The much-anticipated sixth and final season of the Sopranos is set for release on March 12. Many have been feverishly watching HBO On-Demand, which is playing all five previous seasons in succession, but others who refuse to wait need only to watch the underground crime scene in Madison, which is staging its own version of mob drama right before our eyes.
If you were away, here is a brief run down of the of the latest season of a Madison-area crime family, which began to garner attention just over 16 years ago, when a new boss changed the attitude and reputation of the family forever.
Episode one: 'The Last Hurrah'
The Madison family boss welcomes in the new year with a final, lucrative score in Orlando. After 16 years as the head of the notorious mob family, the man many feared for years decided months ago this would be his last public appearance with the family after being roughed up on RICO-charges from the FBI.
The episode concludes with the departing boss singing the praises of star Back-Field captain, who garners top honors from the family for his work in Florida, but who is also rumored to be in talks with other families who covet his earning potential.
Episode two: 'Greener on the Other Side'
Chasing a life-long dream, the backfield captain bolts from the family organization to a more lucrative family headed by a high-ranking sports agent. In fear of getting whacked during his third full year with the Madison family, rumors on the street begin to swirl that the captain is currently living in Atlanta, hiding from the new family boss, an intimidating man with ties to a ruthless and rival mob in Iowa, by evidence of a tattoo on his ankle. The new boss makes attempts to contact the departed captain on several occasions, but the two have not spoken in weeks.
Episode three: 'Cleaning House'
In an attempt to show his strength and dominance over the family, the new boss has four key captains (holdovers from the original family contingent) whacked as he reconsiders who he can now trust with his life. Pauly Walnuts, a co-captain who directed the family's offensive attack out of Madison this past year is kept on, along with a high-level recruiter who looked after the families' receiving corps. The new boss makes it clear who the new authority figure is.
Episode four: 'Emotions Collide'
After a conflict over money, one of the more versatile members of the family'continuing to ride the reputation of his brother, a made man who recently cashed in big during Super Bowl XL'pistol whips a former teammate he suspects took money from him.
The new boss' connections with the Madison police are displayed, as the alleged weapon is transformed from a pistol to a cell phone in the police report. Still, the boss is forced to comply with the organizations rules and suspend the family member (for the second time in two seasons) from the family.
Episode five: 'Living Single'
The new boss is spotted celebrating his 36th birthday with a beautiful, blonde Madison veterinarian student. After a sit down with the former family leader, (who the FBI still believes is head of the family and is now confined to a small home on the outskirts of Madison) the new boss decides to cut ties with the young beauty because of her status as a UW student, for the good of the family.
Episode six: 'Rolling Stoned'
In an attempt to make a name for themselves and being 'made' into starters, a pair of defensive specialists are asked to 'handle some business' for the new boss.
On their way to the job, the two are pulled over during a high-speed chase that escalates to more than 100 miles per hour. Jefferson County police arrest the two on marijuana possession. The new boss is furious with the two youngsters and makes clear the new, stricter principles the family now operates on. The two are suspended immediately and await any further word on their status within the family.
Also, a former made man, who has been kept quiet for the past two years because to health concerns, addresses the new boss about earning again with the Back-Field business.
Episode seven: 'The Usual Suspect'
Holding true to form, a troubled reserve in the successful Back-Field business finds himself in the media limelight again, charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault, four counts of battery, three counts of bail jumping and one count of reckless endangerment.
With few other options, the new boss has the reserve whacked, a decision that surprises some because the man was expected to take over the vacant captain position and top money earner in the Back-Field. With manpower thin at this valuable position, things look bleak heading into the spring.
Episode eight: 'Fresh Meat'
The new boss introduces 23 new members to the family. The F.B.I., tipped off by a departing signal caller who plummeted down the depth charts after declaring he would be 'made' by the start of the Big Ten season just a few years ago (who also has been wearing a wire the entire year), rates the new class as the seventh best in the Big Ten.
However, the new boss' stresses a pair who shares the same first name, have garnered street credit in the Milwaukee and Ohio areas respectively and could be big earners for the family come 2007.
Episode nine: 'Heir Apparent Falls Off the Hill'
In a twist by the producers, the new bosses' young gun and star pupil, who is now viewed as the heir apparent to the prestigious Back-Field business, is arrested for brandishing a baseball bat outside a local dormitory.
The new boss is outraged, and the episode concludes with a late-night meeting between the two outside Casa Bianca's to determine the youth's fate.
Episode ten: 'Dog Eat Dog World'
Head of the top pit bull ring within the family, a former line-backing enforcer with the family has a run in with the law as his pit bull mauls a smaller dog outside his home. When the victim's owner hears of his connection within the notorious Madison-based family, she flees for protection in Illinois, where the FBI places her in witness-protection service.
In one of the better-written lines of the season, the victim screams out to authorities, 'It was the most horrible thing I had ever witnessed in my life.'
Stay tuned to local media outlets and press releases from for upcoming episodes.
