James Gandolfini's Most Memorable 'Sopranos' Moments

HBO

At the head of just about every television buff's Top 10 list is the modern classic the Sopranos — a pioneer for dramatic television and a creative masterpiece in its own right. David Chase's imaginative, gripping series boasted ambitious direction, compelling writing, and some of the best acting the small screen has ever seen. Playing the program's lead character Tony Soprano, actor James Gandolfini was the show's emotional rock, providing periodic shocks, laughs, and tears for all engaged audiences. While all six season of The Sopranos were stocked with gold, we've pulled out some of Tony's most memorable, resonating moments. (Obviously, spoilers abound.)
TONY AND CARMELA
There was no short supply of Soprano family face-offs, with Carmela (Edie Falco) proving a worthy adversary for her gangster husband. Here's one head-to-head that stands out in particular, diving deep into the couple's rocky history, and the heartrending questions of "what might have been":


TONY AND DR. MELFI
While Dr. Melfi's progress with her No. 1 patient can be considered debatable at best, we definitely caught glimpses throughout the series of Tony revealing the torment inside him. This especially biting scene has Tony resenting himself for passing on the misery that he carries with him to his equally narcissistic and depressive son, Anthony Jr.:



TONY'S DREAMS
One of the cornerstones of The Sopranos is its proclivity for trippy, existentialistic, highly symbolic dream sequences. One of the first entries in this long line of Freudian field days lands Tony on the docks, stewing in guilt over the murder of his best friend:

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TONY AND HIS MOTHER
And now, the true backbone of the show: Tony's relationship with his mother, who has played a spector villainous reigning supreme over her son's psyche since his childhood. As an ailing Livia is wheeled into a hospital emergency room, Tony channels all of the rage, resentment, and sorrow he has felt towards his mother, lashing out at her for what might well be his final chance, never truly earning the revenge he so desperately craves:



TONY aND PAULIE
One of the most fascinating characters in the Sopranos universe is, invariably, Paulie Walnuts. A manchild so deeply embedded in his own psychoses that he makes the sociopaths around him look like sane, upstanding citizens. In looking at Paulie, Tony has the opportunity to view his entire lifestyle (and himself) with nothing but contempt. As such, the harsh words Tony tosses at his friend and the consideration to take his life in the below clip could be seen as the big man's self-loathing running rampant:



TONY DOES PEYOTE
Following the decision to take the life of his cousin and protegée Christopher, Tony deals with some serious emotional backlash. Gandolfini's performance as a peyote-addled Tony on a trip to the deserts of Las Vegas rings as some of the most haunting material in the show's run: