READ ALSO: Remember When: The Sopranos’ Best Moments (1)

Remember when in Covid times, I published the Top 100 of the most memorable moments from The Sopranos? I was going through my FilmDungeon archives the other day and found a number of great scenes that didn’t make the cut to that memorable feature. The Sopranos is so brilliant that even when you rate the best top 100 moments, there are easily a hundred more. So hereby the best moments from the show that the previous feature didn’t include:

Ungrateful

Episode: Full Leather Jacket (SE2, EP8)
Characters: Carmela, Richie, Polish maid and husband

That look on Richie’s face when he sees his leather jacket on the husband of Tony’s Polish maid, who has come to pick up a TV set (“in Poland he was a mechanical engineer”). Richie had given the jacket to Tony to make good for the problems between them. He was real proud of it too, since he’d taken it off Rocco DiMeo, the cocksucker with the toughest reputation in Essex County. And now, in the blink of an eye, it’s all washed down the fucking toilet.

Law Enforcement

Episode: The Knight in White Satin Armor (SE2, EP12)
Characters: Pussy, Christopher, Tommy Mack and 7/11 Clerk

Pussy’s dilemma about betraying his friends is over. Now he’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome; he thinks he’s an FBI agent. Despite his FBI contact telling him not to, he follows Christopher and an associate who are out to rob a shipment of Pokémon cards, all the while talking into a walkie-talkie like he’s in Jake and the Fatman. But he malfunctions behind the wheel, hitting a 7/11 clerk before bumping into a parked car. The central message here is that Pussy has gone truly delusional.

The Deer Hunter

Episode: Pine Barrens (SE3, EP11)
Characters: Paulie and Christopher

In Pine Barrens, Paulie and Christopher are like the Mafia’s Cheech and Chong. In this sequence, Paulie loses his shoe and Christopher shoots a deer in a pathetic attempt to kill the Russian they lost. “Four years in the army, kid”, Paulie told Christopher a little earlier. Well, it shows.

Vipers

Episode: The Ride (SE6, EP9)
Characters: Tony, Christopher and bikers

Thrillseekers Tony and Christopher have an old school bandit experience when they rob a few crates of wine from a bunch of bikers (the Vipers), who are stealing it from a store. It ends up in a shoot-out and Christopher manages to shoot one of the bikers. You can feel the sensation of the moment, which is the whole point of this episode, called The Ride. Yiiiiyyyaaaa!!!!!!

There Has Been an Accident…

Episode: Kennedy and Heidi (SE6, EP18)
Characters: Tony and Carmela

Some of the greatest acting in The Sopranos comes from Edie Falco in this scene, in which Tony calls Carmela to tell her Christopher is dead. She really makes the pain and the shock so very tangible. A terribly realistic and heartfelt scene. This is dramatic television at its best.

Die Hard

Episode: Mayham (SE6, EP3)
Characters: Paulie Gualtieri, Cary DiBartolo and Colombian drug dealers

Paulie Walnuts shows us why he is one of the heaviest hitters in Tony’s crew. During a drug warehouse burglary, he and an associate take out three Colombians. Paulie sticks a knife in one as if it’s a daily routine. He does take some damage though; a knee in the testicles. But it’s worth it since they walk away with close to a million bucks.

Curto Rats!

Episode: Proshai Livushka (SE3, EP2)
Characters: Raymond Curto and FBI-man

Pussy’s body hasn’t sunk to the bottom of the ocean yet, or a new FBI-rat is revealed. This time it’s senior mobster Raymond Curto. The Sopranos is full of surprises. It has already been said many times in this series; mobsters don’t have room for the penal experience anymore, so they turn government witness. One out of every five guys is a rat, according to Tony. Curto appeared old school, but he’s singing to the feds anyway; a true soprano this one. He even seems to do his side job with much enthusiasm.

Curto Dies!

Episode: Members Only (SE6, EP1)
Characters: Raymond Curto and Agent Robyn Sanseverino

Right after Tony cries that he can’t catch a lucky break, he catches one without even knowing it. Raymond Curto, who was revealed to be a snitch in Season 3, dies of a heart attack in his FBI contact’s car. This is one of these great Sopranos surprises; Curto was the last known rat the feds had, so it could definitely be expected that he would play a major role in the final season as a threat to Tony. But no, the writers always go for the unexpected and succeed.

