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I like the second thing that came up for me when I searched for 'Silvio Dante' was 'Silvio Dante hair.'
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Apr 4, 2019 01:17
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| # ? May 24, 2024 00:31 |
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It’s a wig to cover a scar he has from a bad accident, also why he wears a bandana onstage
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Apr 4, 2019 12:52
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I love that all the Visiting Day songs contain variations of the word defiled as an ode to the band Defiler which they effectively still are
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Apr 4, 2019 13:04
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Solice Kirsk posted:That was in the last season when Tony starts to tear down their friendship because he doesn't want to pay Hesh back. I can't remember, but I think the only reason he does eventually pay him back is because Hesh's wife dies and Tony just gives him the money and says "sorry" and walks out unphased. This episode was great because it really highlighted that Tony had no friendships left. All of his former friends/colleagues by that point were either dead, in prison, or now subordinates and in the case of the latter, little more than cash cows. By the end of the series his life was in total shambles, most of it by his own hand.
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Apr 4, 2019 15:10
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Season 1, Episode 11 - Nobody Knows AnythingVin Makazian posted:How about you, Tony? Do you ever feel like hiding under a bed? Paulie relaxes at a brothel, getting a shoulder massage from the Madam - Debbie - as he waits for his call-girl to come get him. He's in heaven, the place is classy, quiet and extremely accommodating. Suddenly that peace is broken by a bellow of pain however, and he rushes upstairs and joins Tony - wearing only boxers - to find Pussy lying on his back on the bed in agony. Pussy's prostitute thought he was having a heart attack and they summon a doctor (dressed like a housemaid), but Pussy grits through the pain that it's just his back. Tony and Paulie help him up and down the stairs, watched by Debbie who then returns to her own room, passing with a gentle brush crooked cop Vin Makazian who was in her room. Four days later (we know because a very clumsy inter-title tells us so), Pussy sits in at a card game at a pool hall owned by Jimmy Altieri. His back is still bothering him, but he's quickly up and standing tall when a hammering on the door and no answer to Jimmy's inquiry suggests something is up. The FBI burst in cover the exits, ignoring Jimmy's protests that they're just having a friendly game of cards as they search the place. An Agent notices one of the balls on the pool table is rolling by itself and checks the surface, joined by one of the Agents who was guarding the back exit. They pull out a hefty pile of guns, and a clearly nervous Pussy loses his cool, lurching to the door and racing out the back. Jimmy is restrained before he can make a similar move, and they find a gun on him. Outside, Pussy struggles with even a slight pace as he rushes up the straight, only to find an Agent with cuffs already waiting for him with a poo poo-eating grin on his face. On the balcony level of the Bada-Bing, Junior looks down at the dancers (far less elegant than the girls at the brothel) appreciatively. He, Tony and Raymond are there along with Paulie and Christopher (not a Made guy, it's surprising the latter is there) lamenting that Jimmy is still in jail. No explanation is given for Larry Boy's absence. They're not happy with Jimmy not being out yet, but appear more bemused about Pussy, they can't believe he'd be dumb enough to run. They laugh, and the jokes don't stop even when Pussy himself shows up. He says his wife bailed him out and he's not too happy about having to deal with her on top of his own pain from having thrown his back out again. Junior isn't happy, everybody else can joke but as the Boss this is a guy in HIS family who just embarrassed them all by running. Pussy laments that the Agents stole "four dimes" from him, irritating Junior further since he shouldn't have been carrying that kind of cash on him. Pussy farts as he gets up to grab a drink, increasing everybody else's hilarity, and for Tony at least there isn't even an inkling of concern, it's just Pussy being Pussy.   That doesn't last. A planned fishing trip with AJ is derailed when he is "summoned" to a meeting with Makazian. He demands to know what he wants, and when Makazian complains about how Tony treats him he doesn't modify his tone at all, laying it out as clear as possible: he doesn't give a gently caress about Makazian outside of his value to him as a source of information and an inside man. Vin, trying to muster up some sense of dignity, tries to walk away but turns around to complain about how he does risky poo poo for Tony only to be treated like this? Again, Tony has no time for his feelings, reminding him he's getting something out of this too, and sarcastically asks him how he is doing before again demanding to know what info he has. Vin almost seems to savor giving this tidbit out, as he reveals that Pussy is wearing a wire, information he got from somebody on the Task Force investigating the Lupertazzi and DiMeo Crime Families. Tony doesn't believe it, he is in fact furious, demanding to see the 302 Report that proves Pussy has turned informant. For a second you can see the impact truly get to Tony, and he's completely lost for words until recovering to spit out that it doesn't make any sense for a guy like Pussy to be informant. Vin has that covered though, Pussy sold heroin to pay for his kid's college, he got busted and did a deal at a Federal Building in Vegas, using the city as a cover to pretend he was on a gambling vacation. Then just recently he was busted in a known mobster's building alongside other known mobsters, ran away from the cops and STILL got a reasonable bail? The shoe is completely on the other foot now, Tony is a mess and Makazian is the guy laying out the way things are: Pussy is facing life in prison, and the Feds are dangling his family over him to get him to do what they want. On yet another day (no clumsy inter-title for these last two scene transitions) the Sopranos have an "open house", an excuse to have friends and family just come over and have a good time eating and drinking. Livia was invited but has, of course, declined to come, and Carmela only frustrates herself on the phone trying to convince her to at least let them pick her up and drive her over if that is her concern. After she hangs up, Tony reminds her that she pulls this stunt every single year, and uses some of that therapy knowledge to explain it's called "negatve attention-getting". Carmela can't let it go though, perhaps if she called her back? Tony warns this is what Livia wants, and with a loving kiss warmly tells his wife she is too nice. AJ wouldn't know it, as she acerbically points out their piano is getting taken away tomorrow because he doesn't play it, and she asks Tony to move it. He wants Pussy to help in spite of his bad back, pointing out it is on wheels, but after shuffling over Pussy insists he can't, he's going to go home and sit in the tub - the pills he is on have him completely out of whack. Tony lets it slide, still not believing Makazian's accusation, but when Paulie and Christopher help him move the piano he gets more bad news. Christopher has seen him knocking back percocets like they were M&Ms, and word is he hasn't made any of his collections in over a week. Paulie even offered to do his rounds for him so he doesn't get seen as an easy mark. Without realizing the implications until too late, Paulie points out there is nothing wrong with Pussy anyway, he sent him to a chiropractor ("the Jonas Salk of backs!") who gave him a series of scans and came to the conclusion there was nothing wrong with them. Seeing the look on Tony's face, Paulie is quick to acknowledge that even for the experts, when it comes to backs "nobody knows anything." In therapy, Tony bitches about how things were finally going well and now it's all blown up in his face. He talks about a sense of pending doom, and tries to get Melfi to explain to him Pussy's physical pain could be all in his head. She wants to keep things to discussion of Tony himself, reminding him that past instances of branching out into talking about his family and friends have been highly disruptive to their sessions. He's desperate though, and she admits that the stress of increased responsibility could be a cause. He grabs at that idea gratefully, that's something he can understand, but then she mentions that keeping secrets could also apply a similar pressure. The pure dread on Tony's face is a sight to behold, as he again considers the very real possibility that one of his dearest friends is a rat. Tony and Makazian meet again, at the same brothel where Debbie also apparently knows about Vin's accusation. She brings them both drinks, says she can't believe it could be true, and leaves. Makazian explains that he tried to get his hands on the report, but is a joint taskforce of the DEA and FBI, for all he knows there is an envelope with HIS name on it. Tony wants that proof though, he can't make a