What an excellent episode. Perhaps the best so far this season.

Gandolfini was outstanding in the scene with Melfi. He made you feel really sorry for him. For the moment he made you put aside the fact that he was a mobster and he made you relate to him and feel for him, especially if you are a parent. He even left Melfi speechless.

Imperioli also did an outstanding job in this episode. His acting was superb. At times you couldn't help but feel sorry for him either. But just as you begin to feel bad for him, he turns around and kills that poor guy for no reason except out of his own fustration for not being able to do anything to Paulie.

Paulie is out of control! It looks as though he's getting closer to getting himself whacked.

And A.J., is he now following in his father's footsteps in more ways than one? Therapy, feels like a failure, goes out partying, at the bing, goes on a run with the boys, etc.

Great how the writers made A.J. and Tony come home at the same time. As if they were showing us that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Like father like son.

I couldn't tell though, if when Patsy's boy and his buddy were beating up the kid who owed them money, if A.J. was liking what he was seeing or not. (Have to watch that scene again). My initial reaction in that scene was that he took another step towards becoming like his father. Any thoughts on that scene?