How to Clean (Practically) Anything - Sopranos Thoughts, Vol I

I want to throw these thoughts down now, so I can continue to read Slate's brilliant analysis and skim and get frustrated by inane commentary from the likes of David Poland and Jonah Goldberg. Both need to step out of their usual boundaries and forget making bizarre connections to their day-jobs. Tony and Christopher were like Eisner and Ovitz? Whaaa? A.J. as an Islamic jihadist? Seriously??

Instead of long-form analysis, I think I'm just going to go bullet points from here on out.

• Am I the only one who thought that A.J. was going to die for sure? After last week's offing, I figured that it was only a matter of time before someone else prominent died in the show. The suicide scene was really rough to watch...absolutely brutal.
• On a similar note, Robert Iler has been phenomenal this season. Absolutely brilliant in showing how A.J. has matured...and not matured, in still throwing out random factoids that disturb his world view, just as he always has. If the Emmys meant anything, I would jump on his lobbying campaign in an instant.
• I hope that smarter people than I, (Tim Noah, please?) give me some reasoned an indepth analysis of the significance of The Second Coming. Annie Shuppy, my Sopranos enabler, raises a good point: Will Yeats poems jump up the Amazon charts thanks to A.J.?
• And if Yeats poems don't...will How to Clean Practically Anything make it?
• Carmela Soprano is really losing it. She's turned into Laura Linney's character from the Truman Show, where she turns into total housewife mode and shuts down mentally, hoping to brush the problem under the carpet. From her reaction to the Vegas watch to the scene where she blamed Tony for A.J.'s problems, I can see her cracking under the pressure in the next two episodes.

Speaking of which...

• We are clearly headed for a Phil/Tony showdown to end the show. I am still backing the "Tony is Michael Corleon at the end of Godfather I" scenario, where he has Phil and his crew killed, and Carmine Jr. brings the family under Tony's thumb.
• BUt Tony is also going to have to clear ranks in his own family...and I mean literally. There was some discussion this morning on Tony Kornheiser's show about why Phil was hiding upstairs, and why he suddenly backed out of their meeting. That led me to believe that one of Tony's capos is double-dealing, a la Paulie with Johnny Sack.
• It's not Paulie Walnuts this time...it's Bobby Bacala. With Janice's urging, he's letting Phil in on the scoop. Tony is going to have to kill Bobby...and perhaps Janice...to get them out of the problem. Some of Tony's guys may have to die too...perhaps Paulie or Patsy?
• This is all idle speculation, but you can read more thoughts if you want at another guy who's opinion I really respect: Creed Bratton.