decision about Pussy without being absolutely sure. He dismisses Makazian's personal credibility and - perhaps with a little Dutch Courage inside of him - Makazian gets up and goes on a little rant about how Tony treats him. Tony could care less about his hurt feelings, and is bewildered when Vin starts telling him a story about how he would hide under the bed when his parents argued (first verbally, then physically). Tony's own therapy doesn't mean he's open to the idea of somebody else opening up about their feelings, in fact he finds the whole thing tiresome and narcissistic. Makazian explains he found a comfort and peace under the bed, and when he work the next morning everything would be back to normal. His meaning is clear when he asks Tony if he feels like hiding: things might look normal on the surface but there'll still be something wrong under the surface that would inevitably come back up if he doesn't confront it. Tony cracks a joke about the only thing he wants to hide from being this conversation, and Vin can't help but laugh back. The tension broken, Tony does actually offer some interest in Vin's own life, noting how much he likes this brothel. Makazian explains Debbie has taken care of him there for years, waxing lyrical about the number of times he showed up shitfaced and passed out with pockets stuffed with gambling winnings that remained untouched. Tony assumes he's just been coming in to flash his badge and get free pussy, but Makazian turns his nose up at the idea, saying that the prostitutes have no class (unlike Debbie) and are always on the hustle. Tony, who isn't always the most clear-seeing when it comes to pretty young women and their feelings on overweight middle-aged guys, actually makes a pretty good point: that's what they're supposed to do.   Carmela, obviously still smarting over Livia refusing to come to the open house, visits her in Green Grove. It's another wonderful example of the two mothers using guilt tactics on each other, an exchange that Livia probably felt she won last time with her,"Has he cheated on you AGAIN?" line. Carmela sarcastically notes the lack of greeting or surprise, makes a point of bringing up the open house without explicitly pointing out her absence, and even brought some leftover riccota. Livia in turn complains that riccota has cholesterol, but then grimaces in disgust to learn that Carmela used low-fat cheese in the recipe. There is literally no pleasing the woman. Carmela tells her to give it to friends when they visit, so of course Livia complains she has no friends. Carmela, in a case of textbook manipulation, accuses Livia of textbook manipulation. It was Tony who told her about negative attention-getting and warned her that Livia just wanted attention, so now Carmela explains that while it doesn't bother her, Livia's refusal to come to the open house really upset Tony and she knows exactly what she is doing. As a mother herself, Carmela knows that Livia is aware of her power over Tony, while Livia sneers that she has no power, she's a shut-in! Having come by to argue, Carmela sighs and says she didn't come by to argue, hoping to get the last word and upper hand by walking out the victor of their exchange. But she makes the mistake of having mentioned Junior twice as well as the fact Livia is wearing make-up, and Livia leaps on that to burst into tears that Carmela is accusing her of having a romantic interest in her own dead husband's brother. Carmela, foolishly, attempts to explain what she meant, and Livia just doubles down, wailing that she's been abandoned and treated like an old shoe and now has to face these horrific allegations. She laments that nobody would dare have treated her like this when her sainted Johnny was alive, and Carmela can't help but point out that Livia never had much nice to say about Johnny Boy when he was alive. Finally all Carmela can do is leave, knowing she walked right into the trap Tony warned her about - there's no joint victory this time, Livia came out on top and clearly.   With false cheer Tony pops around to Pussy's house, greeting his son Kevin who is home from College. He has brought around some cannoli from Spinelli's, and despite Pussy being in a bathrobe laid up on an easy chair, he is clearly very pleased to see the food. Tony enjoys the interplay with Pussy, the two joking back and forth about Kevin and Angie (his wife, who isn't home), but Tony has an agenda and it must come out. For Tony, the conversation is about trying to figure out the extent that Pussy might be compromised, while for Pussy it would appear to be fear that his current physical state is putting him behind in his collections, and how the loss of earnings and respect could have implications for Kevin as Pussy - not anywhere near as well-off as Tony - struggles to keep up with his tuition. Worst of all, he fears he is becoming addicted to his painkillers. Tony, as gently as possible, reminds him that he has friends and always will have, people willing to die for him, and he must never let anybody convince him he doesn't have options. Pussy, clearly a bit confused by this line of though, agrees, but is all the more confused when Tony asks him if he has anything he wants to tell him. Sensing his confusion, Tony turns it into a joke, saying he hasn't been offered a drink or something to eat yet. The tension broken, he helps Pussy up to head to the kitchen, but standing behind him he can't shake the feeling that something is off. Drinking and smoking in the empty Bada-Bing before opening, Tony meets with Paulie where he makes an extremely hard call: he tells Paulie that Pussy is wearing a wire. Paulie is shocked, but within half a minute he does what he thinks all good soldiers must do, his face hardens and his shoulders square, and he tells Tony without doubt in his voice that he will take care of it. Tony may think it is his duty, but Paulie reminds him this is one of the perks of his status, he can and must delegate this type of thing. Tony leans in close and tells him he must be 110% sure, he must see the wire before he does the act. Paulie agrees, but that's not enough, Tony wants him to have no doubt not only of Pussy's guilt, but Tony's own determination: he will not kill Pussy on a rumor or a belief, he wants cold, hard facts. Paulie, his face stern but solid, acknowledges him, he understands. An affectionate cupping of the side of Paulie's face is the only sign Tony can give of his relief and gratitude, before he silently turns back to his drink and the full knowledge that he has set in motion something that may be impossible to pull back. Make no mistake, Paulie feels the same turmoil, but he knows that in the "business" they're in there can be no hesitation. He has already begun the soul-destroying process of convincing himself that perhaps his closest friend in the world is a detestable rat whom he hates with all his heart. Tony comes to Green Grove and meets with Bonnie, the Administrator, wanting to know where his mother is. He came by to drop off some CDs of old Italian tenors like Mario Lanza, saying he hopes it will help with her frequent bouts of depression. To his great surprise, he learns that Livia's actually off at aqua therapy at the moment with some of the other girls, and Bonnie assures him that she's actually far more connected to the world now than she was when she lived at home. He doesn't quite know what to make of that, it doesn't fit at all with her alternating rage/depression over being forced to move into this "retirement community". Of course as viewers we've seen that when Junior or AJ visit, she is chatty and seems to know everybody's names. It is only when Tony (or Carmela) visits that she becomes sullen and withdrawn, refering to the other residents as lunatics. Tony had also come to give her the news that her home has gone into escrow, but he's so taken aback by this aqua therapy thing that he barely even notices Bonnie warmly explaining how much Livia enjoys visits from Uncle Junior. When she has to take a call, Tony wanders away in a daze asking Bonnie to just give the escrow news to his mother, with no idea just how pivotal this decision will prove to be. Paulie watches from across the street as Pussy says goodbyes to Tony, Silvio and Christopher outside of Satriale's. If Pussy was wearing a wire, it would be now after meeting with Tony, and Paulie wants to basically trap him before he can go somewhere and remove it. Pulling up beside Pussy's car (Paulie's horn plays the Godfather theme tune  ), he insists Pussy follow him for a surprise. Pussy is clearly uncomfortable but does as Paulie asks, and is brought to a Turkish Bathhouse for a schvitz, followed by a rubdown, all paid for by Paulie as a treat. Pussy looks uncomfortable and uncertain, while Paulie's initial faked good cheer quickly turns to aggressive demands that Pussy take his goddamn clothes off. He even blocks Pussy's attempt to leave, deadly serious and basically completely abandoning any pretense that this isn't anything but a suspicion that he's wearing a wire. He doesn't buy Pussy's claim that the heat would be bad for his back, and Pussy - losing his own temper after trying not to offend Paulie - yells back at him that he has high blood pressure and was specifically warned to stay away from steam and a sauna. It makes sense, and Paulie has no choice but to let him go. What he doesn't know (and may mean nothing) is that Pussy had already told Tony earlier that he was using baths to try and alleviate his back pain, which doesn't actually mesh with this high blood pressure claim at all.  