The Sopranos: 10 Greatest Ever Episodes
8. College
Going way back to the show’s first season, College first aired at a time when many viewers were just beginning to recognise the mob drama’s genius. Perhaps the main hook of the show is the duality of Tony Soprano - he is a fearsome, hulking mafia boss, yet also a family man who genuinely wants the best for his children. College shows what happens when his home life and business collide, with explosive results.
Tony begins the episode in “devoted father” mode, taking his daughter Meadow on a tour of colleges in Maine. On the road, he stumbles upon Febby Petrulio, a former wise-guy who has since turned FBI informant. And so begins a balancing act between keeping his daughter happy and hunting down the rat. The juxtaposition between an innocent college tour and the brutality of Tony’s work life is striking.
The show had started strongly, but College was undoubtedly the show’s finest hour up to that point. Indeed, the simple cat-and-mouse plot allows it to work as a great standalone short film, and could potentially serve as the perfect gateway drug to series newcomers. It’s also important in that it cemented the Tony Soprano character - here’s a man that we’re simultaneously disgusted by (this episode marked his first on-screen murder) yet we can’t help but love. It was a moral dilemma every viewer faced, and would keep us glued to the show for the next eight years.