The Sopranos Season One, Episode by Episode Review

EDITOR'S NOTE: IF YOU DON"T CARE ABOUT MY RAMBLING PERSONAL STORY BELOW, SKIP TO THE FONT CHANGE AND CLEARLY MARKED EPISODE 1 REVIEW A FEW PARAGRAPHS DOWN, WHERE THE REVIEWS BEGIN

The Sopranos changed my life. As 1999, and the second half of my junior year of high school kicked off, I felt stuck and miserable. I was trying to pull myself out of a depression that began in 1998, and my restrictive home life and church life weren't helping. I should preface this by saying that I am a religious person, but the church I group up in wasn't religious per se, and more so a cult. My church life boiled down to my Uncle, the leader, and his strangely papal like edict to "Do as I say." At home, which wasn't even in the same town as the cult (we had to drive an hour to get to every special event and all three weekly church services), my mom was his enforcer, and I felt trapped, constantly monitored, and not free to just be a regular old high school junior. 

The final straw came on Valentine's Day, 1999, a Sunday night. I finally had my own car, and I was about to start a cashier job at my local grocery store, and yet here I was at a stupid church Valentine's Day banquet, wanting to jump out of my skin. The worst moment came late in the night, when my uncle angrily pulled me aside, told me I looked like a slob, and that I was bringing down the whole banquet. Finally, the event ended, and I went home. I was off the next few days for Mardi Gras, so I brought my backpack into my room and cleaned it out...and that's when I found the tape. 

I remembered my best friend Robbie handing the tape to me on the Friday two days before, right as school ended, his only comment, "You have to watch this." I looked out my door to make sure my mom and everyone else had gone to bed, then hit play on my VCR...and the rest is history. 

The next hour was one of the most formative of my life. After the famous HBO white noise logo came an incredible opening title sequence set to the A3 song, "Woke Up This Morning," then the words CREATED BY DAVID CHASE came onscreen before a logo that said THE SOPRANOS. The episode was "College," episode five from Season One, which had aired live the weekend before. My prevailing thoughts throughout this incredible hour of television were, this is deep, this is well made, this is the coolest thing I have ever seen, and this is for me. I had an epiphany.

It's not that I wanted to be a mobster or that I wanted to imitate the show's lead character, Tony Soprano, who is in truth a charming and charismatic sociopath. It's that I wanted to experience and live in the stuff I actually liked (stuff like The Sopranos), do what I actually wanted to do, and be who I actually wanted to be. If there was some dumb event for old people who thought I dressed like a slob, I wasn't going to go. I was going to do what I wanted to do. I was going to watch what I wanted to watch, even if I had to stay up late, when no one else in my house could see. And also, Robbie was going to have to start recording The Sopranos for me every week. 

Thankfully, Robbie obliged. He was a great friend, and I guess he is responsible for changing my life. Thanks, Robbie. Now, it's been exactly 25 years since that night The Sopranos came into my life. I've experienced some great shows, movies, and music since then, but nothing like I did in 1999, and nothing like The Sopranos. In honor of that night...

I'll be running the first season of The Sopranos throughout the rest of 1999, and will post a quick review of every individual episode on this very post. Each review will appear here on the first day of each month (two in November and December). I can't wait to watch and talk about these episodes. 

Lord above, things ain't been the same since The Sopranos walked into town...

EPISODE 1 -- "THE SOPRANOS"
Written and Directed by David Chase
Originally Aired: 1/10/1999

The genius of this series premiere comes in the way its first half is told in a completely different manner than the entirety of the next 85 episodes. Tony Soprano (portrayed through the greatest television performance in history by the late James Gandolfini), an underboss in the DiMeo crime family of New Jersey, introduces the viewer to his conflicting home and professional lives through voiceover. While voiceover can sometimes work as a storytelling cheat, it's employed at a top tier level of depth here. Tony has recently suffered from panic attacks, and his doctor has recommended he visit a therapist. Tony gives his new therapist the rundown of his life, and this is the voiceover that introduces viewers to The Sopranos world. Tony has a wife, Carmela, a teenaged daughter, Meadow, and a middle school-aged son, A.J. Tony also gives his therapist, Dr. Melfi, some details about his professional life. In more fun storytelling, Tony tells Melfi that his profession is in waste management, but as he gives her vague and false details, the imagery onscreen reveals Tony hanging out with his mobster subordinates, violently assaulting someone who owes his Mafia family money, and generally acting like a charismatic sociopath. Again, the storytelling technique here is genius, as it puts Tony on the same ground as the lead in films like Goodfellas through the voiceover, charmingly and magnetically pulling in the viewer, even as the show refuses to deny or sugarcoat who Tony actually is: a violent, evil man. Tony cares about his children, on some level even cares about the longsuffering Carmela, who he lies to and cheats on, and he is full of charismatic energy, but he's evil. The show is able to ride this line, keeping hold with Tony's charisma, while repulsing with his behavior, all the way until the series finale, eight years after the premiere. A little less than halfway through this first episode, Tony's first therapy session ends, and from that point on, the storytelling for the majority of the rest of the series is a traditional, yet highly complex, voiceover-free narrative. The complex relationships in Tony's professional life are further highlighted, and the tension and stress in his personal life come further to the fore, particularly the stress caused by Tony's forever dissatisfied, paranoid, and abusive mother, Livia. Beyond the voiceover, which again, only exists in the first half of the episode, the central framing device for this premiere are the ducks that visit Tony's home. Apparently, a pair of ducks visited Tony's pool, mated, produced ducklings, and then, much to Tony's dismay, learned to fly and left...which immediately precipitates Tony's first panic attack. It turns out, at least as deciphered through one of Tony's late-episode therapy sessions (he will visit Melfi consistently throughout the series), that Tony fears the dissipation of his family. Throughout this self-titled opening episode, Tony, through therapy and through Prozac, is able to get his mental health back on track and at least temporarily overcome his depression and panic attacks. By A.J.'s birthday party at episode's end, all seems right in Tony's world, but as Tony calls his eager family over to the grill to eat, the camera pans back to the image of an empty pool. Thus ends one of the greatest series premieres ever aired.

