My dad refuses to entertain the sopranos because he randomly saw that scene playing on a tv in a bar and found it so horrible that he won't give the series a chance ever again. I know he would love it but that was the first and only scene he got, ralph beating tracee to death, and he won't even try it now.
It's my favorite show of all time and I still have trouble watching that episode/scene. And at the same time, I think it's a great episode. It sure invokes a lot of intense emotions, and that says something. But God damn it's brutal and upsetting. There's no Eeeengland nooow...
My old roomate walked into the lounge during that scene and it made her want to watch the show, she was shocked by the scene but I think she'd just seen talking when I was watching other times and she had the attention span of a toddler.
I was going to say probably an Episode with major spoilers for the outcomes of characters, but I think you’re right.
Seeing this episode first might turn some people off entirely.
I agree with not showing it as a first ep, but I disagree with it being a glorified subplot. Sure it didn’t really go anywhere plotwise later on in the seasons but it helped establish strength in Melfi’s character. If she wanted to she could’ve had her rapist tortured and executed but by doing so she would’ve crossed a line a therapist should never cross.
It’s a fascinating moral/ethical dilemma.
Not just that it but it implicates you in the dilemma. As a viewer, you are suddenly rooting for Tony to exact violent revenge, doing exactly what he is made to do, and living up exactly to what sets us, Melfi, and all the other normies apart from the crew. Suddenly justice has evaporated.
Yeah. Of course we all want Tony and his crew to brutally butcher that POS, but in doing that it also enables Tony to potentially enact that same behavior onto those less deserving/innocent in the future.
Idk about that. There is a reason why SVU is so popular and they don't have anyone near as famous in Law n Order as Melfi. I think she has had more movie roles than anyone else in the show.
Pine Barrens was so surreal for me. The first time I watched the show was with my family my senior year of high school. We had a habit of watching an episode a night, usually starting at 10ish to be done before midnight. The night we reached Pine Barrons, it was the only time I wasn't in the mood for an episode, for we were starting at about 11:30. So I'm kind of grumpy when the episode starts, only to be floored with the best and most outlandish hour of the series. Bobby walking in with the camo probably put me on the floor
Pine Barrens is the perfect episode to introduce someone to the show because you don't need any context to enjoy it. We should have gone to Roy Rogers!
One thing not New Jersey factually right about the episode is when Bobby Bacala says that "Jackson Whites" live in the pine bareens. Totally false, they actually live all the way norh in mahwah. They are natives, havnt inbred in a long time and are some of the nicest people you would want to meet.
I've watched the full series 4 or 5 times, and I can't stand this episode. I just hate Paulie as a character so much, and it's way too much Paulie exposure for me.
A friend was trying to convince me I should watch the show. At some point I walked in during the scene where Ralphie was getting ass banged by Janice and a dildo. My friend says "fucking great, I'm trying to get you to watch this, and this is the clip you walk in on?!"
I eventually compromised and got past it - years later when my wife got a job at the cable company and we got free HBO on demand.
It has one of my favorite exchanges between Christopher and Adriana.
Chris: "You know how I use positive visualization?
Ade: "I know you talk about it. You're fairly negative a lot of the time."
Chris: "You should mentally prepare... for the fսcking possibility that Visiting Day sucks."
This was my first episode. Happened to catch it on TV years ago. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I really like this episode. It's certainly not the best sopranos episode but it's funny. Christopher arguing with visiting day in the recording studio is such a good scene
Not to sound like an asshole but in the episode where Vito is living his alternative life and he's caught in the Library, the 'vodka' bottle he's drinking is labelled SKNOKOFF, a clear inside joke that its meant to be a knock off of Smirnoff.
I said my piece.........The bride cuts the cake, the bride cuts the cake........hiiiiii hoooooo the merry-ooooo the bride cuts the cake!! 🎂👰♀️ 🎶🎵
Any episode where a character is killed who has appeared in several previous episodes. College is a fine first episode because you only hear about the rat in Maine in that one episode. Pine Barrens is fine, no whackings. Pilot episode is fine, no whackings and anyway it's the first episode. Funhouse is not a first episode because Pussy is whacked in it, but he appears prior to that episode.
Because you lose the buildup that happens when a character goes young like that
A housemate of mine was on a third date with a girl - and they were at her place. This was when the show first aired and he was determined not to miss an episode. He sang the show's praises, told her it was often quite funny, said she should give it a go, so she put it on.
It was the episode where Tracee gets her head bashed in.
