The Sopranos Podcast

We've waited a long time for this! It's time to break down "The Test Dream". This iconic season 5 showing is an episode that divided the fanbase when it aired. Does it play well today? What is it all about? Was this pretentious "filler", or genius storytelling? Are Chris, Paul & Jordan "prepared" for the task at hand? We'll find out, right after we have a nice tinkle with Mr. Detrolio...   The...

"Cold Cuts" is in a tough spot sandwiched between two particularly stand out episodes, but it still manages to hold its own and provide a fascinating look at rage in the Soprano family as we ramp up toward the end of season 5! Janice has to undergo anger management after getting into a fight at a youth soccer game, the situation with New York is sitting on the edge of a knife as tensions escalate...

This episode prompts a robust discussion about masculinity in Sopranoland as Chris, Paul & Jordan break down the classic "Unidentified Black Males", a packed and entertaining hour in which the show deconstructs it's own use of the black male scapegoat. Tony Soprano has a dramatic breakthrough about his guilt around his cousin Tony, the war in New York gets taken to the next level, and Meadow & Fin...

It's "the sweet life" here at the Sopranos Podcast because this week our "cultured Italians" Chris, Paul, & Jordan get to cover  "Marco Polo", a beautiful and charming episode riddled with awesome cinematography, festivity, and Shakespearean envy! Tony B is growing resentful of the life his cousin built while he was in prison, and it boils over in a big decision that puts Tony S in a bad spot. Mea...

Chris, Paul, and Jordan have a spirited discussion about the controversial "In Camelot", an episode that tends to rank lower on fan lists, but contains some interesting new territory for the show while deliberately making its viewers a little "queasy". Tony meets up with an old goomar of his fathers, Junior is funeral hopping in hopes of getting out of the house for a few hours, and Chris is using...

"Sentimental Education" is a fascinating hour of the show in which the absence of Tony Soprano somehow looms larger than his actual presence. This week Chris, Paul & Jordan break down this episode in which Tony Blundetto desperately fights to open a massage business while resisting the temptations of gangster life, while Carmela explores an exciting romance with Dr. Wegler. Both characters fall in...

It's a veritable wildfire in Sopranoland this week as Chris, Lily, Paul, & Jordan cover "Irregular Around the Margins", a top to bottom thrill ride of an episode! No "B" or "C" plots this week, just an insane unfolding of events that spell personal disaster for all involved. As Tony and Adriana come very close to breaking a dangerous "margin", all hell breaks loose as rumor of the affair sweeps No...

We're a happy family this week on The Sopranos Podcast, because we get to cover this awesome hour of storytelling! Season five is on fire with no threat of cooling down anytime soon. In "All Happy Families..." we bear witness to AJ's disrespect of Carmela, Carmela's loneliness, and a hell of a swerve in the Feech LaManna storyline! All sorts of fun discussion to be had here about literature, final...

It’s a wide range of emotions this week as we cover “Where’s Johnny?”, an episode that provides some deeply sad moments, some thrills, and plenty of laughs altogether.  It’s a rich episode about selfishness, old wounds, and lonliness. Junior’s mental state is starting to slip further away from reality as he wanders through Newark looking for his deceased brother. Tony struggles to stay out of the...

Season five is off to a great start! This week the boys cover "Rat Pack" in which we meet Tony B, the New York situation escalates, and we check in with all of our "rats" on the show. There's plenty of good discussion to be had about Steve Buscemi's performance early on, what it means to have "friends" in the mob life, and of course more conversation about the FBI and how they interact with Tony's...

We're back and we couldn't be more excited! What a great opening! Chris, Paul, Jordan, & Lily discuss the season 5 premiere "Two Tonys" and all the duality within! It's a wild, funny, playful, and dark hour of tv with bears, rejections, and fascinating character moments. Melfi has to reject Tony's advances, several new characters dubbed "The class of '04" are out of prison, a major character goes...

Happy holidays everyone! Chris, Paul, Lily & Jordan wish you all nothing but health and happiness in the new year. When is season 5 coming?? Listen and find out!

We continue our retrospective of Season 4! In this half, we engage in a fiery listener mail segment! Were we too soft on Adriana / too critical of the FBI? There are several deep discussions about Ralphie, Christopher, Adriana, Furio, and the Soprano kids - PLUS, our top three categories continue with top three characters/performances, top three moments, and top three episodes!   TheSopranosPodcas...