EPISODE 2 -- "46 Long"
Written by: David Chase; Directed by: Dan Attias
Originally Aired: 1/17/1999

"46 Long" deepens the world introduced by The Sopranos premiere. In Tony's professional life, his nephew Christopher and a bonehead friend knock off a DVD player truck, only to find that the trucking company was supposed to be under the protection of Tony's Uncle Junior, the acting mob boss...at least in name. Everyone knows Tony is actually in charge, but Tony has to pay his respects to Junior, meaning Christopher has to pay his respects to Junior. As Tony tries to work out these professional kinks that subtly intersect with his family life, one aspect of his family life threatens to overwhelm him and send him back into panic attacks. His mother is now beyond the point of taking care of herself, but still refuses Tony's overtures to send her to a retirement home, and vexes the poor in-home care woman brought in as a stopgap solution. Meanwhile, A.J.'s schoolteacher's car has been stolen, and Carmela suggests Tony use his resources to help...to which Tony agrees, after finding how low A.J.'s grade is in the teacher's class. "46 Long" is the only episode in The Sopranos entire run to feature a cold open, a scene that features Tony and his crew counting out money in the backroom of the Bing, their strip club headquarters, as a roundtable news program about the decline of the Mafia airs on the television in the background. This moment is not only humorously ironic (the Mafia may be in decline, but these guys are still rolling in dough), but also reflects the melancholy statement Tony makes to Dr. Melfi in the previous episode, that he's come into the Mafia at the end, when its best times are already over. This sentiment casts a mythic, almost Lord of the Rings epic feel to the show, and indeed the rest of this series has a strange nostalgia and wistfulness for the past, fitting for a series that got its start in 1999. This nostalgia/reflection of decline is further highlighted when two of Tony's soldiers, the irritable Paulie and the affable Big Pussy, visit a trendy coffee shop while on hunt for the missing car, and lament that Italians should have been the ones to popularize and profit from things like the cappuccino, that the wider world has benefitted from Italian cuisine, while Italians and Italian Americans have seen little of the reward. As for Melfi, she's continuously frustrated by Tony, as he vehemently defends his mother's goodness to her in their sessions, despite all evidence that she's an absolutely awful woman. By the end of the "46 Long," though, Livia finally ends up in a retirement community, Christopher and his friend don't get any smarter, and the teacher gets his car back...sort of.

EPISODE 3 -- "Denial, Anger, Acceptance"
Written by: Mark Saraceni; Directed by: Nick Gomez
Originally Aired: 1/24/1999

