It has been a wild journey: Gomorra is now done, season 5, episode 10 was the last time we’ll see Ciro and Genny…that’s 7-years of my life now complete!
Firstly, although it breaks my heart, I am so glad they decided to finish it on season 5. Too many shows are written on the basis of their popularity. The writing can only remain strong for some time and before we know it, a once superior tv series becomes a shadow of what it once was.
So, yeah, I have been with Gomorra since 2014; actually, I’ll say 2008 because that’s when I was first introduced to this dark and gritty mafiosa world in Naples, Italy.
In 2008, Matteo Garrone released Gomorra the movie.
Both the film and series are based on a book by Roberto Saviano (pretty sure he had to go into protective custody after releasing the book because he angered the actual mafia families the series and movie are based on).
In my opinion, Gomorra Le Serie achieved the near-impossible: a series adaptation better than the film (well, maybe What We Do In The Shadows done it too).
Not to say the movie wasn’t good…it was. But there was just something about it. It has been years since I have watched it but from what I remember, there were some pacing issues. And now that I have finished the series, it’s probably safe to say that there was just too much content to squeeze into a feature film.
After watching the series finale, I was satisfied but a little underwhelmed. I was expecting a different ending to what was written but getting to this point has been nothing but amazing.
The setting is wonderful.
When we think of Italy, we automatically think of amazing scenery, views and ruins full of history. With Gomorra, they have somehow made Naples, Italy look like Hell on Earth. There is nothing pretty about it. It’s full of high-rise, low-income homes that look almost as dilapidated as the colosseum in Rome. The Irish crime series Love/Hate done the exact same with Dublin, Ireland.
As always, I really don’t wanna go into the plot too much.
Without spoiling too much, the series deals with the Savastano crime family; but more importantly, the son, Genny and his lifelong friend, Ciro. Genny has always had daddy issues and although he loves Ciro like a brother, he can’t help but feel resentment as Genny’s father, Pietro Savastano (the Don) looks to Ciro as a more suitable replacement to the family than his own son.
I can’t write about Gomorra and not say about the amazing two performances we got from Genny (Salvatore Esposito) & Ciro (Marco D’Amore). Salvatore delivered a role that was beyond terrifying, everything from his paranoid mannerisms to his heavy breathing really made you feel fuckin’ uneasy. He has quite a journey throughout the series but one of the best performances I have ever witnessed. Then we have, Marco, I guess we can call him the good guy but at the same time, a snake in the grass. Both characters were played flawlessly. You really felt that brotherly love that was consistently getting smothered with jealousy and resentment.
I have been saying this for years “Gomorra is the best mafia series in existence”. Yes, and I even mean The Sopranos. In fact, Gomorra is not only better than The Sopranos, it pisses all over it. It makes the Sopranos look like a comedy.
So violent, so unpredictable and so nail-bitingly tense! if somehow you’re reading this and haven’t seen it, then stop what you’re doing and start the Gomorra binge. I have to admit, I am a little jealous: I had to wait for 7-years for it to complete 5 seasons. You guys get to binge this all in a couple of days…because trust me, this is one hell of an addictive series, you won’t be able to stop.
I would like to thank everyone involved in this series for making the last 7-years of viewing such a memory. I will never forget the impact this series has had on me. And Just in case ANYONE who worked on the series reads this, please know that I and my colleagues sold so fkn many copies of this series in our job. Thanks for the memories.
As always thanks for reading.
Review by GG
