Friday, 30 May 2025

TV Series: The Sopranos Season 2 (Part 4)


In my review of the first part of season two I said that new people were returning to New Jersey. Now they're leaving as soon as they arrived, one way or another.


Richie Aprile and Janice Soprano are a match made in Heaven.

Boy meets girl.

Boy and girl get engaged.

Boy hits girl.

Girl shoots boy.

All I can say is that Richie deserved it. No man should ever hit a woman. Richie isn't even buried. Christopher and Furio cut up his bones in Satriale's meat market, then burn his remains in the oven.


Salvatore "Pussy" Bompensiero returned to New Jersey when he was sure that Tony didn't suspect him of being a rat. It's true, Tony trusted him for a while, but when he found evidence that Pussy was wearing a wire, it was time for him to die.


Tony shoots Pussy, flanked by Paulie and Silvio. It's appropriate that they shoot him together, because he was the friend of all of them.


Janice looked stunning in her wedding dress, but now that the wedding's off there's no reason to stay. She gets on a bus back to Seattle.


As reviewers correctly state, "The Sopranos" is all about family. Here we see Tony Soprano posing with his primary family, AJ, Meadow and Carmela.


Here we see Tony with his secondary family, Christopher, Paulie, Silvio and Furio. Hesh is also present, just visible behind Silvio. Did I put the families in the right order? Which is primary and which is secondary?


And the other recurring theme in the series, almost every episode, is Tony sitting with the psychiatrist, revealing his innermost secrets while she slyly flashes her legs at him.

That's my brief summary of the last three episodes of season two. I'll continue next month.

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Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Sexual Witchcraft (5 Stars)


This is the second film on the Blu-Ray disc with "Bewitched Housewives". It's nine years since I last watched it, and I'd forgotten how good it is. It was filmed in HD (high density), so I assume that it was easy to remaster for Blu-Ray, but wow! It looks spectacular! The colours are so vibrant that they jump out of the screen. Christine Nguyen needed a Blu-Ray to do justice to her beauty.


I'll use two screenshots of Ted Newsom to show the improvements. This is the DVD.


This is the Blu-Ray. In the case of "Bewitched Housewives" it was a slight improvement, but in "Sexual Witchcraft" the difference is overwhelming. The improvements can be seen most clearly in the nude scenes. Take my word for it. I've just spent half an hour examining every detail of Christine Nguyen's naked body, and she took my breath away.


She's not naked in this film, unfortunately, but I've also been closely examining Michelle Bauer.


And what about Cleopatra, the most beautiful woman who's ever lived? Supposedly. She's played by Vanessa Brink, who's certainly a beautiful woman. She appeared in two other Medina films, "Lady Chatterley's Ghost" and "Bikini Warriors".

As my readers know, I'm currently short of time to write reviews. Check my last review for a more detailed description of the plot.

Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Bewitched Housewives (4 Stars)


I'm always happy when films from the Medina Collection are rereleased on Blu-Ray. As usual, Fred Olen Ray has released two films as a double bill. Unfortunately, Christine Nguyen doesn't appear in the bewitching outfit she wears on the cover.

"Bewitched Housewives" is an older Medina film, made in 2006. At the time his films were made in SD (single density), so I'm surprised that the film looks so good on the Blu-Ray disc.


The improvements are subtle but impressive. This is the DVD.


This is the Blu-Ray. Ted Newsom's face has more detail, and the colour is more natural. I could give a dozen examples of the differences, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Even if you have the two films on the disc, it's worth buying them again.

As usual, Retromedia Blu-rays are available exclusively from Makeflix.

Here's an updated summary of the Retromedia films so far, with the Blu-ray releases marked.

The Medina Collection

1. Thirteen Erotic Ghosts (2002)
2. (BR) Bikini Airways (2003)
3. (BR) Haunting Desires (2003)
4. Curse of the Erotic Tiki (2003)
5. Bikini Carwash Academy (2004)
6. Erotic Dreams of Jeannie (2004)
7. Teenage Cavegirl (2004)
8. The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful (2005)
9. Bikini Chain Gang (2005)
10. Ghost in a Teeny Bikini (2006)
11. Bikini Girls from the Lost Planet (2006)
12. Harlots of the Caribbean (2006)
13. Girl with the Sex-Ray Eyes (2006)
14. (BR) Bewitched Housewives (2006)
15. The Girl from BIKINI (2006)
16. (BR) Super Ninja Doll (2007)
17. (BR) Tarzeena (2007)
18. Voodoo Dollz (2008)
19. Bikini Royale (2008)
20. (BR) Bikini Frankenstein (2009)
21. (BR) Twilight Vamps (2009)
22. Bikini Royale 2 (2009)
23. (BR) Bikini Jones and the Temple of Eros (2009)
24. Housewives from Another World (2010)
25. Lady Chatterley's Ghost (2010)
26. Bikini Time Machine (2010)
27. (BR) Sexual Witchcraft (2010)
28. Bikini Warriors (2010)
29. The Teenie Weenie Bikini Squad (2011)
30. Dirty Blondes from Beyond (2012)
31. Busty Housewives of Beverly Hills (2012)
32. (BR) Baby Dolls Behind Bars (2012)

The McKendrick Collection

1. Strippers from another world (2013)
2. Big Bust Theory (2013)
3. Intergalactic Swingers (2013)
4. (BR) All Babe Network (2013)
5. Great Bikini Bowling Bash (2014)
6. Stacked Racks from Mars (2014)
7. Atomic Hotel Erotica (2014)
8. Lolita from Interstellar Space (2014)
9. Sexy Warriors (2014)
10. Bikini Avengers (2015)
11. (BR) College Coeds vs Zombie Housewives (2015)
12. Lust in Space (2015)
13. Erotic Vampires of Beverly Hills (2015)
14. Invisible Centerfolds (2015)
15. (BR) Cinderella's Hot Night (2017)
16. (BR) Sleeping Beauties (2017)

The Apocrypha

1. (BR) Bad Girls Behind Bars (2016)
2. Vixens From Venus (2016)
3. Cyborg Hookers (2016)
4. Cosmic Calendar Girls (2016)
5. Escape From Pleasure Planet (2016)
6. (BR) Paranormal Sexperiments (2016)

The Medina Collection consists of films directed by Fred Olen Ray using the pseudonym Juan Medina. The McKendrick Collection consists of films directed by Dean McKendrick. The Apocrypha consists of films directed for Retromedia by other directors.

Notes:
(1) "Bikini Carwash Academy" (Medina 5) was re-released with a different opening credits sequence, listing the director as Sherman Scott.
(2) "Tomb of the Werewolf" (not listed above) was directed by Fred Olen Ray using his own name, but it's in the Medina style. It has almost the same cast as "Haunting Desires".
(3) Dean McKendrick made seven erotic thrillers for Retromedia, not listed above.
(4) Apocrypha? If you have a better name for these films, let me know.

That's 16 out of 54 films released on Blu-ray so far. Let's hope the others will follow soon.

Monday, 26 May 2025

TV Series: The Sopranos Season 2 (Part 3)


In the ninth episode of season two Tony Soprano is questioned about the afterlife. His psychiatrist asks him if he thinks he'll go to Hell. His answer shows that he's convinced he's a good man who's doing good things:

"We're soldiers, you know. Soldiers don't go to Hell. It's war. Soldiers kill other soldiers. We're in a situation where everybody involved knows the stakes. And if you're gonna accept those stakes you gotta do certain things. It's business. We're soldiers. We follow codes. Orders".

Dr. Jennifer Melfi doesn't want to judge him. She's just encouraging him to judge himself.


She just sits calmly, flashing her legs while observing his reactions.


"The Sopranos" continues showing famous people appearing as themselves. Jon Favreau is in Brooklyn filming a tragic love story called "Female Suspects". Christopher Moltisanti visits the set to pitch his script for a gangster movie. Is that acceptable for someone in his position? Of course not. That's why he keeps it secret from Tony.



Appearing in Jon's film are Sandra Bernhard and Janeane Garofalo. Are they famous as well? I confess that I don't know them, but I've included their photos in case any of their fans are reading my blog.


In the ninth episode we see Tony and his friend Pussy (Salvatore Bonpensiero) executing a rogue member of his crew. What a horrible nickname for a man! Can't they just call him Sal? Tony carries out this execution only a few hours after saying he's going to Heaven.


Tony's wife Carmela is relatively innocent in comparison. She knows what her husband does, but she remains silent.


Tony's son AJ (Anthony Junior) is a bit of a dope. I can't think of a polite way to say it. He's 14 years old, but for his age he's definitely lacking in intelligence and common sense.