  
"Denial, Anger, Acceptance" starts to add additional balls to the show's narrative juggling act, expanding the perspective on Tony and his crew. A key aspect to the premiere I've saved to mention till now is Tony's relationship with his childhood friend, local restauranteur, Artie Bucco. When Tony finds that Junior plans to enact a hit in Artie's restaurant, Tony secretly has the restaurant burned down, to make sure Artie, who has no mob ties, doesn't have his reputation sullied. Tony believes insurance will take care of Artie, who has no idea that his friend is behind the arson, but insurance does not come through. In "Denial, Anger, Acceptance," Carmella decides to host a fundraising event at the Soprano home both catered by and benefitting Artie and his wife Charmaine. However, Carmella offends Charmaine by treating her like a servant, and after the event Charmaine confesses to Carmella that she slept with Tony during their teenage years. Meanwhile, Tony, against his Jewish advisor Hesh's advice, gets involved in a squabble between a Hasidic Jewish man, and his son-in-law, the latter believing he is owned a large stake in the family-owned motel in his divorce from the older man's wife. Tony thinks that he and his mob crew can get their own stake in the motel, but he soon gets more than he bargained for, when the son-in-law proves to be tough, principled, and unafraid of beatings or death. This level of mortal fortitude clashes against a new mental crisis Tony is facing. While waiting to begin a session with Melfi, Tony notices a painting of a barn and gets hung up on what he perceives as a rotting tree, angrily confronting Melfi, as he thinks she is trying to mess with his head. In truth, Tony is only observing the rot in himself, reflected when he repeatedly visits acting mob boss, Jackie Aprile, in the hospital. Jackie, for whom Junior is only filling in, is suffering from cancer, and Tony struggles to understand why Jackie is more concerned about dying from cancer than he is about hearing Tony's goofy stories and offers of a Bada Bing stripper. Tony, deep down, suspects that there is something missing inside of him, a genius move by the show to make Tony feel more relatable, as most people feel that way at some point in life, though in Tony's case, it turns out that thing is a true human conscience, as Tony is a sociopath. The final ball here (I said this show is doing some serious juggling!) involves both Christopher and Meadow. Meadow, struggling to keep up with her demanding school and choir schedule, asks Christopher for speed (the drug, not the awesome Keanu Reeves movie), but Christopher fears Tony's wrath if the imposing uncle were to discover that Little Chrissy is supplying his daughter with drugs. Christopher's girlfriend, Adriana, convinces Christopher that Meadow is better off getting the drugs from him, as Meadow may be harmed buying drugs on the street. Unbeknownst to Christopher, Junior is still fuming about the previous episode's truckjacking, and after consulting with Livia, has decided to have Christopher's dumb friend, Brendan, murdered, and Christopher violently warned. Unfortunately, Christopher AND Junior's men aren't too bright, and Christopher leaves the harrowing encounter thinking that Tony sent the men to punish him for giving drugs to Meadow. Christopher is the last thing on Tony's mind, though, as our nerve wracked protagonist has been consumed with his strange feelings, as well as the Hasidic motel crisis, which is only solved by a threatened castration. The episode miraculously brings all of its strings together for a beautiful musical closing (I'm dropping the juggling metaphor for music), as Tony, trying to make sense of his unmoored feelings, arrives at Meadow's performance just in time to see her choir solo. As he sits, Carmella subtly brushes his hand away. Meadow nails her solo, and all seems perfect, a picturesque barn in a field...until we see Meadow in closeup, sweating out the amphetamines. 

EPISODE 4 -- "Meadowlands"
Written by: Jason Cahill; Directed by: John Patterson
Originally Aired: 1/31/1999

After the loftier, more metaphysical storytelling of the previous episode, "Meadowlands" employs a different, decidedly more down-to-earth approach. A panicking, neck-braced Christopher discovers the dead Brendan, panics more, then picks Meadow up from school and freaks out on her. However, after "talking" to her, it slowly dawns upon the dimwitted nephew that Tony has nothing to do with his recent troubles. Tony is dealing with his own paranoia, though. First he has a nightmare that his crew catch him going to therapy; then they almost do accidentally catch him there in real life, as Tony's consigliere, Silvio, goes to the dentist next door and nearly passes him in the hallway (Tony, made man, humorously hides out in a stranger's office!). Unfortunately, Tony's paranoia about therapy negatively effects Melfi, as Tony sends a dirty cop on his payroll to tail her. The wild card cop takes the task a little too seriously, and ruins the clueless Melfi's current romantic relationship, by violently interrupting one of her dates. Meanwhile, Christopher realizes that Junior and his soldier, Mikey, are responsible for Brendan's death, as well as Christopher's own assault. A hyperemotional Little Chrissie then informs Tony and the crew, wanting them to go to war with Junior. Tony says he'll handle it and confronts Junior (after beating up Mikey, his pale competitor), but the wily uncle angrily dismisses Tony's complaints. It seems like all out war might really be coming... and then Jackie dies. Instead of giving in to his paranoia over therapy, Tony continues to attend his sessions at Carmela's insistence, and finds that he's inadvertently receiving some great work advice from Melfi...i.e. meaning, despite her best intentions, Melfi is essentially acting as a mob counselor, or in this case, Tony's second consigliere. After Tony tells Melfi he's struggling with his elderly uncle (without giving her the full context), Melfi suggests giving Junior the allusion of control, which will then make the old man much more amiable and easier to deal with. Tony then goes back to Junior and lets him know that he won't challenge him for Jackie's throne. Instead, he'll show Junior his full support...with the caveat that Junior will gift Tony's crew a couple of Junior's financial operations. Junior excitedly agrees, and the beef seems squashed. Tony's crew are confused and conflicted with this outcome, until Tony explains its benefits: Junior and his crew will get all the stress of leadership, while Tony and his crew will reap all the financial rewards. Tony's crew may have respected him before, but now they think he's a genius. Thanks, Melfi! However, "Meadowlands," more than any episode yet, shows how Tony's family life is intertwining with his "family" life. Anthony Junior receives some extended screen time this episode, getting quality time with his father at home, but struggling with a bully at school. However, before a scheduled after-school fight, the bully mysteriously tucks his tail between his legs and makes peace. A confused A.J. tells Meadow, who then explains to A.J. what their father actually does for a living. The episode culminates in Jackie's funeral, where both families come together, and A.J., after a knowing look from Meadow, notices the government agents taking pictures of the funeral attendees from a distant fence line. Maybe dad's not actually in waste management? At this moment, after hitting viewers more directly for an hour, The Sopranos subtly sneaks in a metaphoric image that sums up the entire series: the full cast of characters moves slowly amongst aging tombstones, in a worn, isolated graveyard, dealing with drama inherent to their way of life, as authority changes hands, a son realizes the truth about his father, and a leader is put to rest...but in the background, on an elevated freeway, traffic--and the rest of the world--speeds along.

