The Sopranos episode entitled “Christopher” which was written by Michael Imperioli, who plays Christopher, was called the worst episode of the entire series by Vox’s Dylan Matthews.
The whole opening scene (which, like the rest of the videos linked here, is sadly not embeddable but can be seen here) amounts to a clunky attempt to cram background on the Columbus controversy into dialogue. “It’s these Indians and the commie fucks,” Ralphie Cifaretto, a sociopath with no previously demonstrated interest in current affairs, offers. “They want to paint Columbus as a slave trader instead of an explorer.” It sounds like a more profane version of the “Controversies” subsection on Columbus’s Wikipedia page, as dictated for an audiobook. It’d be one thing if the script played it for laughs, as an example of the team’s willingness to opine at length on topics about which they’re ignorant. But it doesn’t. It’s played completely straight.
It’s up to you to decide if it is truly the worst episode of the series, but I don’t agree with his take about the above scene after re-watching it. The cast has to play it straight, which makes the scene funny and offensive at the same time. In a ridiculous segment the episode shows how fkn stupid and racist these guys are. Not to mention the whole white nationalism issue with “Columbus Day.”
Open thread away as I’m off for some sfogliatelle.
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