Please post all grades, reviews, and general or abbreviated comments about the episode in this thread. Use individual threads for longer or more substantive thoughts/discussion points.

9 - great episode. Seemed to have the perfect balance of everything that makes The Sopranos an amazing show.

I give this episode an 8, though really it scores just a tad higher for me. It truly is the first Sopranos episode like the ones we come to expect later on. It doesn't just juggle two or three storylines - it juggles at least four. In it we have the deal with Titleman (sp?) and his very stubborn son-in-law (some great lines here, especially by Hesh.) The stuff about Meadow and Hunter trying to score meth so they can study (geez!). The major deterioration of Jackie (so sad, but "the party scene" was great.) The showcase of just how Carmela thinks about her lifestyle compared to others, with the especially telling line by Charmaine "We both made our choices - I'm fine with mine." The first signs that Tony feels guilty about the restaurant fire, and the great foodfight at the party, and of course, the fate of Brendan after Junoir decides to send a message (with the very chilling scene between Uncle June and Livia who basically gives the go ahead to hit Brendan by the shrug of her shoulders.)

That's a whole lot! And all of that in only about 45 minutes. If the show loses points at all, it might be because it wasn't longer (selfish, I know) but also that I never did care for the Meadow/Meth storyline since it doesn't seem to go anywhere. Also, as much as I love Elvis Costello and even "Complicated Shadows", the song somehow doesn't seem to be the best final song for a show that full. Seems a bit of a let down at the end after such a great ride.

What is so terribly shocking is that after this very full episode, we all know we get the very isolated and singular College next. What a study in contrast, and perhaps what made people really sit up and take notice of how truly special this program was. Overall, this was a great episode, but not every one of them can be a 10. So this gets bumped down to an 8 (really, more like an 8.5 )

Detective Hunt wrote:I give this episode an 8, though really it scores just a tad higher for me. It truly is the first Sopranos episode like the ones we come to expect later on. It doesn't just juggle two or three storylines - it juggles at least four. In it we have the deal with Titleman (sp?) and his very stubborn son-in-law (some great lines here, especially by Hesh.) The stuff about Meadow and Hunter trying to score meth so they can study (geez!). The major deterioration of Jackie (so sad, but "the party scene" was great.) The showcase of just how Carmela thinks about her lifestyle compared to others, with the especially telling line by Charmaine "We both made our choices - I'm fine with mine." The first signs that Tony feels guilty about the restaurant fire, and the great foodfight at the party, and of course, the fate of Brendan after Junoir decides to send a message (with the very chilling scene between Uncle June and Livia who basically gives the go ahead to hit Brendan by the shrug of her shoulders.)

That's a whole lot! And all of that in only about 45 minutes. If the show loses points at all, it might be because it wasn't longer (selfish, I know) but also that I never did care for the Meadow/Meth storyline since it doesn't seem to go anywhere. Also, as much as I love Elvis Costello and even "Complicated Shadows", the song somehow doesn't seem to be the best final song for a show that full. Seems a bit of a let down at the end after such a great ride.

What is so terribly shocking is that after this very full episode, we all know we get the very isolated and singular College next. What a study in contrast, and perhaps what made people really sit up and take notice of how truly special this program was. Overall, this was a great episode, but not every one of them can be a 10. So this gets bumped down to an 8 (really, more like an 8.5 )

I mostly agree with you on all your points here, Hunt. I, also, disliked the end song. Especially after all the montage of events with Christopher and Brendan, it just seemed out of place. I absolutely love the range of emotions that you see Tony's face go through during Meadow's concert scene. It really makes you appreciate the title of this episode because you literally watch him go from one mood to another. I know many of us have felt like this before, but watching someone pay attention to that sort of detail, is nothing short of amazing.

I enjoyed the hotel storyline, because, again, it puts Tony in an interesting position. Against someone who won't back down, based on principal. Just a great episode. On a side note, the episode that follows this is not College, it is Meadowlands, where we see the fallout from Uncle Jr's actions.

garthman00 wrote:On a side note, the episode that follows this is not College, it is Meadowlands, where we see the fallout from Uncle Jr's actions.

Doh! Good point. I knew it was coming up very soon. I still think it's interesting that they go to that stand-alone style so early in the shows history.

And the scene you mentioned of watching Tony's face -very good point. I also enjoyed how Carmela slowly but matter-of-factly pulls her hand from Tony's. Already, that little nugget Charmaine let out has started to irritate her. I truly wonder if the whole "Tony slept with Charmaine" issue will resurface once more in the final episodes. It certainly has had a long life through the seasons.

Detective Hunt wrote:Doh! Good point. I knew it was coming up very soon. I still think it's interesting that they go to that stand-alone style so early in the shows history.

And the scene you mentioned of watching Tony's face -very good point. I also enjoyed how Carmela slowly but matter-of-factly pulls her hand from Tony's. Already, that little nugget Charmaine let out has started to irritate her. I truly wonder if the whole "Tony slept with Charmaine" issue will resurface once more in the final episodes. It certainly has had a long life through the seasons.

Yeah, it is odd that they go to a stand-alone story. It almost makes me wonder if Chase originally wanted to do little mini-story-arcs and in between these arcs pepper in stand-alone stories. I think it fits well in the season, as it shows that you don't need to have drama-style plot lines to still have a great episode.

I am always surprised Carm never brought that up with Tony, or at least that we never saw it brought up. But, as always the Sopranos zigs when we expect it to zag. I think that is where alot of viewers get frustrated with this series. Pine Barrens is a good example, everyone expected a full-out war or some big repercussions due to that episode. And many people are dissappointed because there really was no repercussions, but if you think about it, that is what OTHER dramas would do. At it's best the Sopranos is amazingly unpredictable in a completely predictable fashion.

I just watched this episode on DVD again the other day, I always loved this episode. I give it a strong 9 out of 10. Brendan going against Christopher and deciding to jack Uncle Junior's truck anyway and how it sealed his fate. Love the scene where Livia practically gives Junior the nod to whack him without ever saying it, just the shrug of the shoulders. Then says how Christopher used to put up her storm windows, so he should get a pass. The hit on Brendan was well done, with Mikey Palmice practically just appearing in his bathroom. As was the look of satisfaction on Junior's face, standing outside the door as the hit takes place. Great conclussion to the episode as well with the cutbacks between Meadow's concert and the mock execution of Christopher. The great facial expressions of Tony during the play showed a wide range of emotion. The mock execution of Christopher at The Meadowlands really kick started the Tony/Uncle Junior war from season 1.

This episode also featured one of my favorite Paulie quotes ever. When talking to Hesh about the Hasids they recently went into buisness with, with the hotel. Paulie said, "Hasid 'em, but I don't believe 'em"

Junior's younger brother was Johnny Boy Soprano. As we later learned, Johnny Boy rose ahead of his brother in the business. In 1.03, Junior reaches out to Livia, Johnny Boy's widow, on advice about what to do with Christopher and Brendan. To me this is an interesting dynamic. Junior reaches out to Livia as almost a consigliere, as if to ask, what would Johnny Boy do? She knew how to answer in the coded / vague way that they speak. Per her advice, Christopher got sent a message, which probably left him sweating in his own "juices" on the dock. As to Brendan, he got the Moe Greene special. "Hi jacK? Bye, Jack."

I also give it an 8. I found the sub-plots concerning Teittleman and the downfall of Brendan very entertaining, but as others have said before me, with the saturation of numerous sub-plots all at once with the Meadow/Hunter one being especially over the top, I can't help but give it somewhat of a downgrade. What I found particularly interesting in the episode as I watch it a second time was Livia's advice to Junior about how to deal with Christopher and Brendan. She claims her reasoning for why Christopher should be let off "easier" is because of hers and Tony's love and affection for him. Yet considering her character, I can't help but wonder if she personally believed Christopher would suffer a severer punishment not just simply being whacked (Yes, there's no doubt that Brendan's murder was brutal, but for him it's quick and painless unlike for Christopher in comparison. Plus, Christopher is the one who will come across the gory scene of Brendan shot in the eye.) Likely this added to her self-importance as she was the one who was in control of the un/happiness of others yet again by advising Junior on what to do.

Considering Jackie Aprile dies in the next episode, I wish the character could've been featured in a few more episodes because then perhaps we'd get more of an insight of how Jackie related to the members of his crew and whatnot. I certainly see his early death allows for Tony to take on the role of "acting boss" of the family, which is very crucial in terms of how his life is shaped. I'm just musing about how we might have seen some of the DiMeo/Soprano family differently if we were privy to more mob interactions under Jackie.

I agree that it would've been nice to see more of Jackie as acting boss. After seeing what happens to the family in the wake of Tony's coma, I wonder if everyone has always been that dependent in the family. What if guys like Puss and Ralphie had lived? Would Tony be as needed? Did Tony just kill off everyone in the family that could actually handle his job, thus enabling him to be the only boss possibility? Hmm. This Ep gets a 9 in my book.