Mr. Brownstone

Episode: The Ride (SE6, EP9)
Characters: Christopher, Corky Caporale and stray dog

When Christopher meets his doped-up buddy Corky Caporale to pay him for the hit on Rusty Millio, he relapses and shoots some skag. He then spends the night completely high with a stray dog. The song ‘The Dolphins’ by folk artist Fred Neil that plays throughout the sequence is perfect.

Tracy and Hepburn

Episode: Whitecaps (SE4, EP13)
Characters: Carmela and Tony

In their second major confrontation in Whitecaps, long-buried grievances resurface, as so often happens in a marital crisis. Tony reminds Carmela of the time she told him he was going to hell while he was awaiting his first MRI. Carmela fires back by confessing that she was in love with Furio, prompting Tony to punch a hole in the wall. He retaliates by saying he was drawn to Svetlana because she had ‘substance’, and he mocks Carmela with a pointed ‘poor you’, echoing Livia’s old refrain. Tony is unmistakably the crueler party in this exchange, and it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Carmela. Yet she, too, has spent years refusing to see the truth. Tony has never really changed; he simply concealed his worst instincts behind a veneer of roguish charm. Now, that veneer has worn thin, and everything is more transparent than ever.

Splitting Enemies

Episode: The Knight in White Satin Armor (SE2, EP12)
Characters: Junior, Bobby, Richie and Jackie Jr.

He may be old, but Junior is still a strategic expert. When Richie comes to tell him that Ally Boy Barese is out in setting up a hit on Tony, he acts all disappointed. But as soon Richie is gone he weighs his long term interests. “The loser. He couldn’t fucking sell it. He’s not respected. We’re better off with Tony.” Since Junior wanted to whack Tony himself in the previous season, this wasn’t the expected outcome. That’s the thing with these wiseguys; you never know who is gonna get whacked next, but once they make up their minds, it’s gonna happen really fast.

Call Me Superstitious

Episode: Made in America (SE6, EP21)
Characters: Tony and Paulie

After a dark sixth season, it is nice to see the series return to its lighter roots in the finale. Paulie and Tony talk about superstition, which is always an entertaining subject between the two of them. The cat adds to the fun. It is also a bizarre sight to see these guys sitting outside Satriale’s with nothing but empty chairs. The place used to be crowded with mobsters. Now Paulie and Tony are basically the only old school guys left. Strange.

Living on a Thin Line

Episode: University (SE3, EP6)
Characters: Ralphie and Tracee

In the list, the ups and downers all come by and this is a definite downer, like the entire – terrible – episode University. It gives us insight into the dark lives of Bada Bing strippers; having to give blow jobs to horrible men, pieces of shit like Ralphie. Tracee, who’s pregnant with his baby, makes a mistake here and hits Ralph, who’s high on blow and a major psycho to begin with. He then begins to beat poor Tracee to death. It is horrible to watch, but this is the type of people these wiseguys are. This was made clear many times before, but in this scene you really get it in your face. It’s very, very ugly.

Crushed

Episode: Made in America (SE6, EP21)
Characters: Phil & Patty Leotardo, their grandkids, Walden Belfiore and Bystanders

New Jersey defeats New York on one single blow. Phil’s death reminds of a scene straight out of Six Feet Under. His head gets crushed under the wheel of his own SUV after having been popped in the head by young associate Walden Belfiore. He had it coming with his constant complaining. This is the final kill in the series. One of Tony’s worst antagonists is no more.

A Little Pain

Episode: Long Term Parking (SE5, EP12)
Characters: Tony and Christopher

After Adriana’s death, Christopher is watching ¡Three Amigos!. He admits to Tony that he snored a little H because he couldn’t handle the pain. He really loved her, he says. Tony is tired of his bullshit and kicks the living hell out of him. A grim ending of the Adriana story thread.

Three O’Clock High

Episode: From Where to Eternity (SE2, EP9)
Characters: Christopher and Paulie

In this episode, Christopher had a near death experience and visited hell. Over there, he got a message from Mikey Palmice for Paulie and Tony; three o’clock. Now, is this for real or was Chrissy just high on morphine? Tony thinks it’s the second option, but Paulie is freaked out by the whole thing. In this scene he is convincing Christopher, or actually himself, that Chris did not visit hell, but only purgatory. “Just a little detour on our way to paradise.” This might give Christopher a little piece of mind, but certainly not Paulie.