Outside the Bada Bing, Silvio has "good" news for Tony. Vin Makazian owes at least $30k in gambling debts to Pussy even without the vig: he has very good reason for wanting Pussy dead. Tony has to consider this information: it does give Makazian a reason to lie, but would he have the balls to try to pull something like this on them? Silvio has a good counter to that though, he doesn't even want to think about what he himself or even Tony would do to try and get rid of a 30k debt, let alone a deadbeat like Makazian. Tony laughs that he wouldn't bet football, but his good humor quickly fades: he has to consider this. Silvio makes his feelings clear, he can't believe that Pussy would be scared enough of prison to turn on his closest friends. Tony, who is Boss in all but name, has to remind him that everybody thought the same thing about Gravano. Makazian himself is enjoying Debbie's spacious shower at the brothel when he hears somebody enter the room. He assumes it is Debbie, and his heart sinks when a Detective's badge is pressed against the glass. It is a Vice Raid, and they've arrested - in addition to the prostitutes and Debbie herself - Raymond Curto and now Robbery/Homicide Detective Vin Makazian. How the hell is he going to explain this to his superiors? The next morning over breakfast, Tony watches on the news as the anchors make light of the story, cracking jokes about how the arrested detective must have caught hell when he got home, and pondering if it worse to be caught in a bordello or caught with a wiseguy. The report mentioned Makazian has been put on administrative leave, but Tony knows it is far more serious than that. Best case scenario is that he's just lost a crooked cop as a source of information, worst case is that Makazian gives him up in an effort to save himself. AJ, who is also having breakfast, asks innocently enough what a bordello is and Meadow comes by just in time to say it is a whorehouse. This upsets both Tony and Carmela, but it is at least a welcome distraction from the Makazian situation and something he and Carmela can be a united front on. Meadow decries the backwards attitude of America and insists that in the 1990s parents should be encouraging their children to be open about sex. Tony clearly lays out to her where she is mistaken: it is the 1990s outside of the house. Inside, it's still the 1950s. Makazian sits in morning traffic, staring at the envelope containing his life, which really sums up how pathetic it has all been. Seeing a cop is directing traffic over the Donald Goodkind Bridge, he slides his badge out of the envelope and stares sadly at it before making use of it while he still can, before word of his leave and his infamy spreads wide enough. He leans on the horn to the point it attracts the cop, flashing his badge which of course gets him the result he wants: the traffic is shunted aside and he is allowed through. A pathetic washed up drunk, suspended from the force, a joke on the news, he's got important places to be and important things to do. Clearing the jam, he drives across the bridge to the halfway point, gets out of his car, carefully places the badge on his breast pocket where it belongs, them clambers up onto the railing and lets himself fall wordlessly into the river far below, ending an agonized and miserable existence by "hiding under the bed" one last time. Tony gets the call at the Bada Bing and informs Silvio, both of them surprised at the news but not exactly saddened or upset: their concern is that with him dead, their best chance at getting the truth about Pussy is gone. Nice guys, huh? Tony visits with Debbie, who also made bail it seems, on the manicured lawn outside the brothel. Tony is sympathetic here, and it is unclear if this is his real feeling on the matter and he just couldn't show that in front of Silvio, or if he is putting this on in order to get what he wants from Debbie. He explains, truthfully, that Vin always spoke highly of her, and she thanks him for that. She admits he helped her out many times as well, not just with the law but in other ways. Tony can't understand why he did it, though I suspect he knows better than he lets on. Remember his bad-taste joke about people who kill themselves, which itself was clearly a defense when Christopher reacted with contempt at the notion of depression and suicide? He points out that Makazian was caught in a brothel, not dealing drugs, he probably could have kept his job and got off with a suspension. She explains it was the straw that broke the camel's back, he wasn't happy with himself, with how his life turned out. When you consider the way he put that badge on before killing himself, and his story about his father, it's pretty easy to see that he became a cop thinking he was going to make a difference. He was going to be somebody, a hero, somebody who could be looked up to and depended on. Instead he became a drunken gambler in debt to the mob, using his position to score points and keep his vig in check. Tony is surprised at how well she knew him, and asks if he used this place as a form of therapy, joking it isn't a bad deal to use a bed instead of a couch. He is put off-balance when she (innocently) comments that most patients would probably like to sleep with their shrinks too. She explains she meant it is easier to open up in the arms of somebody who truly cares for you. That said, he apparently never really had much to say about any of Tony's crew outside of the fact he disliked Paulie. He did mention owing money, but wasn't too worried about it since he felt Tony liked him... or rather, he knew exactly where he stood with Tony, he could trust him because he always knew what Tony wanted from him. Tony, who only a few days earlier was telling him he didn't give a poo poo about him, can't help but feel guilty. Makazian was right, but how depressing that he was right because Tony never made any bones about simply using him for his own gain.   Livia is, without an audience, looking miserable in her room at Green Grove when Junior comes to visit. Except even now it becomes clear that she knew she had an audience coming, and she has an agenda in mind, because she called Junior's "Dominican girl" and asked him to come visit. If you look, you can see her eyes are dry, her skin isn't flushed, she hasn't been weeping, she just wants to create the impression she has been. Because she has been told that Tony has sold HER house. Not by Tony, but by Bonnie the Administrator, which adds insult to injury. Junior is pragmatic though, what else were they going to do with the house? Let it sit empty? She's enraged that he wouldn't commiserate at her "losing" the house that she and Johnny made a home together, but she pivots quickly to get him angry. By a complete "coincidence" she mentions Tony would have found it difficult to have his "meetings" at her house rather than this nursing home. That confuses Junior as well, who at the moment thinks this is just an old lady venting her frustration, still not realizing just how strategic Livia can be when she wants to get back at somebody. What meetings? She pretends not to hear, mumbling about not getting to see any of the money, so he repeats himself and now she is being "forced" to tell him, talking about a subject that HE wants her to talk about. Why Raymond and Larry of course, and "that sneak from Manhattan", they're all here constantly meeting with Tony. Junior immediately grasps the significance of the last one: Johnny Sack. And she mentioned "suits", which means he's been here more than once? Why doesn't he know that all his Capos AND the Underboss of the Lupertazzis are meeting under his nose here in New Jersey. With stunning "innocence", Livia just off-handedly remarks that maybe is is HIM they are talking about. As Junior lets that sink in, she complained about being put into the middle of things and again "innocently" lets slip that Larry Boy and Jimmy Altieri's mothers have moved into the rest home too. She makes a point of complaining that they should all be living with their sons like human beings, again creating the impression that all these revelations are coming by accident via her airing her grievances. Junior is horrified, he doesn't quite grasp yet that he's only a figurehead Boss, but he's smart enough to know that something is going on under his nose and it can't mean good things for his authority. Leaping to his feet, he wrestles with the facts: if they're trying an endplay, as the Boss he has to act to stop it, but that can only be achieved one way... even if Tony is his blood, he has no choice.... Livia knows she has done enough, so now she acts the wounded innocent, reveling in her misery as she laments that she's said too much and should have just shut up and been a mute like everybody clearly wants her to be. She tells Junior she doesn't want him overreacting or there being any repercussions (thus putting the idea in his head) and warns him she won't tell him things anymore if he doe. Even here, she is both creating plausible deniability and putting it into Junior's head that SHE can be his inside source and do an end run around Tony's end run. Poor Junior is getting it from both sides, and even now he's aware that something has been going on, he still has no clue just how easily he is being manipulated.   