User reviews

After the emotionally loaded Employee of the Month, the series calms down a little, with a simple, lean episode that contains nothing really exceptional, apart from the birth of two new subplots. However, the show is so great even the "irrelevant" moments are unmissable.

The overall darkness of the previous chapter is graciously compensated by the opening sequence, with Tony and Carmela trying a therapy session together and the whole thing ending in the least friendly of ways. To top everything, Tony receives a speeding ticket from a rigorous cop (Charles S. Dutton) and discovers Uncle Junior has stomach cancer. Meanwhile, Artie Bucco is heartbroken after learning Adriana is quitting her job at his restaurant, and makes a few bad decisions that result in his wife filing for divorce.

Normally, a show like this would be sub-par compared to the rest of the season, given the really important stuff occupies less than half of the running time. But hey, this is The Sopranos, which means the writers know how to exploit every plot thread, no matter how thin, to the best possible effect. So while Dominic Chianese's swearing is as show-stealing as ever, and John Ventimiglia gets a chance to bring back the dramatic stamina he showed in the Season One finale, efficiently backed up by on-screen spouse Kathrine Narducci, the best scenes in Another Toothpick belong to the conflict between Tony and the policeman, all thanks to the great chemistry that Gandolfini shares with Dutton. HBO aficionados might recognize him from Oz (he was Emmy-nominated for his appearance in the Season Two premiere) and therefore expect more of the same, only this time the actor tones down the anger, adding a layer of subtlety to the already high tension. His work qualifies as a superior guest spot: the one where it's the character that matters, not the guy playing him (although a famous face can help occasionally).

This is an excellent character focussed episode with multiple great performances.

Another Toothpick has a lot going on and it's remarkable how engrossed it keeps you considering everything that happens.

As ever Tony faces issues from the business and at home and these drive the main plots brilliantly. It starts with a wonderfully awkward opening sequence that prompts Tony's anger, which carries over to the next scene and starts an arc for a guest character.

The previous episode finished with Dr Melfi making a difficult ethical decision, but in this one we see a few characters having their integrity showcased.

Recurring characters like Artie and Charmaine have some great moments. Artie is especially cringeworthy in several scenes that are written and performed perfectly, whilst Charmaine is portrayed once again as a voice of reason in a corrupt world.

There is quite a subtle and repetitive theme in all the above scenes showing the impact of third-parties on the relationships of various established couples.

Another strong arc comes out of Tony's business association with a second memorable guest character. These scenes are compelling but contain quite brutal depictions of violence and illness, that are not pleasant viewing.

Uncle Junior has some strong scenes that take the character in a new direction and contain familiar Soprano themes about belief systems.

In addition the writers cleverly start to lay the foundations for future conflict with several other recurring characters who start to antagonise Tony to varying degrees.

All actors do impressive work in this episode with Charles S. Dutton, Burt Young, John Ventimigilia, Dominic Chianese and Stephen Schirippa standing out for me. James Gandolfini leads it perfectly as always.

Great episode. Having a leyend like Mr Young on make it even better. Even if you're old, you must do the job...the mafia and its codes.

There's so much going on here. Nothing particularly special really happens but so many seeds are planted. It's obviously overshadowed by the previous episode and may seem a bit boring but I disagree. Great stuff, once again!