5. FUNHOUSE (Season 2)

What's a few stolen airline tickets between son and mother? Enough to land son in FBI custody, cuffed to an endlessly destructive relationship. But this season finale truly transcends when a different ''family'' tie is severed as Tony realizes that his homeboy-turned-snitch Big Pussy must be whacked. Watching a tequila-soaked Pussy try to negotiate the terms of his deep-sea shooting triggers waves of queasy heartbreak. —Dan Snierson