But Tony loves his son, and he makes an attempt to bond with him by taking him for a ride on his yacht.


I'll end with a picture of FBI Agent Harris. If Tony's a soldier, he's a general in the other army. One day they'll be sitting in Heaven together, talking about old times.

Oh wait, there's one piece of trivia I need to add. "The Sopranos" is famous for its music, every episode ending with a song relevant to the episode. The eighth episode is the first episode in which there's no music accompanying the final credits. There's only the beeping of an electrocardiogram.

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Sunday, 18 May 2025

Anna (4 Stars)


When I first watched "Anna" in 2019 I wrote "This is a good movie, but it's not the sort of film I could watch more than once". Don't trust anything I say. Today is the third time I've watched it.

Anna is a cool, sexy spy who lives in a world where the Internet existed in 1985 and USB drives in 1990. Other web sites call these anachronisms mistakes, but the director Luc Besson isn't stupid. His choices were made deliberately.

In the course of the film Anna kills 62 men and 0 women. So much for equality. Valerie Solanas would be proud of her.

Success Rate:  - 0.9

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Saturday, 17 May 2025

The Straight Story (4 Stars)


This is the second film presented by Alexander Kiensch for the monthly film evening. It's another film directed by David Lynch, also a true story.

In 1994 Alvin Straight heard the news that his brother had suffered a stroke. They hadn't spoken for 10 years, so Alvin decided to visit him. Because of his poor eyesight he didn't have a driver's license, so he made the 240 mile journey on a lawn mower, towing a trailer in which he slept at night. The lawn mower had a maximum speed of five miles per hour, so he needed about six weeks for the trip.

The film ends when Alvin arrives. The reconciliation between the two brothers isn't significant. The film is all about the journey, about the trip and the people Alvin met. We see America at its best. The sun is shining, and everyone is friendly. It's a perfect world.

Success Rate:  - 1.6

The Elephant Man (4 Stars)


I'm a strange person sometimes. I watched "The Elephant Man" for the first time in 2013. I evidently enjoyed it, based on my rating and what I wrote about it. And yet I didn't watch it again until today, 12 years later. I wouldn't even have watched it today if it hadn't been presented by my good friend Alexander Kiensch at our monthly film evening.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what if a person is so deformed that it's impossible to look at him without being repulsed? I would be polite enough to accept the person, but I wouldn't be able to overcome my inner feelings.

The film is a true story. At the beginning of the film John Merrick is 21. He was 27 when he died. When he was discovered in a freak show it was assumed that he was mentally retarded and mute. The doctor treating him soon discovered and he was of normal intelligence, and he was able to speak but preferred not to.

The film is moving as the portrayal of a man treated as an outsider for no fault of his own.

Success Rate:  + 3.2

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Friday, 16 May 2025

Blade Trinity (5 Stars)


Nobody but Wesley Snipes can play Blade. He's getting older, but as long as he can still stand upright he can play the role. Who else could step into his shoes? Jamie Foxx? No way! Michael Jordan? Hmmm, maybe. Idris Elba? Too British.

After my last review I was criticised for giving it a five star rating because it's too much of a B-Movie. I agree that it has a B-Movie feel to it, but I won't budge from my rating. It's a success in everything it sets out to do.

Success Rate:  + 0.0

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Monday, 12 May 2025

Thunderbolts* (4½ Stars)


The star after the film's title isn't a mistake. It's an asterisk. Asterisks are used to draw a reader's attention to a note written at the bottom of the page. In this case, it's not a written page, it's a film, and the asterisk is pointing to a message at the end of the film, after the credits. After the credits we're told that the team temporarily calling themselves the Thunderbolts will call themselves the New Avengers.

Unlike the usual Marvel films, I have no feeling for the characters. The Thunderbolts first appeared in 1997, well into Marvel's post-canon era, when I rarely read comics. All I know is that the team members in the film aren't the same as in the comics, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Marvel's films are famous for their mix and match approach, taking characters with the same names as in the comics, but often with different powers and always with different costumes. There's no respect for the original source material.

Having said that, I have to admit that it's a good film. It's one of the better Marvel films in recent years. Florence Pugh carries the film as Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, but my favourite character is Bob. He's fascinating. But watch the film yourself if you want to know why.

