‘Sopranos’ returns with a bang

The first few moments of the show, which at first seemed disjointed, may offer some clues. It opened with an FBI agent reciting one of HL Mencken’s more famous lines — “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public” — and another throwing up immediately afterwards. Point taken.

William Burroughs performing an excerpt of his “The Western Lands” then provided the soundtrack as many of the characters were reintroduced, Burroughs’ text serving as both narration and perhaps a prescient guide. He began by saying, “the ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls” that begin to “leave [the body] at the moment of death.” Those seven souls were described as characters appeared.

The most surprising appearance was by Adriana, who is still very dead but showed up in Carmela’s dream. Adriana was on screen while viewers learned about “the Shadow, Memory, your whole past conditioning from this and other lives.” Adriana’s shadow definitely weighs heavily on this season; she paid the ultimate price for her entanglement with this family. Her death may have foreshadowed Tony’s shooting at the hands of Uncle Junior: Adriana did not expect what was coming until the very last moments, and she was shot by someone she trusted.

“The Guardian Angel” was described as Meadow danced seductively in her underwear for fiancé Finn; Carmela was dreaming about Adriana as Burroughs described “The Double ... the only reliable guide through the land of the dead”; and Janice and her new baby daughter were on screen as the narrator described “the Secret Name” who “directs the film of your life from conception to death.”

What exactly all these mean may not become evident until the season unfolds, or until the first episode receives a few more close viewings. But what was clearly evident, however, was that the one person we didn’t see during this narration was Tony.

That’s because those seven souls inhabit him; his family is his very being. The irony is, he was shot by part of himself.

Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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