Tony goes to Italy to discuss a business deal.
I never tire of watching 'Commendatori' as it has a bit of everything.
The best aspects of the episode are the brilliant character moments involving the likes of Tony, Carmela, Paulie and Christopher. Certain myths and strongly held beliefs are dispelled by the reality and 'regularness' of life.
Paulie is absolutely hilarious in his blinkered, romanticised attitude towards Italy. Every scene involving this character is a pleasure to watch and Tony Serico's performance is perfect.
Carmela supports (and gossips) when her friend Angie Bonpenseiro goes through a difficult time. These scenes are brilliantly made, not only for the drama and performances but the quality of the writing. It addresses the issues that Carmela has with her own marriage in a relatively unsaid way. Toni Kalem and Edie Falco are excellent throughout and Aida Turturro also contributes wonderfully in one excellent scene. Related to this the scenes involving Big Puss, though nasty, are very compelling.
Tony, who means business in so much of the episode, makes a surprise discovery in Italy and his scenes interacting with the Italian characters are all great. James Gandolfini leads the story brilliantly as always.
Christopher goes to Italy with full intentions of seeing the sights, but what happens is not just darkly ironic but important in his overarching character arc.
I love the cynicism of this episode in how it presents the reality behind various romanticised aspects of life. This is told in numerous scenes with fantastic visual storytelling.
For me it's a 9.5/10 but I round upwards.