TV Thoughts: Sopranos, Deadwood, Celebrity Poker Showdown

[yendi]

Spoilers for all shows, of course.

Starting with the big one:

Sopranos:

Wow. Okay, Adriana getting killed was pretty much a given, but that didn't make it any less brutal. Along with Carmela (and the kids), she's been the constant character who basically lived on the periphery of the criminal life. And the parallel between her and Carmela is fascinating -- Carmela is just as culpable for turning a blind eye to things as Adriana, and is very much in a "there but for the grace of God go I" situation.

And Silvio. I told someone recently that he was due for a brutal act. He's always portrayed as the "nice" guy, basically eating food and advising Tony. But you don't get to be Tony's #2 guy without being capable of some nasty things. But only he could have earned Adriana's trust so easily (not that they couldn't have offed her in all sorts of ways, of course).

Will the FBI agent every accept that she essentially killed Adriana?

And I definitely want to see where this heads with Christopher.

And on the Two Tonys front, we're very much bracing for the war between Johnny Sack and Tony's gang. I'm looking forward to it.

Damn, I hate waiting two weeks.



Deadwood:

I'm impressed with their historical accuracy -- I knew that Farnham was the first mayor, but wasn't sure they could pull it off on the show. Looks like they managed. Of course, now I've got to wonder how much they'll hew to history. A lot of these folks have known dates of death, which would make them effectively invulnerable.

Did anyone keep a "Cocksucker" count? The conversations between Woo and Al were just priceless. I'm looking forward to the repercussions for him, as well.

And who would have thought, after the first two episodes or so, that we wouldn't think of Al as the primary bad guy? Cy has passed him by a landslide.

And the next episode gives Jewel a major part, it seems. Gotta say, pretty much anyone can be a main character. I'm impressed.

And I know that Eddie (and maybe Joanie) is pretty much doomed, but I've gotta root for him to pull it off.



Finally, the first episode of Celebrity Poker Showdown:

One problem with this show is that the best players don't always win. There was a scene in a Joel Robinson book where an experience gladiator, fighting a main character, gloated because he knew that the main character wasn't as good a fighter, but wasn't inexperience, so wouldn't do anything really stupid and get lucky. That's what happened last night. Travis and Mena were clearly much, much better players than Rosario. But Rosario went in on bets that no poker player should have again and again (although Mena's all-in was pretty ill-advised). Travis had shitty cards all night, but Rosario should have folded on that hand.

And that final fucking turn. A 5% chance, and she fucking got it. Proof that, while skill may prevail in poker over time, luck was definitely on Rosario's side.

Which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy watching her win -- I love Rosario -- but Mena really should have made it to the next round, or Travis or Wanda (simply because she played the mental game so well).

Not sure about the host switch. I like Foley, but I also liked Pollack, and Pollack seemed much more at home.

Next week, looks like Mo Gaffney's one of the players, so I guess it's not all new celebrities. Actually, according to the player page, there are a few returning folks, as well as Lauren Graham! Yay! But why no Nicole Sullivan? Doesn't the champ get an invite to the next tournament?

And hey! They've already got the roster for tournament #3! And Mimi Rogers will be in the same bracket as Bobby Flay! Let's hope that this contest isn't as rigged as certain other contests we've seen Flay in recently, so we can hopefully see Mimi whip his ass.

But still no Nicole. Dammit, I want my Shego!

Comments

[deckard17.livejournal.com]

I pretty much live for Deadwood these days. It's the only show I don't miss, with Sopranos a close second (though I often have to wait 'til later in the week for that).

But I knew how Wild Bill died when the show began. What I wasn't prepared for, though I knew it was coming, was Jane's departure. Her chemistry with certain other members of the cast ("Well aren't you the wise fuckin' owl") was priceless. She's the character I was most hoping they'd ditch history to keep around.

re: Celebrity Poker Showdown

[scottwrites.livejournal.com]

There are a ton of things I like about this new season and some I don't. As for the fact that strongest players don't always win, there's nothing that can be done about it. That's just the way poker (especially No Limit Texas Hold 'Em) is. Look at the 2003 World Series: who on earth thinks Chris Moneymaker is the best poker player in that tournament? No one. But he got lucky a few times, played smart, and make a few balls-out bets that paid off. That, in my opinion, is what makes it such an exciting game.

I love the new 2-hour games. Much more development and much more time for the fun table banter as well as the poker. And, yes, I think you're right. It would have been cool to have Nicole Sullivan back. As for Foley, I couldn't stand hearing him speak. I wasn't a huge fan of Pollack either, but he just seemed so much more right for the show. Foley seemed lost out there and nearly every single one of his jokes just fell flat. No buzz for Foley. They should have just let Wanda Sykes host the show after she was eliminated. How fun would that have been?

Re: Celebrity Poker Showdown

[yendi]

Yeah, I forgot to mention the 2 hour format. I was really surprised we got over an hour before the first elimination.

The thing about Moneymaker, though, is that he did play smart. And he knew how risky his risks were. Dawson did a lot of really dumb things (I say, not exactly being Mr. Poker, myself), but never seemed to know when she was taking a huge-ass gamble (although, by the final half hour, she had such a lead that almost everything was sure), which is what was so frustrating.

Re: Sopranos

[ne-penthos.livejournal.com]

It was very intense indeed. I, too, figured that Adriana would be killed ....but...damn....Last episode should be very interesting indeed.

[stronae.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Sopranos. Mmm-mmm good.

And that final fucking turn. A 5% chance, and she fucking got it. Proof that, while skill may prevail in poker over time, luck was definitely on Rosario's side.

Better to be smart to be lucky than lucky to be smart. Right? :)