Television Review: Cold Cuts (The Sopranos, S5X10, 2004)

Cold Cuts (S05E10)

Airdate: May 9th 2004

Written by: Robin Green & Mitchel Burgess
Directed by: Mike Figgis

Running Time: 53 minutes

The television series The Sopranos set an unparalleled standard for narrative complexity and character depth, making the task of singling out its “best” or “worst” episodes inherently contentious. Yet, within this pantheon of meticulously crafted storytelling, Season 5’s Cold Cuts (directed by Mike Figgis) often finds itself relegated to the status of a relative disappointment. While hardly devoid of merit, the episode struggles to match the dramatic heft and unpredictability of its predecessors, offering a narrative that feels more like a thematic rehash than a bold evolution.

Written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, Cold Cuts fixates on the self-destructive irrationality that permeates Tony Soprano’s world. The episode posits that the inability to control pent-up rage—whether through mob posturing, familial dysfunction, or petty grievances—invariably compounds misery. Dr. Melfi’s observation that “depression is rage turned inward” underscores the Soprano family’s generational curse, a theme hammered home through Tony’s relentless undermining of those attempting self-improvement. From Janice’s fleeting anger-management progress to Christopher’s tentative maturity, Tony’s presence ensures regression, not growth.

The episode’s title exemplifies The Sopranos’ penchant for layered symbolism. Tony’s garbled adage—“revenge is like serving cold cuts”—mangles the classic “revenge is a dish best served cold,” alluding to Johnny Sack’s simmering vendetta over Joe Peeps’ murder. Literal cold cuts appear during the grim excavation of decomposed bodies at Uncle Pat’s farm, while the “long-buried” metaphor extends to repressed traumas resurfacing—Emil Kolar’s twice-relocated corpse mirrors Christopher’s unresolved guilt. Yet these clever touches cannot mask the episode’s structural familiarity, as if the writers leaned on tropes rather than innovation.

The episode opens with the Lupertazzi-DiMeo feud escalating as Johnny Sack commandeers a Vespa shipment—a petty retaliation for Tony B.’s unsanctioned hit on Peeps. Tony Soprano’s diplomatic overtures collapse when Sack accuses him of shielding Tony B., triggering a public meltdown where Tony lambastes his crew over possibility of stolen cheese. This scene, while visceral, lacks the nuanced tension of prior confrontations; Sack’s motivations feel thinly drawn, reducing the conflict to a procedural stalemate.

Janice’s arc follows an equally telegraphed trajectory. Her assault on a soccer mom—caught on camera and gleefully replayed by local news—forces her into court-mandated anger management. Initially, her Zen-like calm during a Baccalieri dinner suggests progress, but Tony’s deliberate provocation (“How’s Harpo doing?”) ruptures the façade. Her violent outburst, though cathartic for viewers, adheres too rigidly to the show’s established formula: characters teeter on redemption before Tony yanks them backward.

Carmela’s subplot epitomises the episode’s thematic redundancy. Draining the pool in a fit of pique, she later tells Wegler she’ll reconcile with Tony—a hollow declaration she retracts to Rosalie Aprile. This vacillation mirrors prior seasons’ marital stalemates, offering no new insight into her trapped desperation.

Christopher’s assignment to exhume bodies at Uncle Pat’s farm initially hints at catharsis. His takes reveal childhood bullying by Tony and Tony B., yet a tentative camaraderie with Tony B. forms during the grim task—until Tony arrives, resurrecting old humiliations. Christopher’s tearful departure feels less tragic than inevitable, a beat-for-beat reprise of his cyclical victimhood.

The episode’s fatal flaw lies in its lack of surprise. Seasoned viewers anticipate every beat: Janice’s soccer-field explosion, Chris’s regression, latest beating of Bada Bing’s long suffering bartender Georgio Santorelli (played by Philip Santorelli). The latter—triggered by Georgie dismissing Tony’s paranoia about Al Qaeda smuggling nukes—epitomises the show’s reliance on repetitive violence for pathos. Georgie’s brutalisation, now a running gag, loses its shock value, reducing him to a punchline rather than a person.

Mike Figgis’s arthouse sensibilities clash with the series’ established aesthetic. Details like slow-motion ending of Carmela leaving Wegler feel stylistically incongruous. While aiming for psychological depth, these choices disrupt the gritty realism that defines The Sopranos, leaving audiences disoriented rather than enlightened.

“Cold Cuts” is not without merit—Aida Turturro and Michael Imperioli deliver powerhouse performances, and the exploration of inherited rage remains compelling. Yet its reliance on familiar patterns and tonally jarring direction render it a minor entry in the series’ canon. For a show that thrived on subverting expectations, this episode plays it frustratingly safe, proving that even television’s greatest triumphs can occasionally serve reheated leftovers.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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