A couple things that I remember from this episode:

My only problem with Frankie Valli being in the show is that they'd already referred to him by name in "Christopher."

Yeah, I remember her being in the S5 finale, when AJ begins throwing parties.

It's only in the context of a TV series that Finn comes off as "boring" or a "loser." In real life, he's the kind of guy you'd be perfectly happy having your daughter date. His biggest crime is that he sounds like most 20-somethings these days, over-educated and self-important.

Absolutely, and I think that spiral happens because Tony has been made aware of it in a way he was happy never to think about prior to joining therapy in the first place.

Tim Daly did such a good job with JT that I eventually forgave it, but when it aired I remember thinking this was the first time I really felt The Sopranos had started running in circles.  JT's arc here is pretty much the same as Davey Scatino's in S2, only compressed to one episode.

*SPOILERS*

The key moment of this episode is in Melfi's office when she's very close to breaking through with Tony. She's just told him bluntly that after all this time, he can't keep blaming Livia for all his problems ("What should we do, have an auto-de-fe? Burn the old lady at the stake?") She then nudges him to the idea that…