Following up one of the greatest (if not the greatest) debut seasons ever made would be a tough task, so Season 2 is the point where The Sopranos starts to experiment a bit, to slightly mixed results.
Season 2's arc revolves around Janice Soprano and Richie Aprile, both of which appear early on in the season and upend Tony's life. Janice is an especially great antagonist, easily one of the most lovably hatable characters in the series. She's toxic and manipulative under the guise of a loving sister, and does a great job at worsening the tensions between Tony and Livia. Meanwhile, Richie's entitlement to the role of capo makes for one of the show's stronger villains, and the penultimate episode does a great job at resolving the main conflict for both antagonists. The other major storyline of this season is about Sal (Pussy) being an FBI informant, something that Tony learns in the finale. While this type of storyline has been done many times over, Season 2 probably executes it the best as it emphasizes just how unavoidable Sal's death ended up being. The moment he became an informant, Sal was going to die at some point or another. While Janice and Richie are generally the more important storyline, I think Sal's death left a larger impact and definitely felt deserving of being a season finale. Season 2 also just introduces a bunch of important characters to the show, even if not all of them get their due. Furio and Bobby first appeared in Season 2, and Janice ends up reappearing a lot of times throughout the show.
However, in terms of episode quality, Season 2 felt a lot more uneven and inconsistent compared to the first. The show starts to experiment a lot with this season, and it doesn't always work out. On one hand, the Jon Favreau episode D-Girl is a ton of fun and the dream sequence finale Funhouse is one of the best and most creative episodes in the entire series. On the other hand, the Italy-centric Commendatori feels like it could have been one of my favorite episodes but it's just so unexciting, and The Happy Wanderer being nearly entirely about a poker game also felt somewhat dull. It doesn't help that both of those aforementioned episodes come near the start of the season, resulting in much slower start. I feel like Season 2 didn't quite know where it wanted to go at times, maybe since the first season ended things on a fairly concrete note. At times, it felt like the show was stalling until Chris got shot, kicking the plot into high gear. Still, I don't want it to seem like I'm too harsh on this season. Even though it's my personal least favorite, there isn't a truly bad Sopranos season (except maybe 6A?, I'll get to that one). Season 2 is still a satisfying season with some soaring high points. Speaking of which...
At its best, the highlights of Season 2 rank up as some of the best in The Sopranos:
From Where To Eternity: While the episode where Chris gets shot was mostly just alright, it's the episode that deals with the aftermath that really got me. When Chris claims he briefly went to hell, it leaves the members of the family wondering if their crimes will result in them going to hell as well. It's such a thought-provoking concept that lets the cast be a bit introspective for a bit.
The Knight In White Satin Armor: This episode ends the Richie/Janice storyline on a pretty shocking note, with Tony's plan to kill Richie stopped short by an argument that results in him dead anyway. It's a great twist, another instance of Tony being denied any sort of catharsis, and a pretty much permanent shift in tone for the series. Season 2 is one of the more light-hearted seasons, but from here on out, The Sopranos gets dark.
Funhouse: Similarly to Buffy's Restless, a large portion of this finale is devoted to dream sequences, all of which are shot strangely and stuffed with symbolism and foreshadowing that I can't even begin to unpack. It all builds to that aforementioned scene where Sal gets whacked, it's a sickening scene as you slowly realize the inevitability. Sal is stuck on a boat and there's nothing he can say or do to stay alive. Aside from that, Funhouse still works pretty well as a finale, with other big changes like Meadow's graduation and Chris becoming a made man. The Sopranos implements many dream sequences throughout its run, but Funhouse did it the best while still feeling like a satisfying and climactic finale.
Overall, Season 2 of The Sopranos really just boiled down to diminishing returns for me. It has a solid main storyline and some truly amazing and creative episodes, but it also has some shaky ideas and a slow start.
3/5 Stars
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