Tony Soprano, the eponymous fictional antihero of HBO’s iconic series about organised crime syndicates in northern New Jersey, tends to evoke images of cigars, strip clubs and guys getting their teeth bashed in or even ‘whacked’, because they disrespected the wife or daughter of a ‘made guy’ or handed in an envelope deemed ‘light’ (on cash). But most episodes offer something deeper than a violent Italian-American soap opera. 

One episode in particular that really resonates today is Season 4, Episode 3, ‘Christopher’. That episode barely portrays the character Christopher Moltisanti although the actor who plays him, Michael Imperioli, co-wrote the story and authored the teleplay. Rather, the storyline revolves around an American Indian protest of the Columbus Day parade in Newark, New Jersey. Critics panned it as one of the worst episodes of the series, but likely because it was ahead of its time (late September 2002) politically and culturally.

The episode opens with Tony’s crew discussing the impending protests outside of Satriale’s Pork Store, one of their main hangouts. Many of these wise guys are upset because they identify as Italian and consider Christopher Columbus an Italian hero. The only character in the conversation actually born in Italy, Furio Giunta, complicates matters by pointing out that Columbus was from northern Italy, the people of which disdain southern Italians and Sicilianos like him.

Tony’s consigliere (number two), Silvio Dante, and some of the crew mix it up with some Indian protestors and get routed when the police do not intervene on their side as expected. Tony chastises Sil for disturbing their ‘business’ and losing face but agrees, at Sil’s request, to show some leadership in the matter, to broker a deal behind the scenes.