Cold Cuts (The Sopranos)

"Cold Cuts" is the 52nd episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos, the 10th episode of the show's fifth season. It was written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Steve Buscemi, and originally aired on May 9, 2004.

The episode revolves around the consequences of Tony Soprano placing Christopher Moltisanti and Adriana La Cerva under increased pressure, alongside the lingering tension and mistrust between Tony and his cousin, Tony Blundetto ("Tony B").

The plot sees Christopher struggling with sobriety and feeling suffocated by Adriana. Tony B, attempting to go straight, takes a job at a horse farm in upstate New York. He bonds with the farm owner, Lynn, but also begins to feel increasingly frustrated by the mundane nature of his new life and the perceived lack of appreciation from Tony Soprano.

The episode title, "Cold Cuts," refers literally to the food items stocked at the farm where Tony Blundetto works. Figuratively, it can be interpreted to represent the way Tony Soprano and others in the mafia "cut" themselves off from their humanity, or how relationships can become "cold" and strained due to distrust and unspoken tensions. The cold cuts might also symbolize the leftovers of past sins and betrayals that continue to haunt the characters. The episode highlights themes of regret, the difficulty of escaping a life of crime, and the destructive nature of paranoia and mistrust within organized crime families.