A Character Analysis of Carmela Soprano - Soprano Theories
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- Опубликовано: 14 ноя 2021
- You already took your cut, from the bird feeder! And don't deny it again!
In this deep analyzation of Carmela Soprano, Soprano Theories explores the life of Tonys wife and what really drove her in life. Was she just as worse as her husband by carelessly spending his blood money and basically using Tony to get anything she ever wanted in life? Or, was she an innocent bystander who happened to on the outside looking in on her her husbands life of crime.
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"What’s different between you and me is you’re going to hell when you die!"
Carmela Soprano knew what she was getting herself into by marrying a powerful individual like Tony Soprano. She can cry all she wants about how she never got her way all while she's surrounded by expensive china dinnerware sets, furniture, all while wearing designer clothes in her mansion. She's completely guilty and has no one to blame but herself. She brought this life full of toxicity and greed upon herself and brought it into her home and let it impact her children. Just like the Jewish therapist said in "Second Opinion... "One thing you can't say, is that you've never been told" She could've taken the kids and ran from the beginning but she didn't because she was too attached to the luxurious lifestyle of the mob that Tony provided for her.
What are your thoughts about Carmela's guilt conscience?
Let me know down in the comment section below 👇🏻
She knew who tony was since before they were married. She grew up with mob guys and so did Tony
Well said man
The talk at the restaurant in season 5
“Your entitled to shit!”
That sold me that she’s just as guilty as Tony that she thought she was entitled to money and nice things and not working.
The other thing is her whole "whatll we do if youre gone?" question to Tony. Uhh...get a job? Like Carmela asks this question as if Tony being murdered or put in jail will leave the family completely destitute, but really it would just leave her and her two spoiled brat kids exactly where 50% of the country already is.
What Carmela is really saying is "How can I keep everything I already have indefinitely if youre incarcerated or killed?"
I had no misconceptions about Carmela. She is the equivalent of a drug dealers girlfriend or wife who enjoys the lifestyle more than her morality. Power is and always will be sexy. Tony is the most powerful man Carmela has ever known. If Tony is truly dead, she would only remarry another powerful man. Yeah she'd sleep with a priest or a contractor, or a high school counselor. She'd only upgrade or meet the standards Tony set. None of the prior mentioned could equal that . The heart wants what the heart wants. Carmela's heart what's the position Tony put her in.
I knew Camela was just as corrupt as Tony when she took it upon herself to low-key pressure the neighbor’s sister for the letter of recommendation for Meadow👀
I don't think you understand... I want you to write that letter.
@@tony_dogs I'm not gna tell you what to write.
No it’s Fielder 😂
@@michelerossell7370 The Gangster's wife's daughter?
Yeah Joan called her Fielder not Meadow 😂
This is really good. You should've said something about her infatuation with Furio. If there's another character in The Sopranos who exhibits duality besides Tony, it's Furio, who is either dancing, talking about nature,... or beating the shit out of someone. Even Carmela's fantasy escape from Tony would be with another Tony.
Good point
UP IN DA CLUB!!!
Everytime i see furios name that song just plays in my head in a loop
The same concept applies to Furio, who was sort of like Bobby Bacala in a way. Good guy, but still a murderer for the sake of greed and riches. Even if she sought him out after Tony was killed at Holsten's (it's fairly clear now that he was), she would have had the same complexities with him as well since his occupation and fate in life were the same as it was for Tony.
@@charlesswitzer8378 Right. Also, it seems like Carmela can't have friendships or relationships with civilians because she's internalized a manipulative form of behavior. See her toxic relationships with Jean Cusamano or Mr. Wegler (or Charmaine Bucco). And even if/after Tony dies, she's involved in corruption with the building of the shoddy spec house, which tends to be habituating. The brilliance of the show is that it shows characters who want to be good but remain self-destructively trapped.
The only time Carmela has any perspective on her life is in Paris, but it seems to lead to resignation.
@@n.dhingra7765 Exactly. She went through some very heavy emotions in "Amour Fou" as well. Her scenes in Paris were pure existentialism, which many of us go through as we age. For her, thoughts of life being fragile and death being eternal are more magnified because she knows she could easily lose Tony in the blink of a second, and her life will be truly meaningless because she has wasted it by putting her entire existence into his hands. When she says that "what does it matter, it all just gets washed away in the end," I think this was clever on the part of the writer(s); in a way, she was justifying her and Tony's lifestyle and crimes to absolve herself of the major guilt of it--but what she said is also true. We all put so much worry, guilt, judgment, etc into life...and in all honesty, it really doesn't matter--we are all insignificant no matter what we do, we all die and we never return to this life.
I would pay to see how her life would be like after Tony’s death… I could definitely her using the “He was a Saint “ line
“He dies, he’s a saint, When he was alive, nottinnnn” 💁🏼
@@incognito_bitch8513 "Nothing"? Carmela was only ever cold toward Tony when he rightfully deserved it. The rest of the time, she was every bit a loving, supportive wife and mother. Ya'll are wild.
@@dewilew2137 oooooaahhhh !! 🤌🏼🤌🏼
@@dewilew2137 you're wild girl, I love women who watch sopranos or things that are like this 🔥👌🏼
@@Jaysus66 Lol I love Sopranos, I just hate all the Carmela slander in the comments. Every single time.
Edie Falco was pretty much every bit as good as the great James Gandolfini. Astounding performance. Similarly to Tony, after your first watch you’re almost sympathetic towards Carmela. She’s a loving mum, looks after the house, a great cook etc and has to put up with Tony’s BS, however the more you watch it that fades away and you realise she’s just as cunning as Tony.
Do you know what that is exactly what my experience was of Carmela. I actually thought she was a good person with a couple of minor flaws after my first watch. Then upon my second and third viewings my impression of her completely changed.
Falco is excellent but not quite as good as Gandalfini. His performance as Tony Soprano is the definition of an iconic character portrayal. She’s like the Pippen to his Jordan.
