Disaster in slow motion for Soprano family

By LINDA HERRICK

Like the cancer ravaging Uncle Junior, there is a shadow creeping through Tony Soprano's family: the FBI.

But Tony doesn't know it yet. In last week's return of The Sopranos (TV2, tonight, 9.35) the families - domestic and professional - were still in post-September 11 jitters; thankfully, the writers were far too subtle to refer directly to the attacks apart from a hilarious Bobby reference to the "predictions of Quasimodo".

And so Carmela, worried about the future, wanted Tony to do some estate planning. Tony was doing estate planning, of sorts: planning where to hide cash all over the estate.

Tony's freaked by the business' "zero growth" cash flow, and the Feds have taken advantage of Uncle Junior's weakness. The alluring nurse at his doctor's surgery, which has doubled as a family meeting place on occasion, turned out to be an agent and will give evidence at his trial. As if Junior hasn't enough to worry about - his health, the trial - he's also facing $1 million in lawyers' fees, a sum that Tony tells Dr Melfi would make him, personally, gargle Drano.

But the FBI's real focus is on Tony, and what better way to get to him than through family? Tony is trying to mould nephew Christopher as his protege, to protect himself in the future. But Chrissy's girlfriend, Adriana, is close to "Danielle", who is actually FBI Agent Deborah; Deb sure does a convincing line in Mob-slut cleavage, false nails and big hair.

This is where it gets really interesting. Ade has taken Danielle to the Soprano household during a Sunday lunch, her beady eyes darting around the "beautiful home" the FBI has never before been able to touch successfully.

Very bad move, Adriana. And Christopher, who has been promoted to capo while a seething Uncle Paulie does jail, is not quite used to management and stresses out when Tony criticises his work. "Can't he see I'm on a learning curve?" he whines before injecting heroin into a toe. (Watch for the "spores" quip when Christopher picks up a packet of money at the building site.)

It gets worse. Ralphie is having it off with Tony's sister and makes a joke which will have long-term, violent repercussions. Meadow doesn't want to get out of bed. And stoned Christopher's roving hand means the end of a friendship, and the beginning of a new relationship in which Adriana will severely regret that Sunday lunch at the Sopranos.

The Sopranos series four is like watching a train crash in slow motion, 100km before it happens. Enthralling, horrible, hypnotic.