The Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, promises fans of the hit HBO series an unprecedented look into the psychology of their favorite characters. In a series that focused so centrally on the inner workings of the mind of its cast, there were only ever glimpses and hints at what their lives in the past were like.

With over six seasons of content, there might not be enough time to binge the whole show for many viewers. Flashbacks and mentions of the past were so scant that many fans may not have a mental timeline stitched together to understand the setting Many Saints will take place within. Thankfully, the best solution is to focus on the six most important episodes of The Sopranos.

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Soprano Home Movies

As one of the best episodes from the series overall, Season 6's "Soprano Home Movies" is worth a rewatch regardless of its relevance to the upcoming film. With the episode primarily focusing on a trip to a lake house with Tony Soprano, his wife Carmela, his sister Janice and her husband Bobby Bacala, it offers insight into the dynamics of the disturbed family.

The HBO series loved to tease what the past of its setting was like while rarely showing it. Well, this episode ends with Tony watching a home video of him and Janice playing happily as kids, and they spend the entire episode psychologically tormenting each other. The brother/sister relationship leaves a lot to explore, and The Many Saints of Newark will certainly touch on it.

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Remember When

"Soprano Home Movies" also broaches the subject of Tony's first murder, and two episodes later, in "Remember When," more details about the homicide are revealed. At the age of 22, Tony murdered a bookie named Willie Overall alongside Paulie, who, at the time, mentored the young Soprano. Paulie would go on to be one of Tony's capos, and the two fled to Miami to lay low in the setting of the show's present when Overall's body was finally uncovered.

It's unclear if Willie's death will occur in The Many Saints of Newark, or if it'll play into the events of the film at all. But perhaps most intriguingly is the mystery of if Tony will kill someone before turning 22 in the film, which would mean Overall being his first murder was just one of Tony's many lies.

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Kennedy and Heidi

A central relationship in the show is between Tony and Christopher Moltisanti, the young drug addict whose frequent relapses cause tension throughout the series that eventually comes to a head in "Kennedy and Heidi." With Many Saints reversing the roles of mentor/mentee with Tony learning from Chris's father, there will doubtless be resonance here.

Another noteworthy thing the episode includes is a subplot involving Tony's son AJ saying, "Why can't we all just get along?" while witnessing his friends pummel a black cyclist. His words echo Rodney King's same words prior to the L.A. race riots, and the 1967 Newark race riots are set to be a major focal point of The Many Saints of Newark.

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For All Debts Public and Private

Even more substantial for understanding the history of the Moltisanti's is "For All Debts Public and Private," in which Tony reveals to Chris the location of his father's killer. Chris previously believed the man dead, but he turns out to be a cop who is retiring that same day. Since he will no longer be useful in retirement, Tony welcomes Chris to kill him in vengeance. However, the entire story could be a lie.

It was advantageous for Tony to endear himself to Chris at that point in Season 4, so many fans have wondered if the man Chris kills was actually innocent. Now, The Many Saints of Newark will almost certainly settle the mystery of Dickie Moltisanti's death.

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Down Neck

Young Livia Soprano holds a fork menacingly on The Sopranos

Perhaps the biggest insights into Tony's past comes during "Down Neck." The frequent flashbacks to Tony's childhood show the first signs he had that his father was a gangster and reveal many crucial moments in his psychological development. In a lot of ways, Tony could always be his own worst enemy, and this episode gets at why. With glimpses at his mother threatening to kill him multiple times, his father beating up those who owed him debts and his sister Janice flipping him the finger while driving off to the amusement park, "Down Neck" is perhaps the best tease that The Many Saints of Newark will be rife with intrigue.

The Sopranos

Of course, there's really no better place to start than the beginning. The first episode of The Sopranos establishes many of the characters, themes and plotlines that would carry on through the rest of the show. In leading up to The Many Saints of Newark, watching it will help remind viewers of what the starting point of the show was like.

To see how these episodes are relevant to The Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark arrives in theaters and on HBO Max Oct. 1.

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