It didn’t take long for audiences in 1999 to realize thatThe Sopranoswas not justanother family or crime dramaon television. Season 1’s fifth episode, “College,” is cited as a substantial turning point for not just the HBO series but also for cable television entirely, proving once and for all that a protagonist can commit murder on-screen and still maintain the audience’s support. The episode, a bifurcated chronicle of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) balancing life as a father and mob boss and Carmela (Edie Falco) reckoning with her conscious decision to stand idle and bask in the riches of her husband’s illicit enterprise, is a Rosetta Stone for the series and prestige television.
Another episode in Season 1, “Isabella,” is arguably asformative and groundbreaking as “College,“the latter of which only scratched the surface of the intense psychological ruminations and blurring of reality thatThe Sopranoswould usher in with more assurance in future seasons. For what it’s worth,“Isabella,” the season’s penultimate episode, depicting a shocking hit on Tony, happens to be Edie Falco’s favorite, and it offers much more than a bloody act of revenge and mob mutiny.
Edie Falco Was the Heart of ‘The Sopranos’
In crime/mob stories in film and television, the rudimentary wife or girlfriend role is usually a thankless archetype. Actors can give it their all in these parts that offer explosive monologues and emotional breakdowns, but they are always secondary to the plight of the hostile male mobsters. These movies and shows train audiences to be indifferent towards the domestic aspect and marital affairs involving wiseguys, a sentiment thatSopranosshowrunnerDavid Chasefrequently rebelled against, imploring the viewer to embrace the more cerebral and abstract elements of the show beyond the mob palace intrigue and ball-breaking.
However,it’s impossible to minimize the profound impact left by Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano, perhaps the show’s most complex character in a cast who steals and kills for a living while demonstrating genuine thoughtfulness in their personal lives. Although Carmela never kills anyone or holds up a truck full of goods, her complicity is arguably just as sinful, as her natural disposition is to turn the other cheek and relish the nice clothes and household luxuries. Whenever she does express remorse, usually to a counselor or religious figure, no one knows if it’s genuine or a superficial gesture to rinse her of any immorality. Across seven seasons, Falcotaps into a transfixing emotional registerthat depicts a full range of the human condition.
Edie Falco’s Favorite ‘Sopranos’ Episode Was “Moving”
In 2024,Edie Falco was a guestonWatch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and she answered an audience question regarding herfavorite episode ofThe Sopranos. Although the name of the episode eluded her, Falco cited the"one where Tony falls in love with the lady next door,” and when “a woman in the backyard is hanging laundry.“This description matches the loose synopsis of “Isabella”, the 12th episode of Season 1.
Tony, in a severe depressive state, discovers an angelic Italian woman, Isabella, in the yard of his neighbors', the Cusamanos, house. Awe-struck by her, Tony takes the foreign exchange student out to lunch and waxes poetic about the beauty of Italy, and she appears in one of his dreams. However,when Tony asks about Isabella, the Cusamanos are perplexed, confirming that she was a figment of his imagination and a product of his hallucinogenic state.
“I don’t even know if I’m even in that episode, but I found it very moving,“Falco told Andy Cohen. While it’s not aCarmela-centric episode, Falco does indeed appear in “Isabella,” as her most notable moment comes when she confronts Tony for gazing at the titular character. Carmela has already chastised Tony for his unhealthy mental state, and Tony being smitten with a young woman sends her over the edge. Carmela’s recognition of Isabella raises doubts about the supposed imaginary nature of the exchange student.
How “Isabella” Raises the Stakes for ‘The Sopranos’
“If I had an ounce of self-respect, I’d cut your dick off!” an enraged Carmela yells at Tony, who has retreated to a child-like state in this episode due to his stress over Pussy’s (Vincent Pastore) disappearance and continuing stress from Livia (Nancy Marchand).The show’s examination of impotency is at the forefront of “Isabella,“with the toxic relationship between mother and son reaching the apex of its Oedipus complex. Watching Tony lie on the bed and his inability to take care of himself calls for Carmela to act as a surrogate mother figure. This was also one of the show’s early instances ofchannelingDavid Lynchby distorting real life from dreams. Even if Isabella was imaginary, she embodied Tony’s need for women to be unabashed angels.
In contrast, Isabella, clothed in white and speaking gently,is the holy maternal presence that Tony idealizes in all women, but especially the kind of mother he doesn’t have. Isabella is also from the mainland, Italy, the country of Tony’s heritage, which represents the bygone purity of organized crime that had rotted away in America at the turn of the century.
The 10 Most Important Episodes of ‘The Sopranos,’ Ranked
And obviously, assessing the importance of these episodes is not possible, even with computers.
Theepisode’s most memorable momentis the attempted hit on Tony’s life by two hired assassins, which puts him in the hospital. In the cruelest twist of all, Livia, who’s been the Lady Macbeth to Uncle Junior’s (Dominic Chianese) Macbeth throughout his tenure as figurehead boss, puts the hit on her own son due to her contempt of his depressive state and lingering bitterness over being sent to a “retirement community.”
The consequential nature of “Isabella,” relating to Tony’s near-whacking, ranks it highly among the best episodes of Season 1, but it can’t be understated just how seismic it was to the overarching scope ofThe Sopranos. For one, pushing the Tony-Livia relationship to the extreme of having Tony’s motherbe his greatest enemyproved thatDavid Chase and his writers weren’t afraid to steer their characters into dark places.After this assassination attempt, viewers know that Tony is in a perpetual state of danger from people within his inner circle and outsiders.
Outside the office of Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), Season 1 ofThe Sopranosprimarily compartmentalized the mob drama andpsychological study of Tony Soprano’s life, but “Isabella” and the assassination attempt show these elements converging. The episode is shot with the haziness of a bad dream, as everything appears slightly off-kilter. When the two hitmen walk toward Tony’s car, we’re led to believe that they are fantastical as Isabella. Chase’s subversive sensibilities are most evident in Tony’s attempted whacking. A hit placed on a major figure in the mob was born not out of a ploy for power or financial motivation, but rather,because this frail, elderly woman with sociopathic qualities resented that her son put her in a nursing home.
The Sopranoswas not merely a mob show. It was a study of American life in the 21st century, a period when everyone is a little more jaded, emotionally unwell, and disillusioned with the world.“Isabella” marked a triumphant stepping stone in poetic storytelling for the seriesby converging the mafia intrigue, family disputes, and psychological ruminations into one mesmerizing episode of television.
