Original artwork, not a still
It’s good to be in something from the ground floor. I came too late for that and I know. But lately, I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end. The best is over.
— The Sopranos · 1999
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Tony mourns a golden age of the mob he never got to see, and the line makes him a gangster in decline from the first hour: powerful, but already nostalgic. It became the show's founding sentiment about American manhood and institutions in decay, and fans quote it for anything that peaked before they arrived.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The SopranosShow the scene
The Sopranos pilot (written and directed by David Chase, HBO, 10 January 1999) opens with North Jersey crime captain Tony Soprano sent to psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi after a panic attack. He tells her he is in waste management, and as she sets out the rules of confidentiality he starts to open up a little. In these first therapy scenes he laments to her that he arrived in the mob too late for its best years, feeling he has come in at the end. A later session, after another panic attack, brings the story of the ducks leaving his pool, which makes him cry.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: The Sopranos (pilot episode)Synopsis and infoboxReference checked
Context reviewed
