The Sopranos: The Complete Fourth Season

HBO | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Matt Brighton

I won't reinvent the wheel here and try and tell you what The Soprano's is all about. It's been hailed as one of the greatest American TV shows in the last 25 years (that alone should say a lot). One thing that struck me in an odd way was the manner it was cast. To create a truly more "realistic" cast, all of the actors were of East Coast descent. That's why the cast roster is littered with names like "Gandolfini" and "Bompenserio". Most are true Italians and this gives us the feel of a more naturalistic atmosphere; much like that of GoodFellas. HBO, true to their form, has launched the first series which was highly lauded and praised and is now trying to outdo their selves with the fourth season. Below are some episode synopsis that can give you a good idea of what to expect during this season…

Episode #40 – “For All Debts Public and Private” - Tony still meets with Junior in Dr. Schreck's office and lately the old boss' main preoccupation - aside from flirting shamelessly with Schreck's comely new nurse - is his growing stack of legal bills. Junior's trial is fast approaching and by his estimate, it's going to cost a million dollars to keep from spending the rest of his life in an orange jumpsuit.

Episode #41 – “No Show” - Tony's finding out that his plan to protect himself by shunting more responsibility to Christopher, while sound in theory, lacks something in the execution. The problems start when Tony decides that while Paulie is in stir, the Gualtieri crew needs an interim capo. Everyone agrees that this is a good idea, until Silvio announces that the guy getting the bump is going to be Christopher.

Episode #42 – “Christopher” - It's October and at long last, time for opening arguments in the case of the United States v. Corrado John Soprano. But even though it's the first Soprano family trial in sixteen years and Junior could very well be sent away for the rest of his life, Tony's crew is preoccupied with charges being leveled against another Italian: Christopher Columbus.

Episode #43 – “The Weight” - Forget the Feds. Never mind marital problems, Meadow's meltdowns and Junior's RICO trial. Right now, the biggest problem facing Tony is… Ginny Sack's rear end. Not literally, but Ralph's now--infamous remark about Ginny's weight has created a situation that could have the direst of consequences.

Episode #44 – “Pie-O-My” - As unlikely as it may seem, when Ralph buys a filly named "Pie-O-My," Tony discovers he has a knack for horseracing strategy. At the track to see Ralph's new acquisition, Tony off-handedly suggests that the jockey hold Pie-O-My - normally a frontrunner - back with the pack, in order to "keep something for the finish." Although the trainer rejects Tony's strategy, it turns out to be the winning one…

Episode #45 – “Everybody Hurts” - Christopher's at home, on the sofa - and on the nod - when he gets a call from Tony. He wants to see Christopher right away, which gives him all of twenty minutes to put down the syringe and get himself straight. When he shows up at the rendezvous point, both Tony and Furio notice that he's more than a little under the influence.

Episode #46 – “Watching Too Much Television” - After four months as a guest of the Ohio State Correctional System, Paulie is once again a free man. As custom dictates, Tony and the guys throw him a "welcome home" party at the Bing, replete with booze, women and some cash to get him back on his feet. In addition to the regulars, Brian Cammarata is in attendance, enjoying the festivities so much that the following morning he wakes up on the stage, sans pants.

Episode #47 – “Mergers and Acquisitions” - By his own admission, Tony may not be the most moral man on earth, " . . . but I do have rules." And one of those rules is that you don't move in on another guy's goomara. So when he and Valentina La Paz, Ralph's latest, discover a mutual attraction, Tony makes it clear it can't go anywhere - well, anywhere beyond the hotel room where they've already spent an afternoon together.

Episode #48 – “Whoever Did This” - Junior was having a rough day. His trial went overtime, so he missed the Early Bird Special. Then, while hurrying through a swarm of reporters, he was hit on the head by a boom mike and sent tumbling down the courthouse steps. But that knock on the head may turn out to be a golden opportunity: his attorney decides to use it to get the charges against him dismissed, via a claim of reduced mental capacity.

Episode #49 – “The Strong, Silent Type” - If there were a "New Jersey Wiseguy's FAQ," that's the question that would top it. Ralph hasn't been seen in days - not even at the hospital, where his son is still on a respirator - and not everybody's convinced that Tony's as equally in the dark as they are. In fact, while sharing a meal with Silvio and Patsy, Albert Barese dares to say out loud what the others won't…

Episode #50 – “Calling All Cars” - The mood in the back room of Carmine's social club was anything but social. Carmine and Johnny had just informed Tony that they wanted forty percent of the H.U.D. scam take. "We share Zellman," Carmine tells him, "Therefore any of the fruits of Zellman we're entitled to." Tony storms off, but later phones them with an offer of five and a half, which Carmine deems "unacceptable."

Episode #51 – “Eloise” - It wasn't the first time there was an I-won't-be-coming-to-work message left on the Bada Bing's answering machine. But it was the first time there was one from Furio. What he said was that he was returning to Italy - and not coming back. What he didn't say was why…

Episode #52 – “Whitecaps” - With the possible exception of "Hi, I'm Angie Dickinson and here's my phone number," those are the nine sweetest words Junior Soprano could ever hope to hear. And ironically, after months of complicated - and expensive - legal maneuvers, Junior ultimately gained his freedom the old-fashioned way: by threatening one of the jurors.

As with the other season's of The Soprano's, these have all been presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. The colors are dull and muted, but it's the way they're supposed to look. We don't really consider programs on television to be formatted for "Home Theater", but more and more shows are being filmed as "mini movies". This is good. For the most part, the images are clean and crisp. There are a few artifacting errors that I noticed, but nothing too bad. I can say that the episodes do look a lot better on DVD than when you watch them on HBO, and this is due to the benefit of anamorphic enhancement. If you ever need proof that anamorphic is the way to go, do a side by side comparison with your "digital cable" and the DVD. I think you'll find that anamorphic is the winner every time. Now it's time to rant a little bit...HBO has done a great job on this series, but the ever-popular "Sex in the City" has received the full-frame treatment for it's first two season. Granted, they made an improvement for the second season, but to treat one a certain way (anamorphic) and the other a different way (full-frame) is just plain wrong!

Now as if this wasn't a slap in the face already, The Soprano's has a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack whereas Sex in the City does not. Still, I'll have to admit that The Soprano's does make better use of the sound than it's "sexy" competitor. The dialogue is clean and free of any distortion that you might expect from a television show. Surround effects aren't used a whole lot, but there are times that you'll realize that you're hearing a very aggressive Dolby Digital 5.1 track here. While most of the action seems limited to the front three channels, I was duly impressed by the sound here. You will be too.

There's not a plethora of supplements here, but 4 of the episodes have a commentary track associated with them and for the most part, they're all pretty good. Each has it's own flavor, but they say the same things about the shoot,characters, etc. To catch you up, there's a recap of what's happened so far (the first three seasons) if you're new to the show. Also included are some cast bios and production notes.