The Sopranos is 1 of the most beloved and acclaimed idiot box series of all fourth dimension. It painted an intimate and grounded portrait of the gangster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and the struggles between his two families: his blood family and his crime family. Ambulation in 1999, the prove spawned 6 incredible seasons that fused psychological drama with Mafia movies in a perfect matrimony.

Equally realistic as the testify was, existent life is kind of boggling. While not containing annihilation that was too over the elevation or immersion-breaking, The Sopranos was home to many wild and unpredictable moments, and it'due south difficult to believe that it aired on prime-time television. Whether played for one-act, drama, horror, or a mix of the three, these moments kept audiences on their toes every Lord's day night at ix:00.

This article contains spoilers for The Sopranos.

The Entirety of the "The Test Dream"

The Test Dream

One affair that separates The Sopranos from a lot of crime stories is its accent on mental health, and Tony's dreams give us front row seats to the inner turmoil of his psyche.

"The Examination Dream" starts ordinarily. Tony checks in at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel to get out of his mother's bedraggled house, and what follows side by side is a labyrinthine, 20-minute dream sequence. In it, Tony shares a bed with the anile Carmine Lupretazzi Sr. (Tony Lip), drives around with dead people, is chased around Bailiwick of jersey similar he's Frankenstein's monster, and tries to convince his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), to permit him keep his horse in the business firm. Information technology'south a wild ride that's agonizing equally it is funny, and information technology's hard to recollect of some other show that could pull information technology off.

The Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary

Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) is not a good human being. He oftentimes backstabs Tony, is prone to childish tantrums, and he'll kill anyone for a buck. Paulie is despicable, just his worst moment is when he throws his female parent to the wolves after he finds out he's her sis's son. His mother is his aunt, and his aunt is his mother.

Paulie spends the next few episodes badmouthing the woman who raised him, up until he receives a startling vision of the Virgin Mary at the Bada Bing. Mary is on screen for just a second, floating mid-air and accompanied by a heavy guitar riff. It'due south a jumpscare out of left-field that'due south genuinely unsettling, and it's enough to scare Paulie into forgiving his adoptive mother.

Tony's Fish

If yous were to watch Season 1 of the series so leap to Season 6, it would exist like you're watching ii different shows. Season 6, while it does have its levity, is like watching a tragedy of Wagnerian proportions. Flavour 1, in comparison, is a express joy-a-minute riot, only noticeably more unpolished. This probably explains the most bizarre whacking in the whole series, and that's the one where Tony hides a gun in a fish.

In the Flavour one finale, "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano," Tony launches a counter-attack on his Uncle Junior's (Dominic Chianese) crew later he makes an attempt on his life. Tony corners one of his soldiers, Chucky Signore (Sal Ruffino), on a boat, and after a little small talk most the fish he simply caught, Tony suddenly pulls out a pistol from the fish'south mouth and blows Chucky abroad. That'south one way to conceal carry.

The Fall of Richie Aprile

Richie Aprile

Richie Aprile (David Proval) is the primary adversary of Flavour two, and he makes for an unforgettable one. He'due south devious as he is fearless, and one of the few people that are completely unafraid of Tony and what he'south capable of.

His arc is mostly is about him settling back into the family after a long stint in prison, non realizing that the game has completely inverse. He brazenly pushes cocaine on garbage routes and tries to worm his way into Tony's life through his relationship with his sister, Janice (Aida Turturro). You would think that the season would end with some sort of climactic confrontation between Tony and Riche, maybe a one-on-one ball to the death or an expertly planned assassination. Nope. Instead, Richie is unceremoniously shot twice in the breast by Janice afterward he hits her. Equally Carmela put information technology, "That was not a marriage made in heaven."

Chris Robs Lauren Bacall

Chris Robs Lauren Bacall

"Luxury Lounge" is a criminally underrated Sopranos episode, and it's i of the best. It shines a spotlight on Tony's all-time friend Artie Bucco as he struggles to relieve his eating house, but also has the funniest B-plot in the whole series. Tony's nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli) and the air-headed "Footling" Cherry-red Lupretazzi (Ray Abruzzo) attempt to cast actors for their flick, Cleaver.

What follows is the ii awkwardly trying to pitch the flick to Sir Ben Kingsley (equally himself). Chris' tough guy attitude does him no favors, and Carmine'south tenuous grasp on the English language linguistic communication doesn't aid either. Chris hounds Kinglsey the rest of the episode, and he accidentally lets sideslip that actors become a ton of gratis, expensive stuff at accolade shows. This results in Chris mugging the belatedly, neat Lauren Bacall (also equally herself) outside one of these shows and decking her in the face. He clumsily makes off with the handbasket of goodies and kicks it up to an unimpressed Tony. Classy? No. Wild and darkly comic? Yes.

