The Tournament: Vic versus Tony
Why am I doing this, might you ask? I don't usually interject my blogs with amusing pictures, but to expedite concision:
PERSEVORATE. PERSEVORATE.
On to the bloodshed. SPOILERS everywhere.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Pre-analysis, I'm leaning towards Vic. Tony Soprano has many more resources available to him than our favorite rogue authoritarian, but Vic is constantly grappling with people who has more resources than he does. Tony's comfortable. When he's not comfortable, he's being distracted by existential questions. This is not to say that's he's a lightweight, but his strength is sticking to a reasonable course of action that lets comparably-powerful but less levelheaded parties around him take each other out, while ignoring the collatoral damage to the little people. He either goes on the offensive very gradually, or, sometimes, very suddenly without thinking. Vic is hungrier, more used to going on the offensive, and better able to press the attack while withstanding pressure himself.
This is not to discount the possibility that Tony and Vic might not negotiate a way to live in peace. Vic comes to an arrangement with crooks all the time, and one of the main points of the end of "The Sopranos" (other than The Ending) is how even the feds were ultimately more willing to put up with Tony than bear the price of getting rid of him. There's even some precedent for Tony having a "dirty cop buddy" in season one. But even this scenario favors Vic in the long term. Tony is used to his accomodations lasting for years, while Vic's whole arc is the story of him sacrificing his allies one by one over a relatively brief period of time until he had no one left. Worse still, Vic is good at being a fake friend, and I could see his whole popular-jock-in-gym-class schtick going over really well with Tony. Vic, on the other hand, is never actually going to like Tony. Bad enough that he's a criminal that would inevitably act like he was Vic's peer at best, he's an affluent criminal who can put his loving family up in a house twice as big as anything Vic will ever be able to provide his kids. Vic is bad enough as a MacDuff. As an Iago, he could rip Tony to shreds.
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
Another point in Vic's favor is that any conflict between these two would pretty much have to take place in L.A. Tony has reasons to go out of town and Vic doesn't. This is kind of a shame in terms of dramatic opportunities, because as mentioned before part of Tony's style is to ignore the little people. Not only would this fire up Vic's self-righteous side (imagine him latching onto the poor stripper that went to Tony for help in season 3), it'd provide him from much ammunition. No way Adriana gets whacked if Vic was watching out for her.
But Vic works for the LAPD and has no reason to go on a road trip to New Jersey, so that means we're slotting Tony into the "crime boss from out of town" position, which is not a good place to be in The Shield's universe. In his defense, he could probably neutralize some of Vic's institutional advantages, if they happened to go at it at a point where Vic still had the hookup with the brass, and if Tony didn't get crowded out by one of the more powerful organized crime syndicates at play in LA. Which brings up another point, which is that while "the slow obsolesence of the Italian Mob" is a background theme in The Sopranos, the Mexican cartels are spreading like Kudzu throughout The Shield. Any kind of conflict with those guys, or the Armenians, or even some of the more aggressive Shield street gangs, is going to go badly for Tony. And setting up gang wars is a Vic Mackey specialty.
Also, god help Carmela and the kids if family gets involved. For all his faults, Tony isn't the kind of guy to immediately start threatening the other guy's wife and kids. It's not Vic's first choice either, but he'll get there pretty quick if his back is against a wall.
Is there any way to set it up so that Tony has a chance? One way to victory might be through Shane, if we set our conflict at a time when Shane is in the wind. But that never worked for even for more ruthless characters like Antwon and the Armenians. Vic's grip on Shane is just too strong. Another possibility is to have all this happen when Tony is still Underboss, and not quite as secure in himself. Maybe an ongoing conflict with a borderline-sociopath LAPD detective with a dedicated crew of his own would give him enough of a jolt to derail the rest of the arc we see on his own series. But this still makes Tony sound an awful lot like just another criminal, the kind the Strike team knock back every episode for breakfast.
CONCLUSION
Vic Mackey wins nine falls out of ten. Tony's the anaconda, Vic's the wolverine. Tony swallows, Vic tears his way back out through the stomach and still feels like lunch when he's finished.
