This episode is less a TV series than it is a heavyweight contest between two powerful actors, both renowned for playing villainous brutes: James Gandolfini and Joe Pantoliano. The friction between their on-screen personas reaches its highest points here, setting the tone for the remaining five episodes of the season as well as most of the fourth series.
Continuing where University left off, Tony and Ralphie keep avoiding each other since the latter beat a Bada Bing stripper to death and the former reacted with violent retaliation in front of a dozen people. They both have good reasons for being mad at each other - Ralph is a made guy, so he couldn't get hit just like that, but then again he totally crossed the line with Tracee - however circumstances dictate that a peaceful solution be found: firstly, their struggle might damage business with New York, which is why Johnny Sack urges Ralphie to apologize; secondly, one of Tony's captains suffers a fatal heart attack (sitting on the toilet, in case you were wondering), and there is only one person who seems to deserve a promotion. Clue: it ain't Paulie or Sil...
In addition, He Is Risen opens up a new, risky path by having Meadow Soprano embark on a relationship with Jackie Aprile Jr. (Jason Cerbone). That kind of thing can't and won't end well, and the teleplay uses that blossoming romance well to contrast with the increasing hatred between the two lovers' "fathers" (Ralph is sleeping with Jackie's mom), but since there are still five shows to go all the cute stuff is kept to a minimum, the real core of the story being the metaphorical showdown between the boss and his hot-tempered captain. In the end it boils down to a duel between Gandolfini and Pantoliano, an old-school confrontation, involving two great thespians, to see who's the biggest bad-ass. Result: almost a tie, but eventually there's no doubt - good old Tony prevails, no matter what.
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