‘Sopranos’ two families can’t stay separate

If art imitates life, then the cast and crew of “The Sopranos” are imitating the very wise guys they are in the business of portraying. That isn’t to say they’re fitting enemies with cement shoes, hijacking truckloads of plasma TVs or muscling in on local businesses. But they are adhering to omerta, the sacred Italian code of secrecy that is rule No. 1 among members of La Cosa Nostra. Violations are met with the gravest of consequences, including being written out of scripts.

The sixth season of “The Sopranos” begins on Sunday night, and thus far only a few mumbles and vague hints about what’s to come have been leaked. Before filming each season, everybody involved in the production goes through a ceremony in Joe Pesci’s basement where they cut each other’s hands, rub the blood together, say something cryptic in Italian and then eat spaghetti with Bolognese sauce. So far, it’s been an effective way of keeping spoilers out of the media.

To fully appreciate where the show is going, it’s important to recall where it left off.

Last season, like all “Sopranos” seasons, can be separated into two categories — business and personal — a distinction that Tom Hagen failed to impress upon Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather.”

On the personal side, Christopher and Adriana broke up. What was refreshing about their parting is that it did not involve the usual rancor associated with splits between longtime lovers. They simply had irreconcilable differences having to do with the FBI and the Witness Protection Program. So they decided to go their separate ways. Christopher went to the Bada Bing with Tony, while Adriana went for a drive with Silvio to a landfill.

For his part, Tony made up with Carmela and moved back into their suburban New Jersey palace. Of course, the situation needed a little massaging. Tony isn’t the first husband to dip into his pocket in order to calm the marital waters. This time, it cost him $600,000 so that Carmela could build a spec house and explore a real estate career. When you consider that Kobe Bryant had to pay $4 million for a ring for one indiscretion whereas Tony needed only 600K for multiple offenses, he actually got off easy.

Mixing family and Family
There are also times in the world of the Mafia when the line between business and personal becomes blurred.

Take the case of Tony and his cousin Tony Blundetto (played by Steve Buscemi). They grew up together, chased girls together, got drunk together and committed crimes together. Unfortunately, Tony Blundetto ran afoul of the New York faction of the mob, specifically Johnny Sack and his venomous henchman Phil Leotardo. As a result, Tony Soprano had a problem on his hands similar to the one Michael Corleone had with brother Fredo in “The Godfather, Part II,” which ended in an unfortunate fishing mishap.

This time, to keep the peace, Tony Soprano eschewed family counseling and instead drove to Tony Blundetto’s hideout in the country, where he went Dick Cheney on him. Of course, whereas Cheney waited 14 hours before alerting the authorities, Tony Soprano apparently has yet to report it.

But that may or may not have sated Phil’s need for vengeance over his brother’s death, which brings us back to business again.

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