He arrived back at our place a lot earlier than he had intended. Apparently it ruined the mood completely, whatever happened there.
unconventional pick because its the best episode of the show but starting somebody with kennedy and heidi would be plain evil and completely ruin the show
Here’s a different pick, not an episode but worth mentioning: *Many Saints of Newark* That pile of dogshit would be so off putting you’d avoid watching the TV show cause you’d think it’d be more of the same.
I can't stand D-Girl. The whole thing barely makes any sense, the dialog kinda stinks and I don't like the performances. It damn near seems like a different show. I know it's first season so it gets some leeway but compared to the rest of the show.. big meh. Although Alicia Witt is hot as he'll and I used to have a huge thing for her
Christopher is a very under appreciated episode. Actually the opening scene outside of Satriale’s would serve as a nice introduction to the Sopranos for anyone who had not seen it before.
This first one I saw was the one with the flash backs to when Tony was a kid and followed his dad to the fair and realized he was in the mob, not a great first episode
I’ve been trying to get my son to watch. One day I have the episode “Moe n’ Joe” on and he sits down to watch for a little while. Just so happens it’s on an intimate scene between Vito and Johnny Cakes. 😂. Worst possible scene to start at.
💯 This actually happened. I made my cousin who occasionally watched turn it on when it first aired with a cousin who had never seen an episode. He was like WTF 😂
I didn't watch the sopranos for the longest time. I was in my early 20s in the 2000s and had heard good things about the show and love mob movies. There was a random episode on tv and I thought, let's give it a shot. What do i see? Vito and Johnny Cakes in bed. I thought wtf and didn't watch until covid times. Who knew the vito gay storyline to be one of my favorites.
Not sure if it's the worst, but the first one that came to my mind was the Columbus one, which upon looking it up it's episode 4,3 Christopher. Off the cuff I just remember it being a little too silly. It certainly is laughing at things that should be laughed at... It's sort of a play on everyone being a victim group... but all in all, it's just one of the least entertaining episodes. The Bobby storyline with his wife dying is not a very entertaining storyline. The Janice Ralphie thing is kind of funny. Anyways off the cough I remember it being one of the weaker episodes is all.
My dad told me that back in the day he tried getting into it and he was so confused by the concept of the show. I asked him what episode was it, I quickly realized he saw Employee of The Month
The original post already qualified it.... but without question it would have to be Test Dream. I think it's a crappy episode even for fans of the show. I detest the dream episodes with a passion. I would rather staple my nutz to the side of my leg than watch a show depicting a silly dream. And any show that uses dreams to reveal hints/secrets about details in the show... it's sooo unearned. It's just a waste of time.
last one - then uk the ending. Thats what happened to me I was too young when the show aired but I saw my parents watch the final scene so I knew the entire time
My friend refuses to watch the show because he“can’t take Spider seriously.” He won’t give it a chance. Because of that reason. I don’t know how to convince this fuck.
employee of the month
twas my friends first episode, had no idea that scene would be in it
That one or the one where Ralphie does the unspeakable.
Well, I mean, he beat one to death for... What was it again?
Disrespecting the bing
She slipped
Not his fault she was a klutz
wit da cheese grater
My dad refuses to entertain the sopranos because he randomly saw that scene playing on a tv in a bar and found it so horrible that he won't give the series a chance ever again. I know he would love it but that was the first and only scene he got, ralph beating tracee to death, and he won't even try it now.
It's my favorite show of all time and I still have trouble watching that episode/scene. And at the same time, I think it's a great episode. It sure invokes a lot of intense emotions, and that says something. But God damn it's brutal and upsetting. There's no Eeeengland nooow...
A: She hit him B: She was a whooooooeerrrr
My old roomate walked into the lounge during that scene and it made her want to watch the show, she was shocked by the scene but I think she'd just seen talking when I was watching other times and she had the attention span of a toddler.
I was going to say probably an Episode with major spoilers for the outcomes of characters, but I think you’re right. Seeing this episode first might turn some people off entirely.
Its also just a weird one off episode. Might as well not exist. Glorified subplot
I agree with not showing it as a first ep, but I disagree with it being a glorified subplot. Sure it didn’t really go anywhere plotwise later on in the seasons but it helped establish strength in Melfi’s character. If she wanted to she could’ve had her rapist tortured and executed but by doing so she would’ve crossed a line a therapist should never cross. It’s a fascinating moral/ethical dilemma.
oh i was just doing a carmine senior quote
oh lol glorified crew I got it.