EPISODE 5 -- "College"
Written by: James Manos Jr. and David Chase; Directed by: Allen Coulter
Originally Aired: 2/7/1999

And here it is, my first episode of the series, and serendiptiously perhaps an even better starting point for the series than the pilot. This is the episode that drew the biggest raves at the time, and made my friend Robbie think, Nic has to start watching this. Holy cow, am I glad he did. The plot here is simple and action-oriented, perhaps why the episode is such a great point to jump into the series. As "College" begins, Tony is taking Meadow on a college tour through Maine. This provides ample opportunity for Meadow to finally confront her father about his line of work. Tony is shifty and deceptive before finally admitting that "okay, maybe some of my professional life is below the board." While Tony isn't even in the orbit of entirely honest with her, just the simple admission that maybe he is involved in a little illegal behavior is enough inspiration for Meadow to confess that she took drugs back in "Denial, Anger, Acceptance." Tony is at first furious, but eventually these two minor confessions are enough to bond the two characters together...just in time for Tony to notice an old foe who had entered witness protection, and is apparently now living in rural Maine. Thus the A plot of the episode begins, as the vast majority of "College" revolves around Tony and "Febby," who once ratted out several of Tony's mafia colleagues, and the duo's game of cat-and-mouse. This is suspenseful, cinematic stuff, as the viewer sees things from both characters' voyeuristic perspectives, Tony and "Febby" stalking one another through the rural wilds of Maine. Meanwhile, in the B story, an ill and lonely Carmella is visited by Father Phil, the family priest. Melfi calls the Soprano house to reschedule Tony's upcoming appointment, and Carmela instantly assumes, now that she's discovered Tony's therapist is a woman, that Tony is sleeping with her. Carmela takes living room communion with Father Phil, admits her guilt over profiting from Tony's unsavory profession, the two get drunk on the wine, watch a movie, and fall asleep next to each other. Phil wakes up woozy in the morning and the two nearly kiss, before the priest resists and apologizes, making things awkward and unsatisfying for both as he leaves, his car having been visibly parked in the Soprano driveway all night. Meanwhile, after continuously ditching a suspicious Meadow to stalk his prey, Tony strangles Febby to death. He picks up a now angry Meadow and is able to spin lie after lie to her about where he's been, why his shoes are muddy, why his hand is cut. She knows he isn't being honest, and the newfound trust between the two seems to sink before the ship has even left port. They arrive home, and Tony is angered by the fact that the priest spent the night with Carmella, though she insists, truthfully, that at least on a physical level, nothing happened. She then mentions Melfi called, a tit for tat comment to hurt Tony for hurting her about Father Phil. Thus the episode ends, with no one truly happy, and honesty in this family feeling like a dream that will never be realized. Of course, this is already perfectly illustrated in metaphor minutes earlier in the episode. As Tony successfully murders Febby and stumbles away, a family of ducks take off and fly overhead for paths unknown, a rewarding moment for those who've watched the show from the beginning, and a ponderous one that will inspire the new viewer to watch the previous four episodes.

EPISODE 6 -- "Pax Soprano"
Written by: Frank Renzulli; Directed by: Alan Taylor
Originally Aired: 2/14/1999

If one were to consider "College" as a sort of second pilot for The Sopranos, as an episode to get viewers' feet wet, then "Pax Soprano" is a glorious deep dive into The Sopranos pool. The opening imagery is the show in all its aesthetic glory, as Mikey leads some of Junior's crew into a smoky backroom to violently bust up an unsanctioned card game. Junior has decided to gain respect through power, and is now forcing everyone below him to pay up. The capos around Tony feel disrespected, but when Hesh is forced by Junior to pay a heavy, unfair back tax, Tony finally decides to take action. Unfortunately, action is something Tony is apparently not currently capable of, as he can't get an erection with his mistress or Carmela, and blames his Prozac prescription. However, Tony is having sex dreams about Melfi every night, so he decides to pursue his unsuspecting therapist in real life. Tony, in a session, declares his love for Melfi, but she accurately assesses that Tony has transferred his love for the other women in his life to her, because she is the one he has been emotionally baring his soul too. Carmela has confided to poor, unrequited Father Phil that she doesn't really mind Tony's quiet affairs, as long as she feels like she is loved first, and in a climactic, peaceful poolside reconciliation, the two declare their renewed love and commitment to one another. Meanwhile, Tony, after involving New York underboss, Johnny Sack, in mediation, convinces Junior that he'll have more success as a ruler if he shares the wealth with those below him, rather then bleeding them dry. Junior affectionately agrees, showing respect for his nephew, and allows the capos to split Hesh's generously lowered back tax. Tony visits Hesh at Hesh's ranch, and after an enjoyable conversation, gifts his share of Hesh's back tax...back to Hesh. All seems right in The Sopranos world, and yet the only thing more satisfying than this gentle wash of peaceful catharsis to close this first half of the season is "Pax Soprano"'s brilliant postscript scene. To the hypnotic beat of an Xzibit "Paparazzi" instrumental (which in turn samples "Pavane"), the mobsters all toast Junior at a special dinner in his honor. Unbeknownst to these made men, the waiters have cameras in their name tags, and the pictures are headed straight to the FBI, who have a massive, pyramidal photo wall of the entire DiMeo crime family, where they've recently placed Junior at the top...and moved Tony up right below him.

