There's a lot thrown out in this episode. Most, if not all, of the main characters for this season are introduced. Tony Soprano, the main character, has a lot of interactions with a lot of people, some are family, some are business associates. A good chunk of the episode unfolds around a few sessions that Tony has with Dr. Jennifer Melfi, a psychiatrist. He tells her somethings but not everything. She is mostly concerned with what might have caused him to collapse and have a panic attack.
Tony seems to have a lot of people relying on him. At home there is Carmella (his wife) plus Meadow and Anthony, Jr. (his children). Beyond his immediate family there is also his mother and Uncle Junior, his father's brother. On the job there is Christopher (his cousin) plus a number of other associates (Silvio, Hesh, Big Pussy, Paulie).
Uncle Junior wants to whack another mobster, Little Pussy, in Vesuvio's, Tony's favorite restaurant which is owned and run by Artie, Tony's friend and high school classmate. Tony goes to some lengths to try and prevent that from happening. There's a certain amount of resentment on the part of Uncle Junior. He doesn't like it that his nephew runs the family business.
Christopher whacks a Czech mobster who is giving him trouble. Big Pussy gives him some help in getting rid of the body. Christopher has dreams of going to Hollywood but he is loyal to Tony, despite his rhetoric.
One thing that Christopher and Uncle Junior have in common is that they both want to make big dramatic gestures. Uncle Junior wants to murder another man in broad daylight. Christopher wants to dump the Czech mobster's body where it will be easily found by his people. One has his opportunity taken from him. The other is talked out of it by a colleague. I don't recall if this is a recurring theme throughout the first season or the whole series.
I watched the entire series on DVD 10-15 years ago. It was one of the first things I watched on DVD. It feels a bit dated in 2017, a bit more like a period piece. I enjoyed this episode but I was not blown away by it this time around. Most importantly, I was not turned off by it. I want to watch more. It may not strike me as ground-breaking or monumental as it once did but it is still quality television.
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