The Sopranos' Only Bad Episode: A Critical Analysis of 'Christopher'

The Sopranos is one of the greatest TV shows ever made (maybe the greatest of all time, period), so it rarely had an episode that was less than stellar. Out of 86 episodes across six seasons, The Sopranos only ever had one bad episode — season 4, episode 3, “Christopher” — and, given the quality of the other 85 episodes, it sticks out like a severed thumb.

The best episodes of The Sopranos, from “College” to “Pine Barrens” to “Made in America,” are 10/10 hall-of-fame masterpieces (that’s right, I said it: the Sopranos finale is a masterpiece). But some of the show’s less memorable episodes are held back by a glaring flaw, like the disjointed pacing of “Pie-o-My,” or the pointless subplot from “In Camelot” where Tony has an affair with his dad’s mistress.

But none of those episodes are bad, per se. They’re just not quite as perfect as the show at its very best. The only certifiably bad episode of The Sopranos is “Christopher.”

"Christopher" Is The Only Bad Episode Of The Sopranos

“Christopher” is the low point of The Sopranos. The episode’s main conflict revolves around our familiar Italian-American mafiosos butting heads with Native American protesters on Columbus Day. It’s a thought-provoking discussion, and one fundamental to the American experience: is it right to celebrate Christopher Columbus as though he was a great man?

The Sopranos had touched on racial issues in previous episodes, but it was much subtler. The interactions between Tony and Meadow’s Black boyfriend, Noah, were a much more effective commentary on modern race relations. “Christopher” is much too simplistic and borderline cartoonish to contribute anything worthwhile to the conversation.

At its best, The Sopranos was an incisive social commentary touching on contemporary issues and holding a mirror up to society. As with a lot of mafia movies and TV shows, The Sopranos uses the criminal underworld to reflect the ruthless system of capitalism. Tony and his crew aren’t all that different from unscrupulous CEOs and sleazy bankers, exploiting people who rely on them for financial security.

Some of the show’s greatest episodes focus on a specific issue. “Employee of the Month” tackled the complicated conversations around sexual violence. “The Strong, Silent Type” highlights the disease of addiction and humanizes an addict through Christopher’s brutal intervention (one of the most unforgettable scenes in TV history).

The social commentary in “Christopher” is much too ham-fisted to work. From the street brawls to the casino visit, it often feels like a tasteless political cartoon come to life. The on-the-nose commentary does have one saving grace. It gave us one of Tony’s most iconic (and memeable) lines: “In this house, Christopher Columbus is a hero!”

"Christopher" Wasn't Written By The Sopranos' Usual Writing Staff

The Sopranos has some of the best writing in television history; it’s as funny as any sitcom, it’s as heartbreaking as any drama, and it’s as exhilarating as any thriller. It’s perfectly paced, beautifully observed, and full of rich, layered, human characters who feel like real people.

Creator David Chase instantly proved to be one of the most unique and innovative storytellers working in TV, and he filled out his writing staff with some of the greatest up-and-coming writers in Hollywood. The Sopranos’ writers’ room included Matthew Weiner, who would go on to create Mad Men, and Terence Winter, who would go on to create Boardwalk Empire and write The Wolf of Wall Street.

But “Christopher” wasn’t written by the show’s usual writing staff; it was written by cast member Michael Imperioli. Some great actors are also great writers — Simon Pegg, Donald Glover, Ben and Matt, etc. — but it’s rare that people are gifted more than one innate talent. Imperioli isn’t a bad writer, but he’s not in the Chase/Weiner/Winter elite, and the contrast is noticeable when that murderers’ row is writing the other episodes.

Every Character Talks About How They're Feeling

The Sopranos might have the most emotionally unavailable cast of any TV show. Its ensemble is mostly made up of stoic Italian-American gangsters, conditioned with toxic masculinity and casual violence, and their subservient mob wives, who are strongly discouraged from speaking their minds.

It’s a testament to the writing and acting in The Sopranos that the show is able to make these characters so emotionally resonant. They all avoid emotional expression like the plague, so the cast and the writers had to find different ways to show what the characters were feeling.

That’s what made Dr. Melfi’s therapy sessions such a great dramatic device; it was the only setting where Tony allowed himself to be vulnerable and open up about his feelings. In “Christopher,” it’s as if everyone is talking to Dr. Melfi at all times. No one is afraid to express their feelings and describe their emotional state.

All the problems with “Christopher” — the ham-fisted social commentary, the clunky emotional dialogue — come from the same root problem: a lack of subtlety. The genius of The Sopranos was its ability to balance nuanced drama with pitch-black humor and tongue-in-cheek surrealism, but “Christopher” has none of the nuance.