User Reviews

This episode alone tells you all you need to know about how underrated Edie Falco is. Yes, she may have won the Emmy for it the following year (as did James Gandolfini, who is also excellent), but that does not do her justice.

Whitecaps deserves a 10 star rating purely for the acting and the acting alone. We'd been waiting for 4 whole years for Carmela to discover Tony's gumars and the tension finally comes to a head with this one. Sprinkle in some Adriana drama and hey presto: this is one of the finest instances of television you will ever find.

Thought it's the length of a feature film, there's no chance you'll get bored of this one - every single scene has a relevance and a necessity. And the insane thing is, this isn't even the best episode of The Sopranos. This episode is just one more reason to add to the explanation of why The Sopranos is one of the best TV shows ever made.

Just phenomenal. Man, I miss this show.

My favorite aspect of the sopranos is just how human it is. The fight between Carmela and tony is so realistic and well done, you can really sense that Carmela is overwhelmed with anxiety and anger and sadness. I've had fights with a few significant others in my life and like many people i have been in situations where that anxious pit is so deep and the mind is just in a constant state of chaotic thought. Just an incredible episode and astounding series overall, can't wait to watch it again at some point. I felt a sickness in my stomach. While most seasons will end with someone being killed, what dies in this season finale is the love between Carmela and Tony. One of the things I really love about this show is the level of commitment that the actors have for each of their own characters. Edie Falco's portrayal of Carmela is up there for me. I didn't notice it at first because her character doesn't like making a racket. But Edie does it with such sprezzatura that it's a perfect foil to Tony's character or to Meadow/AJ or to Livia/Janice or to any other character Carm is in proximity to or up against. If it was any other actress, they would probably overdo Carmela and you would notice it. Edie played Carmela right. And I love how when Edie as Carmela looks at Tony, she sees an undeniable side of herself that she loathes. It's not Tony she's raging at really, it's herself, and she knows it. The way she insults and intentionally hurts Tony, that's nothing compared to what she's done to end up where she is.

Tony decides to buy a beautiful beach house and things between him and Carmela seem to improve. But then drunk Irina calls her one day and tells about her affair and Tony having sex with her cousin. This drives Carmela angry and she also tells Tony about her feeling to Furio. They separate. Juniors trial is over. And Tony decides not to kill Carmine.

A surprisingly slow episode for a finale. Not that it was bad, but not really Sopranos level for me. This doesn't mean that the acting was once again superb. The confrontations between Tony and Carmela were amazing. The story with Carmine was pretty good,but it was so short and almost invisible among the divorce.

Thinking back over the season it is hard to really summarise the plot because there is a lot going on and it is spread well across all the characters while also maintaining Tony as the central figure in the play. On the biological family side we have Meadow trying to sort things out after Jackie's murder, Carmela worrying about her future security and independence, AJ starting life in a new school. On the business family side we have Ralphie continuing to be a good earner but pain to deal with, Paulie's loyalties wandering, Bobby being promoted and Chris simultaneously seeing his star rising thanks to Tony and also flushing it all away on a growing drug addiction. Although there are echoes of previous seasons (as in season 3, Ralphie is a bit similar to Richie) it is not a bad thing that the same themes are always on the table and it is these that keeps the show interesting in the background while the busy episodes and plots ensure that the foreground is equally engaging.

In this foreground there is plenty going on and there is not a single episode that is particularly weak or fails to engage. Following on from season 3, the show continues to make good use of the supporting characters with more flesh and more time being spent on those previously that would have been good for frequent supporting scenes but never really sent out on their own in the narrative (eg Paulie and Bobby). This doesn't always add to the complexity of the show in terms of the background but it does do a lot for how engaging each episode is as more is going on and the load is spread wider than Tony. The plots sees plenty of twists and turns and, while season 4 doesn't quite have the feeling of start/finish that the other seasons had, this is no bad thing because, as we know, it is not the finish and it helps not to watch the season thinking that it has been created as a thing on its own. Within the business plots we get to see the games spinning out of control and this constant reminder of how close death is and how easily these decisions are made and, in case we miss it, Artie is on hand to demonstrate to us how difficult all this stuff is as he totally fails to do what the movies have made him think is so easy. This side builds well with tensions between the two families and Tony being held down a dangerous path by Johnny Sack but suitably enough the season does not get its climax on this side of things.

Instead this comes from the "family" family. The season sees more tensions from Carmela over money and inclusion, with Tony's many infidelities being matched (well, to a very small degree) by her flights of fancy for more than she has and her depression that comes from the realisation that it is only fancy. It comes to a head really well with them separating in the final episode and these scenes between Tony and Carmela are as gripping as they are well delivered (particularly the one in the den). Part of the reason this side of the show seems to work as well as it does here is because it is, as Carmela says, she knows him better than anyone and it allows us to get closer to the real him. The whole season we see the many sides of him that exist. We are not totally sure whether he is this sad clown, this captain of industry, this man driven by his violent temper, this vulture or what, but we get to see as raw as he is when pushed by his family. There is plenty of this though in the other plots as well, although in his business he too often does get to hide behind business rather than be himself. The season brings out lots of little things that say so much without saying anything and these make the background detail as engaging as it is. Accordingly Gandolfini yet again delivers a career defining performance in a character that is still almost impossible to separate from him.

