The Weight

Johnny Sac is on the warpath about Ralph's joke.

This is a great episode with excellent tension and character development.

The Sopranos is brilliant at taking seemingly harmless random moments and using them to drive the plot or raise the stakes. This episode does it with excellent character interactions between Johnny Sac and the likes of Tony, Ralph, Carmine, and Ginny. In the midst of it all is great humour as various characters react when they hear the details of Ralph's joke. Vincent Curatola is awesome in a performance that shows all the complexities of the character.

Underlying so much of what we see and hear are strong themes about excess consumption in society that links to cultural hypocrisies when it comes to male and female body image. This is quite subtlety done with various images of Tony eating junk food and the brilliant final scene between Tony and Carmela. The use of music very cinematically links it to an earlier scene involving Furio that says all you need to know about her state of mind.

Carmela is in focus alongside both Tony and Furio in a number of scenes that develop her character well. Edie Falco is on great form as ever and her feelings are highlighted by the cinematography.

The subplots involving a number of characters reflecting on their children in college and a specific event from season 3 is superbly connected through various encounters.