Talking Terrific Television: Recent Episodes
talkingterrifictelevision
Talking Terrific Television is a great podcast where the hosts JR Ralls and Jarrod Hornbeck talk about the best TV shows of all time in chronological order, covering the complete run of one great TV show and then moving on to the next. Their first show is The Sopranos, the show that ushered in the golden age of television.
This is it! We go deep deep into the scene at Holsten's. This is NOT an attempt to convince you of the "right" interpretation but instead to fully explore that famous ending.
(Potentially the last episode of Talking Terrific Television until April 10th, 2032!)
The Sopranos S06E21
Tony tries to find a peace with the Leotardo crew while dealing with rumours that a member of his own crew may have flipped. Meanwhile, AJ makes a decision regarding his future, and Junior's slide into dementia continues.
BUT this is NOT the final episode of TTT! No, for we will have one more episode looking at just the final five minutes of this show!
The Sopranos: S06E20 - The Blue Comet The spectre of disloyalty among the crew hangs over Tony as Phil Leotardo decides how to handle recent issues with the Soprano crime family. Meanwhile, a hit gone wrong comes at a huge cost, and AJ's conquering of his depression is challenged.
Tony attempts to repair the rift between New Jersey and New York, while AJ's struggle with depression continues, and a New York associate crosses the line with Meadow.
'Kennedy and Heidi.' (Season 6B / S06E18 ) An asbestos-disposal impasse raises tensions between Jersey and New York; Tony has a revelation. Something happens to Christopher. No spoilers. WARNING; Actually there are tons of spoilers.
"Walk Like a Man." (S06E17) A.J. deals with depression; Kelli's dad is the unwitting catalyst of a feud between Christopher and Paulie.
Chasing It
The Sopranos S06E16 (6B)
Tony hits an unlucky stretch; A.J. makes a life-changing decision; Vito's widow Marie turns to Tony for help.
Remember When
The Sopranos: S06E15 Tony and Paulie head south to Florida to get away from brewing situations in Jersey. While there, Tony reflects on his relationship with Paulie. Meanwhile, Junior sets up a poker game at the institution.
With the premiere of Christopher's Cleaver, Tony begins to think about his relationship with Christopher. Meanwhile, Johnny Sack has to deal with more bad news while in prison; Phil reflects on his family and himself.
Soprano Home Movies S06E13
A gun dropped by Tony two years earlier has turned up in the hands of a teenager. While the local Jersey DA tries to make headlines by going after Tony, he and Carmela leave for the weekend to visit Bobby and Janice.
Kaisha The Sopranos: Season 6, Episode 12
Tony gets Carmela's career back on track; Chris picks up where Tony left off; A.J. gets a work perk.
Cold Stones
The Sopranos: S06E11
Carmela begins to rethink her life after she goes on a trip to Paris with Rosalie. Meadow decides it's time to find a new place to live. And Vito's storyline comes to an end.
Moe n' Joe
The Sopranos: S06E10
Tony leverages Johnny's misfortune into a domestic upgrade; Bacala suffers vision impairment.
The Ride
The Sopranos: Season 6, Episode 9
S06E09
An announcement from Christopher surprises people, Paulie's cost-cutting at an Italian street fair comes at its own cost, an old-school heist invigorates Tony, and Carmela is given reason to doubt that Adriana `disappeared'.
Johnny Cakes
The Sopranos: Season 6, Episode 8
AJ seeks to upgrade his life and enjoys the perks of having the Soprano name, while a real estate offer - and the saleswoman - tempt Tony. Elsewhere, the increasing corporate presence in the neighbourhood stymies Patsy's protection racket, and Vito is impressed by an act of heroism.
The Sopranos: Season 6, Episode 7
The Sopranos S06E07
Luxury Lounge
Artie's business is jeopardized by a rival restaurant and a staff scandal, and Christopher and Little Carmine pursue a new venture out of town.
Live Free or Die The Sopranos: Season 6, Episode 6
S06E06
Tony has some decisions to make. His first involves seeking out help from Italy to solve the local problem of Rusty, while his second decision involves whether or not to allow one of his top earners to have a second chance.
Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request... The Sopranos: Season 6, Episode 5
Description Johnny Sack seeks permission from the prison to be released long enough to attend his daughter's wedding. Meanwhile, Tony thinks it it time to be on the lookout for some personal protection.
