Woke up this morning and got ourselves a new ranking of the 10 best episodes of The Sopranos for the show’s 25th anniversary.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos, one of the all-time great dramas that helped put HBO on the map with its original series. There were HBO shows before The Sopranos, but this is the one that was a breakout hit, and it increased HBO’s prestige and standing in the industry. Series creator David Chase had made his name in network television, but no other shows like The Sopranos existed. It was R-rated television in an era before that was a common occurrence.
The Sopranos also made its leading man, the late James Gandolfini, a star for his performance as Tony Soprano, a family man and mob boss who is forced into therapy when his anxiety completely overwhelms him. That set off a six-season run that firmly established The Sopranos‘ place in TV history. In honor of the show’s 25th anniversary, we’re sharing our picks for the 10 best episodes of The Sopranos.10. All Due Respect (Season 5, Episode 13)
Steve Buscemi had a season-long arc as Tony Blundetto, Tony Soprano’s cousin. But once Tony B made an enemy out of Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), it was only a matter of time before his ticket would be punched. The surprise is that Tony Soprano did the deed himself, especially after going to great lengths to protect Tony B from Phil’s revenge. Tony’s “mercy” killing of his cousin only made Phil feel cheated of his revenge, which led to the all-out mob war in the final season.
This episode also memorably ended with Tony literally running from the FBI as they came to arrest his New York counterpart, Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola). But even Tony Soprano can only run for so long.9. Whoever Did This (Season 4, Episode 9)
After his appearances in The Matrix and Memento, Joe Pantoliano had a lot of experience playing weasels. None more so than his character in The Sopranos, Ralph Cifaretto. From the first second that Ralph appeared on screen, it was practically inevitable that Tony would be the one to murder him. Regardless, the exact details of why Tony killed Ralph were still surprising.
Earlier in the season, Ralph murdered Tracee (Ariel Kiley), a stripper at the Bada Bing! strip club. But it wasn’t until Tony’s beloved horse, Pie-O-My, died in a very suspicious fire that Tony was finally moved to kill Ralph. Even as it happens and Tony angrily explains why he’s so angry, we’re not sure if he was talking about Tracee’s death or the horse’s demise.8. Employee of the Month (Season 3, Episode 4)
Lorraine Bracco finally got a spotlight episode as Tony’s therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, and it’s a harrowing morality play. Melfi is brutalized and raped by a man who gets away with his crimes because the police screwed up the evidence. Melfi is later physically sickened when she sees that the man who raped her was “employee of the month” at a local sub shop.
