Pine Barrens (The Sopranos)

"Pine Barrens" is an episode of the HBO series The Sopranos; it is the 11th episode of the show's third season.

"Pine Barrens" revolves around three different storylines, with the main one focusing on Christopher Moltisanti and Paulie Gualtieri's escapades in the New Jersey Pine Barrens after failing to collect a debt payment from Valery, a Russian mobster. The other two main plots focus on infidelity, as Meadow Soprano comes to terms with what Jackie Aprile, Jr. really thinks of her while her father, Tony Soprano, attempts to keep his affair with Gloria Trillo at bay.

Originating from a dream that writer Tim Van Patten had during the production of season 2, "Pine Barrens" went through a difficult production, with the crew being denied a permit to film at their initial planned location of the South Mountain Reservation, as well as encountering additional problems throughout. Actor Steve Buscemi directed the episode, marking the first time he did so for an episode of the series.

First broadcast on May 6, 2001, on HBO, "Pine Barrens" received acclaim from critics and is frequently regarded by critics as one of the greatest episodes in the show's history, as well as one of the greatest episodes in the history of television. It was nominated for three awards at the 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards in November 2001: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Later, in March 2002, Patten, alongside co-writer Terence Winter, won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama at the 54th Writers Guild of America Awards.