No one is happy when it's revealed that Barone Sanitation has been put up for sale. Paulie has a family matter that turns his world upside down. Bobby decides to help out a hopeful rapper by helping him pad his resume.
Silvio divides the spoils from Paulie's latest score; Carmela turns to an unexpected source for help with AJ; Christopher turns to an old writing acquaintance in The Sopranos S06E03 - ”Mayham"
Tony runs into some trouble on a business trip to the West Coast. Christopher decides to discuss terrorism with the FBI. Meanwhile, the New Jersey family ends up mourning the loss of another one of their associates.
Tony ponders an associate's retirement request and shares a recent windfall with Carmela. Meanwhile, Junior takes Tony on a backyard treasure hunt, and Hesh seeks restitution for a wrong perpetrated on his son-in-law. And Eugene get's his biggest role of the whole series!
Johnny Sack turns up the heat, Carmela counts her blessings, Christopher has an unexpected visitor, and AJ demonstrates his business acumen.
Tony meets with Johnny Sack to discuss the fate of Tony B, who is responsible for the killings of Joe Peeps and Billy Leotardo. Johnny wants revenge, but Tony won't give up his cousin for execution. Adriana is taken for a long car ride in one of the shows most painful scenes.
This is it! This dream contains one of the most important lines in the series about Tony Soprano and we analyze every bit of this deep and complex episode.
The Talking Terrific Television crew have spent the last year and a half exploring The Sopranos TV show in all it's many layers and they now turn their attention to the first new Sopranos content in 14 years! Does The Many Saints of Newark hold up to the hype? Is it another Phantom Menace? What's the deal with the bird? These and many more questions will be answered in this podcast by the most in-depth Sopranos podcast to be found.
More than any other single episode of The Sopranos, this is the episode where we see who Tony Soprano is at his very core.
Tony's cousin's limp means he is telling a lie that both he and Tony know is a lie... so that makes it OK I guess? Meanwhile, Meadow helps her boyfriend, Finn, get a job where he spots Vito and a security guard getting intimate.
As tensions rise in New York, Little Carmine is recruiting supporters in exchange for new washing machines while Carmela plans a surprise 75th birthday party for her father Hugh and the evening culminates in Tony and Carmela in the pool, WITH SEXY RESULTS!
A special presentation by the TTT crew as we tackle what Jarrod says is one of the best episodes of Black Mirror of all time!
Aunt Concetta died! (Who?) But Tony visits his parents' gravesite and meets Johnny Soprano's long-time mistress. Intrigued by her Tony starts spending time with her.... and absolutely nothing creepy happens after that!
Tony B's tries to start a massage parlor with the wise strategy of punching his investor in the face while Carmella sleeps with her son's teacher.
Tony may have skin cancer and, returns to therapy with Dr Melfi, and comes really close to getting romantic with Adriana.
Carmela and Tony discuss A.J.'s dwindling college prospects; Feech takes Tony's crew on a trip down memory lane; A.J. has a memorable night in the city.
Special returning guest Steve Guntli of https://www.ultra64podcast.com/ joins us to talk about how Johnny Sack is ruthlessly moving to take over the New York mob while Paulie Walnuts is busying stealing a lawn mower.
Tony evaluates a contractor's gift and later reunites with his paroled cousin, Tony Blundetto. Elsewhere, Paulie and Christopher relive some not-so-special memories, Carmela launches a film club, Adriana grapples with her guilt, and a familiar figure `crosses over'.
A year after the Sopranos' separation, Carmela lives alone with a largely hostile AJ while Tony has moved into his mother's old house. Meanwhile, a number of mobsters nicknamed the "Class of '04" are due to be released from prison, among them Tony's cousin Tony Blundetto.
Carmela gets a very nice house on the Jersey shore that magically makes her headache go away until former mistress Irina calls the Soprano home at which point Tony's marriage ends. Oh, and also a Mob War almost starts but that's the B plot.
Tony continues to haggle over the Esplanade profits with Johnny Sack and Carmine, Carmela makes a decorating date she can't keep, and Furio reluctantly accompanies Tony on a casino junket.
Tony contemplates the future of the HUD partnership while Paulie tries to get Tony killed (?) and Janice does the right thing for the wrong reasons.
Dr Melfi is skeptical of Tony's portrayal of himself as a sad clam, Carmela forces AJ to do boring chores so she won't jump Furio's bones, and Christopher gets a carefrontation.
Why did Tony kill Ralphie? When did he decide to kill Ralphie? We get in-depth to the best deaths in all of the Sopranos 89 deaths!
Paulie's mother hits on an 18, Furio's Uncle tells him NOT to sleep with his murderous mob boss's wife, and Carmella "steals" or steals depending upon your point of view, money from her own household.
Was this a backdoor pilot? Was Pauli attending college? Is pursing marriage with a murderous thug a wise thing to do? No to all three of these questions, but tune in anyway as we tell you why!
Tony learns Gloria committed suicide, Artie tries to commit suicide, and Christopher continues using heroin (a suicidal impulse) in another fun happy light episode of that wacky rom-com sitcom, The Sopranos!
Tony discovers he has a flair for horse-racing strategy and an affinity for the serenity of stable life; Adriana's rock club gets used as a place of business by Chris and his cronies; a court artist incurs the wrath of Uncle Junior.
Johnny Sack almost starts a mob war over a fat joke about his wife and this dominates the episode more than any other A-plot has ever dominated any other episode of the Sopranos before or since.
Special Guest Sonya Ballantyne, from Live From the Poolhouse, talks with us about what is widely considered to be the worst episode of the Sopranos of all time!
Special Guest Dan Bookbinder joins us as we talk about how Meadow is a no show to an airline, Carme is no show to her marriage, and Adriana is no show to the negatives of being involved with the mob … until she isn’t.
Special guest Matthew Allen (Co-Host of @VGApocalypse) joins us to talk about the first episode of Season 4 of the Sopranos and an amazing episode it is! The hosts talk with Matt about if Chris killed his father's murder or if Tony was setting him up as well as the connection between heroin and ice cream.
With special guest Vanessa D Hayden ! It was fabulous to have you on, lots of fun and you are welcome back anytime! If you are interested in talking about the Sopranos on our show, please be sure to message me or Jarrod Hornbeck
The penultimate episode of Season 3 of the Sopranos has the biggest gunfight in all of the series. It also seals the fate of Jackie Jr and is the last (living) appearance of Gloria.
Is this the best single episode of any TV show of all time? We are joyed by special guests Chris Antista and Diana Goodman as we definitely answer what happened to the Russian. Yep. We solved it. You are welcome.
Does Tony's vision of Big Pussy count as a visit from the ghosts of Christmases past? Was Janice as bad a Christmas dinner host as you would expect or worse? And why does Silvio care so much about cheese that he dreams about it?
With all the music she listens to Adriana has got to be great at running a nightclub! Meanwhile AJ and a young Lady Gaga (for real) throw stuff into a pool!
The conflict between Ralphie and Tony seems like it is going to come to it's inevitable conclusion of violence and death only for David Chase to give one of his utterly typical swerve's that the audience would never expect.
Chris Antista of the multiple fantastic podcasts (deep breath) Laser Time, Thirty Twenty Ten, Sick of Star Wars, and Vidjagame Apocalpyse, is our special guest star this episode as we talk about if Junior made a mistake in getting a second opinion (you say the title you win the prize!) for his cancer and whether Carmela's shrink was a good or bad psychiatrist for telling her that her husband was a depressed moody criminal who she should leave.
We see Tracee for the first and the last time as we examine how the show deals with a made guy killing the mother of his unborn child in yet another super-fun-happy-light episode of The Sopranos.
Mustang Sally's appears for the first and last time in one of the most brutal fights you'll ever see a dying elderly cancer patient get into while Carmella attends therapy with Tony for the first and last time.
A very special episode as the hosts and 302010's own Diana Goodman talk about "Employee of the Month," one of the Sopranos most infamous episodes and that's saying something. This episode was regarded as incredibly shocking and brutal when it was shown in 2001 and it still feels that way today.
Christopher becomes a made man but he finds out that being in the mafia isn't all it's quacked up to be (note: there are no ducks in this episode).
Christopher gives the greatest eulogy of all time at a funeral where every single person, with only one exception, hated the deceased. The one exception the deceased hit and crippled with her car.
Is this the most skippable episode of The Sopranos? And if so, is is still possible that this is nonetheless a great episode of the Sopranos? The hosts JR Ralls and Jarrod Hornbeck debate this and many more questions this week on Talking Terrific Television!
