Tony is put under immense pressure to hand over his cousin to Phil Leotardo.
This is an excellent finish with plenty of tension and atmosphere.
The scenes involving Tony and his dilemma contain a good sense of foreboding. At numerous points the filmmakers do a great job of portraying the suffering of numerous characters due to the New York situation, plus the fallout from the events of 'Long Term Parking'. I particularly like one scene where Tony arrives at the Bing and there is a lot of unsaid feelings expressed by various members of the crew.
The focus on Tony's arc is the best aspect of the writing. There are key visual moments that help show the mental processes Tony is going through, such as the scenes of him watching the Rommel documentary and looking closely at a certain notorious painting. These connect nicely with previous episodes and themes such as Gary Cooper and doing what has to be done. There are also some good connections to the existential themes referenced previously such as in the set design of the red barn and the various references to emptiness and nothingness.
James Gandolfini is on brilliant form and supported wonderfully by the likes of Michael Imperioli, Tony Serico, Steve Van Sandt, Vincent Curatola and Frank Vincent.
The cinematographers make great use of the winter weather conditions and the visual storytelling is generally top drawer.
For me it's a 9.5/10, but I round upwards.
