6x19 The Second Coming

AJ is an isn't his father. "The Second Coming" explores that dichotomy, and Tony seems to acknowledge it in therapy. (When he says "I know" after his description of AJ.) I love the finger-pointing that goes on here between Tony and Carmella. Not that it's good, but that it feels real in terms of how the characters would react in this situation. One of the great things about Tony Soprano as a character is that he lacks self-awareness, or at least buries it down so deep out of necessity that he rarely sees his own reflection except in the glimpses through other people's eyes.

And maybe that's why he can see AJ a little clearer here, because for all the ways that AJ would never be suited to take on his father's mantle, he is very much his father's son. The depression, the way he withdraws and blames everyone and everything else, the way he avoids making any changes by making excuses. When Tony walks arm in arm with him at the end of the episode, it's a little on the nose, but it's also a visual reminder of how matched the two are. And it's a two-way street. When Tony chastises his son, he's really chastising himself. When he talks about his sons flaws, he's talking about his own. His fear and concern and love for his son are reflections on how he feels about his own situation.

And again, masterful performance from Gandolfini in the scene where Tony rescues AJ and is initially angry and then just sad and protective. He's always tremendous at showing the different emotions coursing through Tony. By the same token, nobody does a scene of domestic strife like The Sopranos. Again, Carmella and Tony's fight, with the thrown watch, feels like the kind of argument a couple of people at their wits end after a child's suicide attempt would have, especially one with all the baggage of Tony and Carmella. Truth in even the most extreme moments. That's this show.