This Savage Art

Office art.

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As part of my investigation into writing for the tube I picked up a book that was recommended on Writing The TV Spec Script. I figured a small monetary investment would save me a lot of time in the long run. I just picked up Writing the TV Drama Series. Except for maybe The Office the shows I watch are the only shows that I would considered writing for, cable one hour dramas. From what I can see my instincts are right because there’s a whole chapter on staffing that includes “Mistake 7: Don’t work on a series that’s wrong for you.” There’s a lot more latitude to what you can do on cable and the advertisers aren’t the focus of how you earn your paycheck but hey, everyone has a boss right? Unfortunately most of the shows I have followed with rabid intensity have ended. The Sopranos, Six Feet Under. Mad Men, as I have mentioned in the previous post, is still going full force into its third season and is a shining example of what is possible. Subtle, thematic drama that respects the viewers intelligence and knows they’ll get it. Matthew Weiner and his staff are counting on it. Specing out a show that is currently airing is one way of getting into the TV game. Knowing someone on the inside is the other.

Television has come a long way and it’s not the dirty, little lesser career move that it may have been considered at one time. Right now is a golden age. Now if we can just get rid of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Ahhh, who am I kidding, I watch, I watch.

Let me add that I say this all with some humility. Absolutely no one is asking me to write for their show the last time I checked.

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Getting into a new show takes a little effort. You need to make a commitment and I’ve rarely gotten into a show from the pilot. Usually I come around later, maybe by the second season, if the show is worth my undivided attention. Now that we’re in some sort of television renaissance with some great writing and cinema emulation I can say I found another one that is DVR worthy.

After sitting through its premiere run and two marathon runs, catching up and emptying out the DVR with AMC’s new episodic show Mad Men from Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner, I can confirm that it is what everyone has been squawking about. One word, tone. Tonight is the night for season two.

And oh yeah, Don Draper is a pimp.

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I would fight and fight hard to stay up. I had my Saturday night ritual. Start watching Saturday Night Live at 11:30 then wrestling at midnight, switch back and forth between commercials and if my plans worked out, watch a late night horror film like the original, silent Phantom of the Opera on PBS or channel 57. So much for plans. My seven year old body ached for sleep so I rarely made it. I missed the great George Carlin kick off the first SNL back in 1975. I never got to see his irreverent brand of humor set the tone for what would be one of the longest running sketch comedy shows on television. Well, set the DVR because in memory of this great loss to comedy and in my opinion humanity, NBC will be airing a rebroadcast of that first show.

Here’s what you need to know:

Saturday Night Live – Host George Carlin with Janis Ian and Billy Preston, Saturday, June 28th 11:30 EST

This post can also be seen at Big Screen Little Screen where I’m guest blogging.

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If you watched Entourage last night you know that the boys might be in over their collective heads as the new Vinnie Chase vehicle Medellin, the story of cocaine king Pablo Escobar, is off to Cannes. We got to see the faux trailer for the faux film which leans heavily on its Scarface roots. Meanwhile in the real world, Smokin’ Joe Carnahan plans his own version of the Escobar story based on the Mark Bowden book Killing Pablo, after he finishes White Jazz of course or is it before? Either way, he’s got a lot on his plate.

Wonder what he thinks of all this Medellin business?

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If you’re of a certain age and grew up in or around New York you have vivid memories of 1977. All the hype about that time was true. New York was on fire. It seared itself into your memories. The real Summer of Sam. The Blackout. The Reggie bar, I can even remember the taste of it — it was basically a Baby Ruthburger. And you definitely remembered the ‘77 Yankees. Graig Nettles, #9 baby! Before “Theeeeeeeee Yankees win, the Yankees win!” there was “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie!”

ESPN has produced The Bronx is Burning, an 8-week mini-series based on the Yankees run for the World Championship¹ set against one of the ugliest periods in New York City history. It’s based on the Jonathan Mahler book, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City. Whether you are a baseball fan or not this should be filled with lots ‘o drama. John Turturro as Billy Martin, I’m there.

