Re: sopranos
Great, great episode. The only disappointing thing is next week's teaser, where you see Tony regaining his faculties. They could've left it out there for at least a week with people wondering if he'd ever recover.
I love the idea of the Soprano women taking the family over. Carmela's seeing a depressed face on Paulie as he got on the elevator was massive; it's like she instantly realized that the power that her husband commanded could be transferred, but it also has to be managed. If Tony has seen that look on Paulie's face, Paulie would be out of favor instantly. Carmela's smart enough to know what that look meant -- does she now use that information and manage it accordingly? She has 100% exclusive and total access to Tony in the hospital (one visitor at a time, remember) and somebody has to make family decisions in Tony's and Silvio's absence. Why not her?
Carmela can trust Sil and Chris, and she can use Janice to manage Bobby. She knows she can't trust Paulie and Vito. She can bridge the gap with Johnny through Ginny, better than Tony himself could. Maybe I'm just convincing myself about this, but if she wants it she could make this work.