I'm writing this review just to try to expand on the other reviews which seem to only cover a portion of this excellent episode.
There are several interesting story lines in this mid-season episode, carrying along previous story lines and starting some new ones. Like many Sopranos episodes there's a lot going on here.
The main storyline and title of the episode of course refer to the horse that Ralph bought and is racing. This gives a great chance to see Tony and Ralph interacting with each other, which typically always ends in conflict. Plus, in the end we get to see a softer side to Tony who like many people can find more compassion for animals than people. This storyline is extremely important for this season.
There's still a lot more going on. Carmela is still worrying about the family's financial future and while Tony begs her off by saying that money is tight, he's still somehow able to find money to spend at the track.
Adriana was missing from the previous episode but shows up again here for a lot of screen time. The FBI contact her a couple of times and she's becoming very nervous about the situation especially since Tony and the guys are starting to use The Crazy Horse as a place to conduct business. By the end of the episode all of this stress pushes her into a decision that can only end in disaster.
For fans of Bobby Baccalieri this is a must-see episode. Bobby is still mourning his wife and Janice is there trying to move-in on him using her typical selfish and disgusting tactics. The best moment comes when Bobby shows that he deserved his bump in rank earlier in the season when he takes care of a job for Junior. This is the first time in the series I saw Bobby be intimidating, adding a whole new dimension to this character that has been getting deeper and more interesting with this season.
Meanwhile, Uncle Junior is on trial and provides some of the funny moments since it seems he's more concerned about the sketch artist than the jury.
A great episode with a lot more going on than just the horse, showing once again how a show can carry several story lines and several characters, developing them all superbly.
There are several interesting story lines in this mid-season episode, carrying along previous story lines and starting some new ones. Like many Sopranos episodes there's a lot going on here.
The main storyline and title of the episode of course refer to the horse that Ralph bought and is racing. This gives a great chance to see Tony and Ralph interacting with each other, which typically always ends in conflict. Plus, in the end we get to see a softer side to Tony who like many people can find more compassion for animals than people. This storyline is extremely important for this season.
There's still a lot more going on. Carmela is still worrying about the family's financial future and while Tony begs her off by saying that money is tight, he's still somehow able to find money to spend at the track.
Adriana was missing from the previous episode but shows up again here for a lot of screen time. The FBI contact her a couple of times and she's becoming very nervous about the situation especially since Tony and the guys are starting to use The Crazy Horse as a place to conduct business. By the end of the episode all of this stress pushes her into a decision that can only end in disaster.
For fans of Bobby Baccalieri this is a must-see episode. Bobby is still mourning his wife and Janice is there trying to move-in on him using her typical selfish and disgusting tactics. The best moment comes when Bobby shows that he deserved his bump in rank earlier in the season when he takes care of a job for Junior. This is the first time in the series I saw Bobby be intimidating, adding a whole new dimension to this character that has been getting deeper and more interesting with this season.
Meanwhile, Uncle Junior is on trial and provides some of the funny moments since it seems he's more concerned about the sketch artist than the jury.
A great episode with a lot more going on than just the horse, showing once again how a show can carry several story lines and several characters, developing them all superbly.