The Sopranos - Top 10 Favourite episodes Part 1 - No's 10-6

OK time for a change of pace as I'm going to do another top 10 list here and this time it will be on my choice for my favourite episodes of the critically acclaimed crime drama series, The Sopranos.  So given the lengthy nature of these types of lists that I do, I'm going to split this into two separate posts (as I usually do!).  

As for the series, as we all by now should know is about a New Jersey Mafia boss, Tony Soprano, who struggles to try and balance his personal and business life, as he suffers from panic attacks, he goes to see a therapist, Dr Jennifer Melfi to help him come to terms with his own depression and anxiety.  
So without further ado let's get a move, wake up this morning and get ourselves a gun.....

Oh and the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS MAY BE AHEAD!!!!

Also....some strong language maybe ahead too!  

10. I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano (Series 1)

At No.10 is the first season finale, which sees its main character, the New Jersey mob boss (or capo at this stage) Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) survive the attempt made on his life in the previous epsiode "Isabella".

As for the story of he episode, Tony has a therapy session with Dr Melfi, who tells him that his mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand) most likely was the one behind the attempt on his life and that she most likely has a borderline personality disorder, meaning that Livia is unable to feel love or form proper relationships and sets the people around her apart.  This enrages Tony, who smashes Mefli's coffee table and he pins her to her seat and tells her he is disgusted with her suggestion about his mother and also that their therapy sessions are finished, after which Tony storms out.   

Not long after however, Tony is met with by FBI agents, Dwight Harris (Matt Servitto) and Cubitoso (Frank Pellegrino) who play Tony wire tap recordings of his uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) and his mother conspiring to kill him.  After this Tony goes back to Dr Melfi and apologises to her for his behaviour and warns her she should get out of town in case anyone comes after her. 

Meanwhile Artie pays Livia a visit at hospital where she let's slip that it was Tony that had his original restaurant set on fire, much to Artie's surprise.  Artie then goes and confronts Tony, armed with a rifle, he asks Tony if its true that he set the restaurant on fire but Tony denies it, leaving Artie frustrated who smashes up his rifle and drives off.

And as the episode unravels, Tony is intent on killing Junior aswell as his right hand man, Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza) whom Chris and Paulie track down in the woods as Mikey goes out for a run.  Chris shouts at Mikey telling him this is revenge as Mikey was the one that killed Chris's friend, Brendan, and they gun him down.

Then afterward, Tony goes to the hospital to finally confront Livia, as he grabs a pillow with the intent to smother (at first it seems anyway) he soon puts it down though and he goes up to Livia, who is being taken out on a gurney, having apparently suffered a stroke.  Tony quietly tells her though he knows it was her behind the attempt on his life but he is restrained by the hospital staff as he sees Livia smile through the oxygen mask she wears.

The episode nears its end with a thunderstorm, which knocks out the electrical power in the area and Tony and his family drive to the Vesuvio as they are unable to make it home due to a fallen tree in their path.  So the episode ends with Artie letting Tony and his family into the restaurant for shelter and Tony and his family order dinner and Tony makes a toast to his family to remember the little moments that were good. 
 
THOUGHTS AND NOTABLE SCENES 

This is a great finale to the first season and it sees all the plot strands nicely tied up that even refers back to the burning down of the restaurant belonging to Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia) which Artie hears through the grapevine that Tony was responsible for, but Tony denies this himself (even though he was behind it!).  And even though Tony is not the most sympathetic of characters, it is easy to feel a bit of sympathy for him hear when he learns that his own mother did conspire to kill him and when we see him grow more uncomfortable when Dr Melfi tells him the truth about her mother's personality disorder.   

As for the notable scenes there is of course the scene where Dr Melfi tells Tony about the strong possibility of Livia having a borderline personality disorder.  And in the scene, Melfi reads from a book that describes the disorder "Definitions of the condition? "A pattern of unstable relationships. Affective instability.  "It means intense anxiety, a joylessness. These people's internal phobias are the only things that exist to them. The real world, real people are peripheral. These people have no love or compassion. Borderline personalities are very good at splitting behaviour, creating bitterness and conflict between others in their circle....."