Sunday, 11 May 2025

The Rule of Jenny Pen (1 Star)


This is the final film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

Sometimes a film is so bad that I don't want to review it. There are films I'd rather forget. I'll force myself to write a few words about "The Rule of Jenny Pen" to warn my readers against being tempted into the cinema. After all, a film with outstanding actors like Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow can't be all that bad, can it?

It's not all that bad. It's worse.

Stefan Mortensen is a cantankerous old judge in New Zealand. After suffering a stroke he's unable to walk and is put in a care home until he recovers. He wants a room for himself, but he has to share a room with Tony Garfield, a former New Zealand rugby player who's permanently unable to walk. Stefan witnesses another patient called Dave Crealy entering their room at night to bully Tony. When Stefan speaks out in his defence, he becomes the main victim of the bullying.

It's a strange care home. Most of the patients are demented. Only Stefan and Tony have a physical disability. Dave is healthy, but he pretends to be demented during the daytime, so that nobody suspects him of bullying others at night. Aren't physically and mentally ill patients usually separated?

So we have 100 minutes of sick old men fighting with one another, surrounded by demented old men and women. The film is sick. I felt like walking out, but I was sitting in the middle of a row, and I didn't want to disturb the other viewers.

Maybe I should delete this review. It's a film I want to forget.

The Damned (2 Stars)


This is the 17th film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

It's rare that there's a consensus among the guests at the Stuttgart film festivals. Whatever is shown, there are some people who love it and some who hate it. "The Damned" is an exception. As we walked out heads were shaking. Nobody liked it.

The film takes place in the 19th Century in a remote fishing village in Iceland. Maybe it's an exaggeration to call it a village, because there are only a few huts side by side. Eva owns the fishing boats after the death of her husband Magnus. The fishermen see a ship sinking after hitting the rocks, but Eva says it's too dangerous to rescue the sailors. The next day cases with food supplies wash onto the shore, so they row to the ship in small boats to salvage more food. They find sailors clinging to the rocks, begging to be saved, so they abandon the search before the sailors can climb into their boats.

After this strange things happen. The superstitious sailors blame a creature called a draugr. One by one the fishermen die. The coffins are laid on the beach, because the ice is too thick to bury them until the summer.

My brief description makes the film sound interesting. Yes, the plot is interesting, but the film is so slow and so difficult to see that it's impossible to enjoy it. There are constant snow storms, and it's impossible to distinguish the shadowy figures. Added to this, there's a plot twist at the end which raises more questions than it solves.

Redux Redux (5 Stars)


This is the 16th film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

Yes, I missed a few.

Revenge can become an obsession. It's never enough, as proved by the case of Irene Kelly. Her daughter was murdered as a child. She hunted and killed the murderer, but that wasn't enough for her. She acquired a machine to travel through the multiverse. In every universe she kills the murderer again. It's usually a simple in-out job. She enters the universe, checks out the murderer's home, then visits his place of work, then kills him on the way home. Then she continues to the next universe. Sometimes there are small variations in the schedule, but it's become a routine.

Irene's machine isn't a time machine. Time is passing. The man is a serial killer, and her daughter was the fourth victim. She checks his souvenirs on each visit to see how many girls he's killed so far. When the film starts it's 12, so her revenge crusade is also saving girls. She says she'll stop hunting him when she finds a universe in which her daughter is still alive, but after visiting hundreds of universes it's always the same.

Multiverses are in fashion. The parallel universes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and "Everything Everywhere All At Once" are drastically different to one another, whereas the universes in "Redux Redux" only have subtle differences.

Saturday, 10 May 2025

Clown in a Cornfield (3½ Stars)


This is the 12th film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

After the death of his wife, Glenn Maybrook moves from Philadelphia to Kettle Springs, Missouri. His daughter Quinn doesn't appreciate the move. For her it's the end of the world. Her opinion is shared by the local teenagers, but at least they have a hobby. They make amateur horror videos which they publish on YouTube.

What they're not prepared for is that there's a killer clown in the town. Not just in the cornfield. And not just one clown. There's a whole clan of clowns killing the young people.

This is a reasonable slasher film, but for me it breaks too many slasher traditions. I'm sure this was deliberate, but for me the film wasn't predictable enough.

June and John (4 Stars)


This is the eleventh film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

There's a love story in the middle of the festivals horror and science fiction films? Stranger things have happened. In its defence, it's directed by Luc Besson.

John works in the accounts department of an anonymous Los Angeles bank. He doesn't have a life outside of his office booth. He's trying to find a partner with the help of a dating agency, but all his potential partners cancel the first date when they find out he doesn't have any social media accounts. Is that such a big deal today?

