The Sopranos SM: Selected Scripts from Three Seasons

For rabid Sopranos fans and would-be screenwriters, this is a no-brainer-but even for the rest of the mildly interested public, these scripts make worthwhile reading. Series creator Chase's introduction describes the writing process and illuminates some of the themes present in each season. The pilot episode (which opens in Dr. Melfi's waiting room); ""College,"" in which Tony and Meadow visit Bates College and mayhem ensues; ""The Happy Wanderer""in which ""Parvati"" (Janice) sows seeds of serious family discontent; ""The Knight in White Satin Armor"" which has Richie getting offed in an unexpected manner; and ""Pine Barrens,"" in which a ""package"" awaiting burial hits Christopher with a shovel and disappears, are all featured within. Individual authors and directors are credited script by script, and the lists of casts and settings makes this book workable for productions, though some scenes are omitted. One can imagine thousands of amateur productions mounted in improvised Ba-Da-Bing!s around the country; expect cigar sales to rise accordingly.