The Sopranos

(If you haven't been watching the latest season of The Sopranos or have never given a care to begin with, don't read further)

I don't want to ramble on about this show too much because it's been a continual disappointment for a few seasons now. If you haven't heard, this is the final season, and with that, people who have stuck with this show naturally expect resolutions for all of the 500 plot lines that have went unresolved.

Now I love this show to death--if I had to rank my favorite shows of all time, it would be neck-and-neck for first place with The Wire and The Simpsons--but the formulaic way recent seasons have played out has been frustrating and with this week's episode (the fourth-to-last), this season seems to be following the same trend.

In the past several seasons, either a character that has been paid little attention to in the past or one that hasn't existed at all has become the focal point for the season's major plot line. We've had to deal with the sudden appearance (and disappearance) of Joe Pantoliano and Steve Buscemi, and from my perspective, it all came to a low point with Vito Spatafore and Johnny Cakes (anyone named John's nickname from this point on, I'd imagine), a subplot that was hinted at in maybe five seconds of film stock two seasons prior. In the first half of the final season of one of the most pivotal television shows in history (if you haven't watched it, you really should take the time; from its inception, it signified the next step in 'mature' television), we were stuck following the travails of a character pretty low on the totem pole, under the notion that his death would take the conflict between Jersey and New York to the ultimate level (aside from the shitting-in-the-shower incident a few episodes ago, it hasn't even been an issue). It was all pretty lackluster; I didn't expect a bloodbath every week, but I was at least hoping for something more than hastily-finished story arcs for my favorite characters in television. You don't need a bloodbath each week to make me happy, but you need to move the story somewhere.

But again, with only a few episodes left, The Sopranos is basing its storyline around a character that has been in the shadows for almost all of its run. Up until a few episodes ago, the character of AJ Soprano has been most notable for his one-note portrayal by Robert Iler, maybe made less effective when considering that his television sibling, Meadow Soprano, is played by the considerably-doable Jamie Lynn-Sigler. If you would have asked me which story lines I wanted to see the writers focus on before this season, AJ's would have fallen far into the list, and I don't think I'm alone here. I understand where HBO wants to end this show, but should I really believe that AJ has went from maturing boyfriend to depressed victim to silent hooligan to intellectual college student to self-absorbed nutcase in the course of a few episodes after he developed so little in the first five seasons. The show is pulling the same crap it's done in the past, trying to force viewers to care about a peripheral character in the span of a few episodes simply because there's no other medium to propel the plot forward.

(Also, anyone else notice that Tony started quoting his mother's most famous line ("Oh... Poor you") several times when talking to AJ this episode? Could the writers have forced this 'character development' any more deliberately?)

Not that things haven't been good. Up until this latest episode, I've been really satisfied, and I would take an average episode of The Sopranos over the best episodes of Heroes (week after week of entertaining fluff, but its ripped-off ideas far outshine its acting and writing) any day of the week. I've loved most of this season, but I really don't want to see the final episodes find their sparks in one of the weakest characters (and actors) in the show. Please HBO. Please.

(And while you're at it, start the new season of The Wire before I leave Korea so I can download it illegally with no worries about repercussions. Thanks. Seriously, I love you guys, even if you are responsible for Entourage.)

A significant day...

Not particularly really, given that I worked from 11:00 until 9:00 on what had to be the most beautiful Sunday we've had in a while. There was a little rain last night, but not a cloud in the sky today; I'd imagine the beach was lined with people as far as the eye could see, but alas, I was going through the motions, practicing TOEFL speeches with students for the umpteenth time. My workday ended with my delightful Asia Pacific University hopefuls at the Foreign Language High School.

I've never been there on a Sunday, so I wasn't really sure what the students would be up to. My class had made a plan to order Domino's, which led me to skip lunch and only down two bananas over the course of the day. Since all the students do on Sunday is study by themselves (with only a few Third Grade teachers watching over them), a group of guys and I decided to head out to the field and play a quick game of 3-on-3 basketball.

The kids thought they would take it easy on me by teaming me up with the two tallest guys, one of whom is fittingly nicknamed "Sea Lion". He's all gangly limbs and hang-dog face, and his striking inability to dribble made me smile all game. When the ball was in his hands, he didn't quite panic, but instead held it in the air like he was given a pole with plates spinning atop it. Most of the students at the high school are remarkably coordinated, but occasionally you'll find one who you'd think would even have difficulty standing up from his chair; "Sea Lion" fit the bill.

The game itself was just as awkward. First of all, Korean schools rarely (actually, from what I've seen, I'd say never) shell out the dollars for paved basketball courts, so we had to play on sand-covered ground. On top of that was the fact that I was probably a little more aggressive a player than what they were used to; I pulled a near-Bowen-on-Nash knee to the groin against one of my favorite students (Joshua) when I mistimed a jump to block his shot. You can tell you're playing with some passive guys when you're dominating the boards standing a mere 5'7". Also, there was a soccer game (far more popular with students here) going on right next to us, so periodically a wide shot on net would sail dangerously close to our heads. Somehow, we played for an hour in these conditions, and all I could think of was how popular Shaun Lee would have been if he moved out here. The kids treated me like I was an And1 star simply because I explained how to run a give-and-go and taught them the "Airball" chant.

From there, we feasted on two pepperoni pizzas and practiced our interviewing skills. I'm a little nervous teaching this class because unlike 99% of everything else I've taught in Korea, the ability of my students to use what I'm teaching will have real and immediate ramifications; maybe even more-so than in the States, the university application process seems like do-or-die for kids here. I feel as close to this group of students as I have any class I've taught here, so it'll break my heart if even one of them isn't accepted. (But that's not gonna happen.)

I need to get some photos of "Sea Lion" up. He showed me this portfolio he made today, and in it was a photo of him at the school singing competition, where he sang "A Whole New World" with a girl, who I naturally asked about upon seeing the picture.

"She is my female friend."

I nudged him. "Do you mean your girlfriend?"

He looked at me as if I was deaf. "No. Her gender is female... and she is my friend. She is my female friend."


(Minor Question: Is Youtube working for anyone yet? I changed some settings on my account and am hoping that did the trick. Anyone?)

More on Starcraft 2...

After watching this...



this...



and this...



I've come to the realization that I need a new PC. All I need to decide now is whether I should buy one now or wait a few months to hear what specs I need.

Also, some of you might not be aware of just how big this announcement is in Korea. This blog does as good a job as any to fill in the gaps.

And for those of you who aren't into games, I feel for you. I really do.