He has a chance encounter with a woman on the subway. Sort of. He's inside, she's outside, but they smile at one another, and there's an instant connection. John doesn't know how to find her again, but he doesn't have to. She's a first class stalker, and she turns up in his office the next day.

Her name is June, in case you hadn't already guessed. While on the beach she's received a feeling that she only has 72 hours to live, so she wants to enjoy her last three days to the full. She yanks John out of his mundane existence. She robs his bank, pretending to take him hostage, and they run away together. Three wonderful days.

Maybe it's the last three days of June's life, but what will John do?

It's a crazy film. At times there are emotional scenes that almost made me cry, but the action always came back before the tears could flow.

Orang Ikan (4 Stars)


This is the tenth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

A Japanese ship is carrying American POWs to Japan in 1942. On the way it's attacked by American fighter jets and sinks. There are only two survivors: an American captain called Bronson and a Japanese soldier called Saito. They're washed onto the shore of a small unnamed island. They forge an uneasy friendship, despite not understanding one another's language. They even have problem understanding each other's names. Bronson is called Blonson, and Saito is called Psycho. That's close enough.

On the island there's a small family of monsters. When other Japanese soldiers land on the island they're slaughtered. Only Bronson and Saito survive. They realise that defence isn't enough to survive, they have to attack the monsters.

The film suffers from a common mistake in modern films. There are frequent night scenes, and the picture is too dark to show what's happening.

Noise (4 Stars)


This is the ninth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

The film takes place in a large South Korean apartment building. Two sisters, Ju-Hee and Ju-Yung, share an apartment on the sixth floor. They don't get on well together. Ju-Yung has been away for a few days. It's not said where she was. With a friend? With a lover? It doesn't matter. What matters is that Ju-Yung receives a phone call to tell her that her sister hasn't been seen for four days, so she returns to look for her.

Ju-Yung is almost deaf and can only hear with the help of a hearing age, so she doesn't notice at first that there are loud noises in the apartment. The neighbour from the apartment below repeatedly visits and threatens to kill her if she doesn't stop making noise. But the noise is coming from the seventh floor. Loud banging.

The film has an unsettling atmosphere. It reminds me of "Dark Water". Is it a person making the noise? Or a ghost? Or several ghosts? The mystery slowly unravels.

A criticism I have is that the plot isn't as simple as "Dark Water". There are too many unnecessary complications. But I still want to watch it again.

Friday, 9 May 2025

The Ugly Stepsister (4 Stars)


This is the sixth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

It tells the story of Cinderella from the point of view of her step-sister Elvira. There's a second step-sister, but she's a young teenager who hasn't reached marrying age. Elvira is 18, and she's fascinated by Prince Julian. She'll do anything to become his bride. But she's too ugly to attract his attention. Supposedly.

My biggest problem with the film is that I don't find Elvira ugly. They say her nose is too big, but I see nothing at all wrong with her. They say she's too fat, but I find her just right for a romantic cuddle. If I were the prince I would have picked Elvira. But he prefers the girl with small feet. Silly man. And Elvira is stupid enough to cut off her toes so that the slipper will fit. No woman should ever go that far to please a man. If he doesn't like her big feet, she can tell him to get lost.

Disney is incapable of making like action remakes of fairy tales. In Norway they still know how. It's just a shame that the cinema ticket will cost double the price because of Donald Trump's 100% tariff on foreign films.

Locked (4 Stars)


This is the fifth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

Eddie Barrish isn't a bad man, but he does what he has to do to survive. His van breaks down, and he can't afford the repair costs, making it impossible for him to pick up his daughter from school. He steals a wallet and a few other small items, but it's not enough to pay the repair bill. Then he sees a luxury car standing in a car park. The door isn't locked, so he enters it to look for valuable items. He doesn't find anything, so he wants to leave, but the door is locked. A voice tells him that he's being punished for breaking into the car. Eddie is kept in the car for days on end while the voice taunts him.

The film is interesting, though I don't find it particularly feasible. The acting by Bill Skarsgard is excellent.

A Girl With Closed Eyes (3 Eyes)


This is the fourth film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

My friend called the previous film exhausting. I found "A Girl With Closed Eyes" more exhausting, though for different reasons. It's a mystery that's finally explained, but it takes a long time to get there. It's well written, but the viewer needs to invest a lot of concentration. Every time I thought I understood what was happening, there was another twist, and I had to start puzzling again.