And at this point, Tony has heard enough and smashes Melfi's coffee table top and he pins her down in her seat and shouts "You twisted fuckin bitch!  That's my mother you're talking about! That's my mother we're talkin' about, not some fuck up in attica stabbed you in the shower! See, we're finished!  And you're lucky if I don't smash your face into 50,000 pieces!!".  Tony then storms out leaving a terrified Melfi to lock the door and she pushes her couch right up to the door to block anyone coming in.  

Then there is the scene where Tony comes back to Melfi to apologise but she dials 911 but Tony promises her he won't lay a finger on her and will be calm.  And as Melfi opens the door she sees Tony sit there and she instantly panics and shuts the door and locks it on and Tony shouts "Look, look, I need to talk to you!" but Melfi shouts "I'm calling 911!" and she dials the number.  However Melfi then considers Tony's apologetic words and she says "Do I have your word that I'm in no physical danger?!" and Tony says "Aw, fuck me!  Yes, you've got my word!" and Melfi hangs up the phone.

And in the next scene Tony sits in Melfi's office having just told Melfi about Livia and Melfi says "I take no pleasure in the fact that i was right about your mother".  And Tony then tells Melfi that she is in danger and she should get out of town and "I'm gonna get some guys here to stay with you until you get on a plane".  However Melfi, shocked, says "I can't just do that! Lam it! - I have a life! I have patients!" and Tony says "Tell em August came early!" but Melfi tells Tony "It doesn't work that way.  I have patients that are suicidal!" and Tony says "Well they're not gonna feel any better about their life if they get clipped!!".  And Tony finishes by saying to Melfi that she should get out of town and then before he leaves "You've been a good doctor to me.  Thank you". 

Then there is the scene where Christopher and Paulie hunt down Mike Palmice as he goes out for his jog in the woods, C and P follow him in their car and then get out and run after him, which provides one hilarious moment where Paulie scratches himself against some tree branches and he shouts "Motherfucker!".  Mikey soon falls down in a puddle of water and he pleads for his life as Christopher and Paulie stand over him, guns readied and aimed at Mikey and Christopher shouts at him "This is for my friend Brendan, you shot him in his bathtub naked!".  And Mikey pleads "No!  I swear to God!  It wasn't me!  It was Junior!  He hated that kid!" and Christopher says "Yeah right!" and they riddled Mikey with bullets. 

And lastly there is the climax, which sees Tony approach his mother in hospital, where she supposedly has had a stroke and he she doesn't respond to this threatening words as he tells he knows of the wire taps of her conspiring with Junior.  And Tony says to her "I know what you did.  I heard the tapes ma!  Your middle child!  Uncle Jun's in jail now.  And I got one last detail I gotta take care of!".  And Tony threatens her "I didn't tell you, I don't die that fuckin' easy, ma. I'm gonna live a long, happy life, which is more than I can say for you!".  And as the hospital staff restrain him and Livia is wheeled away, we see a strange smile on her face and Tony yells out "She smiled! Look at the look on her face! Go look at the look on her face! SHE'S SMILING!!!".

SUM UP 

So "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" (which refers to the name of Tony's next door neighbour) is an excellent episode and it paved the way nicely for another series and more episodes to follow, which showed this great show already had major potential.  Although the one thing I'd say about it is that the title of the episode is pretty superficial as Tony only quickly refers to it during his therapy session with Dr Melfi as he tells that he dreamt that was doing "doggie style with Jeannie Cusamano".  Other than that the title really doesn't have much bearing on the overall events of the episode itself.

But that aside this is still an excellent episode and one that is worthy of being in the Top 10 list here at No.10. 

9. Irreguluar around the margins (Series 5)

At No.9 is this episode from the 5th series which deals with Tony's nephew and mob associate, Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) hearing rumours of his girlfriend, Adriana (Drea De Matteo) having a one-night stand with Tony. 

And in the story, Christopher is set on a business run to North Carolina, while Tony is spending time at Adrianna's club doing business of his own (as Tony's crew use her place regularly for meetings as they believe the feds haven't tapped it).  And while Tony is there he and Adrianna shared a charged moment of sexual tension, which is interrupted by Phil Leotardo, who arrives on business. 


The next day, Tony tells Dr Melfi about the incident and she is really impressed that he didn't act on his impulse and that it displays a real growth in Tony's character.  Tony however also realises even though he is attracted to Adrianna, it would be a real disaster if he were to hook up with her as it would devastate Christopher. 