Tony, Carmela and AJ are having dinner when the doorbell rings. AJ answers (after a polite threat from Tony) and both Tony and Carmela are thrilled when they realize it is "Uncle Jimmy". Jimmy Altieri is out at last, but far faster than they could have expected: he admits as much himself, joking that Carmela probably thought she was never see him again. He asks Tony if they can talk in private, so he leads him down to the basement. Once there, Jimmy warns Tony that he has a problem, and when Tony says he is aware he is put on guard by Jimmy's response, asking him to detail exactly what he thinks that problem is. Instead, Tony tells him to say what he was going to say, and his hackles are put further up when Jimmy mentions the recent Colombian murder and the huge amount of money they scored from it: the Feds were asking Jimmy a lot of questions about the murder and he suspects they know Tony's crew did it. Uneasy, Tony points out Jimmy is looking good and is quick to agree with Jimmy that he wasn't gone that long. Understanding the meaning, Jimmy explains his lawyer was able to argue that he didn't own the building (not in his name, anyway) and can't be held responsible for what is in it. No no, he "rents" the building, and the pool table was there when he first moved in (apparently nobody noticed the uneven surface for years). Tony pretends to buy it, while Jimmy makes a terrible effort of "casually" asking what he plans to do with the Colombian money. Tony just shrugs, and offers no response to his further comments. He points out how lucky Jimmy is to be caught with a gun while out on bail and still get out in time for dinner, physically maneuvering Jimmy to the stairs and asking if he wants to have something to eat now. Jimmy assures him he has to get out and make some collections so people don't think he's out of the game, the exact opposite of Pussy. Not long after, Tony races to Satriale's and rages to Silvio that Jimmy is the rat, that Makazian's source hosed up because Jimmy and Pussy - two fat fucks with black hair - got busted at the same time. Silvio is shocked but takes it in stride, it is easier to believe it is Jimmy than Pussy after all, the former is known and liked (past tense) but the latter is a close friend. The trouble is, they don't know where Paulie is, he said he was on his way an hour ago but hasn't arrived yet. Neither wants to think about whether Paulie has jumped the gun and already killed him, and as Silvio tries to call Pussy to confirm he's still alive, Paulie arrives. Tony is immediately on him, demanding to know where he was, and Paulie can't figure out what the big deal is, he was at his goomar's and said he was coming. He quickly grasps the seriousness when Tony grabs him close and demands he answer truthfully or "may your mother die of cancer of the eyes" - he wants to know, where is Pussy? Paulie doesn't know, and Tony demands he not lie, did he "do it"? Did he? DID HE loving DO IT!?! Paulie insists no over and over again, until Tony grabs him and bodily slams him against the refrigerator, demanding he answer. Paulie shouts no and - and this is his Boss he's talking to - tells him to get his loving hands off of him. It is one of the few times Paulie shows open aggression to Tony, and it shouldn't be forgotten that for all the comedic ways he is used, he's exactly what Makazian called him: a psycho. Tony, calming himself, takes a seat and apologizes. Paulie assures him he hasn't seen Pussy since he took him for the schvitz, in fact the last thing Pussy said to him was,"Go gently caress yourself", which at least makes Tony smile. But Paulie, none the wiser, is still not convinced of Pussy's innocence, quietly telling him that he refused to take his clothes off. Tony explains that Jimmy is the rat, surprising Paulie, and Silvio decides to break the tension by grabbing them all a drink. Paulie and Tony can only look at each other, both wondering the same thing: what have their suspicions done to Pussy? At Mikey Palmice's house, he fails to excite his wife Jojo when he and Chucky Signore show up as she cooks dinner with the gift of... another kitchen appliance. She goes back to cooking, but can't help but overhear Chucky telling Mikey that Junior has come to a decision, he wants Mikey to look out of town for somebody to do it. Mikey is surprised but in bliss, it's finally gonna happen! Mikey and Chucky shake hands and he leaves, and a suspicious Jojo tells him that she doesn't care what they have planned, they are NOT breaking their vacation plans for Vegas. She already organized childcare for Francis Albert! There will be a lot of kids named that, I suspect. But Mikey, still grinning ear to ear, tells her to forget it, and she can tell by how happy he is that this is something big. She mumbles that whatever it is better be bringing in money, because she needs a new car, and she becomes fascinated when he indicates there'll be a new car and then some if this works out. Suddenly coquettish and flirty, she begs him to tell her what it's about and he can't help but brag: he's going up a notch or maybe two, because Tony Soprano is on his way out... forever. Jojo is amazed, he's going to jail? The "other" forever, he explains, and she's amazed again, does Junior know? He laughs at the naivety, but then warns her that if she breathes a word of it to anybody then BOTH of them are going to end up buried next to Tony Soprano. Quietly, timidly she nods, but not because she is scared. When he asks for coffee, a wide smile crosses her lips and the hunger and arousal for Mikey are clear: he goes up, she goes up. She could be Carmela Soprano, living in the big house with a maid coming in every day and the kids going to good schools. As she waits for it to brew, Mikey can't resist talking more. Tony should have known he couldn't talk poo poo about Junior, he couldn't joke about "oval office-lapping" (apparently Mikey understood Tony's golf jokes all too well) and he sure as gently caress shouldn't have been talking to a shrink. Jojo is freshly amazed, he was seeing a shrink? She's blown away again when Mikey tells her Tony was planning a move against Junior, and he playfully insults her which she takes in good stride: she can afford to, things are looking up, there's only good times ahead for the Palmices!   The episode ends with Tony - worried about Jimmy and Pussy but with no idea the real threat is coming from his own family - standing on the shore of the Raritan River, looking out at the Donald Goodkind bridge where Makazian ended his life. Does he feel remorse for Makazian? Kinship? Envy even? Or just curiosity at actions he cannot comprehend by a man he never really truly knew? Whatever the case, Makazian is in Tony's past now, even if events he set in motion will continue to plague Tony for some time to come. Season 1: The Pilot | 46 Long | Denial, Anger, Acceptance | Meadowlands | College | Pax Soprana | Down Neck | The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti | Boca | A Hit Is a Hit | Nobody Knows Anything | Isabella | I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 5, 2019 10:59
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Another great writeup, thanks! I loved watching Livia manipulate Junior, she was so insanely good at it. The show really lost a powerhouse character when she died. Also, interesting fact: the actor who played Jimmy Altieri (Joe Badalucco) was also one of the prop masters on The Sopranos for part of its run. He is also the brother of Michael Badalucco, who played Babyface Nelson in O Brother Where Art Thou?.
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Apr 5, 2019 15:14
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I always wonder how far in they decided Pussy was going to flip. There doesn't seem to be a lot a lot of groundwork laid before now (and the timeline gets wonky the further on it goes). Interestingly Tony Siroco made it a requirement that Paulie would never be a rat.
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Apr 5, 2019 15:20
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It would have broken my heart if Paulie or Silvio had been flipped. They were such a comical double act  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e9372Gu-8A (this was After Tony got his ear grazed by a bullet from Mikey's hitmen in S1) Have to wonder if the "Safe families" poster was made or at least put there specially 
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Apr 5, 2019 20:07
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That scene with Paulie coming back to the club and Tony getting up in his face about whether he'd killed Pussy is one of my favorite scenes in the whole series. One of Gandolfini's best but also one of Sirico's best, the way Tony is barely able to contain himself but also how Paulie makes it clear that his deference to the boss has it's limits.
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Apr 5, 2019 20:55
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Dawgstar posted:I always wonder how far in they decided Pussy was going to flip. There doesn't seem to be a lot a lot of groundwork laid before now (and the timeline gets wonky the further on it goes). As recently as episode eight Pussy is talking to Chris candidly about Email Cola's murder- I think from what we see at this time, Pussy still has loyalty to the Family and isn't wired up 100% of the time- he obviously wasn't at that moment since the FBI would have used that conversation to go after Chris for the murder.
