The Sopranos has many unforgettable episodes, but one from the first season is a masterpiece that put the show on the map. Back in 1999, David Chase introduced the world to Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his family – both genetic and mafia – in the crime drama TV series The Sopranos. The show aired from 1999 to 2007, running for six seasons.
The Sopranos follows Tony, who, after suffering from panic attacks, begins to see psychiatrist Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). Tony is encouraged to open up about his struggles with his family and criminal life, but Tony is often reluctant to do so. Meanwhile, Tony continues to try to balance his crime family and businesses with his not-so-stable family life.
Thanks to this, The Sopranos takes a look at Tony’s family life and the individual struggles of his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and their children Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and AJ (Robert Iler), as well as at his crime family and closest associates. Both of Tony’s worlds often clash, but there’s one episode, in particular, where they collide that's key to the show.
The Sopranos Season 1, Episode 5, "College" Put The Show On The Map
“College” Is One Of The Best Episodes Of The Sopranos
From the beginning of the series, Tony presents himself as a “waste management consultant”, and not even his kids know he’s in the mafia – or, at least, that’s what he thinks. Meadow tells AJ what their father really does, and she confronts Tony in season 1’s episode “College” while they’re on a road trip to visit three colleges.
Tony is shocked and slightly offended when Meadow asks him if he’s in the mafia, which he denies, though he ends up admitting that part of his income is from illegal activities. The father-daughter trip is interrupted when Tony spots Fabian “Febby” Petrulio, a former mafia member who entered witness protection after ratting on his crew, thus breaking the omertà.
Despite letting Meadow party with some college students and dropping her at another college so he could go after Febby, his constant trips to a payphone to speak to his people raise Meadow’s suspicions. In the end, Tony kills Febby, and lies to Meadow when she asks about the mud on his shoes and a wound on his hand.
Meanwhile, back home, Carmela is visited by Father Phil Intintola, who takes advantage of her to eat her food and drink wine. Carmela is almost unfaithful to Tony with Father Phil, and they have an awkward goodbye the following morning. “College” sees Tony’s family life and mafia duties collide, while Carmela struggles with her feelings and loneliness.
Cast member Steve Schirripa chose “College” as one of his favorite episodes of The Sopranos (via The Guardian), saying it was the one that put the show on the map. “College” brings together everything that makes the show so great – tension in its mafia storyline, fractured families, temptation, and a dark sense of humor – but without mixing them.
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Tony Soprano Is One Of The Best Main Characters In TV History
It’s established from the first episode of The Sopranos that Tony Soprano isn’t a good guy, but it isn’t until “College” that the audience sees what Tony is truly capable of. “College” is the first time viewers see Tony murder someone, and what makes it even more brutal is that it wasn’t a personal conflict with Febby – it was simply because he turned into a “rat.”
Tony stalking Febby and planning his murder while taking Meadow to different colleges shows exactly what Tony’s life is about: doing his part as a mafia associate and being a family man, keeping both as separate as possible. Seeing Tony as a caring father and a moment later seeing him kill a man is the perfect example of the different faces of the same man.
With “College”, Tony Soprano firmly established himself as an anti-hero with two very different sides, which can sometimes clash but almost never mix. “College” is a key episode in The Sopranos, and it’s as fun and entertaining as it is suspenseful and shocking, and it encapsulates what made the show so great.
Source: The Guardian.
