The Sopranos (pilot episode)
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| “The Sopranos” | |||||||
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| The Sopranos episode | |||||||
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 | ||||||
| Guest stars | see below | ||||||
| Written by | David Chase | ||||||
| Directed by | David Chase | ||||||
| Production no. | 101 | ||||||
| Original airdate | January 10, 1999 (HBO) | ||||||
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| Episode chronology | |||||||
"The Sopranos" is the first episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. The episode was written and directed by series creator, David Chase. It originally aired on Sunday January 10, 1999.
Table of contents |
Guest starring roles
- Jerry Adler as Hesh Rabkin
- Michael Gaston as Mahaffey
- John Ventimiglia as Artie Bucco
- Kathrine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco
- Joe Lisi as Dick Barone
- Drea de Matteo as Hostess
- Bruce Smolanoff as Emil Kolar
- Joe Pucillo as Beppy Scerbo
- Siberia Federico as Irina Peltsin (pilot only)
- Michael Santoro as Father Phil Intintola (pilot only)
Episode recap
New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano unexpectedly becomes short of breath and passes out while barbequeing. After his doctors are unable to find any physical problem, his collapse is diagnosed as a panic attack, and he is referred to psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. In their first meeting, the two discuss the events that led to his collapse.
Presenting himself as a 'waste management consultant,' Tony begins detailing the day of his attack to Dr. Melfi. Tony is initially uncooperative, expressing scorn for the institution of psychiatry. He tells Dr. Melfi about the stress of his business life — he has a feeling that he has come in at the end of something and describes a reverence for times past. Tony tells Dr. Melfi a story about a family of ducks landing in his pool and nesting there. He has a little stress regarding online roulette in his home life with his daughter Meadow associating with a friend, Hunter Scangarelo, whom his wife feels is a bad influence. Later he mentions that his wife and daughter are not getting along. Tony also tells Dr. Melfi about the stress of training his "nephew" Christopher in the family business. After establishing the ground rules of what will fall under doctor-patient confidentiality, Tony opens up about his career, but keeps the violent details from the doctor.
Tony details the stress of caring for his aging mother, Livia, who is relentlessly pessimistic and cynical, at once demanding and resentful of assistance. He also mentions his wife's relationship with her priest, Father Phil Intintola, as a minor stress. By the end of their first session Dr. Melfi succeeds in making Tony admit he feels depressed but he storms out when she presses him further about the ducks.
Livia's derisive outburst when the family visit Green Grove, a 'retirement community' in which Tony is attempting to place his mother, prompts a second panic attack. This prompts Tony to return to Dr. Melfi and she prescribes Prozac for him. Tony does not attend their next appointment and when he bumps into her at Vesuvio's restaurant, he tells her the "decorating-tips" she gave him really work. Dr. Melfi's date is impressed by Tony and the fact he was able to get them a table after the hostess (Adriana La Cerva) had initially indicated there'd be a substantial wait.
At their next session Tony is still reluctant to face his own psychological weaknesses. Tony is quick to credit the medication for his improved mood but Dr. Melfi tells him it cannot be that as it takes six weeks to work — she credits their therapy sessions. Tony describes a dream where a bird steals his penis. Dr. Melfi extrapolates from this to reveal that Tony projected his love for his family onto the family of ducks living in his back pool and this brings him to tears, to his consternation. She tells him that their flight from the pool sparked his panic attack through the overwhelming fear of somehow losing his own family.
Throughout the episode the audience learns more about Tony's life than he is telling Dr. Melfi through action shown in flashbacks that is inconsistent with his dialogue with her. Besides the violence, one of the major things he does not expressly tell Dr. Melfi is that his wife knows he has been unfaithful and is resentful towards him because of this. When dining out at Online Slots with his goomar Tony is greeted by the restaurant manager, who tells him it is good to see him and it has been ages since he has eaten there — he later gives the same speech when Tony arrives with Carmela, aiding Tony in covering up his infidelity. At this dinner Tony confesses to Carmela that he is taking Prozac and seeing a psychiatrist. Carmela, who thinks Tony is about to confess to adultery, is overjoyed and tells Tony she's is proud of him. Tony stresses that he only told her because she is the only one he is absolutely honest with, causing Carmela to scoff at him.
Tony's nephew and mob underling, Christopher, devises his own means of settling a dispute with a Czechoslovakian waste management company that rivals the Soprano family's own front business, Barone Sanitation: he lures out and kills the company's heir, Emil Kolar, in the backroom of Satriale's pork store. Originally planning to dump the body in a Kolar family garbage dumpster as an example, Christopher instead takes the advice of longtime family soldier "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, who advises him to bury the body and avoid police investigation, while tacitly intimidating the Kolars. The Kolar's drop their rival bid following the disappearance of Emil.
Tony shows his chops as an inventive mob leader by beginning a new enterprise inspired by his MRI scan. Mahaffey, a compulsive gambler who owes money to Tony, is intimidated into making false claims to pay out to the organization in order to cover his debts. Herman "Hesh" Rabkin, an old friend of Tony's father, advises Tony on this scheme and of some problems with his Uncle Junior, who feels jealous of Tony's (and Tony's father's) ascendency in the organization.
Tony’s Uncle Junior wants to kill turncoat Little Pussy Malanga in Artie Bucco’s restaurant, Vesuvio's. Tony, a friend of Artie since childhood, fears that a mob hit in his friend's establishment could damage Artie's business. However, Junior refuses to move the assassination to another location. In an attempt to have Artie close Vesuvio's for a time, thereby forcing Junior to kill Malanga somewhere else, Tony offers Artie two tickets for a weeklong cruise. But Charmaine, Artie's wife, not wanting her husband to get mixed up with the Mafia, demands that he reject Tony’s offer. Unable to sway Artie, Tony has his right-hand man, Silvio Dante, detonate an explosion in Artie’s restaurant (Free Keno), in the hopes that Artie can claim insurance money without becoming any the wiser of the gangland conflict. Tony instructs Silvio about his plan at their daughter's volleyball game, showing the stark contrast between his life as a loving father and a violent criminal.
At Anthony Junior's birthday party Tony's crew comfort Artie about the loss of his restaurant, and Tony tells Artie he'll always help him. Chris becomes angry and storms off; Tony presses him and discovers he's annoyed at not receiving more recognition for his input on the Triborough Towers garbage conflict. Tony apologises to Chris, explaining that his own parents never complimented or supported him. When Chris talks about script offers from Hollywood, Tony shows his short temper by grabbing Chris, though he quickly regains his good mood, and all seems well with his world.
However, while giving Livia a ride to the party, an embittered Junior floats the idea of eliminating Tony if he continues interfering in his business. Significantly, his sister-in-law's reaction is to silently look the other way.
Deceased
- Emil Kolar: a Czech mobster who is shot by Christopher
Awards
David Chase won an award from the Director's Guild of America for his work on this episode.
