𝟗.𝟗-𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟎

Top 2 Sopranos episode for me just behind long term parking which i just think is exceptional and would be very hard to top but his nearly did it. The most surreal and interesting episode of the Sopranos at this point 

“𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭”😔

Why this quote is perfect and masterful⇩

In Tony’s coma dream, he is not himself. He is “Kevin Finnerty,” a man lost in a strange world, without his usual status or power. The briefcase represents everything he believes defines him his work, his identity, his sense of self. When he says “My whole life was in it,” he’s not just talking about documents or personal belongings. He’s expressing a deep existential fear: without his identity, who is he?

This mirrors real life Tony, lying in a hospital bed, powerless, is at risk of losing everything, his leadership, his family, his life. The mob world is moving on without him. Paulie and Vito are already scheming about how to divide his money. Even Silvio his most trusted soldier struggles with taking control showing how fragile Tony’s grip on power really is.

Also his loss of control is masterful writing. It shows this by  implying that Tony is used to being the most powerful in the room but is now not because of the coma he is in. In the dream, he’s stuck in a world where nothing makes sense he has someone else’s identity and no one recognizes him. This reflects his real life struggle with mortality. If he dies, everything he built his power, his reputation ceases to exist just like the contents of that missing briefcase.

Specials

Season 1