After scaring the crap out of Chris Moltisanti and having Brendan Filone killed in Episode 3, Corrado "Junior" Soprano finally steps into the spotlight, quietly dominating the events of Pax Soprana.
The title originates from Pax Romana, a political move by Emperor Augustus (a constant reference point in The Sopranos - see the name Livia) that kept the Roman Empire together without useless bloodshed for over a century. The similarities are obvious: Tony must prevent his uncle from disrupting the Family, and therefore agrees with the other captains to name Junior new boss of the NJ branch, while secretly pulling the strings behind the "capo" 's back. This is a smart move, as the FBI will focus on Corrado instead of Tony, but the plan comes close to backfiring when Junior sends his henchman Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza) out to whack "uncomfortable" individuals. Things don't fare much better on the domestic front, either: not only is Carmela angered by the discovery that her husband's shrink is a woman, she also has to deal with the slight trouble of Tony being temporarily impotent because of his medication. On top of that, she demands he rely on her for emotional support rather than Dr. Melfi. In other words: be it one family or the other, they will both bite you in the ass at some point.
In the end, though, despite all the attention that's given to personal problems, it's the business aspect that matters the most in this episode, all thanks to the sublime double act between Gandolfini and Chianese: the former, normally a package of volatile primal energy, is very subdued and calm, pacing his words slowly in order to win sympathy and exposing the more calculating side of his character; the latter, a veteran of gangster epics (he played Johnny Ola in The Godfather: Part II), sidelines the hotheaded ex-thug seen in previous episodes, revealing a more ambitious, authoritarian figure, one that looks suited to be boss but will inevitably screw things up due to his old-fashioned view of the world. He is Vito Corleone to Gandolfini's Michael: a respectable but ultimately inadequate leader who no longer understands the dynamics of Family affairs. He is frightening as hell, too. How he never got an Emmy for his work on the show remains a frustrating mystery.
The title originates from Pax Romana, a political move by Emperor Augustus (a constant reference point in The Sopranos - see the name Livia) that kept the Roman Empire together without useless bloodshed for over a century. The similarities are obvious: Tony must prevent his uncle from disrupting the Family, and therefore agrees with the other captains to name Junior new boss of the NJ branch, while secretly pulling the strings behind the "capo" 's back. This is a smart move, as the FBI will focus on Corrado instead of Tony, but the plan comes close to backfiring when Junior sends his henchman Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza) out to whack "uncomfortable" individuals. Things don't fare much better on the domestic front, either: not only is Carmela angered by the discovery that her husband's shrink is a woman, she also has to deal with the slight trouble of Tony being temporarily impotent because of his medication. On top of that, she demands he rely on her for emotional support rather than Dr. Melfi. In other words: be it one family or the other, they will both bite you in the ass at some point.
In the end, though, despite all the attention that's given to personal problems, it's the business aspect that matters the most in this episode, all thanks to the sublime double act between Gandolfini and Chianese: the former, normally a package of volatile primal energy, is very subdued and calm, pacing his words slowly in order to win sympathy and exposing the more calculating side of his character; the latter, a veteran of gangster epics (he played Johnny Ola in The Godfather: Part II), sidelines the hotheaded ex-thug seen in previous episodes, revealing a more ambitious, authoritarian figure, one that looks suited to be boss but will inevitably screw things up due to his old-fashioned view of the world. He is Vito Corleone to Gandolfini's Michael: a respectable but ultimately inadequate leader who no longer understands the dynamics of Family affairs. He is frightening as hell, too. How he never got an Emmy for his work on the show remains a frustrating mystery.