Not that anyone has ever accused them of subtlety . . .

... but didn't The Sopranos overdo the product placement a little (and by "a little" I mean "way too goddamn much") last night?

And they made no attempt to mask the obviousness of what they were doing.

Oh, look -- a Nesquik ad on a toy train car.

What's that, Carmela? A Porsche? I'm not sure I heard you right. You'd better tell me again, later in the show.

And the shot of the TV where the center of attention wasn't the screen, but rather the brand name of the TV -- Phillips, I think. Could they BE any more ham-handed?

It wasn't a great episode to begin with, but being beaten over the head with product placement made it all the worse.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not anti-product-placement per se. It certainly beats being interrupted by actual commercials. It's when the product placement is tacky and obtrusive that it gets irritating.

I'd much rather have Carmela ask Tony if he'd like something to drink and then hand him a Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper than have her ask him "Would you like a cool, delicious and refreshing Diet Dr. Pepper?" and hand him one with a close-up on the can.

TV Barn has some thoughts on the [psychotic] episode here.