Poetic Television Review: Whoever Did This (The Sopranos, S4X09, 2002)

In Jersey's darkened streets, a tale unfolds,
Of Ralph Cifaretto, a soul grown cold.
A capo's charm, with malice in his eyes,
He danced with death, and morals compromised.

His transgressions many, his fate sealed tight,
A study in contrasts, of darkness and light.
The writers' hands, a masterful guide,
Detonated shocks, that left the audience to divide.

The episode's tone, a whirlwind to behold,
From dark sitcom to Greek tragedy, to horror untold.
The stable fire raged, like Ralph's own demise,
A symbol of chaos, in a world that denies.

Tony Soprano's duality on full display,
A paternal heart, and animalistic sway.
The murder messy, the corpse disposal grim,
A darkly comic sequence, that layered the episode within.

Joe Pantoliano's performance shone so bright,
An Emmy-winning portrayal of Ralph's grotesque plight.
James Gandolfini and Michael Imperioli anchored the night,
Their chemistry volatile yet symbiotic in delight.

The questions lingered like ash in the mouth so fine,
Did Ralph torch the stable? The truth left undefined.
David Chase's hint clashed with ambiguity so bold it stood tall
a refusal to moralize or mollify at all

Rarely does catharsis come in this world so grey
Yet when Tony glimpsed Tracee’s photo he felt it that day
Ralph died as she did beaten throttled discarded away
poetic justice fleeting satisfaction lingers ash-like each new day

Whoever Did This stands as testament to television’s might
merging humor tragedy noir deconstructing mythic gangster light
Pantoliano’s Ralph exits not with bang but whimper low
a fitting end for life meaningless death no different though.

(Note: The review in its original form can be read here.)

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