And then there was one. Last night was the penultimate episode of HBO drama The Sopranos and it was a masterclass in suspense. Since we were first introduced to Tony and his crew back in 1999, his New Jersey family of mobsters have suffered a fragile and tempestuous relationship with the New York based Lupertazzi clan. Under Johnny Sack things were relatively smooth running as the two bosses worked together to protect mutual interests, but since the aggressive and uncompromisng Phil Leotardo succeeded Sack, the bond has become weaker and weaker, leading to this final showdown between the two camps.

We all knew it could happen. The dangerous world Tony inhabits combined with the ineasy union with the New York family has made this ‘war’ feel like the most natural climax to what has been a thrilling show. And yet, inevitable though it might be, never at any moment during last night’s episode entitled ‘The Blue Comet’ did the action feel predictable, stale or dull. In contrast, as Tony rallied his troops and Phil spat out orders to ‘decapitate and do business with whatever’s left’, The Sopranos effortlessly cranked it up a gear, producing one of the best hours of TV I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying for quite some time.

The episode opened as it meant to go on, with Silvio, again showing why he is so indispensable to Tony, efficiently garotting the discovered traitor Burt Gervasi. This would not be the only bloody death as the two sides made plans to obliterate the other. Phil and his men seized the initiative, as they prepared to quickly kill Tony and his top two guys (here considered to be Silvio and Bobby) before the DiMeo family could retalliate.

Tony was warned of these preparations by an unusual source, Agent Harris, and subsequently ordered a hit on Phil and invited Italian hitmen, Italo, to come and join his cause. The assassins made their move on a man they believed to be Phil, but after killing him and a woman, it was discovered that they had killed the wrong man. To the annoyance of Tony, Phil had ‘gone to ground’ with no-one able to locate him to finish the job.

Tony’s crew might have failed in their first hit, but Phil’s enjoyed success as they targeted Bobby at a hobby shop. As Bobby lovingly played with a blue comet model train (hence the title), he was shot repeatedly in a shower of gunfire, falling into the display of model trains in a bloody heap. Next on the hit list was Silvio, who desperately exiting the Bing with Patsy, made it to his car before finding his way blocked by more of Phil’s men. As Sil reached for his gun in the backseat, he was shot at three times while Patsy managed to escape, running off. The traffic chaos continued when a motorcylist, affected by the incident, fell from his bike and was run-over. As the hitmen left the scene, Sil’s body lay slumped and lifeless in the car.

Like Bobby, Dr. Melfi made her last appearance in the show, though thankfully hers was a less violent exit. At a dinner party attended by other psychiatrists, including Elliot, Dr. Melfi was angry to find the study, which proved that talk therapy encourages sociopaths, the topic of conversation. Her irritation escalated when Elliot revealed to the group that she was treating notorious criminal Tony Soprano, an incident which had her reading the study herself.

Deeply affected by the literature, Dr. Melfi informed Tony at their next appointment that she no longer wished to counsel him. Tony was suitably confused by her bitter attitude towards him and apparent disinterest in his suffering, but Dr. Melfi maintained that he should seek help elsewhere and that their time together was at an end. As Tony left, berating her treatment of him as ‘immoral’ she slammed the door on him, unrepetent and confident in her decision to omit the mob boss from her work.

News of Bobby’s death and Sil’s injuries (Paulie confirmed that he was in a coma that doctors thought he had little chance of waking from) left Tony with few options left but to imitate Phil and go to ground. Alerting Carmela that she would have to take the kids and hide out somewhere, separate from himself, she was deeply shaken but thought to include the newly widowed Janice and Bobby’s children in her plans. Tony informed A.J. (now back home from the hospital) of Bobby’s death and the family’s imminent departure, but as the youngster continued to struggle with his depression, his tears and anguish further irritated his stressed out dad. Tony eventually roughly grabbed A.J, pulling him from the bed before ordering his sobbing son to pack.

And so with a shell-shocked Janice and Carmela making plans, Tony and his crew escaped to a safe house. Tony trudged to an upstairs bedroom, where he clung to the assault rifle that Bobby had given him on his birthday, enjoying fleeting memories of the celebrations. The room was dark, as Tony watched the door, fearing what was to come.

And so like him, we wait. Wait a week for the final showdown. Will Tony avoid Phil’s men, and will he be able to action a retaliation against his New York enemies? Never has a week seemed so long in television terms.