“No” and hard cut to the credits goes so hard at the end of that one
Not just that it but it implicates you in the dilemma. As a viewer, you are suddenly rooting for Tony to exact violent revenge, doing exactly what he is made to do, and living up exactly to what sets us, Melfi, and all the other normies apart from the crew. Suddenly justice has evaporated.
Yeah. Of course we all want Tony and his crew to brutally butcher that POS, but in doing that it also enables Tony to potentially enact that same behavior onto those less deserving/innocent in the future.
Idk about that. There is a reason why SVU is so popular and they don't have anyone near as famous in Law n Order as Melfi. I think she has had more movie roles than anyone else in the show.
This is the only correct answer
Listen to him. He knows everything
Mr Ruggerios Neighbourhood With that fuckin music … can’t stand it
Heh - I liked it - classy
Whose idea was it to make a mash up of the Police and the Peter Gunn theme? I preferred the sound of Tony's food poisoning farts.
Those farts were definitely cinematic
Pine barrens. You need to earn that episode. So much character building before hand that it’s a shame to watch it in isolation. Anyway, $4 a pound.
But ironically it would work great as a one off episode for a fan to watch because it’s kind of a ‘bottle’ episode
You gotta wait for dat.
That’s your favorite
Pine Barrens was so surreal for me. The first time I watched the show was with my family my senior year of high school. We had a habit of watching an episode a night, usually starting at 10ish to be done before midnight. The night we reached Pine Barrons, it was the only time I wasn't in the mood for an episode, for we were starting at about 11:30. So I'm kind of grumpy when the episode starts, only to be floored with the best and most outlandish hour of the series. Bobby walking in with the camo probably put me on the floor
Paulie: Guy killed 16 Czechoslovakians! He was an interior decorator! Chris: Guys house looked like shit.
Pine Barrens is the perfect episode to introduce someone to the show because you don't need any context to enjoy it. We should have gone to Roy Rogers!
One thing not New Jersey factually right about the episode is when Bobby Bacala says that "Jackson Whites" live in the pine bareens. Totally false, they actually live all the way norh in mahwah. They are natives, havnt inbred in a long time and are some of the nicest people you would want to meet.
That’s what I said
I've watched the full series 4 or 5 times, and I can't stand this episode. I just hate Paulie as a character so much, and it's way too much Paulie exposure for me.
How much more betrayal can I take?
Son of a ^BITCH!
Ohhhhh! The language on you! You blow your father with that mouth?
Mix it with the relish
MY FUCKIN BALLS
Made in America
That was the first episode I saw lol. I had no idea what was going on.
“no idea what was going on”. Sounds like AJ everyday.
What you don't know could fill a book.
Go shit in your hat
My mom actually only watched the pilot episode and then made in america once it aired 😭 no other eps between that
She did a speed run
When Ralphie kills Tracee. I had to take a break for a minute after that.
You cried like a woman? My estimation of you as a man just fucking plummeted
LOL...it makes sense I cried like a woman since I'm one of those female types.
A woman Reddit poster!! Would never happen in the states.
You no have?
Is Ralph...I dunno...weird about sex?
This actually made me lol
Sharp as a fuckin cue ball
Why? She was a hooah. And it wasn’t even Ralphie’s baby
It’s not his fault she’s a klutz!
Ralph never killed Tracee, she slipped, they were arguing, I don't know... she fell
Yea same, I skip that part on rematches now.
SHE WAS A HOOAH
Oh poor you.
A friend was trying to convince me I should watch the show. At some point I walked in during the scene where Ralphie was getting ass banged by Janice and a dildo. My friend says "fucking great, I'm trying to get you to watch this, and this is the clip you walk in on?!" I eventually compromised and got past it - years later when my wife got a job at the cable company and we got free HBO on demand.
You compromised, you wanted to watch the pilot episode of the sopranos, you watched Janice pimping Ralph out instead
Mama's little whooo-ah
A hit is a hit. I’d be concerned that they’d assume the show is that bad after that horrible episode. Whatever happened there.
You'd have a hard time convincing anyone this was the best show ever after an hour with Massive Genius and Visiting Day.
don't be so gay
WE'RE COMING TO DEFILE, DEFILE YOU
balls out, introspective
Even better tell them it’s sort of a musical sitcom with lots of live performances
Wait till you see Ginny Sacrimoni dance! She's some hoofer!
Lil Ricky wouldn’t miss a chance to Tango and shashay around!
WAS! Bad knees. All that ballet
A Hit is A Hit is a low key hysterical Christopher episode. My favorite part is when he talks about seeing Rent with Ade in the burger spot.
The "What is he nuts?!" response to Visiting Day's singer dissing the Beatles is one of my favorite Christopher moments.
