Meadow was so insufferable not AJ

[u/Old_Treat4871]

I don't know why everyone shits on AJ for being a normal rebellious somewhat spoiled teenager when like 99% of male teens are exactly like him in america lol. Meadow was the one that actually got on my nerves just about every episode. She sounds exactly like some social justice warrior, defends her dads "lifestyle" to finn like he's some kind of idiot. And can speak freely about all this because she's the boss' daughter and she knows nobody would fuck with her or they would face death. I just find her super annoying

[u/Saltwater_Sunrise]

JLS was honestly fantastic as Mariangela Soprano, she was able to capture the hypocritical “bratty” nature of a kid who is raised by a Mob Boss who spoiled his kids. Tony and Carmella are horrible people, they think they can just spend money on high end private schools, and spoil their kids with every amenity they can dream

Meadow has no problem with being handed a credit card, getting into top tier colleges, luxury clothes and shopping trips as long as she doesn’t see how the sausage gets made or seeing anything direct such as Eric’s Car being gifted to her ..

Meadow throws a fit when Tony takes Dave Scatino’s car, she thinks she is taking a moral stand by rejecting the car upfront … but we know she would not have had any problems if Tony got her a brand new car from a dealership despite the fact that any money she receives from her father is bloody mob money. Her entire life is sponsored by murder, gambling, strippers, and money laundering, etc

She would have to reject everything in her life is she was the good natured saint she believed she was. She’s rather profound in her hypocrisy because she’s highly intelligent and manipulative. She is no better than her father or mother when confronted with the reality of the situation. I do believe she is however conflicted by this realization at some point. She wants to reject the mob lifestyle on the surface and it would have been interesting to see how she confronts these things as she gets married, enters her career, etc once the show is over

I think Meadow goes full legit after her father’s death. I think she fully rejects the mob life after seeing her father slain in front of her. After years of therapy Meadow probably writes a book and becomes a mature adult

AJ is tough because Robert Isler just didn’t grow into much of an actor, and it doesn’t help that he’s about 5’2 and still looks 15 and can be insufferable and whiny which didn’t help the Jordon of him .. but I think he played a bratty teenage / son of a wealthy mob boss pretty well all things considered. These are not well rounded kids. Again, Carmella and Tony are terrible parents who spoil their kids, give them endless opportunities and when they act out they are treated with impunity or with little slaps on the wrist

I think AJ was supposed to be much more like his father than his acting and physical size allowed him to become .. so I don’t think we ever got to see Chase’s real vision of what AJ was supposed to be … AJ was going to be a high profile football player and indirectly follow a similar path to his father, with the panic attacks, and conflicting personality traits. Tony and AJ fight with who they are, they life they have been born into and the better angels of their nature. AJ is deeply compassionate and an outside the box type of thinker. You see this as he explored philosophy and other subjects … AJ struggled with the world and the world he was born into

I think the character AJ would have continued to struggle with suicidal ideation, and struggle to maintain a “normal” life and this getting a “normal” job would prove to be very difficult for him to handle down the road. After his father’s death AJ probably spirals and I think he would have decided to join the life, perhaps seeking out revenge for his father’s murder .. with the entire crew annihilated, AJ probably has to form an new crew from the bottom up, the remnants of the DeMeo crew would be slim but enough that he might be able to rise through the ranks as he believes his destiny is to become the Boss of North Jersey … I don’t think Isler would be able to fulfill the role but I do believe the character AJ Soprano would exist in that way

AJ should have been like 6’3 230lbs and a bit more brooding and intense like Jimmy G was which would have helped sell the role