EPISODE 7 -- "Down Neck"
Written by: Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess; Directed by: Lorraine Senna
Originally Aired: 2/21/1999

The Sopranos picks the exact midpoint of its first season to dive back into the past. "Down Neck" features numerous flashbacks to Tony Soprano's childhood, which reflect on how the character became the man he is in the present, as well as how that man perceives himself. The stimulus for this deep dive is young Anthony Junior's struggles at school, as Tony's son gets caught stealing the sacramental wine from his Catholic School sanctuary. Carmela, ever the hypocrite, blames Tony and his immoral line of work, nevermind the fact that Carmela herself has greatly benefitted from that line of work. One thing that unites Tony and Carmela though, is a distrust for the school's diagnosis of possible A.D.D., though they agree to A.J. being tested for the disorder. After a disastrous family dinner, where a visiting Livia and Junior reminisce about young Tony's bad behavior, emboldening A.J. to act out even more, an already suspended A.J. is grounded, and Junior, to no one's notice, is offended by Tony's tone to him, while also showing the first signs that his mind might not quite be operating correctly. This being The Sopranos and not a lesser show, the subsequent flashback exploration of Tony's past is complex and multifaceted, made further elaborate through Tony's own interpretation of these events during "Down Neck"'s sessions with Melfi. It turns out that Tony's father was a violent mobster who seemed to favor Tony's sister. Tony witnessed his father brutally beat a man on the street, and later get arrested during a less than savory meeting at a theme park...only to come home scot-free before Tony's bedtime. The most shocking moments in these flashbacks, though, come through Tony's interactions with his mother, who seems to have been a sociopathic nihilist from the start. Livia constantly berates Tony's father and Tony, and at one point threatens to gouge out a young and fairly innocent Tony's eyes with an enormous, sharpened fork. Tony downplays his mother's actions to a shocked and slack-jawed Melfi, though it's clear Tony's childhood was nurture free, and a likely incubator for his own sociopathy. Meanwhile, a punished Anthony Junior is forced to visit Livia at her retirement community, where he accidentally lets slip that his father is seeing a therapist...a moment of no small consequence. A.J. is finally tested and found to be borderline A.D.D., a result Tony and Carmela angrily reject. Again, in true Soprano's fashion, Tony actually makes some valid, convincing points against the diagnosis, while  also actively rejecting any beneficial assistance that diagnosis may offer...in other words, he acts like Tony Soprano. Earlier in the episode, Tony and A.J. have a moment of bonding, where they finally talk about Tony's line of work. Unsurprisingly, Tony lies about himself when Jackie's funeral is mentioned, calling the deceased man "complicated," and different from Tony. The episode closes with our central character vowing to have a different relationship with A.J. than he did with his own father. After all, Tony's father's name was Johnny, and Tony isn't a junior like his own son. In the final scene, Tony shows affection and perceived forgiveness to A.J., as the two share a late night carton of ice cream...and a non self-aware Tony fails to make the connection that on the night his father showed up home from prison, he arrived with a carton of ice cream for young Tony in hand. Tony may be no Junior...but his middle name is still John. 

EPISODE 8 -- "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti"
Written by: David Chase and Frank Renzulli; Directed by: Timothy Van Patten
Originally Aired: 2/28/1999