Gandalfini always said his acting was amplified by working next to Edie Falco, she’s such a versatile and talented actress. I have tickets to see her on Broadway, it’ll be my second time seeing an HBO show actor in a play (first being Chris from The Wire in To Kill A Mockingbird, Gbenga Akinnagbe was phenomenal)
@@mattmolloy636 Exactamundo, nailed it., U R only as good as your company allows U. Gandolpini's performance was enhance because he's got an equally ferocious talented sparring partner in Falco. The Great Marlon Brando once said he was able to put a monster performance in On The Waterfront because he was surrounded by equally great actors like Rod Steiger, Karl Malden and Eva Marie Saints. Gandolpini was great because the Sopranos was blessed by an equally talented ensemble.
I knew she was corrupt early in season 1, right after the priest spent the night...What did they do all night , play name that pope...
Everyone forgets Carmela knows Janice killed Richie, and reacts to the news like its some juicy drama, not horrified or disgusted. She knows her husband helped dispose of the body, too. Then she continues to treat Janice no differently, as if her sister in law isnt a murderer
She knew he was killed, but Tony didn't give her any details. When she asked what happened, Tony specifically said that he didn't want to say because he didn't want her to be an accessory after the fact.
@@jaydav6521 and then she said "holy shit! Oh my god...that ...that was not a marriage made in heaven"
Do you even understand subtext, bro?
@@Louie_The_Dago I'd have to watch it back. I just remember Tony not telling her details. If anything, she's left to assume that Tony did it.
@@jaydav6521 imo long term relationship couples like Tony & Carmela can vibe like no other. They grew up together essentially. ❤ she can prob distinguish certain details by Tony's body language and maybe even his tone when answering the phone @ Livia's. ? 🙃
(Lol at first when replying 2 ur comment I wrote CATMELA on accident instead of Carm and all ladies, like Shakira says, have characteristics like lil felines lol but The Sopranos ladies I love!)🐈
@@cita623 Charles Schwab over here.
I think it's also important to mention though that Carmella also struggles between "being taken care of" vs. "wanting to be an independent woman and fulfilling her potential." She's actually jealous of Maedow for succeeding in life when she feels like she hasn't. And yet despite feeling this way she can never quite escape. She tries with the stocks and with the house. But in both cases it fails. The stocks don't give her the money she wants and the house she needs Tony to make work. In both cases she fails to be independent and remains captured, like a bird in a golden cage, in her luxurious but dependent lifestyle. Something she resents and yet at the same time loves (and brags with).
The best example of this, imo, is when Tony buys her an expensive car. She's flaunting it and then her friend shows her the car she bought with her own money. Completely taking the wind out of Carmella's sails because she suddenly feels, once again, like a failure who never lived up to her potential.
You've got options, I have a lawyer!
I could be too immersed in Sopranos....I don't think Angie B. ever meant it as a dig when describing the selection process for Angie's vette. Sure Tony may have known Carmela's heart being set on the Porsche and even as a sweet gesture gift, Tony has the control of their image, their flashy lifestyle. 💎 That's what I think anyway lol
@@cita623 I don't think she meant it as a dig. This is just how Carmella felt about it.
Good point. Angie, Dr. Melfi (early in the show), and Hunter are good examples of her extreme jealousy with financially independent women, although arguably, Angie was still being backed by the mob just to be clear. She was never jealous of Charmaine because she viewed her as the help, which is why I love the scene when Charmaine rips into Carmela and shatters her elitist attitude---all without so much as raising her voice. It was okay for Meadow because she viewed her daughter as her own vindication for pure independence, but she couldn't handle it when friends or others elevated themselves all on their own. I remember in season 4 she was studying for the real estate exam---she just dropped it out of the blue and for no reason apart from she didn't want to fail and put in the hard work to pass.
I don't think she really was all that jealous of Meadow. Maybe at the beginning, but towards the end of the season when Meadow chose to be a defense lawyer for the mob, Carm probably was more disappointed because it's yet another Soprano generation being trapped by the mob.
She killed Vito. She made meadow tell Tony about what fin saw, knowing what he would have too do. For the sake of good gossip she killed a man.
well he got caught in the gay club too so they might have killed him anyway
She also endangered Junior (and thus Tony) when she gabbed about Junior’s “acquiring a taste” for Bobbi in ‘Boca.’
Ya'll are just being ridiculous now. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Carmela knew that a joke about oral sex or a rumor about homosexuality could possibly lead to death. It's interesting that you read this as willful cruelty rather than just naivety.
@@dewilew2137 Don't act as if she was stupid. She wasn't. She grew up in that life.
@@dewilew2137 she literally knew what the mafia does to homosexual men. There’s no way she didn’t know
The scene of Carmela with the Psychiatrist was easily one of the best in the series, ever. He put her in her place in every way imaginable, called her a hypocrite, said he wouldn't take her money, then told her she couldn't claim ignorance. Damn...
Nah it was Paulie talking about that thing that they know didn’t happen
That was just brutal
Bro woke up that day and chose the combo of violence followed by facts
Omg, we all know need people like him in our life 😂
I'll never forget that fight her and Tony had when she finally put her foot down on his infidelity. It felt so real and genuinely emotional.
Yeah I was proud of her for doing that...
For about an episode and a half. At which point she got back together with him and agreed to turn the blind eye if he fronted her on a spec house lmfao
@@michaelkauler7280 classic carm
@@michaelkauler7280She is trash from the start
@@themediumcheeseClassic gold digger
She was always trash
In season 1, when they hear the indictment rumors, Carmella helps Tony move large guns and large piles of cash, and isn't even slightly phased about it, demonstrating an alarming level of comfort and ease in that situation.
U could tell it wasn't her first rodeo
Okay, and? Carmela was an entirely different character in most of season 1, and especially in the pilot. The show wasn't;t fully written and there wasn't;t an established direction yet. Irina and Father Phil are literally different actors in the pilot than in the rest of the show.
@@dewilew2137 - Carmela-stan checks in, lol.
All of the denial about Tony’s murderous ways, for it to end with his brains all over her and AJ is a bone chilling reality check.
