Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Tony Soprano is a New Jersey mob captain whose panic attacks take him to psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Their sessions run beside a power struggle at home and in his crew: after Jackie Aprile dies, Tony backs his uncle Junior as the public boss while keeping control. Junior's men kill Brendan Filone and stage Christopher Moltisanti's execution after the younger men interfere with protected truck routes. Tony's mother Livia helps Junior turn suspicion toward her son, and Tony's decision to place her in a nursing home deepens their grievance.
The pressure crosses into the Soprano household. Meadow learns that her father is in the Mafia, while A.J. senses that Tony's reputation changes how classmates treat him. On a college tour, Tony recognizes former associate Fabian Petrulio, now cooperating with the FBI, and kills him. Christopher wants his criminal life to become a screenplay, but his hunger for recognition pulls him back into violence and mob duties. Meanwhile, an investigation closes in: Tony's friend Big Pussy disappears, and a detective's warning makes Tony wonder whether Pussy has become an informant.
The season's family feud turns into an attempted murder. Livia passes Tony's therapy information to Junior's side, and Junior sends gunmen after him; Tony survives their attack and realizes how much his mother has helped set it in motion. He retaliates by having Junior's soldiers Mikey Palmice and Chucky Signore killed, while FBI evidence leads to Junior's arrest. Livia tells Tony's friend Artie Bucco that Tony arranged the fire that saved Artie's restaurant from a planned murder, but Tony persuades Artie to stand down. After a storm cuts the power, the Sopranos gather at the rebuilt restaurant, where Tony asks his family to hold on to the good moments.