The excellence continues in Season 2 of The Sopranos

It's rare that a second season of a great miniseries lives up to expectations, but going back 20 years and watching The Sopranos yields some insights into this monumental work: Yes, Season 2 is just as good as the first season, with some terrific throughlines and great episodes throughout: The continued estrangement between Tony and his mother, the arrival of weird sister Janice and the brutal and untimely end to her relationship w/ the demonic and spiteful Richie Aprile, Christopher's brief and unhappy career as a stockbroker, the shooting of Christopher and Tony's revenge on the punk who did so, Pussy's work as a snitch to the police and Tony's struggle w/ how to deal with the infidelity of his lifelong friend, Carrmella's flirtations, Meadow's college applications, the gambling addiction of the guy who owns a sporting-goods store and whose son was dating Meadow - and probably more than this. Most of all, the season continues to develop Tony's personality and his struggle to provide for his family in the most brutal and unseemly business; in fact, the season ends w/ a fantastic montage, intercut between photos and videos of Meadow's graduation and brief clips of those undone by Tony's businesses: prostitution, addiction, bankruptcy, victims of scams (price manipulation on penny stocks, sale of soon-to-be worthless phone cards to those who can least afford to lose $, etc.) and the unforgettable assassination of Pussy. A side note: Some have said they couldn't watch Season 2 of the Soprano's because it was "too violent," but coming back to it after 19 years - the violence pales beside what we see today in just about every crime show on TV or streaming. O tempes, o mores.