And onion rings.
Don’t stop believing… 💀🎵
She was lucky he was shot instead of being arrested. If he was arrested, the feds would have taken away the house, money, everything and left her flat broke without a pot to pizz in. She would have ended up in a homeless shelter.
@@Onmysheet I imagine if two people were involved in the killing of Tony and his remains wouldn't have tainted the onion rings one of them would have said:
"Leave the gun. Take the onion rings."
@@pollypurree1834 well Carmella is physically and mentally unable to work an actual job, so I could see her blowing all the money really quickly
I don’t really think Carmela enjoyed the mafia lifestyle, I think she enjoyed the money and tolerated the mafia.
Like most mob wives
I think she enjoyed the power of being Tony’s wife as we see in the episode where she pressure’s the neighbor’s sister into writing a letter for meadow
Oh no, she loved it. She's the type of woman who would delude herself into thinking her husband is just a successful businessman like any other. The truth is that she adored living off the spoils of crime and refuse to see that she had sold her soul for a Gucci bag.
Edie Falco was every bit as good as Gandolfini in the Sopranos. Carmela was an extremely hypocritical and shallow woman whose biggest fear was losing her cash cow. Which in the end, she did
I can see her turning into Livia wallowing in spite and misery or Chrissy's mom with substance abuse.
Tony really did wind up marrying his mother in a way.
I think you’re 100% on the money with Carmela and her inner struggles/hypocrisy, but I also think that deep down she still loves Tony and vice versa. They’re both incredibly toxic people with toxic personalities that couldn’t really be with anyone else.
Neither of them is in love with anyone but themselves.
Carmela isn't in love with Tony she's in love with the lifestyle he provides.
Guarantee you if Tony were broke or without power she wouldn't have put up with his infidelity or crime even the first time. Wouldn't hear any of that catholic "sanctity of marriage" bullshit
@@CustomFitted Carm openly admits that without Tony, she would have/be nothing and would have no idea how to live without him. Tony buys her love whenever he fucks up, the jewelry, the cars, the McMansion, etc, but she does show instances of genuine love toward him throughout the series. Especially the coma episodes when she’s reminiscing about him throwing her over his shoulder when they were young. I still think she loves the boy she met in high school, but is frustrated that he was tainted by the lifestyle she’s grown accustomed to. It’s the struggle that makes her so great, because she 100% knows she’s just being complacent.
@@ChatterboxFM
Yea that's just nostalgia in a vulnerable moment and her seeing her lifestyle slip away
Doesn't mean she would put up with all of Tony's bullshit under normal circumstances
@@CustomFitted Carmela got into a relationship with Tony when they were teenagers when there was no guarantee that he would become as successful as he did, is the idea of that lifestyle a motivating factor? Sure, but I'm pretty sure she also fell in love with him
One of my friend’s mother lived in Greece for a while and was married to a guy that she started suspect might be in the mafia. One day she came home early and found a suitcase full of money, like out of a movie, that confirmed it. She took my friend, who was a baby, and moved to America.
If you are an actual good person, the question of what to do in that situation is not hard to answer.
Just cause your in the mob doesn’t make you a bad person people just say it’s bad cause the government don’t like it
@@sean2382 😂😂 yeah ok pal!
@@HunterPhenomMakoy it’s true
@@sean2382 no, the things the mob does is not bad simply because it is illegal. Your argument against this proves my point btw. 😂
@@HunterPhenomMakoy how
She never had the makings of a varsity housewife
Ummm her cooking deffs made her one!!
🤣
@@incognito_bitch8513 her Lincoln log sandwiches made AJ want to kill him self
I love when she found out Hunter was damn near a doctor. Her whole well being sunked down 100 floors. Pathetic
Perhaps Meadow was the bad influence. Hunter turned around once she gained separation.
Carmela’s not a good person, but I always found it weird that so many people say she is bad for supporting the lifestyle, while saying Bobby and Adrianna are great people. So they didn’t support or cover up for the mafia?
I’ll say it. Bobby and Adrianna were not great people
@@Ontonaut You're lying. You're only saying it now abacus someone called out your own hypocrisy.
@@dewilew2137 whaa?
@@dewilew2137 youre going so far out of your way to paint everyone in the comments and sexist for realizing nearly every single sopranos character is morally corrupt. Get some help
Adriana and Bobby don't try to be a moral white knight like Carmela. They're both complicit and Bobby even becomes as bad as all the other mobsters in S6 but neither of them ever bitch about how terrible everybody else is.
She was a morally compromised, self centered person. Falco was great in the role.
Carmela could have left Tony at any time, but in the end she didn't want to leave the house, the riches, and the comfort that came along with it. She knew she wouldn't have survived on her own so she stuck around and took all the crap and played mind games against Tony.
Carmela is one of the best female television characters ever
What fascinates me most about Carmela and Edie Falco's portrayal of her is that how basic and familiar she seems on a surface level. She dresses, speaks and behaves in public like hundreds of women you meet every day and never remember again. I can imagine myself being one of her kids' classmate and thinking "wow, missis Soprano is really nice, she's such a good cook and such a great mom". I can imagine myself meeting her at the beauty salon or at a spa resort and have a nice meaningless chat with her. She is a kind of middle aged woman you meet on a daily basis: not exceptionally smart but not stupid, not beautiful but easy on the eyes, just your average wealthy housewife and mom. She doesn't have Skyler White's obvious attitude, she's just OKAY.
But then you dive deeper into this character and you see that beneath this super basic suburban wife of late 90s is a woman whose hypocrisy and moral relativism is so astonishing that sometimes it makes you sick more than her husband's atrocities. This is a woman who will gladly accept blood money for years, be absolutely unamused by Ritchie Aprile being "gone" and be more disturbed by her husband's infidelity than the obvious, indisputable fact that he gets dozens of people murdered, robbed, beaten and tortured on a monthly basis. I love this choice of Carmela's portrayal.
