Joshua Minton’s Online Pulpit : BWP on Sopranos Episode 68: “Mayham”

Posted by Joshua Bradley Minton in March 27th, 2006

OK, first of all, as for the episode title being mispelled–the only thing that I first came up with was the connection between “ham” and the ridiculous name for the “slasher flick” that the gang is considering investing in. Not to mention the fact that everything and everyone around him is falling apart without his leadership and influence.

Consider the three definitions of Mayhem which come from Dictionary.com:

Law. The offense of willfully maiming or crippling a person.
Infliction of violent injury on a person or thing; wanton destruction: children committing mayhem in the flower beds.
A state of violent disorder or riotous confusion; havoc.

But Tony has changed. He has lost and recaptured his identity. He has been metaphorically been hacked into little pieces which have somehow reassembled themselves and are about to come looking for revenge from those who betrayed him. I believe that we are about to see his maxim about family being the only thing that one can trust be tested to the limits.

The questions, “Who am I? Where am I going?” were only the beginning of this quest. Tony’s true identity (Kevin Finnerty–did they change the spelling of this since last week?) is under attack from the most peaceful worshippers on earth–all because he failed to provide them heat. And this begs the question of how would a man who had worked so hard to make the world so cold become a flaming sun unto himself, a presence that lit the world on fire and warmed the hearts of his fellow man? Is that not the inner seed and call of every sacred religion before the charlataans, criminals, and salesmen get ahold of them?

One wonders what it would take to light a match and destroy his entire mob family? What would the world be missing out on if Tony Soprano became the Christ figure for decent society–and put out the lights of the vermin he has been supporting his whole life, denying his true nature and refusing to light a fire in the heart of his fellow man? The answer is probably that the New York family would move in to Jersey and business would continue as usual, but Tony and his family might be in a better place.

Or they might be Six Feet Under–but that’s another show isn’t it?

PS: The highlight of this episode, for me, was the scene where Tony was banging the wall, telling the neighbor to “shut the fuck up!” and we could hear Paulie’s voice mumbling from the outside–that was pure genius.

I have a feeling that a lot of people aren’t going to be happy with this episode because it wasn’t straight forward mob killings and double crossings like last year. But David Chase has never written low-brow television (just watch the last couple seasons of Northern Exposure if you don’t believe me). The man has mastered the use of metaphor in the one-hour television drama and he will be remembered as an artist who redefined the medium. He is the William Faulkner of the airwaves and he lives by the Hemingway maxim that you must kill your darlings.