Season 4 is an unusual, pattern-breaking, introspective journey with an explosive end! We're thrilled to finally get to talk about the big picture! Chris, Lily, Paul, & Jordan discuss what makes season 4 special, where it ranks with the other seasons, and why it "felt" so much different. There are several great discussions here about Tony's role as husband / partner, Carmela's heartbreaking journe...

Chris, Lily, Paul, & Jordan discuss what is, arguably, the best season finale yet: "Whitecaps". Junior's trial wraps up, tensions between NJ and NY hit a fever pitch, only to pull back at the last second, and Tony's worst nightmare comes true as the Soprano family finally disintegrates from within. At its core, our coverage of Whitecaps will feel like one giant love letter to the actress Edie Falc...

The penultimate episode "Eloise" baffled Chris, Paul, and Jordan in the best possible way. For three seasons, The Sopranos have given us wild and explosive penultimate episodes. They completely change it up this year though! Even the gangsters are being passive-aggressive. The rich action is all happening underneath the surface for our characters as Furio leaves town, New Jersey and New York's pro...

What an eerie and delightful surprise favorite of season 4! Chris, Paul & Jordan have a blast breaking down "Calling All Cars", an episode in which many characters are calling out for communication with the dead, while Tony cuts off the best source of communication he has among the living. Therapy is in serious jeopardy, while Bobby is forced by Janice to reconcile with his dead wife. AJ continues...

Chris, Paul & Jordan share loads of laughs this week as they break down "The Strong Silent Type" which simultaneously deals with incredibly bleak subject matter, while quite possibly delivering some of the funniest scenes in the show's history.  Everything is heating up to a boil, and it's not clear where it's all going. Furio and Tony. Tony and New York. Chris and his drug addiction. Carmela and...

Chris, Lily, Paul, & Jordan break down the monumental "Whoever Did This". Structurally, this episode is one of the most unique outings in the series, not only for its script, but for its placement in the season. Acts of God and acts of Gangster abound, as Tony and Ralph's relationship finally boils over in the most brutal possible way. Plus! Christopher comes to Tony's aid... or maybe he did-dent?...

"Mergers & Acquisitions" is a tricky episode in that none of the story threads pay off in a big way, but the action going on beneath the surface is incredibly rich. Lily joins Chris, Paul, & Jordan this week to further discuss the theme of money this season and why it's so essential to the story being told. These characters are all moving assets around, personal or otherwise, and the lives of our...

There is some righteous anger on our podcast this week as Chris, Paul, and Jordan dissect the extremely cynical, but wildly entertaining "Watching Too Much Television". This week Tony, Ralphie, and Zellman engage in one of the most gut churning scams we've seen on the show. It's a pitch black reflection of the American political system, and it's one you can't look away from. Themes of sentimentali...

In this episode, Chris, Paul, & Jordan break down "Everybody Hurts"! This episode is about sight - The way the characters see themselves and the way they wish to be perceived is all in question. After a tragic revelation, Tony is forced to come to terms with whether or not he is a "toxic person". He gets his answer by episode's end after enabling Artie Bucco's short and pitiful stint in the loansh...

Themes of loneliness, isolation, illness, and ownership bring a bleak sensibility to the mid-season "set-up" episode "Pie-Oh-My", but it's still a riveting hour of television. Chris, Paul, & Jordan talk all about the new horse in Tony's life and whether or not he's placing the right bets. Meanwhile, Adriana is spiraling into a tailspin as the FBI and Christopher's mob activities close in on her ni...

"The Weight" is an extremely well-written episode that builds incredible tension amidst a backdrop of humor, passion, and heartache. Chris, Paul, & Jordan had a blast breaking down the most exciting episode of Season 4 so far! Ralphie's joke about Ginny leads to an explosive showdown between he and Johnny Sack that makes for some amazing television. What does the show have to say about body image,...

"Christopher" regularly gets touted as one of the worst episodes of the series. Is this a fair assessment? What were the writers going for here? Did it work? Was it worthwhile? In the first part of our show, Chris, Paul, and Jordan discuss the various plot threads including Ralphie and Johnny Sack's relationship disintegrating, Paulie stirring trouble up from prison, and the tragic death of Bobby'...