What is your opinion of the episode entitled "Christopher"? Everyone seems to hate it, but it's actually one of my favorites. In addition to being very funny, it's dead on in the way it shows how members of groups who have been victimized--Italians, blacks, Jews--not only tend to be absolutely convinced that their group has suffered worse than any other group in history, but also tend to get angry when this belief is challenged.
In one scene, a Cuban claims that "Christopher Columbus was no better than Adolf Hitler" (something I don't agree with, by the way). Hesh not only accuses the man of "trivializing the Holocaust" (completely ignoring the fact that what happened to many American Indians in the years after Columbus was anything but "trivial," in fact, it's easily comparable to what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust) but goes on to accuse the man of being an anti-Semite.
Another thing I liked was that while the episode explores the Italian/Indian confrontation concerning Columbus, it refuses to do so in a conventional, "politically correct" fashion. Neither side is let off the hook. Particularly great is the scene where Tony and his crew are negotiating with the "Indian chief." Silvio says "No offense, Chief, but you don't look much like an Indian." The man reveals that he actually only has a tiny bit of Indian ancestry--one person on his mother's side (I forget who right now) was one-fourth Mohawk. He says this doesn't matter because he had a "racial awakening" when he was younger. Tony points out that this suspiciously happened just when the Indian casinos were starting up. Without hesitating, the man flashes a smile and says, "Better late than never." Brilliant scene.
What are your thoughts on the episode?
