Dr Melfi digs deeper to find the causes of Tony's panic attacks.
This is a very strong character-driven episode.
A big theme in several Sopranos episodes is parent-child relationships and the influence of parents. This has a great focus on characters like Tony, Christopher, AJ and Jackie Junior and all the scenes where they are nurtured and influenced by parental figures are exceptionally well done.
Tony's scenes in particular are excellent as we not only see his methods of control and nurture, but we see crucial moments from his childhood and how they link to the person he is and Dr Melfi's theories about the panic attacks. James Gandolfini makes the character seem real as always. One part where he taps his knife against a dish to get somebody's attention is a wonderful example of something a parent would do to a disinterested or uncooperative child.
Christopher's scenes are more humorous and ironic (particularly if you have seen the whole series before) as we see a big change in his life that does not turn out the way he expected. For a character written to be inspired by what he sees in the movies, the episode delivers the harsh reality of being part of a mob family in a very entertaining way. Michael Imperioli is great as ever and Tony Serico is also superb.
AJ who like John Foggerty once said is a character "born silver spoon in hand" has a significant episode that involves some key moments of development. Jackie's scenes contain some foreboding for how his life may turn out and the scenes involving Ruckus are ironically funny.
I also quite liked the football theme that runs through the episode giving connection and continuity to various scenes.
Visually it is excellent as always, particularly the movie homages to scenes from Goodfellas. Plus the shots of Alla Kliouka moving about the house really look like her character has lost a leg.