Then at night, Tony meets with Adrianna again at the club and they share a couple of lines of coke but Adrianna suggests they could get more and where her dealer is and Tony agrees to drive her out there.  However while enroute and as Tony and Adrianna chat, Tony suddenly has to swerve to avoid hitting a racoon on the road, which causes his SUV to crash and roll over on its side.  Tony suffers minor injuries but Adrianna sustains more injuries to her head and neck and its not long before the rumours of what happened between start to fly around the New Jersery crew.

And when Chris finds out, he goes ballistic and beats Adriana up and goes after Tony at the New Jersey mobsters strip club, Bada Bing, with a gun, where he is soon taken out into the sticks by Tony and his crew and Tony gives Christopher an ultimatium that he either accepts that Tony is telling the truth or he is finished.  And just as Tony is about to shoot Christopher, Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) butts in and pleads for Tony to listen to him and try a suggestion he has.

After this, Tony takes Tony B and Christopher to the hospital where Tony and Adrianna where treated for their wounds from the crash and they speak to the doctor, who was on duty that night.  Tony B asks the doctor if Adrianna had injuries on certain parts of her body that would indicate that she was sitting up at the moment of impact, which the doctor attests to that she did have such injuries.  Christopher finally accepts that Tony was telling the truth but he still feels hurt and concerned that he now looks like a jerk-off because of what people think. 

Afterward, Tony in his next therapy session tells Dr Melfi that he might as well have had sex with Adrianna after all the trouble Christopher caused. 

THOUGHTS AND NOTABLE SCENES 
 
This is definitely one of the best episodes from the 5th season, which sees Tony resisting tempation for once when it comes to the ladies with Adriana, however it all goes to hell when Chris hears about the accident and the rumours about what happened.

And the episode has its share of great moments that include the one where rumours fly thick and fast over what happened between Tony and Adriana and various mob associates play the "telephone game" spreading the rumours.  And a couple of funniest lines in the scene come when Bobby Bacclieri (Steven Schrippa) says on the phone to someone "And when the paramedics found them, she had his cock still in her mouth. And when the paramedics found them, she had his cock still in her mouth!".  And Junior follows this up with an even funnier line as he says "Apparently, he came all over the sun visor!".

Another great (albeit uncomfortable) scene is where Christopher confronts Adrianna once he heard that she allegedly had oral sex with Tony in his car.  And Christopher hits Adrianna and yells at her "You were sucking his cock! Georgie told me everything! The surgeon on the operating table said you were moaning Tony's name!!".  And Christopher yells "You fucking lied to me! What were you doing in Dover then? See? You can't tell me, 'cause I know what you were doing! Your other dope dealer's there!".  And this forces Adrianna to admit "Okay! I was going out to see Andre, but I wasn't sucking anybody's cock! How could you say that?!!!".  And Christopher yells "EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT!!!  EVERYBODY'S TALKIN ABOUT IT!!" and he then hits Adrianna again and drags her by her hair and throws her out apartment and he shouts at her "Get the fuck out of here!  I never want to see you again!!!".  Christopher slams the door and then grabs a bottle of vodka from the fridge and starts gulping it down. 

Then there is the scene where Chris turns up drunk at the crew's strip joint, the Bada Bing, and he confronts Tony but unloads his gun on Tony's car outside first and he shouts "MOTHERFUCKING GUN!!" as he runs out of a bullets and then storms in shouting to Tony "WHERE ARE YA, YA FUCK???!!".  And from here Tony and his crew take Chris out into the sticks where Tony has Chris held on his knees, who shouts at Tony "You sent me out to North Carolina so you could fuck my girlfriend!" and Tony shocked says to Chris "What kind of fucking animal you think I am, huh? THE THOUGHT NEVER EVEN ENTERED MY HEAD!!!".  And Tony gives Chris an ultimatium "Either you tell me right now that you can take it into your heart that I did not do this shit or this is as far as we go!".  

After this Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) persuades him to spare Chris long enough so they can consult the doctor that treated Tony and Adriana's wounds the night of the accident and the doctor attests to the fact that Adriana was in an upright position at the time of impact so therefore couldn't have had oral sex with Tony.  Chris reluctantly accepts this but says to Tony "But at this point now, it don't make no difference. Even if it wasn't true, it's what people think" and Tony says "What do you care what people think?!  You know the truth" and Chris says "I got to live in the world and now I look like Joe Jerkoff" and he get's out the car. 