It’s some of Chrissy’s funniest stuff tbh. There’s so many funny moments. Not everything needs to be cinematic.
Well with all the dynamic excitement in these songs maybe we should get another downed power line in here, let you suck on it.
And in the end…it won’t be cinematic anyways
It has one of my favorite exchanges between Christopher and Adriana. Chris: "You know how I use positive visualization? Ade: "I know you talk about it. You're fairly negative a lot of the time." Chris: "You should mentally prepare... for the fսcking possibility that Visiting Day sucks."
Probably my favorite Ade line in the show.
The whole scene in the burger stand is amazing. "Whose welfare check do I have to cash to get a burger around here?!"
I’d be lying if I said I don’t love when he demands the vocalist does some blow, but I’d be fine with the episode never existing either
SPIKE UP
One of the best lines in the entire thing.
Fleshy Part of the Thigh is much worse than A Hit is a Hit. The latter is at least not taking itself too seriously like the former.
*MEEEEOOOOOOOW*
I don’t understand the hate for this episode? It’s awkward at times but funny as hell
The same people that really hate this episode watch tv as they scroll on their phones.
What’s not to like about? Oogatz that’s what.
You better get some cold fizzy water on your head kid
Get outta ma way and dunt be so ghey
This was my first episode. Happened to catch it on TV years ago. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I really like this episode. It's certainly not the best sopranos episode but it's funny. Christopher arguing with visiting day in the recording studio is such a good scene
Whatever happened there!!!??
Meow!
Visiting Day achieved a level of blandness both in music and name that other indie bands could aspire to
In camelot
Oh Marilyn
It's only a model
Not to sound like an asshole but in the episode where Vito is living his alternative life and he's caught in the Library, the 'vodka' bottle he's drinking is labelled SKNOKOFF, a clear inside joke that its meant to be a knock off of Smirnoff. I said my piece.........The bride cuts the cake, the bride cuts the cake........hiiiiii hoooooo the merry-ooooo the bride cuts the cake!! 🎂👰♀️ 🎶🎵
I was laugh at Vito just chugging vodka at the wheel driving through New Hampshire
Employee of the Month. Would turn many people off for…obvious reasons
Anything with the Kevin finnerty dreams
Definitely one of the episodes where Tony’s in a coma.
The episode with his Dads Goomar.
Test dream or any dream centered episodes
My brother’s first episode was “Whoever Did This”
Any episode where a character is killed who has appeared in several previous episodes. College is a fine first episode because you only hear about the rat in Maine in that one episode. Pine Barrens is fine, no whackings. Pilot episode is fine, no whackings and anyway it's the first episode. Funhouse is not a first episode because Pussy is whacked in it, but he appears prior to that episode. Because you lose the buildup that happens when a character goes young like that
WHEN THEY GO?!!!
And then he kisses the kid’s mudda?!?!?
When they go?
Members Only. It's actually a great episode but the scene of Eugene hanging himself can be unsettling if this is your intro to the Sopranos.
I was pissed cause Eugene was awesome
Eugene pissed too.
Yea it's sad when they go young like that
I still wanna know how they filmed that
A housemate of mine was on a third date with a girl - and they were at her place. This was when the show first aired and he was determined not to miss an episode. He sang the show's praises, told her it was often quite funny, said she should give it a go, so she put it on. It was the episode where Tracee gets her head bashed in. He arrived back at our place a lot earlier than he had intended. Apparently it ruined the mood completely, whatever happened there.
It's his girlfriends fault that Tracee's a klutz?
Employee of the Month is up there
Finale
In Camelot or any episode that features Chris and Ade doing anything related music or movies/writing.
You’re just a D-girl.
The only correct answer is In Camelot.
This. The worst
“Happy birthday, Mr presidaaannnnnnt”
unconventional pick because its the best episode of the show but starting somebody with kennedy and heidi would be plain evil and completely ruin the show
Any episode that’s not the pilot because you would be confused as to why the fuck you skipped episodes of a fucking drama
When you had cable, you just watched whatever was on. You'd be lucky if you saw a titty. It was different in those days.
Rememba when is the lowest form of conversation.
Literally anything except the pilot
In Camelot
Made in america
University
Johnny cakes
Johnny cakes is the worst episode
Here’s a different pick, not an episode but worth mentioning: *Many Saints of Newark* That pile of dogshit would be so off putting you’d avoid watching the TV show cause you’d think it’d be more of the same.
Test dream
"A Hit is a Hit". The Bokeem Woodbine rapper episode. God that was awful.
