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canyonwalkerSeason 3 episode 11 of The Sopranos, titled "Pine Barrens", is one of the most memorable episodes in the whole series. The idea came from a dream writer/director Tim Van Patten had during the previous season: Paulie and Christopher get lost in the woods after trying to kill somebody, then they can’t get out. Based on just that one sentence summary showrunner David Chase approved, and Van Patten worked with co-writer Terence Winter to develop the script and screenplay.
Curiously the plot of Paulie and Christopher getting lost in the snowy woods (where they're trying to dispose of a body) isn't relevant to the larger story lines of the series. Two minor plots in this episode— Tony's relationship with his latest goomar and him failing to see the pattern of why he keeps falling for certain kinds of women, and Meadow realizing that Jackie Aprile, Jr., is an unintelligent and unfaithful jerk— actually advance the series. Paulie and Christopher lost in the woods is a self-contained character study. But oh, what a marvelous self-contained story it is!
One thing that makes Paulie and Christopher's misadventure so powerful is the "fish out of water" element. In their stomping grounds of Northern New Jersey they're men in charge. They know what they're doing, they know their way around, and people give them a lot of respect. Out here in the wilds of Southern New Jersey they don't know where they are, they don't know what to do (they get lost and hypothermia sets in!), and the wilderness totally doesn't give a shit whether they live or die by their own wits.
You can see their displacement visually in their appearance. Paulie's hair, usually immaculately coifed, is all messed up. His silver wings sticking out straight sideways. Even a still from one of the scenes, as I've included above, conveys that crazy stuff is going on.
The challenges of the environment, and the feeling of no way out (they get lost in the woods), create a pressure cooker for a character story to develop. Paulie and Christopher are so out of their element, and their personalities and ways of handling things are counterproductive. Paulie tries to blame the situation on Chris even when Paulie precipitated it, and Chris threatens to kill Paulie— going so far as to pull a gun on him and then pull it back with a laugh. "We're just two assholes lost in the woods," he quips.
Curiously the plot of Paulie and Christopher getting lost in the snowy woods (where they're trying to dispose of a body) isn't relevant to the larger story lines of the series. Two minor plots in this episode— Tony's relationship with his latest goomar and him failing to see the pattern of why he keeps falling for certain kinds of women, and Meadow realizing that Jackie Aprile, Jr., is an unintelligent and unfaithful jerk— actually advance the series. Paulie and Christopher lost in the woods is a self-contained character study. But oh, what a marvelous self-contained story it is!
One thing that makes Paulie and Christopher's misadventure so powerful is the "fish out of water" element. In their stomping grounds of Northern New Jersey they're men in charge. They know what they're doing, they know their way around, and people give them a lot of respect. Out here in the wilds of Southern New Jersey they don't know where they are, they don't know what to do (they get lost and hypothermia sets in!), and the wilderness totally doesn't give a shit whether they live or die by their own wits.
You can see their displacement visually in their appearance. Paulie's hair, usually immaculately coifed, is all messed up. His silver wings sticking out straight sideways. Even a still from one of the scenes, as I've included above, conveys that crazy stuff is going on.
The challenges of the environment, and the feeling of no way out (they get lost in the woods), create a pressure cooker for a character story to develop. Paulie and Christopher are so out of their element, and their personalities and ways of handling things are counterproductive. Paulie tries to blame the situation on Chris even when Paulie precipitated it, and Chris threatens to kill Paulie— going so far as to pull a gun on him and then pull it back with a laugh. "We're just two assholes lost in the woods," he quips.