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Apr 5, 2019 23:16
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It is ironic that Christopher went to Pussy with his fears about Emil being found, since if he hadn't moved it Pussy would have probably been able to give him up for a murder as a sop to the FBI if they weren't happy with what he was delivering. Ishamael posted:I loved watching Livia manipulate Junior, she was so insanely good at it. The show really lost a powerhouse character when she died. It is one of the great what-ifs for me as to how the show would have been different if Nancy Marchand had been alive through the entire series run, especially given the pre/post-9/11 division. On the flip side, losing Livia meant we got Janice 
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Apr 6, 2019 00:10
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Season 1, Episode 12 - IsabellaSilvio Dante posted:Napoleon. He was a moody gently caress, too. Jimmy Altieri attends the funeral of Mariolina Capuano, spotting Junior Soprano and taking the opportunity to casually drop Brendan Filone's name into conversation. Junior snaps at him to mind his manners and not worry about what Junior knows, leaving behind a very confused and unsettled Jimmy. Junior is thinking about the meetings at Green Grove organized by Tony behind his back, but for Jimmy - if he has turned informant - the thought must be that he knows he is a rat. At the Bada Bing, Christopher chats with Silvio in the back room and reveals that he actually does pay attention after all. He visited Tony at his house and now suspects he might be depressed ("What's he got to be depressed about?" asks an amused Silvio), bringing up in a roundabout way the time Tony himself suggested Christopher might be. Christopher lists all the same things that Tony listed to him. Silvio cuts him off, the Bosses always suffer dark moods, he even brings up Churchill's heavy drinking, and distills one of the most controversial and successful military generals of all time in Napoleon down to being a "moody gently caress". Tony is certainly in a mood, tucked away in bed with the curtains shut, trying his best to ignore Carmela cheerily chatting to him about shopping. When she won't let him pretend to be asleep (she specifically asks if his LADY therapist knows he is acting like this) he has no choice but to answer, complaining about the lithium and Prozac she has him on. Carmela won't let him get away with this though, it's not normal and he has to do something about it: for her confrontation in this case seems the best solution. Tony complains bitterly that Pussy is missing and probably dead (without admitting this may be his fault) but she won't let him use that excuse, he's been acting like this well before Pussy disappeared. She pulls the curtains open, letting in the sunlight despite his protests, reminding him in Alaska they wear lamps to stave off seasonal depression. After she leaves, Tony staggers out of bed and over to shut the curtains, pausing when he spots a stunningly beautiful woman dressed all in white putting out laundry on the line at the Cusamano house. This at last causes the barest ghost of a smile to trace over his lips.   To the tune of Tiny Tears by the Tindersticks, Tony struggles his way through the most basic of routines. He takes his medication, stopping to stare in ugly fascination at his own face in the mirror before staggering to a seated position - still clothed - in the shower, the camera frame tilting to the side as he struggles to maintain some level of balance. Still at the funeral, Mikey Palmice arrives with Chucky Signore with apologies for being late, and Junior complains bitterly about Jimmy bringing up the Filone hit, revealing his anger was indeed about the secret meetings and that he has no idea - yet - about Jimmy being a rat. Mikey assures him those meetings are soon to be adjourned, he has organised through a contact called Donnie P. to take care of "the thing" by tomorrow. Junior is pleased it will be over so soon, but after Chucky leaves he finds himself in one of those dark moods like Silvio mentioned. He points out Mariolina's body to Mikey and can't help but muse about when he was a kid and she gave him and his friend Vincent Miniscalco their first handjob in the alley behind a chicken market. He's disgusted with himself for thinking about that in a place and time like this, and then notices another kid (a grandson, presumably) looking through prayer cards, and muses about how he used to wonder why nobody collected them like baseball cards. Palmice keeps giving him details, they're gonna take care of "the thing" at a newsstand by the medical center, that he's told Donnie it needs to be kept clean, that Tony won't suffer and can have an open casket etc. Junior finally snaps at him to stop bringing it up: he delegated the role to Mikey for a reason, so he wouldn't have to think about it. Which obviously hasn't worked, because he can't stop thinking about it. Christopher visits with Tony at home, where a bleary-eyed Tony takes note of the time and is started that it's already well into the afternoon. Christopher, like Mikey, is trying to pass on important information to a Boss who is unfocused: nobody has seen or heard from Pussy, not even on the street. Angie has no idea where he is either, nor does his Goomar. Tony snaps at Christopher and his maid, the latter for wanting to clean his robe, and warns Christopher not to do anything about Jimmy until he can be sure if he is the rat. He's paralysed by his depression, he can't make a decision or keep a clear head. He starts heading for the basement and Christopher frantically asks him what he is going to do down there, his mind immediately leaping to suicide just like Tony's did in their car ride a few episodes back when the roles were reversed. It's actually kind of sweet that Christopher is acting like this, especially after the way he mocked the idea of suicide in the past. But Tony is only after getting his clean pants out. Dressed if not clean, hair unkempt and unshaven, he heads outside and finds some negligee on the lawn. Picking it up, he sniffs it and then moves through to the Cusamano's yard where the stunning woman is sitting reading. He gives her the negligee awkwardly and she explains the Cusamanos are away in Bermuda playing golf, with the implicit but never outright stated understanding that she is there watching the house for them. She's clearly Italian, he notes, and she explains she is an exchange student. The book she is reading is Principles of Oral Surgery, she's a dental student, and Tony jokes that as beautiful as she is, he'd stay awake for a root canal. He says goodbye and leaves, a giant smile on his face the first true pleasure he has shown all day. He heads out in his car, tailed by Christopher who is still worried he might be planning to pull a Makazian. Tony pulls up outside a donut shop next to his newsstand and slowly walks his way over, watched from across the road by William Clayborn and Rasheen Ray, the two outsiders hired to kill Tony. Black guys, they wouldn't be considered tied to the mob, and they have their instructions: nothing above the neck. As they prepare to make their move, however, Christopher's car pulls up alongside them and blocks them off. Christopher watches Tony head into the donut store, quipping that this is why he can't lose weight, while Clayborn and Ray are left fuming at having their target blocked. Clayborn steps out and, extremely politely, asks Christopher to please pull forward so they can pull out. Christopher, rather rudely, tells them to weight, so Clayborn insists, claiming to be police. Christopher, no regular citizen intimidated by just the notion of authority, asks to see his badge and an angry Clayborn shouts at him to get out of the loving way. Ray tells him they'll just wait for Tony to come out of the store and get him then, but when Christopher gets tired of waiting and goes to check, he discovers Tony is nowhere to be seen. Where is he? He's gone out the back door and up to the back of the adjourning building, the medical center that houses Dr. Melfi's office. An upset Junior pukes onto the street from the stress as he waits in the back of his car, Mikey in the driver's seat giving irritated directions to Donnie who has gotten lost coming to explain why Tony isn't dead yet. Junior, who just wanted this all taken care of so he could move on, now has the extra stress of wondering what went wrong in addition to the knowledge he'll have to pull it off again some other time. Donnie arrives and Junior lays low as Mikey joins Chuckie outside to demand answers. Donnie, a skeevy looking guy in a leather jacket with a worn-down sports-car, assures Mikey he has his personal guarantee the hit will go down tomorrow, they got blocked in today and there were witnesses, they wouldn't have been able to do it clean as requested. Reading the room completely wrong, Donnie jokes that he heard Tony's own mother ordered the hit, and Mikey is disgusted with him: what kind of sick gently caress is he to make a joke like that? Mikey returns to the car, where Junior says he doesn't like Donnie's big mouth. Mikey assures him it is okay, but Junior reiterates: he doesn't like it. Mikey understands, and returns with one last message for Donnie: a bullet through the head.   