I disagree, i think Carmela looks beautiful. And I dont really understand IF she did look beautiful to you ,how would it make any difference. Just seems like an unnecessary zinger at eddie falco tbh but to each their own
I agree for the most part, but she’s actually a very smart woman, a lot smarter than the other mob-wives around her. She had the mental capacity to understand the fact that she was compliant with everything her husband did, but the money was more important to her than not being a part of all those atrocities.
It’s the same thing with Tony. If you didn’t know who he was you’d think he’s just a typical construction worker who has a dark sense of humour.
To me, the essence of who Carmela Soprano was can be in capsulated in 1 brief conversation w her parents where she points out to her mother that the only reason her father outbid other crews on a big construction job was cause Tony made sure no one else bid...Her mother replies, "oh an I suppose the waters don't part for you every where you go" ! An Carm says "But I have to earn it, you guys get a free ride".
I dont understand
What I'm saying is that Carmella sees Tony has more of a business partner than a soulmate and she's more interested in the perks that come with being a boss's wife rather than a healthy loving relationship. In that example I quoted she clearly defines her time with Tony has work, he's a job , a full-time job for her , not a husband and she expects to be compensated for that job and she is, handsomely... Her kids, totally different story she loves them fiercely and I do believe deep down she does also love Tony but she's obsessed with the materialistic aspect of what he can bring to the table and looks at him has a burden first and foremost instead of a husband. .
@@michaelkauler7280 And how do you explain the fact that they married at age 20, before Tony had any money, and before he was even made? That sounds like a pretty shitty bet to take on her business partner. She must have the best luck in the world! Or maybe psychic ability?
@@michaelkauler7280 I swear it's like you didn't even watch the show. I don't understand how you can even get this from that series.
@@dewilew2137 Tony's dad was respected and powerful and Tony was destined to be a boss. She knew that.
Wait, "Last saw Hunter in the series pilot episode"??? Did you even watch the series? Hunter is in 6 episodes of Sopranos.
- Made in America (2007)
- Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood (2001)
- Toodle-Fucking-Oo (2000)
-Meadowlands (1999)
- Denial, Anger, Acceptance (1999)
- Pilot (1999)
I was gonna say... that’s a poor oversight.
@@DPTavares Honestly makes me reevaluate whther or not I want to stay subscribed to this channel, because it makes me think this guy is just compiling information based on other peoples thoughts from reddit, forums, blogs, etc, so he's not even fact checking anything, just plagiarizing shit to pump out videos.
Yeah this guy seems to get his ‘facts’ wrong quite a bit huh? I forget which vid it is exactly, but he said smth along the lines of ‘Ralph maybe lied to Jackie Jr ab Tony/ Jackie Sr taking down Feechs card game’ when it’s literally referenced by Feech himself in S5. Like i’m massive fan of The Sopranos, but idk if i would start a yt channel ab it. But if i did i’d be sure to know 100% what im talkin about
THANK YOU! I literally thought I was going crazy because he seemed so sure when he said it, but I could remember several other scenes with Hunter from neither the pilot or finale that she was also in
All she ever wanted was a Hyundai and a little gold heart on a chain.
You’re so fucking hateful !!!! - deep Carmela voice
@@incognito_bitch8513 What about the Bird FEEDA!!!!
And all the Dude ever wanted was his rug back....
Worked for me
@@mr.perfectcell3236 I’m hereeeee I have things to say !!! 😩
I really loved the scenes where she would watch stories on the news of independent woman, or the scene with Angie telling her about purchasing her own car. I am a male but it was still very relatable, the desire to make something for yourself and become independent.
You sure you're male?
I don't entirely agree with this. You left out how Carmela wanted a divorce, but Tony made it impossible for her. She does try to get independence, but as another mentioned in the comments, she eventually needed Tony's influence with her spec house. I don't think Carmela is innocent, but she is definitely not "just as bad as Tony".
"So enabler would be a more accurate job description to you than accomplice. My apologies."
Carmela’s not a good person, but if your family member was killed by the mafia, who would you think was worse: the killer or the killers wife?
@@Lilyanna298 I get your point but ultimately Carmela can’t be worse than tony because she’s a woman… essentially if she had the same mentality in but in a male body, she too would be a criminal gangster.
@@civildiscourse7626 I don’t think she could pull the trigger. She can accept violence if she doesn’t have to see or do it. I think Alicia could have been a gangster though
@@Lilyanna298 she could order a hit though…
Carmela is Dickie Moltisanti’s first cousin by blood, so she knew about the life when she started dating Tony, or at the very least by the time they got married. Hugh’s sister is Dickie’s mom.
The actress for Carmela is outstanding. She killed it.
Carmella is going to Hell and she knows it. That's why when she told Tony he's going to Hell which is true she is also projecting her own guilt for staying with him
She doesn't have to go to Hell. She's already there.
Remember when Carmela fkd the Dean to get AJ a better grade, then got mad when he called her out on it?
I don't think that's what happened.
She IS awful, but I thought she thought found a 2nd chance with him. 🤷🏼
If you listen to the Audio Commentary for that episode the writers are clear that she did want a relationship with the teacher and was not using him
@@Lilyanna298 I agree that she liked him. She was getting confused by the advice she was getting from her priest and her friend. Regardless of intentions, she did what she did and was rightfully called out for it. She's lucky Tony didn't find out.
I really liked Carmela's guilty conscience, it was my favourite character on the show.
“Father Phil is a Spiritual Mentor” lol
How about my 40 grand from the bird feeder, that should be plenty!
She didn't steal from da birdfeedah, it was two black guys
Tony never let her forget it 🤣😂
Gotta go get the birdfeed, get the birdfeed
@@colechapman6976 two girls from the hood
“DONT FUCKIN DENY IT!”
As long as there was cash in the Soprano household, there was love too.
she lowkey loved those bigger versions of emerald rings
Sounds like my house. Jk
“I have to leave you! You’re a cheater and a murderer!”
“You’ll have to get a job. “
“Ok maybe we can try counseling. . .”
😂
This guy is the only person that called her out. He was real with her. I wished she would have listened to him.