"The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" deepens The Sopranos' cinematic aspirations, essentially (and successfully) positing that each near-hour-long episode contains the quality and storytelling of a feature-length film. The episode opens up at a gangster's daughter's wedding, with most of our characters in attendance. Word comes down that the FBI is about to begin raids, and everyone clears out to get home and clean things up, leaving the bride in tears. The rumors hit television news, and it seems that the media mentions everyone...but a furious Christopher, whose lack of mention sends him toward an existential crisis. Meanwhile, Melfi lets slip that she's seeing a Mafia client, and her Italian family all have a take, particularly her ex-husband, who thinks that she should drop Tony from her clientele, immediately. In fact, her ex reasons something that will become key at the very end of the series, eight years later: Therapy can't help a sociopath. You're just enabling him to become a better sociopath. The show needs to then remind the audience of just how seductive a character this sociopath is, and proceeds to make Tony look as cool as humanly possible for the next 40 minutes. In a brilliant shot, the camera focuses on Livia's assisted living center. Suddenly, Tony pulls up with the window down, and the shot perfectly frames his face, as if he's a supernatural being who's been conjured. Most movies would kill for a shot that cool. Then, to a gnarly hip-hop instrumental, Tony hides guns and tons of cash in Livia's closet, while she's out with Carmela. Livia will later leak to Junior that Tony is in therapy, but tells the aging boss, while clearly meaning the opposite, "I don't want there to be any repercussions." Meanwhile, Christopher is losing it, having nightmares about a man he killed earlier in the season, and wondering what the point of living even is if you "have no character arc." He moves the body, then mopes around in his apartment over his unfinished, awful screenplay, where the none of the characters have arcs either. His ill-temper climaxes when he shoots a hapless bakery clerk in the foot for making him wait too long. Several fellow gangsters try to get him to snap out of it, but none as successfully as his uncle. After yet another hyper-cool shot of Tony, this time waiting for his nephew by a fence, Christopher picks up his uncle and at first receives some tough, angry, violent love, then commiseration, as Tony has gone through the same type of depression. Maybe now, Christopher will get over not being mentioned in the news. The FBI shows up to a Sopranos house that's as clean as a whistle, causing Tony to miss his session with Melfi. He and his family have a discussion about what it means to be an Italian-American, as does Melfi's family, as the news of Melfi treating Tony turns their talk toward the Mafia (this Dago enjoyed those conversations). Melfi decides she'll keep seeing Tony, then immediately regrets it when Tony angrily scoffs at having to pay a fee for missing their previous session, throwing bills at her like she's a prostitute or a stripper, and charging out. Meanwhile, Christopher is overjoyed when his name finally appears in a newspaper Mafia article. He grabs every copy he can, happily drives away, and in an absolutely perfect moment that cements this as one of the greatest debut seasons of any show, even with five episodes still to go, Cake's hyper-cool song, "Frank Sinatra," spy guitar, trumpet, etc. plays over the end credits, first verse essentially a mantra for the entire series:

"We know of an ancient radiation

That haunts dismembered constellations

A faintly glimmering radio station

While Frank Sinatra sings "Stormy Weather"

The flies and spiders get along together

Cobwebs fall on an old skipping record"

EPISODE 9 -- "Boca"
Written by: Jason Cahill, Robin Green, and Mitchell Burgess; Directed by: Andy Wolk
Originally Aired: 3/7/1999

As The Sopranos first season approaches its final arc, "Boca" trusts that viewers have bought in enough to follow the show wherever it wants to go, and also can keep up with the lives of its myriad characters. Hence the main plotlines here are essentially "Meadow Soprano plays soccer" and "Junior Soprano doesn't want anyone to know that he performs cunnilingus on his girlfriend," and the show somehow vitally involves nearly every character, while also successfully moving the overarching narrative of the season and overall show forward. In "Boca," Tony and his friend group, essentially just his fellow mobsters and Artie, all have kids on the high school soccer team, and they're all highly invested in this, as the team has been winning under its hotshot coach...and then the coach announces he's quitting for a college gig. Meanwhile, Junior heads to Boca Raton, Florida with his secretary girlfriend, Bobbi. Bobbi is head-over-heels for Junior, as the old man apparently knows what he's doing in the bedroom, particularly when it comes to oral sex. However, Junior makes sure to let Bobbi know that under no circumstances can she tell anyone about this, as the fact that he gives oral sex will make him look weak among his mobster subordinates. Bobbi blabs anyway, and the news reaches Carmela, who then jokes about it to Tony. Meanwhile, the mobsters' gifts to the soccer coach aren't working--he still wants to leave. The coach even turns down their big screen TV. Things come to a head when one of the soccer players, Ally, who seems particularly distraught lately, tries to slash her wrists. At the same time, Meadow's been mouthing off to the coach and threatening to quit. Tony is incensed at Meadow's behavior, but then she lets the truth out: teenaged Ally has been sleeping with the coach, and she had slashed her wrists because she didn't want to be without him. Now Tony and his crew's attention goes from getting the coach to stay, to murdering him. Tony's stress over the matter boils over on the golf course with Junior, and Tony lashes out by humiliating his uncle with cunnilingus jokes. A furious Junior promptly breaks up with and fires Bobbi, and in a scene that rides the line perfectly between sad and kind of hilarious, shoves a pie (that she'd made for their planned date that night) into the sobbing woman's face. However, compared to Tony, she gets off easy. In the golf course locker room, Junior rants about the disrespectful Tony to his slimy, plotting sidekick, Mikey, even spilling the secret that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist. Mikey, Tony's nemesis (at least in Mikey's mind), encourages Junior's fears that Tony will blab Mafia secrets, an even rawer spot now that Junior has been betrayed by his mistress. Junior finally vocalizes what he may have been thinking for months: Tony needs to be whacked. Little does Junior know, Tony is preoccupied over whether or not he should be doing some whacking himself (I'm not apologizing for this sentence)--the pedophile soccer coach has got to die. While Tony has been hinted to not have a conscience in his mind, he does have an exterior one in the form of a friend...Chef Artie Bucco. Artie's wife, Charmaine, rides the line throughout the series as a nagging shrew and a voice of moral reason, but the fact of the matter is, she only seems like a shrew because the evil Tony is so likable. When Charmaine hears that the mobsters might murder the soccer coach, she pushes just the right buttons with Artie. Artie thinks it would be weak to let the coach get away with his evil deeds, but Charmaine tells Artie that she loves and married him because he's actually stronger than the mobster friends he's been surrounded by his entire life; Artie could have been weak and taken the easy path by joining them in their criminal enterprise, but he instead made the tougher, stronger decision to live an honest, honorable life, above board. Artie knows Charmaine is right, and boldly confronts Tony at his Bada Bing headquarters, insisting that Tony should let the law handle the coach. Tony aggressively threatens Artie (giving him a terrifying "Who do you think you are coming in here?!") and throws him out of the Bing, but that night, instead of having the coach murdered, Tony tells his associates to let him live, then gets blackout drunk, and stumbles home. Tony crashes into furniture, as a hapless Carmela tries to get him to bed. The drunk Tony then falls onto the coach, laughing hysterically, babbling maniacally. Meadow looks on from upstairs, realizing her father has, against his nature, done the right thing. However, it becomes clear just how wrongly wired Tony's sociopathic mind is--for most people, doing the right thing in not murdering someone is a clear choice, and something so obvious it needs no celebration. In Tony's case, it nearly breaks him.

