This past weekend marked 22 years since iconic 'Sopranos' episode

It's hard for many to believe that "The Sopranos" first aired 23 years ago. The mafia family America and especially New Jersey fell in love with was a break from real life; If only for an hour.

The iconic Pine Barrens episode of the show aired 22 years ago this past weekend, and is for many one they'll never forget.

The Sopranos cast (Photo: Getty Images)

🚨 (If you're currently watching "The Sopranos" and haven't seen this episode yet, warning, spoilers below.)

To jog your memory, the episode mainly focuses on the adventure of Christopher and Paulie who, after a botched collection, find themselves forced to whack a Russian named Valery. They take his body all the way down to the pine barrens of New Jersey to bury him

Or so they thought.

As it turns out, Valery was alive in the trunk of the car the entire time and escapes. In a phone call with Tony, Paulie learns that Valery is a trained commando and has serious combat skills. Or as he says to Christopher, he's an "interior decorator."

You can watch the entire sequence of Valery escaping and the hilarity that ensues below.

It's fitting for this to be one of the more comedic episodes of the show, because it was directed by Steve Buscemi, the man who in season five would star in the role of Tony Blundetto. It was the first of four episodes directed by him.

This is one of my favorite episodes, and a great one to go back and rewatch. However, it does have one annoying plot hole to me.

We never find out what happened to Valery! Throughout the rest of the show it isn't mentioned. So we're forced to assume he either escaped or was left to die in the snowy woods.

I'm a second-generation "Sopranos" watcher as I streamed it. I was too young to watch it live on weeknights. But with the invention of streaming platforms and the fact it's still revered as the pinnacle of television, I think it's safe to say the show will live on forever.

Happy 22nd anniversary, Pine Barrens!