[s2e5] Big Girls Don't Cry Review

The episode title, taken from the Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons song playing in the background, serves as a sarcastic commentary on the characters' inability to process emotion. Whether it’s Tony learning from Hesh that his father also suffered from "panic attacks" (then called a "condition") or Melfi deciding she is "ready" for the pain of treating a sociopath, the episode is a study in the high cost of emotional repression.

In The Sopranos , crying might be for "big girls," but for the men of North Jersey, it’s a luxury they can’t afford—and a burden they can’t escape. [S2E5] Big Girls Don't Cry

The vulnerability is too much. Ashamed of showing "weakness," Chris later brutally attacks his acting partner and throws his scripts away, choosing the safety of his violent persona over the risk of artistic truth. Melfi’s Return to the "Vicarious Thrill" The episode title, taken from the Frankie Valli