The wait has been long and arduous, my dreams full of dead bodies, affairs, regrets, and ducks.  Did Tony escape the Fed’s for good?  What will the consequences of the Adrianna fiasco be?  Will Anthony ever grow up, or Uncle June finally go crazy?  Finally the answers to all of my Sopranos questions will be answered, except that I work Sunday’s from 8-11.  Bastards.  But I finally managed to sit down and watch the first three episodes, and the waiting, while annoying and sometimes physically painful, was worth it.

These first three episodes of season six, without giving anything away, completely redefined all of the characters, plots, relationships and themes.  Tony struggles through a personal journey with himself while the rest of the cast is developed.  Twists, surprises, and raw emotion are around every corner, as the Family deals with a crisis above all others. 

Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano) drives all aspects of the story with her stellar, career defining performance, easily the best single performance I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and certainly deserving of an award or ten.  And while her performance is out of this solar system, the rest of the cast is operating at least on the same level as the moon or so, James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) especially, who is completely out of his normal character in these episodes, though still so Tony. 

Conflicts are set up.  Relationships strengthened and ruined.  Epiphanies and realizations are hitting characters as they struggle through the events.  From the set up, this has been the season that Soprano’s fans nationwide have been waiting for, a true climax, an appropriate send off for the best show currently on television, though I hope they decide to keep chugging along.  I can’t figure out what I’ll do if I don’t have another season of the Sopranos to look forward to.  I guess that’s why God invented DVD’s.