And after the incident, Tony has another therapy session with Dr Melfi and he laments on the situation and says of Adriana "You know what?  I might aswell have fucked her!  Thanks!".  

SUM UP 

So overall the episode is a great one although it does have some uncomfortable moments of violence, particularly when Chris beats up on Adriana and throws her out his apartment, which shows his volatility and also that he really is a bit a ratbag when it comes to (mis)treating woman.  However its the clash between Tony and Chris that remains its main highlight and for that alone it deserves its place on the list at No.9.  

8. The Happy Wanderer (Series 2)

Next up is this episode from the 2nd series, "The Happy Wanderer" which sees Tony meet up with an old school friend of his, David Scatino (Robert Patrick) who owns a sports store in New Jersey but he is also a compulsive gambler.  Scatino learns that Tony has taken over the "executive" card game, which was originally ran by his father and Uncle Junior in the 1960s.  Tony however warns Scatino that he does not have the capital to get in on the game and he doesn't want to see him in debt.  

On the night of the game, Tony recruits the help of Chris, who brings in two apprentice hoods, Matt Bevilaqua (Lilo Brancato Jr) and Sean Gismonte (Chris Tardio) to serve out food and drinks to the players.  Scatino however soon turns up and persuades Tony to let him play the game although Tony warns him that he needs 5 grand to even sit in and play the game but Tony loans him the money.  The next morning however, Scatino is on a losing streak and he ends up owing $45,000 to Tony, who gives him two days to start paying him back.  

And to make matters worse, Scatino also owes money to the New Jersey caporegime, Richie Aprile (David Proval) who demands he pay up also, although Tony insists that Scatino pay him first before Richie.  And from here things go from bad to worse for Tony's childhood friend, Scatino, who soon learns of Tony's dark side as he starts missing payments.....

THOUGHTS AND NOTABLE SCENES 

 

There is little doubt that this is one of my favourite episodes from the 2nd series and it shows again the two sides to Tony's personality, where one minute he can be all smiles and charm before turning on his darker side as his childhood friend, David Scatino, soon finds out.  It also nicely boils up the tension between Tony and one of the primary antagonists in the 2nd series, Richie Aprile, who get's under Tony's skin as he keeps trying to push to get his own way with Tony.  

As to quickly mention a few scenes one that stands out is the scene during the card game where we get to see a rare flash of Silvio's temper (Tony's mob family consigliere) as he is losing his game, his temper frays as Matt tries to clean up around him.  And in the scene, Silvio shouts at Matt "What the fuck are you doin?!!" and as Tony tells Sil to take it eas, Sil shouts "I'm losing my balls over here and this fuckin moron's playin hazel??!!"".  

And as Matt tries to explain he is just trying to sweep up the cheese crumbs on the floor, Sil yells at him "Where do you get these fuckin' idiots, huh? Where do you get them? He's sweeping the cheese, I'm trying to get-- leave the fucking cheese there, alright! I love fucking cheese at my feet! I stick motherfuckin' provolone in my socks at night, so they smell like your sister's crotch in the morning. Alright? Leave the fucking cock-sucking cheese where it is!".

Then there is the scene where Tony confronts Scatino at his store for not paying him back the money he owes him from the game.  And in the scene Tony angrily says to Scatino "Stand up!" and Scatino nervously asks "Why?" and Tony says "Cause I just said so!  Stand up!  Get up or I'm gonna rip your fuckin head off!".  And Scatino nervously stands and says to Tony "I'm sorry, Tony, I would never do anything to insult you.  Our kids both go to the same school" but Tony then smacks Scatino roughly and slams his against the wall, and Scatino terrified says "I'm sorry, Tony, I'm just having some bad luck!" and Tony tells him "It just got worse!" and he hits him again, leaving Scatino sobbing, Tony demands "Tomorrow, I want something tomorrow!" and he then leaves.

