The Sopranos: My Top 10 Favorite Episodes

Alright so as you might have seen I recently posted a video about my experience rewatching The Sopranos. I was surprised at how positive the reception was for such a personal topic, and people were actually asking for more videos like that. So in that spirit I thought it would be fun to do a quick video running through my favorite episodes from the series.

Now you might remember that I ranked all the episodes of the show in my first ever livestream a few years back. But when I did that I was ranking them based on the quality of each episode. This list however is based on my own personal enjoyment. I don’t necessarily think most of these are the best episodes overall, but they are my personal favorite episodes and the ones I enjoy watching the most.

Now since I’ve literally covered every episode of the show already, I’m not going to go into a deep analysis of each of these episodes. Instead I’ll just say what I love about them and move on. So without further ado, let’s get into the list. These are my Top 10 Favorite episodes of the Sopranos.

Number 10: College

I’ve done a whole video on why this episode is important, which happens to be my most successful video to date, so I’ll be brief here. In this episode Tony takes Meadow to look at colleges in Maine, while Carmela stays home sick. While on the trip Tony sees a former mobster turned informant. While Carmela has a romantically charged night at home with her priest father Phil, Tony kills the informant behind Meadow’s back.

This is the episode that defined not only what The Sopranos was going to be, but also what all television would look like afterwards. Pretty much every drama that has come out after the Sopranos has been chasing what the show did in this episode. It set the template for the antihero archetype that would follow, and deserves to be recognized as one of the most important moments in television history.

Besides just that though, the episode is very standalone in nature, which is what I like. I like being able to just put on an episode and not feel like you’re jumping ahead of the story. The scenes of Tony and Meadow in Maine, and Carmela and the priest at home, are almost like little short stories. It’s a nice, self-contained narrative, but the themes that it gets at would have profound effects on the rest of the series, and because of that, it’s my number 10 spot.

Number 9: I Dream of Jeanie Cusamano.

The finale of Season One has a lot of moments to love. Tony attacking his mother in the hospital after finding out she tried to have him killed. Artie confronting Tony in the parking lot about the restaurant fire. Tony finally assuming control of the family from his uncle.

However the moment that stands out to me the most is the ending. As a storm batters New Jersey, the Soprano family finds refuge in Vesuvio, a place that’s like home to them. At a candle lit dinner, Tony toasts to his family. While there is conflict raging all around them, in this final scene they are happy and at peace.

It’s an incredibly warm moment, and it just makes me happy to watch. It’s also contrasted beautifully in the finale, with AJ bringing this moment up and Tony not remembering. It’s a powerful reminder of how far Tony and his family have fallen at this point, but it also reminds me of just how much I loved these characters over the years, and that’s why this episode goes at the number 9 spot.

Number 8: Cold Cuts

In this episode Janice is sent to anger management classes after getting into a fight in public. Meanwhile Christopher and Tony B head up to Uncle Pat’s farm to dispose of some bodies that are buried up there.

There are two things that I really love about this episode. One is Tony’s reaction to Janice’s anger management. He becomes jealous that she is able to control her emotions in a way that he can’t, and he ends up picking on her until she breaks down just so he can feel superior to her. It’s one of the ugliest moments for Tony because of how pointless it was to sabotage Janice’s progress, and it’s one of the few times the series really made me sympathize with her.

The other storyline I love is Christopher and Tony B at Uncle Pat’s farm. Not only is the atmosphere up there just really comfy to watch, it was also nice seeing the two of them bond. However, just like with Janice, Tony ruins it by picking on Christopher. Even though it was just juvenile teasing, the scene with Christopher crying in his car really reinforces just how damaging childhood bullying can be even when you are a grown man.

Number 7: Amour Fou

In this episode Tony and Gloria’s relationship falls apart dramatically. Meanwhile Jackie Junior, wanting to be somebody in the mob world, tries to rob a card game like Tony and his father did when they were young.

The scenes with Jackie Junior in this episode are really good. Though his storyline really reaches its peak in the next episode, watching him destroy his life by trying to emulate his father and Tony is truly fascinating. I’ll need to do a full video on Jackie Junior one day, because like with AJ I think he’s one of the most overlooked characters of the show.

However the reason this episode is on the list is much more to do with Gloria. She is easily the most interesting of Tony's goomars. Her psychological issues come to a head in their fight in this episode, and the implication that she got with Tony because she wanted him to kill her is one of the darkest moments in the series.

