"Mayham," the third episode of "The Sopranos" Season 6, features an after-dinner conversation between the boss of the Lupertazzi crime family, Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), and Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli). Phil recalls the death of his brother, Billy (Chris Caldovino), at the hands of Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), referring to him as an "animal." He also tells Vito that he'll never forget what Blundetto did, only for both men to fall silent for a few moments before admitting that they ironically forgot what they were even talking about.
According to a now-deleted Reddit user, not only was the way this all played out hilarious, but it's arguably one of the most underrated moments in "Sopranos" history. Judging by the numerous comments beneath the original post, more than a few fans couldn't help but agree. "Great scene. One of the best," wrote kvnbkr98, and FPFP66 wonders if the showrunners intended for the scene to play out like this or if Vincent and Gannascoli legitimately lost their train of thought simultaneously. Los_Wieslos also noted that Phil was loaded with funny lines throughout the series.
At the same time, there's a strong sense of sadness in this scene too. Not long after this episode, Phil calls for Vito's murder after learning of his homosexuality, which makes looking back on their once chummy relationship all the more heartbreaking. Therefore, without any additional context, this is a pretty fun scene, but taking into account where Phil and Vito's story goes from there, its light-hearted nature dissipates in short order.
