In a thread discussing the first episode of Season 6, Redditor u/somerton describes it as a "dense, masterful gut-punch of an episode" that's "expertly crafted" and that starts in a "unique, mysterious, and darkly funny way."
"Members Only" picks "The Sopranos" saga up after a two-year time skip. Meadow's still dating Finn, Bobby and Janice are still together (and now have a baby girl), and Phil Leotardo is enjoying his role as acting boss for the New York crime family while Johnny Sack spends his days behind bars. Now, though, A.J. has enrolled in junior college, and Vito has become a top earner. Add in Uncle Junior's rapidly declining mental stability, and it's fair to say the show's final season starts off with quite a bang.
Here, Phil briefly strains New York-New Jersey relations when some of his men assault Hesh Rabkin and Eli Kaplan. Carmela annoys Tony by pushing him to get the suspension on her spec house lifted and by expressing deep concern over Adriana's continued disappearance. Finally, mobster Eugene Pontecorvo — FBI informant and recent recipient of a $2 million inheritance — attempts to get Tony's permission (as well as the FBI's) to retire and move his family to Florida. Featuring several deaths, as well as a grim reminder of the kind of commitment mob life demands, this episode marks one of the show's best because it paints a vivid portrait of how this violent, mafia-centered world is starting to collapse in on itself.