Livia Attempts Filicide

Livia Soprano

Flavour one of The Sopranos was lighter in tone compared to the rest of the series, but the conflict between Tony and his female parent, Livia (Nancy Marchand), is probably the most disturbing and shocking plot thread in the whole series. It's hard to think of any prime number-time television series that would feature a plot of a female parent trying to kill her son.

Livia is non a pleasant woman. Near characters on the show refer to as a "void" or a "black pigsty." It'southward heavily implied that she suffers from undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder: being a mob married woman surrounded past lies, death, and adultery did not help matters. The conflict kicks off after Tony has her put in one of the all-time "retirement communities" in the land as it becomes clear she can't live alone. As a advantage for one of Tony's few acts of generosity, Livia sets out to have him killed by manipulating Uncle Inferior to do the muddied work. This plotline defined the residue of the prove, and fans are notwithstanding wondering what the series would have been if Marchand hadn't passed after filming the 2nd season.

Paulie and the Psychic

Paulie Chair

For a grounded crime drama, The Sopranos contains a lot of strange, borderline supernatural moments. Paulie's encounter with a psychic is just one of them, but it'southward probably the most unforgettable.

In "From Where to Eternity," Christopher is in the hospital after beingness nearly killed past ii of his dimwitted subordinates. Upon regaining consciousness, he informs Tony and Paulie that he was in Hell, and Hell is a loud Irish pub where their beau mobsters are humiliated every night. Paulie is unsettled by this and Chris' other ramblings and seeks assistance from a psychic to ease his heed. Yet, the psychic does him no adept and has an uncanny cognition of Paulie'southward laundry list of murders. In a fit of rage, Paulie tries to throw a folding chair at these haunting specters, terminal i of the strangest and funniest moments on the testify.

The Expiry of Cosette and Chris' Intervention

Chris' Intervention

Chris' life is a black comedy filled with stupid blunders. "The Strong, Silent Type" features his dumbest and funniest, where he crushes Adriana's (Drea de Matteo) dog, Cosette, in a high daze. She comes domicile to their apartment to observe that Chris has passed out on the couch and is sitting on her at present deceased dog: Chris weakly protests his innocence, claiming, "She must've crawled under there for warmth!"

That'due south only the beginning of the episode: Adriana, worn down by Chris' addiction and beliefs, stages an intervention on his behalf. His closest friends come together and try to assistance him. His only problem is that all his friends are emotionally stunted mobsters. The intervention is less of a therapeutic moment of healing and more similar a roast of Christopher. The intervention ends with Chris snapping at his "friends" and them chirapsia him up in return. And then much for honour among thieves.

Carmela Walks Out On Tony

White Caps

Similar a lot of shows, the season finales of The Sopranos usually mark some kind of dramatic change in the master grapheme's life. The Season iv finale "Whitecaps" is at the head of the course on those terms and features Carmela finally separating from Tony.

Every bit a mob wife, Carmela has to put up with a lot. Sure, there are perks like the nice jewelry and the expensive house, but she also has to lie to her children, be bailiwick to threats confronting her life as a risk of Tony'due south "job," and has to put upwardly with his unfaithfulness. In "Whitecaps," that all comes to a head. She finds out about Tony'southward latest affair and goes nuclear. She throws Tony's dress out the window, kicks him out of his own home, and wants to file for divorce. The episode is nothing but James Gandolfini and Edie Falco putting their sheer acting talent to work every bit two biting people that have grown to resent each other, and it's shocking as it is real.

The Concluding Scene

Tony Looks Up

Out of all the unexpected things The Sopranos has done, it would be a crime non to mention the very last scene of the finale, "Fabricated in America." The episode has the grim pace of a funeral procession, taking identify in the dead of winter and marked by even colder cinematography and management. At this betoken in the series, most of Tony'due south allies are expressionless and cached, and he's pretty much on his own to end the mob war between Bailiwick of jersey and New York.

Against all odds, Tony manages to get the upper hand and emerges the victor, but the episode isn't over yet. Later a last chat with a now dementia-afflicted Uncle Inferior and a meeting with his lawyer nearly a rat in his coiffure, he goes out to accept dinner with his family. While they're waiting on his daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), the eating house's doorbell rings, Tony looks up, and... the episode cuts to black. This lack of closure is one of the most audacious things the series has ever done. Did Tony die? Is he in Hell, living out this family dinner for eternity correct before he gets whacked? Or is this merely a dream of happier times? No i tin can say, it makes for one of the greatest and unexpected moments on TV, always.

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