What good that would do her - she would have to live by the coupons all her luxury would be taken away. I never thought she’d leave the marriage anyway.
While it’s despicable to cheat on your wife she new what kind of man he was. She played boss herself when the speaker at the church spoke about the mob.
Yeah, the other wives all trying to please her. Opening her car door even!
Little Paulie: “it’s the boss’s wife.. what are ya gonna do” 🤷🏻
paulie: “Fo’ckkkk herrrrrr”👋🏼😂💀💀💀💀💀
I find it funny how people mention Tony’s serial adulterous ways, his murder, violence, theft and corruption are all worse lol
Lest we forget the strong arming of Jeanie Cousamano’s twin sister to help Meadow get accepted into her Alma Mater. She acted like buttah wouldn’t melt in her mout!
"Just as corrupt as Tony" is a MASSIVE overstatement. She feels guilty, Tony does not. She knows she's lying to herself, Tony does not. She would never be able to commit any of the horrific acts Tony does. It would have been possible to convert Carmela and save her soul. Tony was always beyond saving.
i wouldn’t say it’s a massive overstatement but it’s a slight overstatement
But I would argue Tony does feel guilty about what he’s doing and he does know he’s lying to himself but he just never does anything with it. He goes on hurting people because that’s the only thing he can do.
Thank you. This is why i'm always angered at how Skyler White is unfairly compared to her. Skylar in many ways is in reality what Carmela pretends to be. Kept in the dark until you were already implicated.
To me Carmela is the most tragic character of the series, she is trapped between her vain and materialistic side and her urge to be independent and make something for herself, trapped in that complex of the ''wife who had it all''. She has low self esteem, and always gets bitter at people making something of themselves, even at Meadow at season 4. Having Tony cheat on her makes her feel even more guilty and empty over her own ''vain and materialistic urges'' and thinks of her self as worthless, although that fact somewhat exposes it, shes too weak to use it to get away.
The reason tho why she is the most tragic character is the fact that she has lost way too much time, AJ while going through existential crisis has plenty of time to make choices. Carmela has to compromise and settle for that house-wife role forever.. As Silvio said ''Time is the great enemy''
Tony's soul and character were damaged from the beginning by his domineering borderline mother and his violent father, but Carmela had a (from what is shown and implied) healthy, supportive family throughout her life. In this way I think she is almost worse than Tony. Her decision was made with a clear head and foundation that Tony never had.
Totally
Carmela: the birdfeedah whateva happened there
Tony: whateva happened there!!??
Meadows friend hunter was also in the opening of the episode in the one where meadow throws a party at her grandmothers house, that's the last time we saw hunter until when she shows up around the end of the series.
She was in 6 episodes and was seen at Meadow's dorm in the season 3 premiere before making her next (and last) appearance in the finale
David Chase's daughter.
One thing you can say about Carmella, it's not like she was never told the absolute truth but she kept on with Tony and the lifestyle. If she had any hope it was to run away with Furio.
Yes because Furio was a legitimate gardener and by no means a mafioso.
After the "honeymoon" period, it probably would've been the same with Furio because of his job and background and we saw him inflict violence upon women without hesitation several times.
@@sarilocsta3113 good point. ☮️
Thank you! The world needs this. I`ve spent half a year arguing with idiots about the women of Sopranos. People tend to think that they`re SAINTS! Even Janice! And these are the people telling me that Tony is not an example. Like, no way, Tony wasn`t an example? But they are all happy to totally forgive the women and even praise them. It baffles the mind. This gyno-centric society is crazy.
No one thinks they are saints, it's just people have a hard time understanding why they catch way more shit than the actual murderous criminals on the show. It's quite obvious and blatant misogyny. Gyno-centric society? Because someone defends a female character on a tv show? Because they acknowledge that the female characters are complex human beings and that most of them have good points as well as bad and are not the irredeemable monsters you make them out to be? This upsets you? Confuses you? What a fucking joke. You woman-hating types are so fragile. lol
Exhibit A.
“Gyno-centric society” YALL just be saying ANYTHING lmaooo
It's very sad that by the end of the series Meadow sounds exactly like Carmela.
example?
@@barbraseville8984 when she complains how the FBI mistreated tony and Italian Americans
Carmela’s trappings we’re so artfully and glamorously displayed, I feel a vicarious thrill just witnessing them. They did such an amazing job with this portrayal, especially with her amazing clothes and the lavish trip to France. It was almost like a drug, and she was certainly addicted, as am I apparently because I can’t stop watching the series! There’s some form of vicarious thrill through Carmela’s character. That’s a big part of the brilliance of this show, along with her impeccable portrayal of this role.
I would have loved a follow up with Carmella (spin off if you will) about how she ended up after Tony’s demise. He wouldn’t let her invest money and her one “adventure” crashed. He wouldn’t tell her where any cash was. The feds, no doubt, had any off shore account info with all those who flipped. All the captains were, well, you know. His attorney had some to give her, but how long would that hold her??
There’s a whole other series there. Maybe she swallowed her pride like Angie and got in the game? She knew more than most wives. With everyone gone or on trial, she could have stepped in. Or did she lose everything and wind up bagging groceries??
This! Is the sequel we deserve. Like most athletes who are used to living the high life without managing their money not to mention getting ripped off, Carmela's entitlement makes her ripe for the picking.
I hadn’t considered that! She may be completely broke
Prob ended up like Ginny Sack
His Russian friend had a lot of his money for Carmella, just in case something happened to him.
well his legitimate assets will transfer but the feds could freeze the assets. idk if those nice things are paid off, if it isn't well there goes her money
The scene where she goes to the brutally honest psychiatrist is brilliant!! He put her in her place and she knew it. I loved his slight of hand jabs at her.
You make Carmela sound like she was only with Tony because of his money which is nonsense because she's been with him since high school when he didn't have a lot of money, and Tony probably only started making a lot of money after the kids were born. She just wanted her family to be secure so she put up with a lot of stuff in order for that to happen
“She’s just as bad as Tony” is a cope for closeted Tony defenders.
disagree; the show itself doesn't suggest Tony isn't despicable, it gives reasons why he's despicable. Anybody defending Tony, even if he had to grow up with Livia and Johnny Boy, is mistaken. But more than that, why should we consider Carmela's complicity as less repugnant than Tony's crimes? She knows everything, has always known everything, and chose to stay.
