The Sopranos took a risk with ‘Pine Barrens’ and delivered one of the best episodes- here’s all about it

The Sopranos is a TV show that, despite being aired quite a few years back, still maintains its intrigue even today. The aspect of diving deep into the world of crime in this David Chase series leaves an impact.

Though this series maintains a distinct approach while handling the storylines throughout the series, one episode in this series deviates from the usual. Episode 11 of Season 3 in this series is completely different than the usual approach of the TV show.

The Sopranos took a risk with ‘Pine Barrens’

It is rare to see TV shows deviate from the pattern that they follow from the beginning. The change of the pattern often leads to the reduction in the viewership. However, it is not the case for The Sopranos. Episode 11 of Season 3, Pine Barrens, completely transforms the pattern that the TV show usually followed. Unlike the many storylines intertwining to form a complex web, this episode focuses solely on two characters.

The huge number of cast members for every episode in the series is an identifying factor for The Sopranos. However, in Pine Barrens, despite the complete shift, it becomes an episode that the viewers often look back on. The dynamic between Christopher and Paulie, which shines bright throughout this episode, becomes the main factor.

It cannot be denied that the dynamic that these two characters share often gets sidetracked because of the focus on the other characters. This episode shifts the usual focus on other characters to the interesting dynamic that Christopher and Paulie depict after they are completely stranded, unable to find their way back to safety. The extreme cold adds to the layer of intensity in this episode of The Sopranos.

Paulie and Christopher are able to deliver one humorous line after another, making this episode a gem for rewatching. The moment when Paulie loses his shoe after he falls through the ice, along with the moment when Christopher thinks he is able to catch the person, but it is just an animal, adds to the overall humor of this episode in a subtle manner.

It cannot be denied that this episode of The Sopranos is truly a defining one. This episode comes with a rating of 9.7 on IMDb. Hence, it captures the distinct essence of this series. Besides, the storyline of this episode and the performances of Tony Sirico as Paulie and Michael Imperioli as Christopher become the heart of this episode. They make this episode instantly recognizable.

At the end of this episode of The Sopranos, Paulie and Christopher almost lose hope of returning to safety. However, they are finally able to get to safety because of Paulie. After the makeshift shoe that Paulie was wearing ends up unraveling, he gets frustrated, causing him to fire his gun.

His gunshot is heard by Tony and Bobby, leading Bobby to fire his gun so that Paulie and Christopher are able to find them. Though Tony and Bobby are not satisfied that Paulie and Christopher failed to bring back the man, Paulie refuses to search any further. However, Tony warns Paulie that if this man ever “crawls out from under a rock,” it would be Paulie’s problem to solve.

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