Finally!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm still coming down from the high of last night's episode of The Sopranos. It was by far the best episode of this series in 2, maybe 3 seasons. The only episode that compares was the one where Paulie and Christopher got stuck in the snow covered Pine Barens sucking on packets of ketchup and looking for "the Russian".

Was I the only one that was totally stressed out by last night's episode. Christ, I woke up stressed Monday morning and battled it most of the day. I wondered if I was experiencing some subconscious anxiety from the impending birth of our first child, but I doubt it. I have too much time to work myself up on that issue. I have a feeling it had to be the final 20 minutes of last night's show.

My buddy Johnny and I have been begging for The Sopranos to once again become a series about the mob instead of a series about a middle aged guy that just happens to be the head of the North Jersey La Cosa Nostra. Last night, we finally got our wish. The Prodigal Mob Show returned and actually spent most of an episode on mob based topics instead of AJ's depression, Uncle Junior's stay in a mental hospital, Meadow's school/relationship issues, or Little Vito taking a dump on the locker room shower floor. I think I speak for everyone in saying we all needed more mobsters getting knocked off and less scenes involving the various struggles of marriage and parenthood.

Last night's episode proved to me that David Chase must have made a deal with HBO after the second season that said something to the effect of, "thanks for giving us a supremely successful series, Mr Chase. At the risk of alienating your core audience, we hereby agree to let you spend the next 2 and a 1/2 seasons showing everyone how brilliant you are with your weekly character studies, as long as you agree to wrap up the mob related issues in the final episode and a half."

I'm just glad that David Chase stopped yanking our chains and gave us an episode worth watching. Not only was it eventful, but it also included the trade mark humor like these quotes and exchanges:

Tony: "You don't need to be a gynecologist to know which way the winds blows".

Silvio: "Paulie said he wants it known. It's on him. He takes full responsibility. But that he didn't do nothin'."

Phil: "There are no scraps in my scrapbook."

And my personal favorite....

RAY-RAY: "That mortadell's number three? He used to be Junior Soprano's driver."
ALBIE: "And you used to sell laser printers out the back of your Crown Vic."

Ok, I know the question we all have is how does this end? Honestly, I have no clue. I have stopped trying to predict David Chase's motives for some time. Unfortunately, next week's episode is only an hour, which is not nearly enough time to wrap up this series in any meaningful fashion, especially when you know that Chase will waste at least 15 minutes on AJ's depression or some other non-sequitor.

Anyhow, it appears that either Tony or Phil are going to be whacked. My guess is it will be Phil with Tony walking off into the sunset triumphantly, but far from heroically. I think he'll be pained to know that life goes on as a mob boss in a war against a much larger and powerful opponent.

Of course, there is the chance that next week's episode is completely maddening and settles nothing, but last night gave me a lot of hope that it will meet with our approval.