EPISODE 10 -- "A Hit Is a Hit"
Written by: Joe Bosso and Frank Renzulli; Directed by: Matthew Penn
Originally Aired: 3/14/1999

"A Hit Is a Hit" might not be the strongest episode in The Soprano's first season, but it does explore some interesting thematic territory. The episode kicks off with a scene that allows the rest of the episode to breathe more freely than most. Tony's crew robs and kills a Columbian drug dealer, only to find that the dealer was sitting on a massive pile of cash. The crew divvy it out and find that they've all got more money than they know what to do with. Tony decides he'll relax a bit and try to schmooze with his "meddigan" neighbor, Dr Cusamano. A "meddigan" can refer to either a non-Italian, or an Italian who doesn't act like an Italian, and Cusamano's last name might as well be Smith or Johnson. Tony has some affection for Cusamano, his family doctor, as he originally recommended that Tony seek therapy from Melfi. Cusamono suggests the two play golf at the country club--Tony has never played there, as he's only played on the public course. However, an excited Tony is soon dismayed to find that Cusamano's golfing friends are as meddigan as it gets, as Smith or Johnson as possible, and they've only brought him golfing to get Mafia stories out of him and poke fun at his expense. This is a genius move by the show to further humanize the sociopathic Tony, as feeling like a fish-out-of-water is universal, and as Tony began this very episode profiting off of murder, The Sopranos has to make a concentrated effort to keep the audience invested in him. "A Hit Is a Hit" does that, even putting a trademarked "Tony is so cool" cherry on top when Tony fills up a box of sand and gives it to Cusamano at episode's end, telling the doctor that he needs to hang on to it for Tony for a while, but not to open it. Cusamano and his wife end the episode fearfully staring at the box, thinking it's drugs or guns, wondering what they've gotten into. This storyline features a bonus Melfi tangent, as she attends a (Tony-free) dinner at the Cusamano's place and acts as audience surrogate as the clueless meddigans talk about Tony. Melfi also spots Tony's house from the Cusamano bathroom window (being that she's next door and the Cusamano's have mentioned that he lives there), though she also hears a strange grunting scream ring out through the cushy neighborhood night. Meanwhile, after Junior's decision to whack Tony in the previous episode, one would think the "Hit" in this episode's title would refer to a hit on Tony. Indeed, the threat of that hangs over this entire 53 minutes. However, the title actually refers to the bizarre Christopher and Adriana A-story. The duo befriend a famous rapper (played by a fun Bokeem Woodbine) at the start of "A Hit Is a Hit," while waiting in line at a restaurant. A tangent from this leads to the episode's C-story, where the rapper insists Hesh pay reparations to the widow of a singer he once swindled out of royalties. Hesh does give this a thought before then threatening to countersue, after he discovers the rapper sampled some of Hesh's label's own material without asking. Hesh and Tony's crew balk when the rapper calls and says he'll see Hesh in court, the Italian mobsters laughing at the rapper for being a "gangster" who threatens to use the law to get what he wants. This raises an interesting parallel with Tony's storyline, as Tony is the new money among the meddigans, and the rapper is the new gangster among the Mafia men. In the meantime, Christopher and Adriana's A-story is yet another tale of someone naive and inexperienced entering new territory, as Christopher decides to put a chunk of his heist cash toward Adriana's dream of music producing. Adriana wants to help her ex-boyfriend, Richie, a newly sober, mopey singer-songwriter, to make an album, but unfortunately for her, Richie and his band kind of stink, even if the new rapper friend says otherwise. The best part of this storyline is Christopher's complete lack of self-awareness, as the aspiring writer--who has meagre talent and can't finish anything himself--rages against the young musician's costly lack of studio progress, demanding that Richie fall off the wagon to assist his work, and smashing a guitar on Richie's head when Richie refuses to snort coke. In the end, Hesh confirms Christopher's suspicions: the young musician and his band just aren't very good. Christopher breaks the news to Adriana, also informing her that the rapper has only encouraged her and the young band because he wants to get in Adriana's pants (which she seldom wears in "A Hit Is a Hit"). Adriana storms out, dreams dashed. This storyline on one hand feels a frivolous, but on the other feels like more than meets the eye, considering everything surrounding it. "A Hit Is a Hit" features multiple instances of people trying to jump ahead to their goal: Adriana's music producing, Richie's rock stardom, the rapper presumably trying to get into Adriana's pants and also to get a big payday out of Hesh. However, "A Hit Is a Hit" ends with an explanation of the noises Melfi heard. After gleefully duping his meddigan neighbors, Tony heads down to the basement. He lies on a weight bench and starts lifting, grunting loudly with each rep, revealing that he makes the noises Melfi heard earlier. Sure Tony is a sociopath, and sure Tony is outside of the law, but he is near the top of his profession, having worked his way up, and he is now patiently waiting his turn until Junior is out of the way, and he can finally be boss. As Tony lets out these primal screams that likely both speak to the human condition and to the way Tony is a monster who is slightly beyond that condition, Tony is the only lead character in this episode's central storylines who is sticking to the grind...and he's the The Sopranos' antihero for good reason.