Number 6: Remember When

In this episode, Tony is forced to go on a trip with Paulie to Florida while they hide out from a possible indictment. On the trip, Paulie’s loudmouth nature almost pushes Tony to the brink. Meanwhile Junior, stuck in a mental institution, strikes up an unlikely friendship with one of the other inmates.

I’ll be honest, I like this episode because of a superficial reason. As some of you might know, I am of the Asian persuasion. And I’ve made plenty of jokes comparing myself to Carter Chong. But honestly, it is kinda fun for me to see Junior have a sidekick that I can self-insert as. Him and the asian hitman are my favorite characters and I really wish they did more with them.

However memes aside, beyond just that, the whole One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest vibe is very fun in this episode, and the ending where Carter loses faith in Junior as a parental figure and attacks him is incredibly well written. For a one off character like that, he really leaves an impact on the show.

Also the Florida scenes with Paulie are just hilarious.

Number 5: Knight In White Satin Armor

In the penultimate episode of the second season, the conflict between Tony and Richie Aprile is coming to a head. Though about to marry his sister, Richie and Junior are making moves to take Tony out.

I’ve said it many times, but Richie is my favorite character from the series. He’s just so fun to watch. He’s the first real mob antagonist for Tony, and the wonderful performance of David Proval made the second season my favorite out of all the show.

The conclusion of Richie’s storyline in this episode really leaves an impact. I sometimes forget that this isn’t the actual season finale, that’s how strong it is. The beautiful irony that Janice takes out Richie when Tony has been having conflict with the two all season is incredible. Also ironic is that Richie dies after hitting Janice, something he warned Christopher not to do.

Number 4: Soprano Home Movies

Tony and Carmela go to celebrate his 47th birthday with Janice and Bobby at their lake house. Despite the festivities, drunken antics lead to a fight and bitter feeling for everyone involved.

The start of Season 6B is an incredibly strong episode. I love the focus on family interactions. The underlying tension between Tony and Janice despite the nice environment on the surface is very believable for a family as toxic as the Sopranos.

Also the conflict between Tony and Bobby is extremely satisfying. It’s awesome to see Bobby finally punch Tony in the face after all the shit he has had to take from him over the years. And the way Tony fixates on his defeat and then forces Bobby to compromise himself morally by killing someone for the first time, is very much in line with his character. Just like Janice says in the episode, Tony has become like their mother, and the conflict that brings to everyone around him is just wonderful to see.

Number 3: House Arrest

This is probably the most comfy episode of the series. Both Tony and Junior are stuck at home. Tony because he is trying to distance himself from incriminating situations with the mob, and Junior because of his literal house arrest. It’s funny to see them both deal with the boredom of being stuck at home.

But this is also one of the few episodes that has a relatively happy ending. Junior manages to find a woman who actually cares for him. It would have been very believable to have Junior reject this woman due to Livia’s manipulation and his own insecurity. However in a rare moment he rises above all that and actually has a positive relationship for once in his life.

Though Tony’s ending for the episode isn’t as wholesome as Junior’s, the scene where he joins his guys at the pork store is still a nice, quiet moment. It’s like a slice of life for the mob, the quiet before the storm, and it just makes me happy to see everyone together like this for what will be one of the last times.

Number 2: Whitecaps

Do I even need to say why this is on here? This is easily one of the best episodes if not the best episode of the series. It is a masterclass of acting from both James Gandolfini and Eddie Falco. Together the two start the episode loving each other and thinking of buying a beach house for the family. However after Tony’s cheating finally breaks Carmela emotionally, the two have the greatest fight of the series. They are brutally honest to each other for once, and though we end the episode with their marriage falling apart, it is one of the greatest moments of television history.

Again there’s nothing I can say about this episode that hasn’t been discussed a million times already. So let’s move onto my favorite episode of all time.

Number 1: From Where To Eternity

This episode might surprise some people that it’s my favorite, especially compared to many of the other episodes out there. But I have a very personal reason for loving this episode.

When I was making my Sopranolog series, I had to watch an episode every two or three days to make my deadline. And I actually watched From Where to Eternity on my birthday. I had a nice dinner with some friends, and then we all sat down together and watched the episode. Even though they had never seen the show before, they enjoyed it and it was really nice to be able to share the experience with them.

The episode also has a lot of great moments that stand out on their own. Carmela tells Tony to get a vasectomy. Tony being mean to AJ. Tony and Puss killing Matthew Bevilaqua… I mean Drinkwater. Plus the Otis Redding song at the beginning and the end just really make this episode something special.

And that is my top ten list. I hope you guys enjoyed this video, and let me know your favorite episode in the comments down below.