Tony gets involved in a scam to defraud the government whilst Adriana thinks marriage is the answer to her problems.
This is a vicious episode with some memorable character moments.
In season 4 the writers did a great job of showing us the ugly side of characters in more detail than ever. This story is perfectly timed after Tony's guilt ridden personal crisis in 'Everybody Hurts' as we see some quite ruthless and toxic aspects of his personality.
The plot involving the HUD scam contains a number of interesting moments for numerous characters. Some of the hypocrisy on display from the likes of Tony, Zellman and others is pretty shocking, particularly when hearing Tony airing his hardworking, conservative values, romanticising the good old days and criticising others. Again the references to racial politics and disparities are shown to mean nothing when it comes down to the almighty dollar.
Other characters like Christopher, Paulie, Johnny Sac appear in scenes that are very well made but remind you of how selfish and destructive individuals can be when interacting with others. Christopher's scenes in particular contain some very nasty turns of phrase, but somehow Michael Imperioli in his 'blundering Christopher' persona makes them darkly humorous.
Adriana's storyline continues to slow burn with impending doom ever on the horizon. The scenes with a 'Law and Order' inspired lightbulb moment and another involving a bridal shower are particularly well done.
The final scene is for me the most memorable and shows Tony in one his worst moments. As always with The Sopranos it is these seemingly spontaneous, random moments that have a huge impact on events to come.
Imperioli and Drea de Matteo stand out for me, but all performances are great as ever.
This is a vicious episode with some memorable character moments.
In season 4 the writers did a great job of showing us the ugly side of characters in more detail than ever. This story is perfectly timed after Tony's guilt ridden personal crisis in 'Everybody Hurts' as we see some quite ruthless and toxic aspects of his personality.
The plot involving the HUD scam contains a number of interesting moments for numerous characters. Some of the hypocrisy on display from the likes of Tony, Zellman and others is pretty shocking, particularly when hearing Tony airing his hardworking, conservative values, romanticising the good old days and criticising others. Again the references to racial politics and disparities are shown to mean nothing when it comes down to the almighty dollar.
Other characters like Christopher, Paulie, Johnny Sac appear in scenes that are very well made but remind you of how selfish and destructive individuals can be when interacting with others. Christopher's scenes in particular contain some very nasty turns of phrase, but somehow Michael Imperioli in his 'blundering Christopher' persona makes them darkly humorous.
Adriana's storyline continues to slow burn with impending doom ever on the horizon. The scenes with a 'Law and Order' inspired lightbulb moment and another involving a bridal shower are particularly well done.
The final scene is for me the most memorable and shows Tony in one his worst moments. As always with The Sopranos it is these seemingly spontaneous, random moments that have a huge impact on events to come.
Imperioli and Drea de Matteo stand out for me, but all performances are great as ever.