It is an essential characteristic of any respectable gangster epic that one of the main players cheats on the missus. The Sopranos is no exception, with only Bobby Baccala sticking with one woman at a time. The penultimate episode of Season Four, written by the talented Terence Winter, reverses the template by having the frustrated Carmela Soprano fantasizing about another man.
The man she pines for is Furio Giunta (Federico Castelluccio), Tony's henchman who moved to Jersey from Naples back in Season 2, and the attraction appears to be mutual. However, Furio has either too much respect for Tony, or too much fear, to the point that he profits from the opportunity to return to Italy for a funeral to seek some interior peace and sound advice on how to behave. Speaking of inner turmoil, Paulie's experiencing one with a vengeance, as he thinks he is an important member of the crew and discovers Carmine doesn't even know who he is, despite his connection with Johnny Sack.
Juggling poetry and foul-mouthed comedy, Eloise piles up material for the finale, and the two following seasons, with precise elegance, the belly-laughs of Paulie's misadventure perfectly balancing Carmela's aching heart. The latter subplot is especially poignant as it sets a fundamental point: no matter what you do, if you're a gangster's wife you will always be nothing more than that, meaning you won't get everything you desire. However, Carm has always proved to be her husband's match, so upcoming events are likely to get fiery. Ouch!