The Sopranos: 10 Most Disturbing Episodes
8. Members Only
The cantankerous Junior Soprano is a source of great humour for much of The Sopranos. A nearly man in the mafia, he attempts to seize power in a war against Tony in season one, and from then on is housebound, a crotchety old man who doesn’t approve of the new world.
His mental deterioration, then, is a final indignity for a man who came so close to having it all. By season six, after a bit of a time jump, Junior is in the throes of dementia, a dicey issue that the characters unsurprisingly have no idea how to handle.
Junior often lived in the past, but now he’s literally doing so, searching for long lost money and waging war on his old foe Pussy Malanga. When Tony goes to care for his uncle, a completely baffled Junior mistakes his nephew for his enemy and shoots Tony in the stomach.
The episode ends with Tony bleeding out on the kitchen floor and Junior in a state of severe agitation. The Sopranos treats Junior’s demise with unflinching and gritty attention, and this is the true beginning of a slide into horror.
This episode also features side character Eugene hanging himself in gory detail. Cheery stuff!