 +0000 UTCThat would have added another interesting layer to that already bizarre dream sequence. I think the dreams are hard to appreciate on first watvh because of the density of the references and how totally disorienting they are.
Marcus Cato
2023-04-22 03:43:36 +0000 UTCThey actually brought the actress who played Tracee from Season 3 for a cameo that got cut in the dream sequence. It was cut so last minute that HBO even featured a picture of her in the scene and listed her in the credits on their website. So during the dinner when AJ turns to Finn(or vice versa) Meadow was suppose to turn into Tracee, which would further cement the theme from the episode where she was killed and the connection in Tony’s subconscious between Meadow & Tracee.
Stan the Man
2023-04-22 03:38:37 +0000 UTCYep and there’s the Chinatown reference, which goes allll the way back to when Tony says “bad for grass. Bad for grass”.
Stan the Man
2023-04-22 03:20:16 +0000 UTCYeah. I find it so frustrating when people don’t get all the references. I don’t know why.
Stan the Man
2023-04-22 03:13:12 +0000 UTCAnd another thing to keep in mind for us old timers, is that when this show was made 20 years ago, the references in the dream were a lot fresher, culturally. And Annette Bening was at the peak of her career, adding a lot more crazy irony to her appearance. A lot of younger viewers might not even know who the heck she is. In the dream she makes a quick reference to “Bugsy”, which is a great mob movie (that she starred in) from 1991, and it’s another that would make for a great reaction. I don’t think anyone else has done it.
David Wilkins
2023-04-22 03:11:07 +0000 UTCSo that isn’t just any hotel. It’s the plaza hotel(Home Alone 2? Eloise?). That hotel has been referenced many times on the show. That’s where Carmella and Meadow go with their little tradition. He didn’t know Melfi would be there. Remember, he’s staying under a different name
Stan the Man
2023-04-22 03:10:38 +0000 UTCSome trivia: the guy who stood in as Finn's dad is Vin Makazian, the corrupt cop from season 1 that id'ed Pussy as an informant and ended up killing himself by jumping off a bridge. The movie onscreen when they enter the restaurant was High Noon starring Gary Cooper. Daniel was right that he is the strong silent type that Tony refers to. The voice Tony hears on the phone ordering him to do a job is actually the show creator David Chase. I also didn't like the dream sequence at first but it has really grown on me over the years.
Marcus Cato
2023-04-22 03:05:48 +0000 UTCTony's dreams are awesome and continue to get better/deeper as the series continues Finn's dad was detective makazian from season 1 who commited suicide.
Tommy Smith
2023-04-22 01:39:12 +0000 UTCI love The Grifters best of her movies.
Korny
2023-04-22 01:28:43 +0000 UTCIf you want to see Gandolfini be amazing in very different roles, I'd recommend: In the Loop (2009) - A comedy! Romance and Cigarettes (2005) - A musical! Enough Said (2013) - A romcom with Julia Louis Dreyfus Not Fade Away (2012) - A family drama directed by David Chase The Drop (2014) - A crime movie with Tom Hardy
Michael Kang-Beats
2023-04-22 01:27:45 +0000 UTCThere were a lot of references to various movies within that dream that could be easily missed. It’s very cleverly put together, but missing some of the references could greatly dilute the effect. Finn’s father was the guy who played the detective who jumped off a bridge during an earlier season. And Annette Bening has had quite a career. Hopefully you’ll get around to reacting to some of them in the future.
David Wilkins
2023-04-22 01:26:12 +0000 UTCI need the next episode!
Korny
2023-04-22 01:04:48 +0000 UTCyes!
Michael Kang-Beats
2023-04-22 00:47:01 +0000 UTCYou’re back! Thank goodness. My gabagool meter was getting low.
Jonny Kerr (JK)
2023-04-22 00:44:37 +0000 UTCYES! I was just bluffing about maybe waiting until next week. 😶
David Wilkins
2023-04-22 00:10:05 +0000 UTCUmmm, thank you so much
Korny
2023-04-22 00:08:31 +0000 UTC