Class of 2004

Episode: Two Tonys (SE5, EP1)
Characters: Tony, Janice, Bobby and Sophie

Tony and Bobby are watching a news item. What better way to start a new season of a mob show than to introduce four new Mafia characters who are about to be released from prison? Even better; the four characters are all portrayed by great actors that earned their stripes in gangster films. Steve Buscemi plays Tony Blundetto, Frank Vincent is Phil Leotardo, Joe Santos portrays Angelo Garepe and last but not least; Robert Loggia plays Michele ‘Feech’ La Manna. This promises to be another awesome season.

Fried Chicken

Episode: Members Only (SE6, EP1)
Characters: Eugene Pontecorvo and Teddy Spirodakis

Eugene Pontecorvo wants to retire from the mob, but in the Mafia, there is no such thing as retirement. In an attempt to please the bosses, Eugene whacks a gambler in Boston for not paying his gambling debts. In the end, this pretty brutal murder gains him nothing; just another bad deed for a soldier in the mob, for whom there eventually is only one way out…

Crime and Punishment

Episode: Watching To Much Television (SE4, EP7)
Characters: Tony, Irina and Ronald Zellman

Never mess with the former goomar of a mob boss, even if it’s been years since their break-up. The corrupt assemblyman Ronnie Zellman already had a feeling he would get punished this episode, he told his equally corrupt business partner earlier. His feelings prove to be correct in this hard-to-watch scene. Tony gives him a truly humiliating beating with a belt. It may be for entirely the wrong reason, but he definitely had it coming.

Safe House

Episode: The Blue Comet (SE6, EP20)
Characters: Tony, Paulie, Carlo, Silvio (cardboard version), Dante ‘Buddha’ Greco and Walden Belfiore

The perfect ending to a perfect episode. These makers sure know how to set the mood. Tony in that room with the machine gun Bobby gave him for his birthday is both unsettling and tense. Perfect set-up for the final episode Made in America. How is this gonna end?

The Contract

Episode: The Weight (SE4, EP4)
Characters: Silvio, Christopher, Lou ‘DiMaggio’ Galina, Frank Crisci, Chris Galina and Rose Galina

Lou DiMaggio and the Atwell Avenue Boys. That is where Silvio and Christopher are sent to put out a hit on Johnny Sack. The old hounds are already introduced through a frightening story by Uncle Junior (the DiMaggio legend). Their appearance, some weird chromosome dysfunction around their eyes, makes them all the more creepy. Interesting detail: Richard Bright who played Al Neri in The Godfather is one of the hitmen in this scene.

The Happy Wanderer

Episode: The Happy Wanderer (SE2, EP6)
Characters: Tony and Dr. Melfi

This session is something of a sequel to ‘The Strong Silent Type’ in Season 1. Now the theme is ‘The Happy Wanderer’. Tony feels like a loser despite having the world by the balls. He resents Melfi for making him feel like a victim, yet he admires the Gary Cooper type. So now he wants to smash her face into hamburger like all the clear-headed types he sees walking down the street. She once again explains the realities to him: his parents made it impossible for him to experience joy. So now he has no choice but to join the rest of the douchebags in therapy.

Blackmail

Episode: Sentimental Education (SE5, EP6)
Characters: Carmela and Robert Wegler

Carmela finds out what being married to the mob really means when her new boyfriend Mr. Wegler accuses her of “strong-arming him with pussy”. The way he says it is way out of line, but the point he makes is not so strange. She is used to getting what she wants…

Pimping Out Ralphie

Episode: Christopher (SE4, EP3)
Characters: Ralphie and Janice

We already sat through Richie making love to Janice at gunpoint in Season 2. Two seasons later Janice is dating another major creep; Ralphie (brilliantly played by Joe Pantaliono). David Chase decided it was time to throw another disturbing image at us; Janice making love with Ralphie from behind using a vibrator. “How much did you make today, slut? Only three hundred? I’ll put you back on the street, ho. Make you work that ass.”

Crazy Horse Murder

Episode: Long Term Parking (SE5, EP12)
Characters: Matush, Kamal, Gilbert Nieves and Adriana

The Sopranos goes CSI. The entire episode Long Term Parking is filled with memorable moments and this is one of them. A highly realistic murder in The Crazy Horse over a drug dispute. Ironically, this stabbing turns out not only to be fatal for the victim Gilbert Nieves, but for Adriana as well.

Make-up Sex

Episode: From Where to Eternity (SE2, EP9)
Characters: Tony and Carmela

It has been a rough time for Tony and Carmela’s marriage. He has been cheating on her and she wants him to have a vasectomy (snip snip) to prevent his goomar becoming pregnant. God forbid, Tony should have a bastard child. After giving her a hard time, he agrees, but Carm has changed her mind. She may want a third kid… Tony and Carm make love for the first time in the series and it’s the perfect ending to a great episode. Otis Redding provides the soundtrack.