In therapy, Tony agonizingly works his way through conversation with Melfi. He can't stand the medication, it leaves him numb, he feels nothing. He's dead. Empty. Melfi pushes him for more, seeing he's got something on his mind, and he admits he was thinking of the woman staying at the Cusamano's - "a gorgeous piece of cooz". He complains to Melfi that she's turned him into a reverse King Midas, with everything he touches turning to poo poo. He's not a husband to his wife or a father to his kids. He's not a friend to his friends. He's nothing. Melfi is clearly concerned about his repeated use of "nothing" and "empty", probably particularly "dead". She, as gently as possible, brings up the possibility of checking himself into a residential treatment center. He immediately shuts down the notion, his life would be over if anybody ever found out he'd done that, he's rather shoot himself in the head. Again, that use of suicidal terminology must be ringing alarm bells for Melfi, and she says that talk like that makes her think he requires it as opposed to volunteering. Sparking up for the first time, he says with a smile she can send some guys around to his house to try if she likes, and she can see she is getting nowhere with this tack. Instead she suggests pushing the Prozac to 60 milligrams, and he accepts without resistance, and also without any enthusiasm. It's just another pill to take as far as he is concerned. He picks up his script at the chemist, but is pleased to bump into the beautiful woman on his way out. She greets him happily and he is beaming once more, asking what she is doing here. She's just finished a class on gum grafting, and is about to have lunch, a hero sandwich (a translation she is very confused by). He tells her not to bother with that, and offers to buy her lunch, something she is happy to take him up on. Her name is Isabella, and at a lovely little outdoor restaurant they have a proper lunch with win and enjoy the sun. Tony is entranced by her, they discuss Italy, where he admits he has never gotten around to going to. She correctly guesses his people are from Avellino, laughing that she guessed because he looks like somebody from there who came to their town after an earthquake to repair the stone foundation. Tony is delighted, his grandfather and brother were stonemasons. She tells him that he should visit Avellino, and speaks with her musical voice of the beauty and tranquility of the place. As she talks, her words wash over him like a hot bath and he relaxes into a fantasy, imagining an idyllic turn of the century home in Avellino where she sits in maternal bliss with her little baby Antonio, gazing down at him with a pure and uncomplicated perfect love. He's drawn from the scene as she calls him back to reality, asking if he is on medication. Clearing his head, he insists he is fine and asks her to tell him more about her studies. She explains she is interested in tumors of the gum and soft tissue of the mouth, and even saying that she is entrancing.   At dinner, Livia and Carmela are for once in complete agreement as they insist AJ pull out a chair for Livia to sit in. He's been asked to a formal dance by a girl, and Carmela has gleefully bought him a suit and is insistent on teaching him to be a gentleman. AJ just wants to pour himself a goddamn class of coke and grumpily goes through the motions, before heading back to his chair. Tony arrives at last, still in underclothes and a robe, though he's at least shaven. Livia notes how unkempt he is and how much his breath stinks when he gives her a welcoming kiss, so he lurches back to his seat and through a forced smile he really doesn't need this right now. He asks where Uncle Junior is, and she says he called in to say he couldn't make it due to feeling sick. Which is true, to a degree, he threw up earlier because the stress of Tony not being dead yet is getting to him. Meadow passes around the chicken and can't resist mentioning how badly they're treated during their lifetime, and when AJ says that is "dicked up" Livia snaps that she'd slap his face if she was the girl who had invited him to the dance. Carmela agrees and thanks Livia for saying it, but that sets Livia off on a whole other tangent as she begins talking about how a woman in Pennsylvania shot her children and set the house on fire, a delightful topic for the dinner table. Livia asks why Tony is in his bathrobe, is he sick? Tony insists he's fine but Meadow is very open, no he's not, he's depressed. That ALSO sets Livia off, her father came to America with only 17 cents in his pocket and never made a peep, so what does Tony have to be depressed about? After all, nobody threw HIM into the glue factory and sold HIS house out from under him! Carmela tries to be diplomatic but Tony has had enough, and hauls himself up to his feet and heads upstairs to go back to bed. Livia calls after him she was only joking, while also pretending to cry from being so hurt by HIS actions. AJ asks how she can be joking AND crying and she insists through phony tears that she will never come back to this horse again... then scoops up a big bite of the delicious meal to eat. The next day, Tony spots Isabella from his bedside window, struggling to put up the canopy so she can sit outside reading despite the wind. He grins goofily at the sight of her, and guiltily pulls the curtains back when Carmela pops into the room talking about the wind herself, and asks what he was looking at. He tries to play it off, but she looks outside and sees beautiful, windswept, young, glowing Isabella. When Tony tells her he not only knows her, but that she's a dental student from Italy AND he took her to lunch, she becomes furious. With uncharacteristic candor (that's important) she turns her fury on him, accusing him of sinking the whole family with his misery and complaining, treating her like a nurse while he's taking out some stranger because she showed a half inch of thigh? Tony backs up as she comes slowly forward in a rage, dropping back onto the bed and utter misery as she snarls that if she had an ounce of self respect she'd cut his dick off. She storms out of the room, leaving him alone in black despair. Junior and Livia stand in the line for an afternoon matinee, Junior complaining the "bargain" price is all anybody should ever have to pay for a movie. Livia though wants to vent, talking about how pathetic Tony was at home, how he's left the kids without a real father as he staggers about in a bathrobe at 7pm. Junior doesn't want to hear it but she won't let up, saying he was empty, a shell, reminding her of a friend whose son was lobotomized, his mother always saying it would have been better if it was dead. Junior can't snap at her the way he does Mikey, but he still makes it clear he doesn't want to hear anymore. The deed has been committed too, Tony will be "taken care of" and that's it. It's done.   Tiny Tears plays again as Tony lies miserably in bed, not wanting to hear from the maid who informs him Carmela took out AJ to get his suit for the formal, and she wanted her to remind Tony not to miss his appointment. This is the one thing that can still get Tony up and moving about, and still wading through the day like it was made of water he gets up and dressed, popping by the Cusamanos and disappointed to see Isabella isn't there. He heads down to the news stand, the wind at least waking him up a little as he asks for an orange juice and a racing form. Taking a swig from the drink, he collects his change and staggers back to his car, the music reaching a crescendo as movement catches his eye and he spots the reflection of a black man striding towards him reaching around his back to pull out a gun. A fired bullet shatters the glass of his drink, music still blaring as Tony - still moving in the slow motion of a dream - pulls open the car door. A second shot shatters the window of the open door, which together with Tony falling into the car suddenly cuts off the music... and Tony Soprano is wide loving awake. Clayborn reaches the car as Tony pulls the door shut, shoving the gun through the open window to take a third and fatal shot. But Tony grabs his arm, pulling him through the window and struggling to pull the gun from him. Ray hears the horn blasting and emerges from the car with his own gun drawn, racing around to the other side of the car and making a fatal mistake. Unable to resist shouting,"Dead now, motherfucker!" he prepares to shoot, and with a roar Tony pulls to the side and brings Clayborn with him. The gunshot is deafening, grazing Tony's ear and impacting right into Clayborn's head killing him instantly. Ray has only a moment to process the colossal gently caress-up he just made, and Tony already has the car in gear and is ready to pull away. Ray shoves his arm through the door to try and get a closer shot and Tony grabs his hand too, the car taking off and pulling Ray along as Tony - wide awake and now glaring with murderous intent right in Ray's face - speeds up the car and causes Ray to release the gun and tumble backwards down the road. Tony roars with adrenaline fueled laughter, turning back to face the road and realizing too late he's not going straight, the car ramming straight into a parked car. He slams into the wheel and the horn blares as he lies unconscious in the wreckage. Unconscious, but alive.   