Min-Ju, a woman in her early thirties, breaks into the home of a successful author and shoots him dead. When the police arrive she's still standing over him with her rifle. A clear cut case? She tells the police that she'll only talk to a policewoman from another town, also called Min-Ju. When the policewoman Min-Ju arrives she recognises the murderess as a childhood friend called Li-Seon, who legally changed her name many years ago. Li-Seon doesn't deny the murder, but she says it was revenge for the author kidnapping and abusing her 20 years ago.

But things don't add up. Despite the confession, Min-Ju is convinced that Li-Seon is innocent.

A Whale (3 Stars)


This is the third film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

Melville has been using a small Spanish port to smuggle goods for the last thirty years. Then his rival Abosolo has the harbourmaster shot in order to take control of the port. Melville contacts the assassin, a mysterious woman who isn't quite human, and asks him to work for her. She kills Abosolo and then turns against Melville himself.

After the film a friend of mine summed it up with the words "That was exhausting". It ran for almost two hours, and when it was over we still didn't understand what had happened. There's a dead whale on the beach, but it has nothing to do with the story.

Thursday, 8 May 2025

The Forbidden City (5 Stars)


This is the first film in the Stuttgart Nights Festival.

I've been having trouble getting to the cinema for the last two months, but I'm glad to say I'll be able to attend most films at the 2025 Stuttgart Nights Festival, which will run for four days this year. It always begins with a special film, and "The Forbidden City" is incredible. It tells the tale of Mei, a Chinese woman searching for her sister in the Chinese quarter in Rome. She's caught up in a battle between crooked restaurant owners. The fight scenes are spectacular. The actress Yaxi Liu reminds me of Jackie Chan in her ability to pick up any objects around her and use them as weapons. I'm astounded that this is only her second film, and her first in a leading role. She has a big future ahead of her.

Apart from the action, it's a love story. Mei falls in love with a naive young Italian cook, even though they don't speak one another's language. The film's dialogue is evenly divided between Italian and Chinese. It's the best new film I've seen in the cinema this year.

Saturday, 3 May 2025

TV Series: The Sopranos Season 2 (Part 2)


The fourth episode of season two introduces a new character, Furio Giunta. Tony meets him while on a business trip to Italy to discuss the delivery of stolen cars. To compensate for receiving a lower price, Tony is given Furio to work with him in America. In order to get him immigration papers, Tony asks his friend Artie Bucco to give him a job making cheese in his restaurant. When Artie sees how badly Furio works he lets him go, but Furio retains his job on paper, the expenses paid by Tony himself.


Dr. Jennifer Melfi finally agrees to take Tony back as a patient. She returns to the familiar routine of flashing her legs while staring him in the eyes and asking him to confess his innermost secrets. She comes to the conclusion, quite correctly, that it's the women in his life who are making him feel weak.


The most dangerous woman in Tony's life, as far as his mental health is concerned, is his mother. She's the only person in the series who is pure evil.


Tony's elder sister Janice is also a problem. She's returned to New Jersey motivated by greed. Tony tells her that she can't take whatever she wants, but she can wrap him around her little finger. She builds an alliance with her mother against him. She was always her Daddy's favourite, as we saw in flashbacks in the first season.


Is history repeating itself? Tony's favourite child is his daughter Meadow. He admires her intelligence and intuitive understanding of the family business. He doesn't consider his son AJ (Anthony Junior) to be a suitable successor. He says it's a shame that Meadow wasn't born a man. He denies the rights of women, even though the women in his life have so much power over him.


Ironically, Tony's wife Carmela is one of the lesser problems in his life. She knows he has mistresses, but she puts up with them. As she confessed to her priest in the first season, she was glad that they gave him sex, so that he would leave her alone.


But Tony has other women problems that he's brought upon himself. His current goomah is Irina, a Russian immigrant from Kazakhstan. Goomahs are usually Italian, and they know how to behave discreetly. As a Russian Irina has a strong will and openly tries to get more from Tony. She has unrealistic dreams of him leaving his wife to be with her. That can never happen.


The only other thing I'll mention is that the sixth episode starts a new trend of famous people appearing as themselves. Frank Sinatra Junior takes part in a high stakes poker game, which Tony calls the Executive Game. The game is for men only. Of course.

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