The Sopranos

Episodes

Premise:

I discontinued my synopses of The Sopranos at the end of Season 4. To be honest, it was too much work, considering how much is packed into each episode. Season 6 will air sometime in 2005.

Who's Important?

What do you need to know?

Tony's relationship with his mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand), shaped much of his personality and created much of the stress in his current life. While he always did his best to be a "good son," his relationship was strained by his mother's constant nagging and neediness. She allowed Tony's flaky sister Janice (Aida Turturro) to mooch off her because it allowed her to feel needed. And when Livia felt neglected by Tony after he put her in a nursing home, she manipulated Junior into putting a hit on Tony by playing off his fears of his diminishing role in the family.

Tony's relationship with the next generation of Sopranos is just as complicated. He's following in his father's footsteps, and is proud of that, but at the same time definitely doesn't want A.J. following in his footsteps. At the same time, though, Tony's training up his nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli) in the family business. Tony has a troubled relationship with Meadow, who, much like her mother, loves the perks that come with being part of a mob family but is ashamed at the cost of her lifestyle.

All the stress brings on panic attacks, and Tony attempts to work through it all with his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi. She's fascinated and conflicted about his life, being Italian-American herself. She's drawn to the power he wields, and even toyed with the idea of asking Tony to retaliate on her behalf when she was raped in the parking garage of her office building. At the same time, though, her well-educated, liberal, upper-class sensibilities are repulsed by the brutality of Tony's "work."

Episodes: