Join the Club Join the Club "Join the Club" is the 67th episode overall and the second episode of of the HBO television drama series "The Sopranos". Written by series creator/executive producer David Chase and directed by David Nutter, it premiered on March 19, 2006 in the United States. The episode's narrative details the aftermath of the shooting of series protagonist Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) by his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese). Tony, now in a comatose state and hospitalized, has a dream-like experience in which he envisions himself as a travelling salesman not involved with the Mafia. Meanwhile, Tony's family and
The Sopranos popular culture of the last quarter century." In 2007, Roger Holland of PopMatters wrote, "the debut season of "The Sopranos" remains the crowning achievement of American television." "Time Out New York" 's Andrew Johnston had high praise for the series, stating: "Together, Chase and his fellow writers (including Terence Winter and "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner) produced the legendary Great American Novel, and its 86 episodes long." Johnston asserted the preeminence of "The Sopranos" as opposed to "The Wire" and "Deadwood" in a debate with television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz, both of whom would later include "The