"You're not gonna believe this. He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator"
ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 6th May 2001
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 3, Episode 11
WRITTEN BY: Terence Winter
Another one of the big guns out early. Fans of the mob drama frequently mention this among the show's best and it's not hard to see why. It's always a delight to me when I go into an episode with no hype and it blows me away, and then I find out everyone else agrees with me. And for the record, it's complete coincidence this aired on the same day 9 years ago as #5, Modern Warfare.
It's one of the most interesting concepts the show has had. Paulie and Chris have always provided some of the shows funniest moments when they were playing off eachother, so what better way to maximize that than to put them alone in the woods together? By putting the odd couple in a stressful and frustrating situation, you're basically guaranteeing more drama.
One thing goes wrong after another for Chris and Paulie, who start a fight with a Russian they're collecting cash from, try to kill him, let him get away, and get lost in the woods. Watching the episode descend deeper and deeper into farce is a riot. The Sopranos has never been short in the humour department, and this episode definitely delivers. There's great dialogue, great slapstick and many moments that are funny just because of how absurd they are. However, the biggest laugh is probably Tony's reaction to Bobby's winter jacket. It becomes even funnier once you've read what James Gandolfini was really laughing at, too. Look it up.
Once the fun and games are over, the cold and unwelcoming pine barrens starts to become a life and death situation for Chris Paulie. Eventually realising they'll have to work together to survive, the two put aside their differences and stop playing the blame game. It becomes quite a bonding experience for them, showing great character growth.
The episode also leaves you with an unanswered question as to whether the Russian got away or not, but David Chase is good at that.
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