It is almost 18 years after the broadcast of the final episode, and yet there is an unhappy group that has still not seen a single episode of “The Sopranos”. We get it. Perhaps given the universal praise, the life (and perhaps the death?) Of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is a bit intimidating. And if you finally sit down to watch what many consider the biggest television program ever and think you don’t like it? What if it suffers from this classic disease of “taking a few episodes before it becomes good”? Well, don’t worry; After a thoughtful consideration and the Gabagool mountains, we carefully chose a quintet of ideal episodes of David Chase’s television masterpiece which will make you realize that nothing is more important than family and dreams of talking about fish.
From brutal treason moments to brilliantly funny autonomous episodes, these are five extra special chapters of what has become a must of the narration and changed the way television was made from that moment. Certainly, for the uninitiated, some of the entries on this list may include spoilers, but hey, Whadydy will do? We paid tribute to the boss and we made sure that this perfect lot of episodes will make you realize how much you missed. So, go a while with Tony and the family and see why “sopranos” is really the reference that only a handful has managed to meet since.
Pilot
It may be an easy choice, but there is no doubt that one of the best episodes to watch to get your land disposal in “The Sopranos” is the first. A little rough on the edges, this still has not prevented the initial introduction of Tony Soprano and his two families from being an episode that hung you.
From his private initial therapy session with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) to his obsession as a duck who would linger for the years to come, Tony’s vision on the world and his control on this subject were convincing from the start, just like the good, the bad and ugly characters who filled him. He highlighted the brilliantly duplicity relationship between him and the ancients that he was deeply busy. In addition to his junior uncle (Dominic Chianese) keeping a vigilant eye on his promising nephew and the struggle that takes place between them, the real threat was not the empire of the crowd of which he was a part, but the biggest villain of the show and undoubtedly one of the best televisions had the dissatisfaction to host: Nancy Marchand as Livia Soprano, Tony.
It is easy to see how Chase originally envisaged Livia Soprano as a source of endless problems for Tony until the premature death of merchant. In the first episode, we see the kind of trauma that she sparked on her son who would linger even after his death. This dynamic has proven that “sopranos” was much more than the crowd; These were families and fighter and fighter obligations that connect us to them, and that was just beginning.
Funhouse
Some of the greatest moments in the history of “sopranos” are when some of his best characters have come out for the count. Chase piled up the show with dream sequences that depict the fears and secrets of the captains and soldiers within the family of sopranos, who were rarely spoken with each other. An episode that manages it brilliantly is “funhouse”, which saw Tony succumb to food poisoning and dream of truths which until now, he had done his part to try to ignore. After having already released a rat earlier in the season, Tony accepted and later confirms that Pussy Bonpeniero (Vincent Pastore) is an informant working for the FBI, and treats it accordingly.
He marks the first significant choice made by Tony which would haunt him in the years that followed, sending his paranoia levels to new kingdoms each time a puff of the law was on him. It is also one of the most emotional outings of a character. It is a testimony of the series at this stage that, as much as the fate of Pussy was inevitable, it does not facilitate his death for the family, or we as viewers, demonstrating the masterful capacity of Chase to transform some of his most despicable characters in more sympathetic and to all the good guys who feel real losses when they meet their end.
Employee of the month
The most convincing element of the series was perhaps not the standard affairs of a boss of the crowd in difficulty, but the private thoughts and frustrations he shared with his therapist, Dr. Melfi. The more time has spent in this office, the more stubborn diapers, not only with Tony but also with the therapist who was both feared and fascinated by him. Of all the women who have entered and out of Tony’s life, Melfi’s relationship, in addition to that he shared with Carmela (Edie Falco), is the most intriguing to see, and did the most in the fourth heartbreaking episode of the perfect third season of the show, “employee of the month”. “”
So far, we had always had an overview of Melfi’s life, but here we spent the most time with her in one of her traumatized moments. After walking towards his car after work, Tony’s therapist is sexually assaulted by an unknown attacker, and in recovery, she fights with the choice of telling his patient what really happened. This would guarantee another type of justice, but it could also make it better than the monster it fights to tame every week. This leads to a perfectly dark end, highlighting Melffi’s place in Tony’s world and its lengths to keep its distances, no matter what it can mean for it in the long term.
Pinch
Ask any self -respecting fan what is their favorite episode of “The Sopranos”, and you can bet a frozen mustard package, he will say “Pine Barres”. Directed by Steve Buscemi (which would eventually appear in the series as Tony’s cousin, Tony Blundetto), it may well be the only episode necessary to really show someone, and they are guaranteed to have a few laughs during their discovery.
Playing like an episode of bottle, Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) are responsible for creating a collection that becomes uncontrollable. From there, they find themselves lost in the titular place after having failed to bury an error they made, which can only exacerbate things for Tony. While the night continues, things only get worse so that two of Tony’s most disastrous lackeys, who find themselves fighting for ketchup and packet flavor to move them forward. But with the hilarious moments that are sprinkled throughout the episode and bad communication between the three parties, more worrying details reveal what other problems have to face Tony.
As much as your ‘could have a dedicated operation under its arrangement, “Pine Barrens” provides the clearest image of some of its main actors and what they are really capable of when the worst arrives at the worst, and that some of the main members of the crime family are always at the end. Above all, it is also impressively one of the most appreciated questions of the series on the way in which a Russian interior decorator has escaped and has never been revised.
Whitecaps
Tony has a lot of plates to turn during her time as a boss, but the one who turns out to be the most difficult is to keep her job in “waste management” away from her family life. All this happens in a head in “Whitecaps”, where Tony and Carmela revel in their family and the foundations they have laid for themselves, only for this to emerge thanks to a drunk telephone call.
While Tony came out, Son Goomar avenger, Irina, phoned the sopranos residence and tells Carmela their long business to Carmela. The following is one of the most realistic explosive arguments between a couple never captured on the screen, bubbling with ferocity and hatred. It is a testimony not only of the constantly shiny performance of Gandolfini as Tony but also the ability of Edie Falco to do so by pushing the buttons of the other which is heartbreaking to see.
Rage, tears, spite and flood sorrow through one of the most impressive moments in the whole series, proving that “sopranos” is much more than a man married to the crowd. These are unhappy souls who are attracted to her world, and that includes the woman who can live in “this thing” as well as he can in the family which means most for him.