I really love the scene when she’s dissuading Angie from divorcing and she says something like “in the end I know you won’t leave him” which felt like a pep talk she was giving aloud to herself
And that.....is when I absolutely HATED her.
It was such a great scene. She reminds me of Betty in some ways.
You're right. She was.
I also thought it was her way of controlling or trying to control her environment if Angie divorced pussy it would be jarring to that little circle so she basically tries to manipulate even almost threaten Angie not to do it
Camela is a 1st round draft pick hypocrite. She yelled at Tony that the difference between them is that he is going to hell. Where does she thinks she is going? She reaps the benefits of his misdeeds the most of anyone.
Carmela is going to purgatory. You add up all your mortal sins and multiply that number by 50. Then you add up all your venial sins and multiply that by 25. You add that together and that's your sentence. I figure She’s gonna have to do 6,000 years before she gets accepted into heaven and 6,000 years is nothin' in eternity terms. She can do that standing on her head. It's like a couple of days here.
Like Tony she will end up in the "Eternal Irish Bar where it's St Patty's Day 24/7" or in short Italian Hell. Maybe with a lighter sentence.
One of the key themes of this wonderful show is hypocrisy, and no one sums/embodies it better than Carmela and Meadow.
My favourite scenes with Carm are often those with Angie Bonpensiero. Angie is everything Carm actually wants to be but she's too weak, lazy and self-absorbed to actually start doing it.
Angie was a G
I think she basically realized this when Angie showed off her Corvette while Carm was showing off her Porsche to every single person she knew. Even though they are the same value, Angie was way more proud of her material item because she earned it. Carm didn't earn that Cayenne so her ego was shattered when Angie said she bought the car herself. It showed that she was able to live and earn for herself and that the mob lifestyle didn't own her. Carm was trapped in the mob. She did try and achieve independence but she always slid back into Tony's wallet, a wallet built out of the deaths, torture, extortion, and robbing of others.
@@colechapman6976 ouff madone, I heard she even preformed a Wallet biopsy after Tony got whacked
Angie eventually steps up an becomes a successful independent woman...However, I feel like Tony might have motivated her to do so when he came to her house w a baseball bat an told her if you have any problems come to me directly, not my wife but think before you do ! Up untill that point she was on Tony's payroll handing out free samples at the supermarket .
Really? You think Carmela and Meadow are bigger hypocrites that Tony? Or even AJ?! No surprise that you feel this way about the two main female characters.
There’s no denying it, Edie Falco was absolutely magnificent as Carmela Soprano.
Carmela is truly one of the most despicable characters on the show. Edie Falco’s ability to make her a 3 dimensional character is unbelievably impressive. She could’ve just been another stereotype. Brilliant work.
How is she despicable? I really don't see her willful ignorance towards Tony's lifestyle as comparable to the things he does, i.e. murder
@@thoroughlyrustled6186 Carmela operates under a constant state of denial and guilt. She and Tony grew up together in the same neighborhood, around the same people. She decided to marry and bear his children so she could live the good life. She condones life in the mafia and has decided to be a part of it in this way. This automatically makes her complicit and ultimately guilty for any violent or emotional devastation that befalls herself or her children. In the Season 3 episode, “Second Opinion”, Carmela naively, and quite stupidly, tries to manipulate Dr. Krakower into excusing the very guilt she feels. Unfortunately for her, he is not as impressed or taken with her as Father Phil was. He tells her like it is in one of the series’ best “reality check” scenes. Any chance for any kind of redemption for Carmela was instantly shattered in the Season 5 episode, “Sentimental Education”. After her lover, Robert Wegler, calls her on the carpet for her manipulation, she threateningly and effortlessly invokes her husbands wrath. “You better watch your step!”
@@TheDandyFop She’s not a moral person but in a show with so many murderers, no way is she one of the worst
@@TheDandyFop you're assertion of her character is more severe than is warranted. Shes not some grand manipulator or feminazi bitch who tries to control her husband. In fact, she seems to me to be the most level headed when shes not in denial, as she was when speaking to Dr Krakower. Her calling out the bullshit after Livia's funeral when everyone is gathered stands out to me.
@@TheDandyFop They did not grow up in the same neighborhood, Tony grew up in Newark. Where do you get this information from? Carmela grew up in North Caldwell. So, no. They didn't meet until high school.
"or because of it" that sentence at the therapist is very important. She knew that as the wife of a mobster no one could get away with disrespecting her or her daughter. She may also have been deeply sexually attracted to the young Tony.
She's definitely a hypocrite amongst other things... I remember her distinctively telling her friend not to divorce her husband eventhough he was cheating on her and other things, stating" What type of example will that give your daughter?". I remember thinking 🤔 have YOU looked at your OWN HUSBAND and LIFE?
I don' think you understand what "hypocrisy" means. This does not make her a hypocrite. She is living by the exact same advice she gave to her friend. This means that she truly believes in her religious values and her family.
@@dewilew2137 her Roman Catholic religious values didn't stop her from demanding that Tony get a vasectomy now did it? 😂
@@dewilew2137 you are so naive it's actually painful lol.
Yeeeeees that pissed me off to no end, it was like "if I can't leave neither can you." Carmella only WISHES she had the actual conviction it takes to leave a bad relationship and go at it alone. Also, I would not wish Carmella's awful marriage on anybody.
One of my favourite episodes is when Charmaine put Carmela in her place by saying she had her chance with Tony and he wasn’t for her. Scorch!
All your points are valid, but by the point the show started I kinda think it was too late to do anything about it. Would divorcing and keeping the house and half his net worth have made her a better person? Only donating that money and getting a minimum wage job, as she had no career skills, would really vindicate her. And I'm not sure anyone could be expected to give up all that luxury out of pure decency. I think she was spiritually, morally, f*ked from the start.
