Given how hit or miss Seasons 2 & 3 of The Sopranos ended up being for me, its more low-key and character-focused Season 4 was a breath of the fresh air. It was a slow and painful buildup to a truly gutting second half, easily the most underrated season in the series.
Season 4 is mostly about Tony and Carmella's relationship, with the former having another affair and the latter starting to develop feelings for Furio. Giving Tony's job and his constant infidelity, them breaking apart was pretty much a forgone conclusion, but the tension that builds between them throughout the season is really compelling, and their big argument in the finale shows some of the best acting in the whole show. Meanwhile, the tension between Tony and Ralph reaches the aforementioned head in a truly terrifying episode, and the main mafia conflict starts to shift to the Lupertazzi family (stationed in New York), who becomes a pretty big antagonistic force in the latter half of the series. I'm also a really big fan of the subplots where Chris struggles to get over his addiction (resulting in a pretty great intervention episode) and where Junior has to go on trial, both pretty entertaining uses of these characters.
Season 4 is a divisive season for the complete opposite reason as the third. While Season 3 is dark, action-packed, chaotic, and unpredictable, Season 4 is far more slow-paced and character-driven. Its main storyline is about Tony's love life, there's a subplot about a betting horse (that's way better than it has any right to be, for that matter), and the first eight episodes are pretty much entirely non-violent. The whole season has this feeling of dread, probably because it's the first season to take place after 9/11, but also because it felt like a buildup to a big explosion, and that's exactly what we got. Part of why I love Season 4 is because of how much of a build-up it is to the season's two major instances of violence: Ralph's brutal death, and the argument between Tony and Carmella. It's like a long fuse that keeps you on edge throughout its runtime, even if the uneventful first half might leave some people a bit bored. I will admit that I didn't love all the subplots, like I didn't need to know about how Tony does his bills, and Cristopher is easily the show's weakest episode.
Season 4 is actually fairly consistently solid, but there are some obvious highlights:
Everybody Hurts: Everybody Hurts could have been one of the darkest episodes of the series with its focus on suicide, from Gloria's explicit death to Artie's attempt to Chris's addiction. However, this actually ended up being the contrary, at times funny and even a bit sweet. Artie's breakdown is so over-the-top (the earring), but the way Tony saves him is one of his nobler acts. And the arc about Tony realizing the negative impact he has on the people around him is a very important and affecting one.
Whoever Did This: The first of two big payoffs this season, Whoever Did This is a dark and sickening episode, a far more effective attempt at shock value than all of Season 3. The lingering tension between Tony and Ralph reaches a head when the former suspects the latter of killing their betting horse Pie-O-My. It might seem a bit odd to base such a devastating conflict on a horse, but it genuinely works, and Tony and Ralph's fight is probably the most brutal in the series. Not to mention the entire final third about dismantling and getting rid of a dead body, which is just so gross.
The Strong Silent Type: Look, most of the characters in The Sopranos are jerks, they don't really know anything about mental health, so having them try to hold an intervention for Chris could only result in disaster. Thankfully, for the viewer, said intervention ended up being one of the funniest and most enjoyable scenes in the whole series, bringing most of the cast in a single location and letting things spiral out of control. Thankfully, Chris does end up going to rehab so it did work, albeit at the cost of Adriana's dog. This episode is just a masterpiece in black comedy, crossing the line over and over and over again.
Whitecaps: Easily one of The Sopranos's strongest finales, Whitecaps is a movie-length epic about Tony and Carmella's marriage falling apart and it's rough. The acting from Gandolfini and Falco is so phenomenal and intense, and every single one of their multiple arguments rank among the best and most compelling scenes in the series. Whitecaps races through so much plot and emotion that it could fill up an entire season, even managing to squeeze in resolutions for Chris's addiction storyline, Junior's trial storyline, and the Lupertazzi storyline. Making most of a season build-up means that it all hinges on the ending, and thankfully, Whitecaps absolutely nails it.
Overall, Season 4's focus on character drama and build-up made it one of my favorite Sopranos seasons, slowly building up to a shocking and dramatic series of payoffs.
4/5 Stars
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