And lastly there is the scene where Scatino out of desparation hands over his son's SUV as partial payment, which Tony gives to his daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lyn Sigler) as a gift, however she soon refuses it when she realises it belongs to Scatino's son, Eric (John C. Hensley).  And in the scene, Tony angrily says to Meadow "Go ahead, you want to act "holier than thou"? You go right ahead, but I'm not giving it back!  I'm gonna take that car and sell it to Pussy and I'm gonna buy clothes and food and shoes and cd players and all the rest of the shit that I've been buying since the day you were born!".  And he finishes shouting at Meadow with "A grown man made a wager. He lost. He made another one. He lost again. End of story.  So, take that high moral ground and go sleep in the fucking bus station if you want!".

SUM UP

So "The Happy Wanderer" is definitely for me one of the best episodes from the 2nd season and again it shows the complexity of Tony's character as he shows his two sides of being good and bad.  The story is also helped along by an excellent performance by Robert Patrick as the compulsive gambler, David Scatino, who throws his business and life down the toilet after getting in serious debt with Tony.  And the Scatino story arc would continue later on in the 2nd season in the episode "Bust Out" but this episode is even better and as such was my choice of the two and a worthy one for the list.

7. Mr & Mrs Sacrimoni request.... (Series 6)

At No.7 is this episode from the first part of the 6th series, which was directed by Steve Buscemi, who previously appeared in the show as Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto.  

As for the story itself it focuses both on Tony's return to work after his recovery from a gunshot wound he suffered at the hands of a senile Junior and also the wedding day of the daughter of New York mob boss, Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola).  Johnny however at this stage is in prison but he is granted a supervised release for six hours to attend his daughter's wedding.  

At the church however, US Marshals set up a security scanner to check the guests as they enter and Tony on entering is told to take off his shoes but when he tries to do so, he collapses and has to be helped up.  As the wedding progresses, Johnny also approaches Tony and requests that he has one of the capos in the New York family, Rusty Millio, killed in order to prevent any future uprising within the family, although Tony is reluctant to do so, he does eventually agree.  

As the wedding day ends, Johnny Sack is abruptly taken back into custody by the FBI just as his daughter, Allegra, is about to drive away, Johnny publicly breaks down in tears as he is escorted off, much to the disappointment and shock of Johnny's right hand man and caporegime, Phil Leotardo (Frankie Vincent) who now sees him as being weak and vulnerable to the FBI.  

Not only this to complicate matters further, another revelation is made in the episode about New Jersey capo, Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) who after the wedding is spotted in a gay bar, dancing with a man, by one of the New York associates making a collection.  So this leaves Vito with no other choice but to go on the run as if word gets out that he is homosexual then he won't last long in the family....

THOUGHTS AND NOTABLE SCENES

"Mrs & Mrs Sacrimoni request" is definitely one of the highlights of the 6th season and it deftly handles its three plotlines of Tony's continued recovery from his gunshot, the Sacrimoni's wedding day and also Vito being outed as gay.  It also probably for the first time in the series, show Tony to have signs of weakness in public as he falls over trying to take off his shoes, this also concerns him greatly as it makes him appear weak to his crew and by the end of the story its something he takes drastic measures to remedy.

As for some of the notable scenes, there is the one where Tony meets his new bodyguard, Perry Annunziata (Louis Gross) who get's into a heated exchange with someone while Perry drives Tony to the Bing.  And later on as Tony prepares to go out he says to Perry "Penne arabiatta, go get the car cooled down, will you?" and he explains to the others "Yeah, that's what I call him.  Red pepper flakes up his ass!  He's a real fucking hot head!".  

Then later there is the scene where the FBI show up to take Johnny Sack away from the wedding much to the outrage of Johnny and everyone else.  And Johnny shouts as he sees the FBI cars suddenly pull "What the fuck??!!" and one of the agents says to him "Sorry, sir we're going to have to wrap this up" and Johnny appalled says "Six hours you said.  I got until quarter till 11!" and the agent says "That includes transportation, sir".  And Johnny starts to well up and angrily says "Heartless pricks!" and he asks the agents "Can you let me daughter leave at least?!" but they cuff Johnny, who then starts to break down in tears as he is taken away, leaving Johnny's wife, Ginny to pass out in shock.  