Carmela knew what happened to Adriana. She figured it out all on her own through a dream, a moment of bone chilling realization…and she said nothing.
I recently finished the entire series and was never fooled by Carmela. She shopped for a religion that might comport with her lifestyle. She was a Sunday Catholic, who wanted things for herself. She wanted credit for her real estate projects, but Tony was expected to pull off the dirty little details with difficult people.
I think something that people miss is that as much as Tony provided Carmella with the social status she desired, Carmella did the same for Tony.
Having a picturesque nuclear family gives Tony social credibility. He’s just a regular suburban husband and father, providing for his family, going to school events, supporting his wife who is involved in the PTA meetings and church fundraisers.
All of that gives Tony a veil of respectability. Consider if he was a perpetual bachelor with a string of young, hot girlfriend. It’s not as low profile as the suburban dad life.
Tony got just as much out of his relationship with Carmella as she did.
I think she needs Tony to justify herself. I dont think she truly wants to confront her own flaws. She is desperate to be a good person whilst also being selfish, manipulative, conceited and proud. Without Tony she would only have ordinary people to compare herself to and she is scared she wont like the comparison. But with Tony she gets wealth, power and importantly a person she can compare herself favourably to.
LOVED THIS! Could you PLEASE do an analysis on Meadow?
This was the fourth best high school book report on youtube dealing with the Sopranos I have heard this week!
Congratulations!
Ecuador is a land of many mysteries!
I watched Many Saints for the 2nd time and followed it with Sopranos for 3rd and this fix of yours was just right. Nice work. You focused on the areas that needed better exploration. The film did some interesting things but your's was better and more satisfying.
The thing about the Sopranos is that no one is a "good" person
Except Dr. Krakower.
Gino, guy just went to get gas and got pushed out of the store when he wanted some cakes
Carmela was the biggest hypocrite on the series. What the psychologist told her was priceless. My other favorite is when she tried to ambush Tony at Vesuvio with the news she was proceeding with the divorce and Tony told her:
“The only reason you have anything is because of my fu*king sweat and you knew everything every step of the way exactly how it works. But you walk around that fu*king mansion in your $500 shoes and your diamond rings and you act like butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth. You don’t want it to get ugly. Too late!” Carmela: “I want what I am entitled to.”
Tony: “You’re entitled to sh*t!”
Dickie wasn't, Tony's father. He's, Christopher's father. Tony's father is, Johnny Soprano.
Great analysis! Glad to see you back at it again!
The scene with the psychiatrist was amazing
Great video once again.
Watching this when I was younger her hypocrisy was less obvious but being older I can really appreciate Carmela ultimately ignoring the pangs of conscience. One great example for me was how she dropped her concern about Adriana's disappearance once the approval for the spec house came through.
...which was Tons pan all along. He literally had the process sped up so that she would be too distracted to think about the situation with Adrianna. Its insane that you seem to think that this reflects badly on Carmela instead of on Tony. HE is the one who manipulated her, and it worked, so that makes her a bad person? Ya'll really don't think.
@@dewilew2137 rewatch the show, because you actually forgot. After Tony told her the spec house went through, she took a long look at the private investigator’s card and then proceeded to throw it away. She knew what she was giving up, the house was just much more glamorous.
@@dewilew2137 I love how in every comment you do everything to defend Carmela. You didn’t answer the question of her not questioning the situation after he spec house was completed, she wasn’t “manipulated”, she literally looked at a private investigators card knowing she could stop all this madness and get justice, but instead she throws it away, don’t act like Carmela is dumb when it’s convenient. “It was all apart of Tony’s plan so how can it be her fault11!!!!” What a crock of shit 😂 you lack critical thinking
I’m a new member but your health is very important, you come first. Thank you so much great content I just finished the show!
I never liked Carmela, but I started rewatching the series recently and it stood out to me the very first time we see the two of them talk is when she tells him he's going to Hell when he dies. That's the first impression we get of their relationship.
I think the line that really defines Carmela for me is when she's talking to Fr. Intintola about how she's afraid that Tony had an affair with Dr. Melfi, and she says she could handle his affairs in the past with gumars because "I know I'm better than them." and when you keep that line in mind, her interaction with pretty much everyone in the series makes sense. She high roads everyone, even when she's wrong.
She's also chastised people for things that she would do herself. When Angie Bonpensiero tells her and Rosalie that she wants to get a divorce they convince her not to do that, even though Carmela has talked about getting a divorce in the past, and at one point leaves Tony.
Then there's the gumars she constantly gives him grief about. In spite of that, in every season there's someone she's getting a little too close to, and while the only time she sleeps with one of them is during the separation, she definitely wanted to sleep with the guy who did the wallpaper and Furio (more on him later).
The most inappropriate of these relationships was with Fr. Intintola. I refer to him as "Fr. Fuckboy" because he definitely overstepped his bounds as a priest. Sure, he was really in it for the food and the DVD player, but he was a little too close. The height of it came in the episode where he spends the night at her house while Tony is away. That in and of itself would be seen as an ethics violation for a priest (just imagine what a priest would say if a layman spent the night at a woman's home while her husband is away), but I honestly thought they were going to kiss right before he ran for the bathroom. The "relationship" ends when she sees him eating food that Rosalie prepared for him, and she throws away a whole dish of baked ziti and tells him off. He still comes to family functions, but they're definitely not as close after that.
Her relationship with Furio is the most troubling. That's one of Tony's guys, and they both know what will happen to him if Tony finds out, so Furio keeps his distance. I honestly don't believe she really loved Furio. It was more lust than love. I say this because it was a secret she should've taken to her grave, and yet when she has an argument with Tony, she throws her feelings for Furio in his face, not caring that she could get that man killed.
Over all she's a selfish ruthless person, and a perfect match for Tony. They deserve each other, especially at their most miserable.
Why didn’t Carmela get a job in season 5. With a 16 year old boy at home there was no reason not to. This would allow her to rely on Tony a little less
To me Carmelas scene with the therapist when she realizes what she has become is my favorite scene. It actually has an impact on her for a while from that one conversation.
