Isabella

Part of the appeal of The Sopranos is its ability to mix genres almost seamlessly. Case in point: the penultimate episode of Season One, part Italian-style romance, part American hard-boiled gangster story.

As a matter of fact, the two aspects are connected as they both influence the main driving force of this particular show: Tony's stress and medication-related loss of energy. He needs something to shake things up, to make him feel alive again. At first, he thinks he has found it in the shape of Isabella (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), a young, beautiful woman who is staying at Dr. Cusamano's while the latter is out of town with his family. Using their common ancestry as the first topic for a conversation, the depressed gangster enjoys Isabella's company, but that's still not good enough. No, what really gets his spirits up is a failed attempt on his life, sanctioned by his uncle: though badly wounded, Tony shoots both the aggressors and then drives away, the adrenalin pumping like crazy in a body that has just retrieved its life force.

This is a beautiful episode of the series: it sets the tone for the season finale to perfection, hints that some people might not live until the end of the show's run, and features one of the program's most charming guest stars - Cucinotta. Though she isn't known for anything else, even in Italy, but The Postman (the Massimo Troisi and Philippe Noiret-starring masterpiece, not the Kevin Costner flop), her brief, passionate turn as Isabella provides a lush, seductive look to the episode, a visual treat that is later counterbalanced by the sudden, quick brutality of the murder attempt (which contains another tasteful Godfather rip-off: Tony buys orange juice just before he becomes a target). The scenes featuring Isabella have an almost dream-like quality, albeit different from other episodes: whereas most dreams in the show are bad omens and populated by people Tony has more or less directly killed (as seen in The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti, for example, although that one involved Christopher), the protagonist's dealings with this gorgeous stranger from Naples have a calming effect on both the Soprano boss and the audience, before they're all brought back to the harsh reality of life in crime.

Whether it all was a dream or not is never fully explained (clues indicate either solution could be correct), another reason for watching this splendid show again and again.

Tony is consumed by depression.

'Isabella' is one of those episodes that has everything. Great plot, intelligent writing, awesome acting, humour, visual storytelling, and a very effective soundtrack.

This is one of the best screen portrayals of medicated depression. It is translated not just with James Gandolfini's immense performance, but also by the cinematography, editing and music. I could feel the weight on Tony's shoulders and experience his dreamy, outworld perceptions of reality. He looks and feels like the empty house in Dr Melfi's painting: rotted out from the inside. There are some great themes associated with maternal relationships and Tony's existential crisis that play out fantastically in his subconscious.

When the episode does a significant change in tone it is equally as good, just in different ways. We witness one incredibly powerful and suspenseful visual sequence, before the humour and classic character moments fly at us thick and fast.

Other characters contribute fantastically. Carmela, Livia, Junior, Christopher, Paulie, Silvio, Dr Melfi, and even AJ all have memorable scenes. Their respective actors are all spot on with their performances.

This is one of the best episodes of the entire show.

This was a great episode with some great storytelling told through great scenes with great visuals, direction and writting!

This episode was mostly a realistic depiction of mental illness and a deep look into Tony's character! It was very artistic storytelling as each scene had a purpose and the tone could change in an instant! There were a certain feel that you could not always trust what you saw!

Isabella became a metaphor for what Tony desperately wanted! His mind knew what It needed and what would make it happy! It all went back to what Tony never had as a kid!

An incredible episode that sets the stage for an explosive finale!

This is a single moment David Chase captured the show and realize what he was doing with it. An epic episode by far one of the best of all time for the Sopranos. We hear tiny tears a great song in reference to Tony, taking lithium and Prozac. At the same time and hallucinating. We deal with Uncle Junior, and Mikey Wf help me see. We deal with Christopher checking in on Tony. Probably one of my favorite most all-time cherished episodes of the Sopranos. Watching the show today retroactive I still think. Goddamn how can anybody ever make a better showing this. There's just no way it's not humanly possible I think I'll die at the age of 100 and never see a show better than the Sopranos.

This was just an amazing episode of television. To get it out of the way, my favorite characters in this episode were Tony, Isabella, and Dr. Melfi, and my favorite things about this episode were the Protagonist, the Cinematography, and the action. Most episodes in this episode definitely should've been way higher rated on this app, because every episode, besides I guess episode ten, were all just amazing and well-written. When I really think about what is happening in this show, it makes me realize that alot really can happen in just one simple year. This is a great series so far, and I can't wait for more.