The second episode. Interesting things to note…the show starts out with a regular scene instead of the regular Sopranos theme and credits. The “intro” lasts for a couple of minutes. Silvio makes a Godfather reference with the line, “Just when I was out, they bring me back in” a couple of times and then the theme and credits roll. It was a formula that really didn’t work for this show. I’m not sure how many episodes they started out like that, but I don’t think it lasts very long.

Acting Boss Of The DiMeo Crime Family : Jackie Aprile Sr.

First appearances? We are introduced to the acting boss of the DiMeo Crime Family : Jackie Aprile Sr. We also see Christopher and Adriana together for the very first time while waiting outside a night club (and spotting a fake Martin Scorsese). At this point Adriana isn’t formally introduced as Adriana yet in the show, however the credits do list Drea De Matteo as “Adriana”.

Meet Mikey Palmice

We also meet Mikey Palmice who is in Junior’s crew and is also his driver. I really love the tension between Mikey and Tony Sorpano in Mikey’s first appearance. You know from the start that Tony can’t stand that guy and their exchange was hilarious.

Tony Soprano Can't Stand Brendan Filone - So He Threw Him Into A Pile Of Meat At Satriale's

We also meet Christopher’s short lived buddy Brendan. This guy was actually more of an idiot than Christohper and you know from the start he won’t be around for too many more episodes.

Can You Hear Me Now?

And speaking of idiots we’re also introduced to Georgie the bartender at the Bada Bing who has no idea how to use a telephone like putting calls on hold and transferring a call from one phone to another. Georgie earns a Tony Soprano beatdown by the end of the show, via a telephone no less. It was awesome seeing Tony taking out the frustration from his mother on Georgie.

Livia Soprano's Hit

One of the great “surprise” moments in this episode was when Livia Soprano drops off her friend and then accidentally runs her over when she forgets to put the car into reverse when attempting to back out of her friend’s driveway. It’s one of those “all too real” moments that this show captured and threw at you out of nowhere. It’s also the turning point for Livia to get put into the nursing home.

Seeing Junior & Tony Soprano go head to head in the early episodes is great to watch. Towards the end of the show, although he had some great lines, you know Junior was losing his wits and he didn’t get to interact with Tony in the mob life they once shared. The early seasons feature a lot of great Junior moments that I’m looking forward to.

A Mike Epps Sopranos Cameo

You might recognize one of the gay guys whom Paulie & Big Pussie have a run in with is none other than comedian Mike Epps.

Little Did They Know How Many DVDs "The Sopranos" Would Sell!

It was also interesting to hear the exchange about the stolen DVD players in this episode. At the time (1998 – 1999) DVD players were the shiz as opposed to how Blu-ray players are these days. They even made mention to laserdiscs. I wonder what the edge will be 10 years from now?

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