Tony has a series of dreams, each of which brings him closer to realizing that he has to murder his best friend. After doing so he's arrested for possession of stolen airline tickets because that's the real big crime. But he makes it home in in time for Meadow’s graduation party so it's a happy ending to Season 2 on the Sopranos!
Tony and Corrado and Dr. Melphi are all under some form of confinement (gee… I wonder what that is like…) and they all deal with it different while Richie Aprile continues to make problems and be the wise and forward thinker he has shown himself to be so far.
When Tony discovers that there was a witness to the Bevilaqua hit, he prepares for a potential getaway, but a bigger storm may be brewing as Richie plans to usurp him.
From Where to Eternity The Sopranos episode (season 2, episode 9)
Description Christopher has an out-of-body experience. Meanwhile, Dr. Melfi brings her troubles to a psychiatrist for a professional examination.
Richie makes a peace offering to Tony (a 25 year old jacket that makes anyone who wears it look like an uglo) and Sean and Matt make a move for acceptance (shooting their closest ally for the favor of someone who hates and despises them.
AJ, not one to think deep thoughts, has discovered that "Nitch" believes that "God is Dead" and whooooo-boy does Livia confirm that suspicion. Meanwhile Christopher hands out with Hollywood big wigs who pump him (for information on the mafia) and then dump him.
In "The Happy Wanderer" everybody is unhappy! Tony is unhappy because other people are happy, Davey is unhappy because he ruined a life that may have already been ruined, and Meadow is unhappy because she got an expensive car.
Paulie and Silvio get promoted, Furio gets welcomed, Pussy gets pushed aside, and Chris gets frustrated with his Hollywood aspirations.
Tony and the crew take a business trip to Italy while Carmela attempts to talk Angie Bonpensiero out of divorcing Big Pussy (who wacks an Elivs impersonator).
Richie Aprile is discussed as he gets out of jail after ten years and Meadow trashes and then cleans a house.
How does an episode from the year 2000 about black protesters hold up today? What is the meaning of aging? And when did you eat your first calzone? The Talking Terrific Television crew handles these important questions in this episode!
Season Two starts out as we see Tony Soprano fully adjusted to being boss in name as well as in fact.
The worst FBI informant (probably, but never proven) of all time gets what is coming to him, Dr Melfi tells Tony about the type of mother that could be behind a hit on her own son and Livia suffers a "stroke."
Tony finds out that his neighbor's Italian exchange student is the girl of his dreams (girl of his dream, girl of his dream, girl of HIS DREAM!!! GET IT????) and then he gets an offer from the FBI that he can refuse.
Who on Tony's crew is wearing a wire? "Nobody knows anything."
Does Pussy really have a backache? "Nobody knows anything."
Was Vin being honest with Tony? "Nobody knows anything."
The intersection of gangsterism and the music biz is explored as Chris tries to get some sober artists to do some coke, Hesh doesn't want to give back land in Israeli or his royalties, and Dr. Melfi indulges in her voyeuristic desires.
Junior goes to Boca with his girlfriend which leads to her saying "When you kiss me down there, you're like a great artist" and that is the direct cause of a gang war!
The Talking Terrific Television crew finds out who has an arc (other than Noah), the place of Italian-Americans in the US's cultural mosaic, and the proper etiquette for throwing money in your psychiatrist's face and/or taking money back from a bride on her wedding day as they examine The Sopranos Season 1 Episode 8 - “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti"
The Talking Terrific Television crew explores the very first Flashback on the Sopranos, AJ's five _possible_ symptoms of ADHD, and if Livia could have been a stone cold gangster if she had been born in the feminist era.
The Talking Terrific Television crew does a deep dive into Tony's move to make Junior the fake boss while he tries to make sure that he's the one who actually makes all the decisions.
The hosts cover "College" which, without hyperbole, is probably the single most influential hour of television ever; influencing all TV shows that came after it and making us look at all TV shows that came before it in a different light.
Learn all about “Denial, Anger, Acceptance,” in which Junior starts showing his muscle, Carm gives a hand wave of doom, and Hasidic law divorce law plays a major role.
Learn all about the Sopranos S01E02 - "46 Long,” where Livia bumps into an old friend, Christopher and Uncle June clash, and Paulie bitches about Not-Starbucks.
Viewers on January 10, 1999 tuning into The Sopranos had no idea they were watching the Golden Age of television being ushered in but that was exactly the case. Now 20 years later, how does it hold up and what possible aspects of it may you have missed?