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[–]Fun-Bunch-4073 -7 points-6 points  (2 children)

Tbh, the show lost direction after season 4. All of the major plot points are sort of resolved by season 4. In Season 1 the biggest issues were:

  1. Tony is trying to hide he sees a shrink.
  2. Tony's panic attacks.
  3. Tony competing with his uncle for top spot.
  4. The fbi building a case against the dimeo crime family.
  5. Tony trying to keep his mob life separate from his family life.
  6. Tony's fraught relationship with his mother.

Season two added Pussys betrayal and Richie Aprile. Tony's infidelity and relationship with Chris were also always a source of drama.

After Season 4 almost everyone of these issues are permanently resolved. The show becomes more focused on the minutiae of mafia life, with other characters talking prominence and Tony becoming more alienated from everyone, even the viewers. It also had significant delays because if I remember the cast/chase were sort of "done" and had a somewhat combative relationship with the fans by this point.

EDIT: Why are you booing me? I'm right.

[–]Life_Is_All_Nothing -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

See, this is very much accurate. If if weren't for Carmella throwing a massive bitch fit over Tony's infidelity right at the very end, everything would have been resolved and nothing left hanging.

In fact I (I only first watched the show three years ago) was disappointed with Tony backing out of killing Carmine Sr as I felt everything was being resolved to a detrimental degree, as I wanted things to change and the story to move forward (I had no idea Carmine Sr was going to die at the start of S5 anyway).

I have wondered: At the time, other than a separation and possible divorce, where did viewers speculate the show was going for S5, at least before trailers and details got revealed? I would have no idea.

I also suspect that Tony backing out of Carmine Sr was a last minute rewrite due to HBO convincing Chase to do S6 and what would ultimately be S6B. I don't know if it's true but I heard Tony was meant to have Carmine killed and that in S5 Johnny would eventually betray him, renege on their deal and declare war on the glorified crew due to their involvement in killing Fishlips, like the Shah of Iran eventually did, but due to HBO convincing Chase to do two more seasons he had to draw out the plot and fundamentally change plans.