Another good scene comes right after when Phil Leotardo expresses his disappointment with Johnny's public, tearful display.  And Phil says to Tony and the others "I'll tell you one thing, and I'm not ashamed to say it, my estimation of John Sacrimoni as a man just fucking plummeted!  To cry like a woman?  Its a fucking disgrace!".  But Tony tries to defend John's actions and says "Come on, when it comes to daughters, all bets are off.  I've seen alot tougher guys than John cry at weddings!".  However Phil then points out "Well, leme ask you this. If they can make him cry and if he's that weak, what the fuck else can they make him do?!".

Then we have the scene where Vito is spotted in a gay club by one of the New York crew, who is making collections from the bar and Vito is sporting a policeman's outfit, a la the Village people, dancing with another man.  And Vito suddenly sees the associates but tries to play it down and says to one of them, Sal, "Sal. Its a joke!" but Sal says "You think so?!" and Vito says "Sal, please.  Its a fucking joke!" and Sal rather disgusted says "Yeah, sure!  Say hi to your wife!".  And Vito calls out after Sal "I'm serious!  Don't say nothing, Sal!".  

And lastly there is the scene where Tony decides to prove that he is not weak after losing his balance at the wedding, and as a show of force, he beats up Perry infront of the others.  And in the scene Tony angrily says to Perry "What's your fucking problem? Huh? What the fuck is your problem? Slamming the goddamn refrigerator door!".  And Tony proceeds to beat him up, leaving Perry on the ground, Tony goes into the toilet and suddenly vomits up blood, but he looks in the mirror at himself and gives a satisfied smile before he throws up blood again to end the episode.

SUM UP

So "Mr & Mrs Sacrimoni" is definitely one of the highlights from the 6th season, which is brilliantly performed by the cast and superbly directed by Steve Buscemi, who had already directed some of the finest episodes in the show (e.g. Pine Barrens in season three and Everybody hurts in season four) and for this alone it deserves its place at No,7.

6. The Weight (Series 4)

At No.6 is "The Weight" which is one of the standout episodes from the 4th series (the 2nd and 4th series are the best imho) and deals with a rather sensitive issue concerning a crude joke made about the wife of Johnny Sack, the New York underboss and suffice to say Johnny doesn't take it too well!

So the story itself starts with Johnny in a bar, who follows out one of the New Jersey associates and proceeds to beat him up as Johnny believed he was laughing at him.  The associate as it turns out is the member of the New Jersey crew working for capo, Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) who made a crude joke about Johnny Sack's wife, Ginny, having had a "95 pound mole removed from her ass!" of which Sack heard of the joke through Paulie Gaultieri (Tony Sirico) who at this stage is in prison.

Tony soon get's involved in the situation and confronts John over his actions but agrees that the joke was "deplorable" and he will ask Ralph directly about this (although Tony was present when Ralph told the joke!).  Tony on meeting with Ralph insists that he call up John and deny all knowledge of the joke but Ralph puts his foot in it when he offers to apologise, making him look guilty and causing John to hang up in disgust.  

After this, Johnny decides to take drastic measures as he requests his boss, Carmine Lupertazzi Sr (Tony Lip) to sanction a hit on Ralph but Carmine refuses and instead suggests that he try and settle for a payment as compensation for the insult, which Johnny is not interested in.  And from here Johnny decides to try and take matters into his own hands as he orders the hit to be made on Ralph himself.....

THOUGHTS AND NOTABLE SCENES

"The Weight" is certainly one of my favourite episodes from the 4th season and it also goes to show just how "old school" stubborn and ruthless some of the mobsters can be, in this case, Johnny Sack, who is so outraged by a crude joke being made about his wife that he is prepared to kill over it.  And its a curious episode in that alot of drama unfolds over one crude joke but at the same time it shows how in the mob world as one of the female characters, Rosalie Aprile says "These guys don't live in the same century!".

But as far as the episode is concerned it also stands out so well thanks in part to a great performance by Vincent Curatola as Johnny Sack, the underboss of the New York crime family and this episode was his first major role in the show as prior to that he only appeared briefly.  However from hereon, Johnny would prove to be one of the show's most compelling characters, especially as he is such a deceitful, conniving mob associate.  Yet one of the strengths of Sack's character is that he loves his wife, Ginny, regardless of her obesity and he doesn't seem interested in infidelity, which makes him also stand out from alot of the other characters in the show.

But anyway as for the notable scenes there are quite a few but I will try and mention only two or three, such as the one at the start where Johnny follows out Ralph's associate from the bar.  And Johnny says to him "Donny, right?" and he punches Donny in the face and shouts "What's the matter?!  Not funny anymore?!!  and he proceeds to kick Donny several times in the chest but he is stopped when Johnny's friend comes out the bar.  And Johnny tells his friend that Donny "He's a cunt!  A sorry sack of shit!" and he then unzips his trouser flies and says "Scumbag?  Let me buy you a drink!" and he pisses all over the unconscious Donny.

Then there is the scene where Tony pays Johnny a visit to find out what happened and Johnny explains and says of Ginny "She's fighting a weight problem since the kids were born. Weight Watchers, Richard Simmons, fasting. She works very fucking hard" and Tony points to himself and says "You tellin me how hard it is?".  And Johnny says "It's different for women.  Body image, self-esteem. I'll tell you, though. I never had a problem with Ginny's weight. To me, she's beautiful. Rubenesque. That woman is my life".

Another good scene is when Tony tells Ralph to call up Johnny and deny all knowledge of the joke and Ralph says to Johnny on the phone "I'm calling to say how appalled I am.  I just got back and talked to Tony.  I love Ginny.  I would never say anything like that".  And Ralph continues and says "

Look, last year, when Tony and I had our thing, that misunderstanding you were the voice of reason. You were the one that told me to apologize".  Then Johnny says "So you're apologising?" and Tony, who is listening in signals Ralph to say "no" however Ralph then says "If that's what it takes".  However Johnny then realises Ralph has slipped up and angrily says "You know something, Ralph? Not only are you a thief, you're a lying fucking prick!  I should've let Tony chop your head off a year ago!" and he hangs up.  And then after Ralph and Tony hang up, Tony angrily says to Ralph "What did I say???!! NO APOLOGY!". 

And later on the situation worsens to the point where Johnny will neither accept an apology from Ralph or payment as means of compensation for the insult, so Carmine intimates to Tony that perhaps they should kill Johnny.  And as Tony contemplates the situation with his crew, Ralph says to Tony "I was fucking around. For Christ's sakes! You've never made a joke about Ginny Sack?!  Fuck him and his highfalutin bullshit.  Who does he think he is, Sir Walter Raleigh?!".  Then Tony furiously get's up and yells at Ralph "THAT'S ENOUGH OF YOU AND YOUR STUPID FUCKIN REMARKS! Go back to Miami and play volleyball, whatever the fuck you do down there while we clean up your FUCKING MESS! Maybe even keep your ass alive!".  

However later on the tense situation is diffused as Johnny calls off the hit after he catches Ginny at home with a box full of chocolate bars much to his anger.  And Johnny yells at his wife "What the hell is this?!  I thought you were on the Atkins!" and Ginny anxiously says "I am!  I am!  Its hard, John!" and Johnny shouts "This is how you try?!  I'm not out the house 10 minutes!!".  And Ginny shouts back "You were supposed to quit smoking and didn't!" and Johnny yells "Nicotine is an addictive substance!!".  And Johnny continues to shout at his wife "Did I ever ask you to go on a diet? Did I ask you to be thin for me? The fasting, the NutriSystems, those goddamn DEAL-A-MEAL CARDS?!!!".  However, Johnny soon calms down and tells his wife that he loves her regardless of her weight.   

And lastly, Johnny turns up at the Bing and tells Tony he will accept Ralph's apology and Tony asks him "Why the big reversal all of a sudden?" and Johnny simply says "No more weight remarks, Tony.  They're hurtful, and they're destructive" and Tony says "Oh, I agree" and Johnny then leaves the Bing.  

SUM UP

So to sum up "The Weight" is a highly entertaining and it also builds up the tension of the story well throughout before it is finally diffused near the end.  Although the impact of the joke would have future implications in the show, especially when in the 6th season episode "Remember When" Tony repeatedly asks Paulie if he was the one that told Johnny Sack about the joke, which Paulie denies.  And who'd have thought a weight joke would in itself carry so much "weight" (OK a bad joke there, please don't kill me!).  

Anyway so "The Weight" definitely deserves its place on the list just outside the top 5 at No.6.

Right, so that's it for now and I will be back fairly soon with the second part of this top 10 list with my pick of the top 5 episodes from The Sopranos.

Till then its ciao for now!