It also does this for more of the minor characters as well. Carmela is a stronger character by the season by Falco gets plenty of great scenes as a result. While Christopher continues on quite an obvious sort of path, he also gets good scenes and in particular his intervention is memorable simply because of everyone being allowed to speak the truth about him without hearing it themselves. I still don't like Janice as a character but that does not prevent me liking how well written she is and how manipulative and insincere she is – particularly when it comes to her relationship with Bobby. Generally the performances are very strong from Gandolfini on down. Supporting turns from Imperioli, Bracco, Van Zandt, Chianese, Schirripa, Castelluccio and so on are typically good and adds to the feeling of quality in depth that it has established and maintained from the very start.

Overall season 4 is yet another reason why The Sopranos is as well considered as it is (and deserves to be). It has a lot of balls in the air at once but juggles the many characters and threads in a way that not only looks effortless but also looks like it could not have been done in any other way. With plenty going on in the foreground and the background, in the grand gestures and in the detail, it is a great season and another reason why, although I want to pace myself, I know that I'll be onto season 5 soon enough.

Yes. My Headline is based on my ranking of seasons from best to worse. I know some may disagree, but I've felt this way since the show ended in 2007. And as a tradition I make it a point to watch the entire series once a year.

I seriously think season 4 is the most underrated season of the Sopranos. Yes, it's not climactic as the others. As a matter of fact, it has the lowest death toll than any of the others. So what??

Much like season 6 part one, the writers take a different approach in season 4.

This season was more like a soap opera. And yes, soap operas can be dull. But take the Sopranos and make it into a soap opera, and you have brilliance, making every episode watchable. I like how we see the anger building up between Tony and Carmella, which is finally all released in White Caps. It's almost watching a battle of a fight between mother and father, and you have to choose who is more logical in the battle. Which in the end they both seem hypocritical, bearing little logic.

I like how Tony wants to stop making appearances and puts a now drug addicted Christopher to test by killing the alleged murderer of Christopher's father. (of course in the many saints of Newark we find out that he wasn't the killer. It was Junior all along) But Tony's plight is to run his business and orders through Christopher, unbeknownst to Tony, that Chris is battling a major heroin habit.

We see Johnny Sack playing a major role in this season and how defensive he can be over the wisecracks of his overweight wife, Ginny.

We see Ralphy and Tony becoming closer as business partners, only to have Tony take away his horse and his goomar. And we see Ralphy's sensitive side after a tragedy with his son, which leads him to a dark path, which gets him killed over a horse.

This season has very important episodes, one being Everybody Hurts, where Tony finally realizes that his actions have a negative reflect on people, especially the people in his life that do not deserve it...which is a foreshadow on seasons to come.

One disappointment is Furio. In season 2 and 3 we see Furio as this mean and ruthless soldier of Tony's who shows no remorse and is relentless. But he softens up in season 4 because of his attraction to Carmella.

Season 4 is definatley underrated among fans, and should be watched with an open mind.

One of the ten best episodes of The Sopranos of all time! The tense situation of Tony and Johnny Sack setting up Carmine to get whacked and Tony deciding not to go through with it was excellently played. When Tony refuses Johnny Sack swears vengeance on Tony. A powerful confrontation, but not nearly as powerful as the split-up of Tony and Carmela. The scenes between Tony and Carmela are masterfully acted and ingeniously written. For this episode alone, both James Gandolfini and Edie Falco should receive Emmy awards. Their scenes of anguish and hurt are so undeniably brilliant. Another very interesting plot point, was the situation between Tony and the owner of the "Whitecaps" beach house. Bruce Altman does an exquisite job as a cut-throat attorney going against someone like Tony Soprano. The ending is admirable, because it ends with two non-main guest-star characters talking about something that will have no effect on the season to come. I was biting my nails waiting for the hit on Carmine to go down, but it never did. Although, not as good as this season's episode "Whoever Did This' which takes the spot as my # 10 favorite episode of The Sopranos ever made, "Whitecaps" will definitely bring home the awards and recognition for David Chase. Written by David Chase and Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess ; Directed by: John Patterson. My Rating: 10/10

9.4🌟 This is best epi after s3e11 for me. It is interesting and i found funny also. When Russian girl Irina called in Tony's house and told carmella that she 👉👌💦 her and her cousin too still now. Then by this she decide to separate with after this the conflict between Tony and carm was too funny and interesting and at last i feel for child that by theirs conversation and when Carm tell about her feeling about furio oh man that was damn seen. And another funny thing is Tony don't want to buy that house but owner deny to give money and Tony's brother him with loud music in boat Now i am more Curious to see will really T & carm divorced. But deep inside I don't think so.