That The Sopranos was more complex than the usual gangster story was clear right off the bat, and its will to explore new, unseen territories for the genre emerged clearly in Season 1, Episode 8, where Christopher (Michael Imperioli) engaged in a dream-based conversation with a guy he'd killed in the pilot. Few people, however, expected an episode like From Where to Eternity, written by Imperioli: a soulful (pun not intended) meditation on the afterlife, blood-riddled climax apart.
The aftermath of the previous episode's shootout sees Christopher struggle for his life, while all those around him swear revenge on who did it: Sean Gismonte died during the assault, but Matt Bevilaqua (Lillo Brancato) is still at large, which angers Chrissy' mom beyond imagination. "When you find him, I want him to suffer." she tells Silvio. "You hear me, Sil? I want that motherf*cker in agony!" The answer? "Don't worry, we'll do the best we can." And oddly enough, that cold comment gets the audience's sympathy, perhaps because Chris has evolved into one of the show's most likable characters, despite his occasional bouts of psychotic rage. On a quieter front, meanwhile, Carmela asks Tony to get a vasectomy, since she is tired of hearing of mobsters whose mistresses give birth to illegitimate children. The boss is naturally angered by the proposition, but doesn't give it much thought as he wants to avenge his nephew and enlists Pussy to help him.
A huge fan of old-school gangster flicks (as shown by his characterization of Christopher), Imperioli provides a clever reinterpretation of the classic revenge theme, using his opportunity in the writer's chair to fuse bloodshed and spirituality in a perfect package of great television. Chris's discussion with Tony and Paulie about the possible out-of-body experience he had while in a coma is one of the serial's most poignant scenes, especially when Paulie tries to comfort his young friend by saying he didn't see Hell, but Purgatory - before jokingly adding he will probably have to spend 6,000 years in that place. Considering the overall darkness of the series, that moment also has an eerily foreboding quality, as confirmed by the grim sequence where Matt receives his comeuppance. Don't let the apparently consolatory epilogue fool you: few shows analyze evil in its purest form with an eye as uncompromising as that of The Sopranos.
The aftermath of the previous episode's shootout sees Christopher struggle for his life, while all those around him swear revenge on who did it: Sean Gismonte died during the assault, but Matt Bevilaqua (Lillo Brancato) is still at large, which angers Chrissy' mom beyond imagination. "When you find him, I want him to suffer." she tells Silvio. "You hear me, Sil? I want that motherf*cker in agony!" The answer? "Don't worry, we'll do the best we can." And oddly enough, that cold comment gets the audience's sympathy, perhaps because Chris has evolved into one of the show's most likable characters, despite his occasional bouts of psychotic rage. On a quieter front, meanwhile, Carmela asks Tony to get a vasectomy, since she is tired of hearing of mobsters whose mistresses give birth to illegitimate children. The boss is naturally angered by the proposition, but doesn't give it much thought as he wants to avenge his nephew and enlists Pussy to help him.
A huge fan of old-school gangster flicks (as shown by his characterization of Christopher), Imperioli provides a clever reinterpretation of the classic revenge theme, using his opportunity in the writer's chair to fuse bloodshed and spirituality in a perfect package of great television. Chris's discussion with Tony and Paulie about the possible out-of-body experience he had while in a coma is one of the serial's most poignant scenes, especially when Paulie tries to comfort his young friend by saying he didn't see Hell, but Purgatory - before jokingly adding he will probably have to spend 6,000 years in that place. Considering the overall darkness of the series, that moment also has an eerily foreboding quality, as confirmed by the grim sequence where Matt receives his comeuppance. Don't let the apparently consolatory epilogue fool you: few shows analyze evil in its purest form with an eye as uncompromising as that of The Sopranos.