Blown away by a combination of "Sopranos" and "Entourage" tonight on HBO.
Both were excellent. The drama was happening with twists and laughs and a frequent references to the past. Fast and furious. Spinning OOC ["out-of-control"]. Real father/son stuff between Tony and AJ, "banking goodwill"( I wanna 5-K letter!) and breakthroughs w/ Dr. Melphi. Meadow is alive and concerned, and had a mystery date. Adrinana a "problem to deal with," Give, give, give poisoned the relationship. The Bing is AJ's way back! Tony sez it's a face-to-face business. OMG Chris and Paulie. Nasty. And a slip and then a face-to-face shooting after "Chris, you're in the Mafia." Freakin' AMAZING.
Entourage keeps it up. Then the Adrian and his "love bracelet,"and boys get a couple of screwballs and it's all on a holiday, the Day of Antonement. Feh. His daughter has to atone for "ratting Daddy out," Ari's working it anyway. But moving into fine new territory. Another great showcase of characters and stars. Clever and unpredictable. Old Uncle "Bad Jew" Shelley wants to nosh. Even Johnny's gift horse subplot bit works. And Amanda is on top and she leaves Him.
Both shows fulfilled pent-up anticipation and potential. Brilliant, entertaining episodes.
America has long had problems with inebriants. In the 1920s the government believed it could prevent its citizens from drinking alcohol. Prohibition did not work. The same approach is being used with marijuana and other recreational drugs. And the results are not much better. Society's problems with inebriants are visible in the news every day...college binge drinking, celebrity Driving Under the Influence, and the federal government's war on drugs. But millions of Americans continue to yearn for, purchase and use alcohol, prescription drugs, marijuana, cocaine and exstacy.
The anti-drug, anti-alcohol efforts will only have limited success because of a fundamental problem. Efforts to prevent the use of inebriants never acknowledge the positive effects of inebriants. The bottom line is that inebriants can help the user have fun. An altered state of mind is desirable for many people. The clear hard sober real version of daily life is too difficult to endure. Given the opportunity for a meager amount of discretionary income Americans opt for an altered state. They talk, laugh, dance, watch movies, play games, eat and have sex while they are inebriated. The change in perception can make mundane tasks, entertainment or social activities more fun.
Anti-drug and anti-alcohol programs and public service advertising prominently describe the dangers of inebriant use. And like almost anything used to excess in our lives, using inebriants to excess can result in trouble. Moreover, because inebriants can take the user out of reality, inebriants are abused by those who cannot handle reality. There are physiological and psychological dependancies on inebriants. Their downside potential should be known to all, especially those who are initially considering their use and those who practice frequent use.
The arguments and pleas by the anti-inebriant organizations and advocates are not persuasive when they ignore the giddiness, joy and comradery of the inebriated. The vast majority of the inebriated are able to function fully in society when they need to and are able to use inebriants without threat to themselves or others. Of course there are abusers, drunks, addicts and lives that are ruined by the excessive use of inebriants. Society need not ignore the abuse that can be disconcerting and expensive. But an enlightened approach that views inebriants as pleasing as well as tantilizing might be more effective because of its candor.
