I have been wanting to watch that show so bad, like every actor I see in television is credited on The Shield it is crazy.

I tried to watch it but after The Wire it's pointless trying to get into police procedural shows

Ranking and comparing episodes immediately after viewing them is relatively new to me so I really gauge how much I liked something after digesting it for a while and this episode definitely hits harder after rewatching it during editing. It is utterly fascinating watching a show that essentially paved the way for the modern landscape of television, and that importance sometimes does not immediately come to me, just seeing how simple ideas and scenes that I take for granted today really changed the landscape back then. And then on a more personal opinionated note season 1s of shows rarely, if ever, REALLY impress me (as in being one of the greatest seasons in tv history or having one of the greatest episodes of all time). Middle seasons of shows tend to be my favorite because we have time to get to know everyone and then also look forward to a plethora of different storylines and directions those characters can go. Season 1s tend to be more set up for me (amazing, entertaining, and important set up but set up nonetheless). Comparing to my favorite live-action show of all time I can see this episode being akin to "Walkabout" from Lost, just with the immediate impact only a couple episodes into the show. My favorite professor in college David Bianculli has written many pieces on The Sopranos and specifically loved talking about how Tony paved the way for the modern tv protagonist during classes so I am genuinely so excited to see every single minute of this masterpiece.