Remember When

Corrado attempts to recapture the past, whilst Paulie reminisces on a road trip with Tony.

This is a very strong reflective, character-driven episode.

Corrado's scenes are darkly funny at times, but for anyone who has witnessed the slow progression of dementia, they should also be tremendously sad. The writers and filmmakers do a great job of portraying a person in the early to mid stages of the condition and tailor it perfectly to the character. Dominic Chianese is outstanding and supported well by Ken Leung.

Tony and Paulie's precautionary road trip is another well written and made aspect of the story that I won't spoil with details. It is safe to say that the theme of looking to the past also runs through this one. James Gandolfini, Tony Serico, and Paul Herman are all on top form.

The writers reflect heavily on the past actions of multiple characters who with time have not changed for the better. In some instances you see the development of paranoia and the increasing loss of humanity that is difficult to watch.

Visually it is another great episode. The staging and art designs of the care home scenes are excellent. Plus certain moments between Tony and Paulie include very effective camera angles that increase tension.

Whenever I rent the final season of THE SOPRANOS on DVD this is always the episode I turn to first. I think of it as the perfect farewell to the series. Both sides of the plot complement each other perfectly. While Tony and Paulie go on a long road trip, it becomes clear that their long-time friendship won't last forever, and that the glory days of the mob are already behind them. Meanwhile, Uncle Junior is in the mental home, trying desperately to hold onto his dignity and his identity as his memory begins to fade. In the process he makes friends with a troubled young Asian inmate named Carter Chong.

Tony wants to get rid of his memories -- to get rid of Paulie. Uncle Jun desperately wants to hold on to his memories -- and recreate the past in the present with the help of a young man who has no past and no future. It's all unbelievably sad, or it would be sad if every scene weren't so action packed and funny. The way Junior sets up the card game. The way he puts the Rutgers professor back in his place. The way Carter Chong learns to be a man by watching Junior fight a losing battle to hold onto his manhood, his dignity, and in the end his very identity.

This episode is where they get rid of all the dead wood. No Dr. Melfi. No Meadow. No A.J.!!!! This one is the real thing. It's one part Huckleberry Finn, one part One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. And it's brilliant!

I remember when I saw The Sopranos for the first time: I was struck by its brilliance, just as I was amazed by the likes of Six Feet Under, Deadwood or, to stray from HBO territory, Desperate Housewives and Lost. But David Chase's mob show always had something more than all the other great programs American TV has spawned. Even the 80th episode of the series, Remember When, is much better than the title would suggest (the first time I heard it, I assumed it was a clip show, like the 100th episode of Seinfeld).

The title is actually very ironic, the center of the story being Uncle Junior, whose ability to remember is seriously compromised by Alzheimer's. Stuck in a psychiatric hospital ever since he shot Tony at the beginning of the season, he lets life pass by without complaining. That is, until he meets a young, angry Asian man (Ken Leung), who strives to bring his worse side back.

In the episode's other storyline, "remember when" is frequently said by Paulie, who is on vacation with Tony to avoid a possible indictment. As they run into old friends and see things that remind them of past actions, he tries to engage in a memory-themed discussion with Tony, only to be told by the latter that "remember when" is the lowest form of conversation.

That may be true, but Remember When is also one of the most affecting episodes of the series: Dominic Chianese, whose presence is quite limited in the final season (four shows in Part One, two in Part Two), does a job that can't be described as anything less than astonishing, with terrific support from Leung, while the other half of the plot adds real tension to the so far unbreakable bond between Tony and Paulie. How it pays off, I won't reveal, but I can say with absolute certainty it is one of the most chilling moments in the show's history. An applause-worthy effort.

Remember when...?