Use Your Head

Episode: Whoever Did This (SE4, EP9)
Characters: Tony, Christopher and Ralphie

In the episode Whoever Did This, the series briefly turns into a horror film, when Tony and Chris put Ralphie’s head and hands in a bowling bag. This could be a scene from American Psycho or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Very chilling stuff.

1184

Episode: Two Tonys (SE5, EP1)
Characters: Tony, Paulie, Christopher, Silvio, Carlo Gervasi, Johnny Sack and Raymond Curto

“Jesus, I’m stuffed. I can’t remember the last time I ate this much.” The boys are out for dinner and the newly made guy Christopher has to pick up the tab. It’s the reason for another fight between Christopher and Paulie, who likes to rub it in. “My friend here would like the check. Hehehehe 1184. I gotta play that number.” Later in the evening, they make up by whacking the waiter together. Now that’s bonding between friends.

Big Mouth Billy Bass

Episode: “To Save Us All From Satan’s Power” (SE3, EP10)
Characters: Tony, Carmela, A.J. and Meadow

Tony gets the perfect Christmas present from Meadow; a Big Mouth Billy Bass. This is a singing fish that sings; ‘Take Me To The River’ from Al Green. This thing freaked Tony out before and the same thing happens now. All episode long, Tony has been dealing with guilt over killing Pussy – who was singing to the feds – and this is the perfect reminder of his deeds. He earned it. Pussy the Fish will continue to haunt him forever.

Return of the Legend

Episode: Two Tonys (SE5, EP1)
Characters: Tony, Feech La Manna, Bobby and Junior

“You know what’s the biggest change for me? Broads shaving their bushes. I went over to Silvio’s; it’s like the girl scouts over there.” Feech La Manna, the legendary mobster who we have heard about before, is back! He is portrayed with great intensity by Robert Loggia. What an eyebrows, what a voice. There are lots of wisecracks and jokes in this scene. There is also immediate tension between Tony and Feech which promises trouble for the season to come.

Rat Trap

Episode: I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano (SE1, EP13)
Characters: Christopher, Silvio and Jimmie Altieri

Lovers of the violence in this series will appreciate this whacking. Mob informant Jimmie Altieri is lured into a trap by Chrissy and shot through his head by Silvio. His brains are splattered all over the wall. A civilian later finds him with a rat in his mouth.

Acting Boss

Episode: Mayham (SE6, EP3)
Characters: Silvio and Gabriella Dante

With Tony in the hospital, Silvio steps up as acting boss. ‘Acting boss’ is the appropriate title. Silvio is acting like boss, but does he feel it? While his wife flatters him, Sil remains level headed. He’s better as number two. Strategy. Advice. This is the first time we really see Silvio in the dynamics of his own household and it’s an entertaining look. His wife keeps on tempting him to fill the void Tony will leave when – god forbids – he dies. She is thinking about a bigger pay day as well. Silvio tells her he was considered as boss in the past, but it wasn’t for him. Still, he wouldn’t sneeze on it, would he?

True Friendship

Episode: All Happy Families (SE5, EP4)
Characters: Tony, Paulie, Vito, Silvio, Tony Blundetto, Feech La Manna and other gamblers

“What do you get when you cross an accountant and a giant jet airplane? A boring 747.” After a remark by Carmela about the truthfulness of his friends, Tony observes them more closely and guess what? They laugh a little too hard at his not-that-great accountant-joke. That slow-motion shot of these laughing faces is genius.

Tony’s Analysis

Episode: Stage 5 (SE6, EP14)
Characters: Tony and Dr. Melfi

Tony is genuinely hurt about Christopher’s portrayal of him in Cleaver. “After all I did for this kid, he thinks I’m some asshole bully.”
The relationship between Tony and Chris is going down the hill even further than it already was.
“Is it possible you are reading into this too much?”, asks Dr. Melfi.
Tony: “I’ve been coming here for years. I know too much of the subconscious now.”

Silent Treatment

Episode: He is Risen (SE3, EP8)
Characters: Tony, Ralphie, Christopher and Paulie

Tony shows his managerial excellence once again. On advice of Dr. Melfi, he read ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu and finds it very useful in his daily gangster management. When Ralph Cifaretto becomes a problem, Tony puts the strategic lessons from the book into practice. ‘Annoy your enemies’, is the approach in this scene. Ralphie comes to apologize for “disrespecting the Bing and the girl’. Tony lets him crawl. He hardly says anything and doesn’t even let Ralphie sit down. When Ralph makes his apologies, all he says is; “anything else?” Even though Ralph is a bastard, this scene is hard to watch.