It had an impact, but then just like with Tony and Dr. Melfi, she quickly forgets what was said and continues on with the mafia lifestyle and the hypocrisy of claiming to be a good catholic and person while she knows what her husband does
@@colechapman6976 Very true. I think this scene but the most shocking her though more than her concern of being a good Catholic. First question she asked him was about his religion as if trying to establish that her religion is better and he could see right through that.
Yep, then she's goes right back into cognitive dissonance
The reason why Carmela is an infinitely better character than Skylar from breaking bad is that when Skylar finds out about Walt’s buisness she wants to act like she’s disgusted, but then a few episodes later she starts to indulge in illegal acts that correlate with Walter and his drug empire, but then after making the decision to do what she does she wants to act like she’s remorseful and a victim BUT THEN does something else equally illegal and wrong, with Carmela sure she knew about tonys illegal acts but she never acted like she was a victim or a damsel in distress, even tho Carmela hated what Tony was doing she stayed not for the money but for her kids sake
I’ve always been interested in Carm’s childhood because Ive heard her described as Mob princess but her parents seem to be “upstanding” individuals, where did this greedy, self serving persona come from? Interesting video
My biggest takeaway with Carmela is that she is smart and has some moral qualms, but she lacks self-awareness. The gifts make her happy, and that happiness overwrites her guilt.
The biggest scene that shows this is when she's sleeping with AJ's teacher. She withholds sex when he won't give AJ a favorable grade, then as soon as he does, she does it with him. He thinks about it and tells her "I think you're a user. You just manipulated me into giving your son a better grade." After this, Carmela is lying in bed crying, and when she tells her father about what happened, she describes it as Mr. Wegler making "horrible accusations about my character."
She did manipulate him, probably not intentionally but as a learned behavior, and when he called her on it, she couldn't turn inward to reflect on her own motives, she simply lashed out and said she was being insulted.
There are people who say Carmella is the worst person and they Are the ones who get a lot of likes. Shows how people value a cheating psychopath and his mother and sister Janice than a loyal wife who is a victim of many mob wives fates.
Carmela a ",victim"? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Glad you’re feeling better. Great analysis! Thanks for keeping us entertained. 💞
This analysis is excellent and spot on. I agree with everything you said. I have watched the series 6 times.
Carmela was the biggest hypocrite in the entire show.
She loved to play victim, while enjoying all of the benefits of being the wife of a mob boss.
I could barely tolerate her character.
Loved this video..I always felt that way about her.
So glad your back. I've missed your content!
David Chase references "slouching towards bethlehem" several times. It's about trudging forward, ignoring inconvenient truths if it feeds our easy consumerism. (Not only does it apply to the characters, Chase was also thinking about how the war in Iraq was 'made in America' and how people are willing to turn a blind eye to the blood and darkness if it means they get an easier lifestyle or cheaper oil.)
All the characters get chances to change and none of them do. Even Vito, who HAD escaped, returned to the mob despite finding happiness and his all but certain death. Febby even got kicked from witness protection because he chose to keep dealing drugs.
Chrissy and Tony both visit their precursor to hell and reject redemption. Really makes you think about Kevin Finnerty's 'chances' as a soul. His expression looking out at beacon where hell was beaconing to him. When he witnesses the flash of light under peyote after crossing a line that should make him feel like a monster but felt no remorse and was only being rewarded with good luck: 1) there's a twilight zone ep that's-a- secret-hell reference to that scenario earlier 2) I think deep down he "gets it" that redemption means change. And changing who you are is HARD. So hard the only varsity athlete for it was Little Carmine. But the consequences for rejecting redemption remain to heaven and hell. So you can ignore it..for now. He already saw he was going to hell. Why not reap the real world rewards for who he is now? No more inner struggle. He seemed less anxious and much less likeable after that realization.
Edit: but also not to put so much blame on every individual for not Little Carmining their way into a life unsupported by evil, there's also the ojibwe saying: "sometimes I go about in a pity for myself, and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky." That also suggests nurture's partial accountability in nature/nurture. We are swept along by systems too big for us to even see. You might say Ade had almost no chance, being raised and treated how she was. You might also say it's hardly an average American's individual fault for paying less money than the rest of the world does for gas. Is that individual likely Dick Cheney themselves?? Then how much can you blame them?
But still, the living with this blood-fueled wind is still there whether we choose to turn out eyes away from it or not.
Your videos are absolutely brilliant.
I have an enquiry.
I see you’ve made many many videos, so You may already have gone through that… however, have you ever considered examining the relationship between Tony and Artie Bucco? In my view, that’s the only real friend Tony ever has through the whole 6 seasons. What do you reckon?
If you already have a video on that, could you please put a link to it?
Thanks again for the great work you’re doing on RUclips!
I noticed how Carmela barely reacts when she finds out that Bobby is dead and Silvio is in a coma.
welcome back and glad you're feeling better!
Carmela Soprano transcends that show for me. One of those characters that lives beyond their respective mediums.
Tony is actually conflicted at times, Carmela and Meadow are putting on a show of disapproval while scooping up all that the blood money can buy.
One of the key parts of the show that illustrates Carmellas character is a line the Jewish psychiatrist says: “you must trust your impulse and leave”. She knows in her gut it’s wrong but she chooses to continue with Tony
"The Jewish psychiatrist", he says. 🙄
@@dewilew2137 what? Did I say anything bigoted?
A great analysis. So insightful and I agree with your conclusions.
Thank you for making this video...You explaining what I thought of Carmela!!
Carmella truly loved Tony and he loved her. It's complicated.
Pain only comes from wanting things.
Carmela doesn't give a shit about Tony's sins. She has no guilty conscience. She was only emotional in her therapy session because of Tony's disloyalty and mistreatment of her.
I love the scenes of Tony and Carmela. Both excellently played. I found a lot of their arguments so believable but hilarious too. Carmela was like only person Tony couldn’t pressure into stuff.