EPISODE 11 -- "Nobody Knows Anything"
Written by: Frank Renzulli; Directed by: Henry J. Bronchtein
Originally Aired: 3/21/1999

"Nobody Knows Anything" begins on a lighter note before turning deadly serious. Pussy is at the club of fellow mobster, Jimmy Altieri, when the FBI busts in and discovers a stash of guns. In a moment played for laughs, the very large and not very agile Pussy tries to run away, but throws out his back. He's released on bail, and returns to much ball busting. However, Tony quickly stops smiling when Vin, the dirty cop who's helped him throughout the season, tells Tony that Pussy was released so quickly because Pussy's working with the FBI, and wearing a wire. Tony can't believe this, especially considering Vin can't prove it with an official report, but also finds he can't just let it go. Tony visits Pussy, whose back now hurts so badly he can't make his money collection runs and is laid up at home, but can't tell if Pussy is acting strangely because of pain, or because he really is working with the FBI. Using an unwitting, but certainly not uncooperative Melfi as a sounding board, Tony learns that Pussy's pain may be caused by stress...like the stress of wearing an FBI wire. However, Paulie, who recommended a back doctor to Pussy, tells Tony that the doctor says there's nothing wrong with Pussy's back. Tony commands Paulie to discover if Pussy is wearing a wire for certain, and to take the necessary measures if so. Paulie takes Pussy to a bathhouse so the latter can rest his back, and Paulie can see if a shirtless Pussy has a microphone taped to his chest. However, a belligerent Pussy tells Paulie he won't take his shirt off, as the doctor has told him steam is actually bad for his back, growing more defiant the more Paulie insists. Meanwhile, Silvio does some digging of his own, and reveals to Tony that Vin owes Pussy $30,000 in gambling debts...a great reason to set up Pussy's murder. A conflicted Tony heads home for a family dinner, only for Jimmy Altieri to show up at the door. "Uncle Jimmy" as AJ calls him, asks Tony if they can talk somewhere private, and upon the two going down to the basement, proceeds to grill Tony with questions about the Columbian heist in the previous episode, making it clear that Jimmy is actually the one wired by the FBI. Immediately fearing that Paulie may have killed an innocent and now missing Pussy on Tony orders, Tony calls an emergency meeting at a closed Satriale's, a meat market hangout owned by his crew. Silvio is waiting, but Paulie is running late. Paulie is stuck in traffic, traffic jams a running theme throughout the episode, paralleling the way Tony feels stuck in indecision. In a moment that features some of the show's best performances of both James Gandolfini, and Paulie actor, Tony Sirico, Paulie finally walks in, only to be grabbed, shoved and accosted by Tony, who demands to know if Paulie has killed Pussy (as serious as this moment is, the writers also inject some subtle humor involving the missing mobster's name). Paulie makes clear that he hasn't murdered their friend and associate, and a relieved Tony tells Paulie that Jimmy is the rat, though when Paulie mentions that Pussy refused to take his shirt off at the bathhouse, it seems, due mostly to Gandolfini's incredible skills, that Tony knows deep down that Pussy is also a rat. To make matters even more inconclusive, Vin is busted at a bordello, and after leaving lockup and getting stuck in yet another episode traffic jam, gets out of his car and jumps off a bridge to his death. With Pussy missing, Tony descends into a depression of fear and doubt, visiting a bridge himself and staring off into the sunset as another stupendous needle drop hits, this time the sad, foreboding tones of the Latin Playboys' "Manifold de Amour." At the same time, the episode's brief B story boils over. Livia, slowly revealing herself to be the most evil monster in The Sopranos' world, fumes over Tony selling her old home. She goads a visiting Junior, telling him that Tony has been moving other mobsters' mothers into the retirement home, so Tony can hold secret meetings with their sons and plot against him. As Livia makes a subtle evil smirk, showing that the sadistic, greatest joy in her life is exacting pain upon her son, Junior solidifies his plans against Tony. He tells Mikey and another loyal underling, Chucky Signore, that it's time to find hitmen. As Tony watches the sun set in despair, Mikey gleefully tells his wife to get ready: everything is about to change.

EPISODE 12 -- "Isabella"
Written by: Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess; Directed by: Allen Coulter
Originally Aired: 3/28/1999
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