Warning: Danger!

Episode: Irregular Around the Margins (SE5, EP5)
Characters: Tony and Adriana

‘Danger’ is all over this scene. Tony is about to have sex with Christopher’s fiancée which would be a disaster relationship wise. The discussion between the two is about Adriana’s secret FBI friend Daniele. On top of that, there is the physical danger: Tony swerves to avoid a raccoon on the road and flips his SUV on its driver’s side. The beauty of this incident is that you immediately start to worry. What will they all think of this? Will they think….? Yes, they will soon after.

Blind Spot

Episode: The Ride (SE6, EP9)
Characters: Carmela and Liz La Cerva

“Carmela Soprano, how’s your daughter?”, begins Adriana’s mother Liz when she meets Carmela at the annual feast of Elzéar of Sabran. Then after Carmela’s “Fine”, she says: “well, mine is dead.” Goosebumps. Carmela is faced – again – with Adriana’s faith, but she just doesn’t see it. In Season 6 she completely accepted her faith as, what series creator David Chase calls: housewife-whore.

An Unfriendly Drink

Episode: Walk Like a Man (SE6, EP17)
Characters: Christopher, Paulie, Tony, Patsy, Bobby, Silvio, Carlo, Walden Belfiore, Jason Molinaro, Dante ‘Buddha’ Greco, Benny Fazio and Anthony Maffei

“To good times”. The way things are brewing now they will be over soon. Chris has a few drinks too many with Paulie to make up for the feud they recently had. Then he has to take a whole lot of insults that even include his daughter. Everybody laughs at Christopher, including the diabolical Tony. Chris seems to take it well, surprisingly enough. But under the surface things are happening that aren’t so healthy.

Forced Retirement

Episode: The Test Dream (SE5, EP11)
Characters: Phil Leotardo, Billy Leotardo and Angelo Garepe

The Leotardo brothers take out Carmine Lupertazzi’s old consiglieri Angelo for cooperating with Little Carmine against Johnny Sack. The trunk murder is a reference to the death of Billy Batts in GoodFellas, who is played by Frank Vincent (Phil Leotardo).

The Groom Feeds the Bride

Episode: Mr. and Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request (SE6, EP5)
Characters: The entire New York and New Jersey families (except Rusty Millio)

One of many great moments at Allegra Sacrimoni’s 400.000 dollar wedding. The atmosphere at the wedding is delivered perfectly. It’s like you are standing there yourself. This is how you do production design in a Mafia series; the music, the people, the traditions, it’s all there and all great.

Story Arc

Episode: Walk Like a Man (SE6, EP17)
Characters: Christopher and J.T. Dolan

A drunken Chris visits screenwriter T.J. who has functioned as the mob’s bitch ever since he borrowed cash from Christopher. The poor slob doesn’t realise how dangerous Chris is at this point. After Christopher starts spilling his guts about Adriana and Ralph Cifaretto, T.J. blows him off which leads to his killing. He quite literally made his Law and Order deadline.

Prone to Depression

Episode: The Second Coming (SE6, EP19)
Characters: A.J., Tony, Carmela and Dr. Richard Vogel

A.J.’s family therapy after his attempted suicide is absolutely hilarious. It is great to hear them discuss all these memorable events from the past. Like Livia telling A.J. “it’s all a big nothing”, or Carmela calling A.J. an animal for smoking marijuana at his confirmation. And all the time you hear A.J. mimicking Tony, who in turn is mimicking Livia. Then Tony finds Coco’s tooth in the fold of his right pant leg… Oh jeez.

Ambushed

Episode: Whitecaps (SE4, EP13)
Characters: Christopher, Benny Fazio, Petey LaRosa, Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson

After the hit on Carmine Lupertazi is cancelled, Tony tells Chris that nobody can find out it was ever considered. Chris ensures the silence of the contracted hitmen by having them whacked by associates Benny Fazio and Petey LaRosa. This is how it’s done in the shady underworld these characters inhabit. Dirty ‘n mean.

Watchman

Episode: Two Tonys (SE5, EP1)
Characters: Tony

This is just an image really, but a powerful one. Tony holding guard for the bear in Two Tonys is the perfect final image of this episode. The cigar, the assault riffle; there is only one Tony and this is him. The heavy rock music makes it even better.