What has become probably my second favourite TV show of all-time with a Christmas episode in its best ever year? You know it had to make the list. This episode in a lot of ways is a microcosm for the tonal balance of The Sopranos. It features some of the funniest moments in the show’s run (“Fuck you Santa” and Tony and Furio stumbling into a car with santa hats on are right up there) but also as a whole is a more reflective and poignant episode, and a glimpse into Tony’s grieving mind after the end of season 2. The show didn’t often engage in flashbacks but this episode does so very effectively, with Tony recalling his past goings-on during the Christmas period.
The Sopranos has quite a meditative tone and is shot in a mostly quite understated manner – you’re not going to get the visual flair of Boardwalk Empire, Mr. Robot or Better Call Saul here – and it places the emphasis firmly on the dialogue and characters. That said, there are some beautiful shots in this episode, some of the greatest being by the beach near the start of the episode. It’s actually quite jarring to see something other than gang politics or mental health take up most of the emphasis in an episode. Melfi speaks of “Stressmas”, Janice practices her Christian rock with her older friend and Tony feels the stress of his four-item to do list – the horror! In fact, the greatest dilemma of the episode is figuring out who in the crew is going to be Santa this year, with (trying desperately hard not to give away spoilers) the previous volunteer not being available for the first time in decades.
One of the things I respect most about this episode is that in the flashbacks, the characters are all played by the same actors, but with wigs and hair dye to age them down. I much prefer this method over hiring younger actors for these scenes where possible, as it really emphasises their role in the story as memories recalled by Tony rather than necessarily accurate play-by-plays of the past. These scenes are a treat as a peak behind the curtain of what happened before the show’s events (even if the show’s dated scene transitions can be distracting). The crew’s discussion of why Santa doesn’t have kids and the idea that he runs a sweatshop is comedy gold, as is their immediate decision to pick Bobby as Santa because of his gut.
The placement of the flashbacks is a slice of great editing too, with the contrasts between the Christmases Tony remembers and the current one being quite stark. Bobby does his best, but one kid takes issue with his shyness. Silvio’s “that’s now how you talk to Santa” is a great line, considering all the shit this guy pulls throughout the series. You could certainly argue that the show’s main theme is hypocrisy, which is clear as day in this hour of TV. The episode’s finale with the Soprano family all gathered in the living room around the Christmas tree exchanging presents is one of the show’s most effective “calm before the storm” sequences.
This episode is a shining example of how to make a Christmas episode that can be watched standalone during Christmas whilst also advancing the season’s ongoing storylines smoothly. While the most memorable aspects of this episode will always be the moments of dark comedy and the flashbacks, there is a fair bit of set up for the season’s final three episodes here which goes a long way too. I only watched this episode for the first time last year, but it’ll now be a permanent fixture in my Christmas watchlist.