Disagree? Pick a fight please. I want to get my nerd on here.
PERSEVORATE. PERSEVORATE.
On to the bloodshed. SPOILERS everywhere.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Pre-analysis, I'm leaning towards Vic. Tony Soprano has many more resources available to him than our favorite rogue authoritarian, but Vic is constantly grappling with people who has more resources than he does. Tony's comfortable. When he's not comfortable, he's being distracted by existential questions. This is not to say that's he's a lightweight, but his strength is sticking to a reasonable course of action that lets comparably-powerful but less levelheaded parties around him take each other out, while ignoring the collatoral damage to the little people. He either goes on the offensive very gradually, or, sometimes, very suddenly without thinking. Vic is hungrier, more used to going on the offensive, and better able to press the attack while withstanding pressure himself.
This is not to discount the possibility that Tony and Vic might not negotiate a way to live in peace. Vic comes to an arrangement with crooks all the time, and one of the main points of the end of "The Sopranos" (other than The Ending) is how even the feds were ultimately more willing to put up with Tony than bear the price of getting rid of him. There's even some precedent for Tony having a "dirty cop buddy" in season one. But even this scenario favors Vic in the long term. Tony is used to his accomodations lasting for years, while Vic's whole arc is the story of him sacrificing his allies one by one over a relatively brief period of time until he had no one left. Worse still, Vic is good at being a fake friend, and I could see his whole popular-jock-in-gym-class schtick going over really well with Tony. Vic, on the other hand, is never actually going to like Tony. Bad enough that he's a criminal that would inevitably act like he was Vic's peer at best, he's an affluent criminal who can put his loving family up in a house twice as big as anything Vic will ever be able to provide his kids. Vic is bad enough as a MacDuff. As an Iago, he could rip Tony to shreds.
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
Another point in Vic's favor is that any conflict between these two would pretty much have to take place in L.A. Tony has reasons to go out of town and Vic doesn't. This is kind of a shame in terms of dramatic opportunities, because as mentioned before part of Tony's style is to ignore the little people. Not only would this fire up Vic's self-righteous side (imagine him latching onto the poor stripper that went to Tony for help in season 3), it'd provide him from much ammunition. No way Adriana gets whacked if Vic was watching out for her.
But Vic works for the LAPD and has no reason to go on a road trip to New Jersey, so that means we're slotting Tony into the "crime boss from out of town" position, which is not a good place to be in The Shield's universe. In his defense, he could probably neutralize some of Vic's institutional advantages, if they happened to go at it at a point where Vic still had the hookup with the brass, and if Tony didn't get crowded out by one of the more powerful organized crime syndicates at play in LA. Which brings up another point, which is that while "the slow obsolesence of the Italian Mob" is a background theme in The Sopranos, the Mexican cartels are spreading like Kudzu throughout The Shield. Any kind of conflict with those guys, or the Armenians, or even some of the more aggressive Shield street gangs, is going to go badly for Tony. And setting up gang wars is a Vic Mackey specialty.
Also, god help Carmela and the kids if family gets involved. For all his faults, Tony isn't the kind of guy to immediately start threatening the other guy's wife and kids. It's not Vic's first choice either, but he'll get there pretty quick if his back is against a wall.
Is there any way to set it up so that Tony has a chance? One way to victory might be through Shane, if we set our conflict at a time when Shane is in the wind. But that never worked for even for more ruthless characters like Antwon and the Armenians. Vic's grip on Shane is just too strong. Another possibility is to have all this happen when Tony is still Underboss, and not quite as secure in himself. Maybe an ongoing conflict with a borderline-sociopath LAPD detective with a dedicated crew of his own would give him enough of a jolt to derail the rest of the arc we see on his own series. But this still makes Tony sound an awful lot like just another criminal, the kind the Strike team knock back every episode for breakfast.
CONCLUSION
Vic Mackey wins nine falls out of ten. Tony's the anaconda, Vic's the wolverine. Tony swallows, Vic tears his way back out through the stomach and still feels like lunch when he's finished.
Disagree? Pick a fight please. I want to get my nerd on here.