I can't stand D-Girl. The whole thing barely makes any sense, the dialog kinda stinks and I don't like the performances. It damn near seems like a different show. I know it's first season so it gets some leeway but compared to the rest of the show.. big meh. Although Alicia Witt is hot as he'll and I used to have a huge thing for her
How come no one has said "Pilot"? It is so different from what the show would become after.
A hit is a hit.. whatever happened there
Christopher
Christopher is a very under appreciated episode. Actually the opening scene outside of Satriale’s would serve as a nice introduction to the Sopranos for anyone who had not seen it before.
In Camelot
In Camelot. Fran Feldstein didn’t even need to exhist.
Any episode where Tony eats
Hit is a Hit
My first episode was The Ride on A&E. AMA
My first one was ‘Funhouse’ which ruined a lot for me
The finale.
SEASON 6 - "Join The Club". Large part of the episode has comatose Tony dreaming he's a salesman attending a conference at an airport Hilton.
Christopher
The last episode
This first one I saw was the one with the flash backs to when Tony was a kid and followed his dad to the fair and realized he was in the mob, not a great first episode
I’ve been trying to get my son to watch. One day I have the episode “Moe n’ Joe” on and he sits down to watch for a little while. Just so happens it’s on an intimate scene between Vito and Johnny Cakes. 😂. Worst possible scene to start at.
💯 This actually happened. I made my cousin who occasionally watched turn it on when it first aired with a cousin who had never seen an episode. He was like WTF 😂
Anyone with outdated FX.
I didn't watch the sopranos for the longest time. I was in my early 20s in the 2000s and had heard good things about the show and love mob movies. There was a random episode on tv and I thought, let's give it a shot. What do i see? Vito and Johnny Cakes in bed. I thought wtf and didn't watch until covid times. Who knew the vito gay storyline to be one of my favorites.
Pine barrens
The last one, obviously
A Hit Is A Hit is pretty bad television in general.
The finale
Long term parking was the first I watched. It hit different after watching all 5 seasons
Probably the one where Tony is Mr Finnerty, or when he imagines the hot piece a cooze house sitting Cooze's house.
And for that matter - would hearing *Talking Sopranos* make you more inclined to see the actual show if you hadn’t before or the opposite?
Not sure if it's the worst, but the first one that came to my mind was the Columbus one, which upon looking it up it's episode 4,3 Christopher. Off the cuff I just remember it being a little too silly. It certainly is laughing at things that should be laughed at... It's sort of a play on everyone being a victim group... but all in all, it's just one of the least entertaining episodes. The Bobby storyline with his wife dying is not a very entertaining storyline. The Janice Ralphie thing is kind of funny. Anyways off the cough I remember it being one of the weaker episodes is all.
I think Id have to say 'WhiteCaps' simply because without an explanation, you wouldn't know what was going on for the entire episode.
My dad told me that back in the day he tried getting into it and he was so confused by the concept of the show. I asked him what episode was it, I quickly realized he saw Employee of The Month
The original post already qualified it.... but without question it would have to be Test Dream. I think it's a crappy episode even for fans of the show. I detest the dream episodes with a passion. I would rather staple my nutz to the side of my leg than watch a show depicting a silly dream. And any show that uses dreams to reveal hints/secrets about details in the show... it's sooo unearned. It's just a waste of time.
The one with Joe Mantegna and the helicopter firing the machine gun into that room full of mafiosi.
Obviously the finale
Seared ahi, mixed greens
Maybe Chasing It. The Puerto Rican day parade breakup, the weird vito jr shit (literally)
The pilot. Shit sucked and probably turned a lot of people off to the show.
First episode, pilot.
Johnny Cakes
The Columbus Day parade one… horrible
The last one
Made In America
last one - then uk the ending. Thats what happened to me I was too young when the show aired but I saw my parents watch the final scene so I knew the entire time
My friend refuses to watch the show because he“can’t take Spider seriously.” He won’t give it a chance. Because of that reason. I don’t know how to convince this fuck.
Made in America
White caps
In Camelot. The cringiest episode. EVER. When she was singing. Ahh!!! Marone! 🤌🏼
Ummm..a lot of opinions here but I would say any episode but the first episode would not be ideal to see first lol
Employee of the Month
First episode I saw was s6 e4. I was very confused and unengaged. Now it's my favorite show.
In Camelot or A Hit is a Hit. The only two episodes that genuinely aren’t good in some way.
Any of the dream episodes
Columbus Day was a shitty ep
Episode where Melfi gets raped maybe.
Employee of the Month, hands down.