The Sopranos Episode That Makes Fans Cringe

by

Without a doubt, HBO’s The Sopranos is considered one of the best and most impactful TV series ever created. The story revolves around Tony Soprano, a family head and mob boss, brilliantly portrayed by the late James Gandolfini. The series delves into the ruthless world of the New Jersey mafia, as well as Tony’s complex relationships with his family, therapist, and fellow gangsters. Throughout its six-season run, The Sopranos generated numerous critically-acclaimed episodes such as “College,” “Pine Barrens,” and the much-discussed finale, “Made in America.

Despite boasting a total of 86 episodes, it was inevitable that this series would sometimes fall short. While opinions among critics and fans on the show’s best episode vary, there seems to be widespread agreement on its weakest: the third episode in the fourth season, titled “Christopher,” which has been criticized as the show’s lowest point by film critics Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall in their book, “The Sopranos Sessions“. This episode, penned by Michael Imperioli (who portrays Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti), delves into the contentious legacy of explorer Christopher Columbus and his holiday. However, many reviews found its handling of the topic to be superficial and awkward.

An Unusual Episode

A significant issue with this particular episode is that the actions and dialogue of the characters seem inconsistent with their usual portrayal across the series. For example, Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt), one of Tony’s associates, gets extremely angry upon reading a newspaper article about Native American activists planning to protest an upcoming Columbus Day parade. Given his strong admiration for Christopher Columbus as a symbol of pride for Italian-Americans, Silvio decides to organize a counter-protest, going against Tony’s advice. This behavior and dialogue seem unusual compared to how these characters have been depicted throughout the show.

Dylan Matthews from Vox found the premise to be artificial and ridiculous because Silvio has shown no inclination towards politics, history, or any subject other than the management of the Bada Bing club [where Tony’s crew carries out much of their business]. Additionally, Emily St. James from AV Club noted that the writing for “Christopher” was overtly obvious, marking a stark contrast to the show’s usual style of dialogue: “The Sopranos typically features characters who don’t express their feelings openly, and this is one of its strengths. However, in this episode, everyone constantly reveals what they’re feeling, which is why it falls short.

Beyond the show’s acclaimed approach to addressing complex themes sensitively, this particular episode appears to tread lightly when it comes to assessing Columbus’ legacy, failing to delve deeply into the devastating consequences of his actions. Matthews criticizes the dialogue about Columbus as if it were penned by a middle school student tasked with summarizing Columbus’ positive and negative aspects. Moreover, while Tony criticizes Silvio for admiring Columbus in the closing scene, his objection seems unrelated to Columbus’ misdeeds.

Matthews suggests that the main point of the episode is that while Columbus may be considered a hero, it’s narrow-minded to only focus on Italian heritage, like Silvio does, and at some point, we need to look beyond these identities. However, this perspective seems less critical of Columbus himself because if you swap “Columbus” with “Michael Jordan” and “Italian” with “American,” the argument remains the same.

A Flawed Exploration of Racism

In this episode, the portrayal of Indigenous people may raise doubts about its racial sensitivity, as it often presents them in a negative light. This recurring pattern tends to diminish the authenticity and validity of their struggle among viewers. For example, there’s a scene where a college professor, who is leading the protest, appears surprised when informed that Iron Eyes Cody was not Native American but Italian. This moment may come across as humorous, but it could also be seen as portraying him as unknowledgeable about ethnicity, which might not sit well with the audience.

Following Tony’s persuasion, Mohonk Chief Doug Smith – who has a trace amount of Native American ancestry – unsuccessfully attempts to halt the protest. Later, he invites us over, presumably as a peace offering. However, it turns out that Tony had been manipulated; Smith’s true intention in extending the invitation was to secure our assistance in arranging a performance by Frankie Valli at his casino. As Matthews puts it, “Although David Chase and the team seem to acknowledge that celebrating Columbus Day is questionable, they strangely choose to voice this opinion through characters who are far from sympathetic.

Why Does This ‘Sopranos’ Episode Exist?

It’s worth wondering why Michael Imperioli wrote an episode that seemed light on significant plot or character development. However, Imperioli explained his reason for doing so in his podcast with Steve Schirripa, “Talking Sopranos.” According to him, the episode was a way of giving back to those who criticized the show for promoting negative stereotypes about Italian-Americans by saying, “We were sticking it up their [rear ends].

Interestingly enough, in a surprising turn of events, actors Dominic Chianese and Lorraine Bracco from “The Sopranos” found their invitations to participate in New York City’s Columbus Day Parade revoked during the very same year that the episode was broadcasted.

In one scene, it’s clear that the series acknowledges criticism from its Italian-American viewers. Tony Soprano’s wife, Carmela (played by Edie Falco), along with other mob wives, attend a luncheon where they listen to a speech advocating for a shift in how Americans view Italian-Americans, who are often stereotyped as criminals. This scene is amusing when viewed retrospectively, because the speaker cites Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City Mayor who later became a convicted criminal, as a positive representation of Italian-Americans. The show’s use of this figure exposes its age, despite its timeless qualities.

However, it’s somewhat unclear if The Sopranos genuinely addresses its critics’ allegations, as Matthews notes: “The episode sometimes appears to be a playful jab at the critics, yet in other instances, it seems to be offering an apology to them…” Conversely, St. James suggests that the episode falls short in responding to the controversy due to its disconnection from the debates of the show’s initial three seasons.

Without a doubt, one subpar episode doesn’t take away from the overall brilliance of The Sopranos. That’s one advantage of television – not every episode needs to be a work of art. Even though the main narrative has its flaws, both Matthews and St. James acknowledge that “Christopher” played a significant role in introducing other storylines, like the budding relationship between Bobby Baccalieri and Janice Soprano and the deteriorating bond between Tony and Johnny Sack. These narratives would keep audiences captivated throughout the remainder of the season. As St. James puts it at the beginning of her review, “The show hadn’t been this poor before, and it wouldn’t get this poor again.

All six seasons of The Sopranos can be streamed on Max through the link below:

Watch The Sopranos

Read More

2025-01-28 04:32