The Bronx is Burning premieres July 9th on ESPN.

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1. The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees is another great book about the Yankees written by pitcher Sparky Lyle[↩]

Now that the television viewing population has tailspun into a tizzy over the episode of The Sopranos here are some links to bring us all back down to earth, get some closure and move forward:

Alan Sepinwall from the New Jersey Star Ledger interviews David Chase about the aftermath, killing off “straw men” and the possibility of…a movie.

As always, Matt Zoller Seitz & Co. give us insightful Monday morning analysis of the episodes, a feature on The House Next Door that I and many will miss.

Edward Copeland has a collection of Sopranos related postings if you get misty eyed and nostalgic.

Screenwriter Larry Gross muses on audience expectations.

Culture Snob gives us an audio play by play analysis of the last five minutes.

TV comedy writer Ken Levine takes a humorous look at the final episode if it was on network television.

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What could have possibly satisfied the expectations of an audience that has dedicated itself to six seasons of a brilliant show with the blackest heart in the history of television? David Chase’s opus of us as he see us is the ultimate in social commentary. Not since Paddy Chayefsky or Budd Schulberg has a writer told an audience “you may not like it but this is the way I see it and this is the way it is.” The ones who cried for a greater body count when it got boring or to get rid of the mother way back when or to put an end to the soap opera romanticism are angry and dissatisfied but that is to be expected. You can’t please everyone and guess what, Chase and his team of writers, directors, crew members and actors never tried. No wonder some are pissed.

Theories abound. One that was brought to my attention by my girlfriend, a serious meta-researcher and internet detective, was that the final diner scene had people in it who had yet to settle a score with Tony especially “The Man in the Member’s Only Jacket” (I think this originated on the HBO boards):

Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil’s brother Nikki Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident. David Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.

The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. The boy scouts were in the train store and the brothas at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear (was that season 2 or 3?).

That actor is Paolo Colandrea. He is credited as “The Man in the Member’s Only Jacket” and as far as I can see he is not credited in Episode 72 on the season 6 DVD (not on IMDb either) so as interesting as the theory may be from that character’s perspective I don’t know if it sticks and if that is the theory, where’s the Russian from the Pine Barrens episode or a friend or relative of the dancer that Ralphie killed? It could easily be written off as an internet rumor.

I have to say I was initially thrown off by the final scene. It comes off of the Uncle Jr. scene which has Tony leaving the facility that is keeping an eye his uncle. We jump right to the diner where Tony is dressed in different clothes to infer it’s later and he changed. Then, by the way of a cut, Tony looks at an empty seat then he appears in the seat as if he is looking at himself, his life from another person’s perspective. When I was watching it I jumped, “Oh no. He really is Tony’s coma-induced self/businessman from Episode 67 and this is some sort of fantasy.” That was quickly squashed after Carmela enters and they talk about Carlo Gervasi flipping and we are back in Sopranoland. Phhhheeeeewwww, that was close.

And with the cleverest/cruelest joke ever played on an audience Chase pulls the plug on us, literally, by hard cutting to black at that pivotal moment. Leaving it up to each and every one of us to piss and moan at our water coolers and on our blogs about what happened and more importantly what didn’t. His little mischievous game worked. We’re all talking.

I’m not sure it really matters in the end what everyone else thinks. If you stayed on board for all six seasons you got access to some insightful and unpredictable writing. The Sopranos, like life, doesn’t give us the answers, we have to find those out on our own. Chase gave us a gift though, our own individual ending. Those weaned on the tight and neat nature of network television are cursing up and down. As unsatisfying as it is to some, one day we might wake up in the middle of the night at 3:00 in the morning with our own ending, or maybe not. That’s the way Chase played it. Frustrating, perplexing but never boring. Stanley Kubrick is probably looking down and giving Chase a crooked smile and a quiet nod. Like his body of work, The Sopranos settles in and that’s where it takes over and never leaves. There are no simple answers but the answers are there.

Either way, I knew I was in good hands when I climbed on board and have no regrets for staying for the duration.

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