Calling All Cars isn't what one would conventionally describe as a great episode, especially if compared to the sheer emotional weight of the two shows preceding it, but it is an artful mood-setter, and deserves as much recognition as any other ep because of a single sequence.
The sequence in question is of course Tony's eerie dream, which features both Ralphie and Gloria, two people united by the fact that the New Jersey boss had a role in their deaths. The dream is elusive, even to the viewer, and when Tony asks Dr. Melfi for an explanation, he finds it unsatisfactory. Further disappointments are bound to follow, as his dealings with Johnny Sack and Carmine Lupertazzi don't go as expected.
There isn't much going on in this episode, perhaps because events are lining up for the imminent season finale, but the dream scene will keep everyone up for a long time: whereas all other similar moments were quite simple to interpret, the key event of Calling All Cars is shockingly beautiful for the very reason that it has no immediate significance. It's a haunting, daringly ambiguous sequence: the series in a nutshell.
The sequence in question is of course Tony's eerie dream, which features both Ralphie and Gloria, two people united by the fact that the New Jersey boss had a role in their deaths. The dream is elusive, even to the viewer, and when Tony asks Dr. Melfi for an explanation, he finds it unsatisfactory. Further disappointments are bound to follow, as his dealings with Johnny Sack and Carmine Lupertazzi don't go as expected.
There isn't much going on in this episode, perhaps because events are lining up for the imminent season finale, but the dream scene will keep everyone up for a long time: whereas all other similar moments were quite simple to interpret, the key event of Calling All Cars is shockingly beautiful for the very reason that it has no immediate significance. It's a haunting, daringly ambiguous sequence: the series in a nutshell.