Carmela, Meadow and AJ rush in a panic down hospital corridors to see Tony, who in great spirits greets them warmly as the doctor stitches up his ear. When Meadow frantically says she can't believe he was almost killed for something as stupid as a car, he jokes that nobody told them about the gas mileage. He notes a wide-eyed AJ is quiet and Carmela says he's just scared for him, and the nurse asks them to step aside for a moment so the doctor can finish up. They start to leave, but Carmela notices FBI Agent Harris coming in as she goes, and after settling down the kids returns to hear what is going on. Harris has seen an opportunity and he hopes Tony has too: clearly somebody in the mob wants him dead and he can't trust anybody, so why not flip and provide evidence in return for a new life in Witness Protection? He tells a returning Carmela that he's willing to offer Tony FULL immunity from prosecution, as well as a complete relocation of them all. Tony is completely disinterested, and becomes alarmed when he sees Carmela considering it: after all, this deal not only gets them out but Tony wouldn't even need to serve any jail time. He demands Harris leave, that he stop talking to Carmela and "upsetting her" (she's very calm) and insists it was just a carjacking, not an assassination attempt. Harris offers his card and Tony ignores it, but Carmela takes it with a glare at Tony. Harris leaves, and Carmela tries to convince him to listen, and he alternates between pumping her for information on who she might have told about Melfi, as well as insisting it was just a carjacking. He shits all over the idea of Witness Protection: move to Utah, become the Smiths and start a rattlesnake ranch? She snaps that she wants the kids to have a father, but can't deny him when he says they have one, but it's Tony Soprano and not Mike Smith, and along with Tony Soprano comes everything else in their life. She knows it is a dead subject, but that doesn't mean she has to like it. AJ and Meadow sit outside (in front of a Safe Families poster!), AJ scoffing down food and pointing out that he won't have to go to the formal now! Meadow is revolted by his self-interest, but they forget that as a very serious Silvio and Paulie - dressed in suits - come marching down the corridor. They hug, Paulie offering the lovely if extremely racist assurance that it would take more than "The Jamaican bobsled team with capguns" to put down Tony. They leave to see Tony, and AJ notes to Meadow that they look weird today... then says what Meadow already knows: it wasn't a carjacking. In a touching moment, she forgets her usual sisterly disgust and puts a supportive arm around him, while he goes back to fidgeting with his shoes: that same nervous tic he either picked up from Tony or Tony picked up from him. Junior and Livia watch in horror on the news the story of the failed "carjacking", Tony alive and well while one assailant is dead and the other in the wind. It's all gone horribly wrong, and both know this complicates matters enormously. But while Junior is at a loss, a furious Livia is already quickly formulating a gameplan or two. She's shocked Tony - who she considered an empty shell - was able to get the best of two assassins coming at him by surprise, but the best way to allay suspicion is for the two of them to go see him as soon as possible. But she doesn't just think a single move ahead, even now she quickly shifts from disgust/anger at Tony's escape to already weeping over her only son coming close to death, as if it is a complete mystery to her how he got into that situation in the first place. Junior is particularly exposed here, he's lost without leadership, and it has become clearer than ever why he was passed over first by Johnny Boy and later Jackie Aprile. He can lead a crew, he has old school connections and knows how to deal with things up to a certain point. But beyond that he lacks strategy, he can't plan too far ahead. It's one of the great joys of this series to see how factors that restrict his position and prestige going forward after this season make him into the type of long-term thinker who might have been able to run a Family if he'd only figured it out a couple decades earlier.  Tony is still full of cheer back at his home as Carmela and Meadow bring him food and Paulie and Silvio - now dressed casually - are glued to his side. Christopher arrives, giving Meadow and then Tony a hug as he explains how he was down on the shore when he got the news. Paulie is glowing with pride, Tony's piece was under the seat and there were two guys with guns and he STILL got the best of them. Tony laughs it off as "two girls from the hood" but when Christopher learns the survivor got the gently caress out of dodge in a Taurus, he puts two and two together. Paulie is obviously onboard with the carjackers theory, since "two moolies" don't fit the profile of would-be Mafia assassins, but Christopher knows something is up. He explains he was at the news stand the other day and got into a beef with two black guys in a Taurus. Tony, of course, is more alarmed that Christopher was down by the newsstand, so close to where he attends his Therapy. Why was he there? Christopher quickly lies, thinking innocently of the nearby medical center and explaining he was taking his mother to the doctor. That makes sense to Tony and his suspicions are allayed. Carmela returns with red peppers and they all crowd around Tony, telling her how much they love him, and she - thinking about Agent Harris' warning - can only say to please make sure they take care of him. Junior and Livia arrive, only seconds after Christopher has suggested it must be Junior behind the attempted hit. His arrival throws that idea out of wack, just as Livia said it would, he wouldn't dare be able to show his face if it had been him, right? Tony hugs Livia and Junior, the latter assuring him that Mikey Palmice and his boys are out cracking heads trying to find the guy who got away (which is probably true, to be fair). Father Intintola also arrives, awkwardly offering to say a prayer with Tony, who politely declines and says maybe later, sarcastically asking if he will be sleeping over. Carmela quickly tries to break the tension and Junior - all charm and smiles - asks for a drink and offers one to Tony, who declines presumably due to his pain medication. But while Junior is on the charm offensive, Livia is all worries, asking if Tony can still hear through the damaged ear. Carmela settles her down on the couch as Meadow brings in a tray of capocollo, telling Livia she shouldn't eat it since it is all fat and nitrates. While Junior raises his glass to Silvio, Paulie and Christopher who were all mumbling that maybe he wasn't the one responsible, he can't help but overhear as the next stage of Livia's plan falls into place. As Meadow heads over to Silvio, Livia turns and asks Carmela quietly who that girl was, is it Concetta? Tony grunts it is her granddaughter, Meadow, and Livia plays the part perfectly as instead of continuing to play dumb, gets grumpy and tells him not to get impatient with her, she is his mother after all. AJ arrives, over his initial shock and now thrilling to the fact that his father fought off two black guys and one even died! But they want to know why he isn't dressed for the dance? He insists he has to stay, and even if was going, Carmela was supposed to drive! But Tony, thrilled at AJ's awkwardness, insists he is going to go. He leaves in a huff, a perfectly charming and normal domestic scene that happens to involve two Mafia Bosses, one of whom tried to have the other killed working in conjunction with the would-be victim's mother. Later that night, Melfi waits in her car and has her first face-to-face with Carmela, who has driven Tony to this awkward meeting. Tony gets out and Carmela, clearly not happy, drives away, so they can have their therapy session in Melfi's car. Tony asks her flat out, has she told anybody about him? She admits she mentioned to her family she had a patient who was involved in what was going on in the news, but never mentioned him by name or spoke of any specifics that could identify him. He can accept that, so now Melfi has a question for him: Does his family know about the therapy. Tony admits his mother has made comments that could be read that way, but he has no idea how she could know (he has no idea AJ knows). Even if she did, that wouldn't mean anything. When Melfi seems unsure about that, he explains how cut up Livia was when she came to see him, it obviously did the trick. Attempting to at least do her job, she asks how Tony is feeling, and isn't surprised when he says he's actually feeling pretty good: getting shot at was the jolt to the system she thought his increased medication might do. Getting serious, he admits that when he was depressed he was unsure if he wanted to live, but the moment he was threatened he knew for certain he didn't want to die. He talks about Isabelle and the lunch they had, and mentions his fantasy of Avellino at the turn of the century and Isabella nursing the baby. Melfi tells him what the obvious interpretation is, he was the baby and Isabella was the one nursing him, the one providing him with pure maternal love. From the tears in his eyes you can see that he understood and completely agrees, but before they can go any further into what that might mean, Carmela returns and it is time for him to leave. With a gentle brush of the side of her face, Tony gets up and goes, leaving Melfi pondering some fairly dark suspicions.   To lighten the mood, the next scene is of AJ and his date riding in the back of a limo... across from a suited Silvio and Paulie who are chaperoning, leaving everybody staring in awkward silence. AJ pushes his luck by asking if they can have some of the whiskey, and Paulie grins - probably impressed by the balls on the kid - but answer is a clear no. Junior barges into Livia's room at Green Grove, where she is hunting about beneath her bed for a missing slipper. Junior, seething, demands to know what is going on, telling her to gently caress her slipper when she asks him to help find it. She's outraged but he's not putting up with any bullshit right now, what the gently caress was with her Alzheimer's act back at Tony's house? When she mumbles that she's been forgetting things lately, he sees clearly through it and points out the convenient timing, but now all of a sudden she hasn't got a clue what he is talking about regarding hits on her son. Junior's smirk falls as the full impact of what she is doing hits him: she's distancing herself from him, which means she already thinks he has failed/is doomed. She is deserting what she thinks is a sinking ship, and given the alternative is unthinkable, the only thing he can do is turn and storm out in frustration. The sad thing is, even now he doesn't (and never could) see the full extent of her plan: because even if has no idea just how hosed up Livia is on top of how smart she is. Things are going to get dark. Tony, fully back to normal now aside from the bandage on his ear, pops to the property line to greet Cusamano, who isn't happy to see him (or hear his "Cuse" nickname). He explains they're back from Bermuda because Jeanie broke her ankle in a motorbike accident, and Tony makes a token note of concern before turning his attention to Isabella, where is she? Cusamano doesn't know what he's talking about, so Tony describes her: Dark hair, beautiful (he makes the international symbol for tits) but Cusamano still doesn't have a clue. Tony realizes it too, and to his alarm learns the only "guest" was Skippy Palumbo from down the street who popped in each day to check on the dog. Tony laughs it off as a joke and says his goodbyes, then heads inside where he has a very awkward conversation with Carmela about the other day when she threatened to cut his dick off over Isabella. It never happened. The Carmela who menaced him and talked all that poo poo about what a burden he was on his family never existed, it was all a manifestation of his depression, his self-loathing externalized as Carmela saying what he suspects she really thinks of him. I'm of two minds about this revelation. On the one hand it feels extremely, extremely, extremely television to have a character just out of nowhere have these vivid visual/auditory hallucinations which in real life would probably be the result of a psychic break if not preceded by months or years of slowly ramping up symptoms. On the other hand, it's a visual medium and the fantasy of Isabella nursing the baby is rather incredible. It's a step outside of the dreamscapes that the show feels more comfortable with though, and bringing that dreamlike concept into "real life" feels a bit too on the nose to me. In any case, he quickly - and rightly - calls Melfi and explains immediately and without trying to sugarcoat it that he completely imagined an entire person. There was no beautiful girl next door, he didn't take her to lunch, she didn't tell him about Avellino or tumors of the gum and soft tissue, it was all in his head. Melfi can't understand, he said he spoke to Carmela about Isabella? That they argued about it? He doesn't lie here either, explaining the real Carmela was angry enough about him having a fantasy argument with her over a fantasy girl. Melfi's action is immediate, he has to discontinue the lithium. He tells her he already flushed it the moment he realized what had happened. But she points out that even if this was a drug induced hallucination, it speaks to very real issues about the mother/son complex. Tony doesn't believe that, she was too beautiful, too sexy to be associated with his mother. But Melfi forces him to admit he didn't flirt or get sexual with Isabella outside of a couple of lines about how beautiful she was. Further to that, WHY did he fantasize this now? Why all of a sudden did his mind desperately need to have the fantasy of a loving woman? He doesn't know, and she tries to convince him to come in so she can talk to him face-to-face and try to push the breakthrough. He can't though, he has other things going on, so she does her best to push him to make the connection himself. She points out his mother has suddenly started talking constantly about infanticide, but he (consciously at least) doesn't see the point she is making, just agreeing it's horrible this kind of thing goes on in the world. He explains he is feeling pretty good, having shaken off the funk he was in it has stayed shaken off, and he says he will feel a lot better when he finds out who took the shot at him. On that matter at least, he couldn't be more wrong.   Season 1: The Pilot | 46 Long | Denial, Anger, Acceptance | Meadowlands | College | Pax Soprana | Down Neck | The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti | Boca | A Hit Is a Hit | Nobody Knows Anything | Isabella | I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:24 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 8, 2019 09:45
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I’m Skippy Palumbo.
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Apr 8, 2019 19:13
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Jerusalem posted:Season 1, Episode 12 - Isabella This episode is where the show jumps up a level, I think. All the pieces and parts start working together in a really nice way, and it balances all the tones perfectly. The first 2 seasons have a strength the rest are lacking for that reason - the season arc is well-structured and very compelling. In later seasons Chase started to enjoy throwing people off their guesses and presumptions, but the first 2 seasons have a classic structure that adds a lot to the stories, I think.
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Apr 8, 2019 20:19
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Ishamael posted:This episode is where the show jumps up a level, I think. All the pieces and parts start working together in a really nice way, and it balances all the tones perfectly. The first 2 seasons have a strength the rest are lacking for that reason - the season arc is well-structured and very compelling. In later seasons Chase started to enjoy throwing people off their guesses and presumptions, but the first 2 seasons have a classic structure that adds a lot to the stories, I think. Agreed, especially with the scope you draw here (seasons 1 and 2). The show is at its best in these two. It never declines precipitously in my opinion but there is a magic in those first two seasons.
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Apr 8, 2019 21:00
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Jerusalem posted:I'm of two minds about this revelation. On the one hand it feels extremely, extremely, extremely television to have a character just out of nowhere have these vivid visual/auditory hallucinations which in real life would probably be the result of a psychic break if not preceded by months or years of slowly ramping up symptoms. On the other hand, it's a visual medium and the fantasy of Isabella nursing the baby is rather incredible. It's a step outside of the dreamscapes that the show feels more comfortable with though, and bringing that dreamlike concept into "real life" feels a bit too on the nose to me. "Character spends an entire episode having extensive interactions with imaginary figure" is maybe my least favorite TV drama trope - doubly so when the hallucination takes place in a public setting or pulls in other, real characters. It's a testament to how good the rest of this episode is that I can give it a pass here.
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Apr 8, 2019 22:07
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JethroMcB posted:"Character spends an entire episode having extensive interactions with imaginary figure" is maybe my least favorite TV drama trope - doubly so when the hallucination takes place in a public setting or pulls in other, real characters. It's a testament to how good the rest of this episode is that I can give it a pass here. Tony was off his tits on lithium, OP 
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Apr 8, 2019 22:17
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JethroMcB posted:"Character spends an entire episode having extensive interactions with imaginary figure" is maybe my least favorite TV drama trope - doubly so when the hallucination takes place in a public setting or pulls in other, real characters. It's a testament to how good the rest of this episode is that I can give it a pass here. I haven't explicitly rewatched the episode with this in mind but I'm pretty sure it's implied that Tony imagines getting up and going outside and meeting Isabella when he's actually just lounging in bed dosed up to the eyeballs.
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Apr 8, 2019 23:00
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One thing I noticed last time I watched that episode... The store where Tony is picking up his prescription when he runs into Isabella. It’s not a CVS or Rite-Aid or anything else you’d expect in suburban New Jersey. It looks like something from a small Italian village. There are all these old-timey bottles in the window and the sign just says “Chemist: since 1907.” Later when he’s talking to Melfi about the vision of Isabella with the baby, he says “we went back in time, to like 1907.”
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Apr 8, 2019 23:33
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Ishamael posted:This episode is where the show jumps up a level, I think. All the pieces and parts start working together in a really nice way, and it balances all the tones perfectly. The first 2 seasons have a strength the rest are lacking for that reason - the season arc is well-structured and very compelling. In later seasons Chase started to enjoy throwing people off their guesses and presumptions, but the first 2 seasons have a classic structure that adds a lot to the stories, I think. Yeah, I've said it before, but Nancy Marchand dying really threw the show for a loop. Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood, while a fun episode, does feel like they're desperately scrambling for time as they try to figure out a new direction to take the season. Then September 11 happens and there is a huge gap between season 3 and 4. The undercurrent of tension over terrorism which every so often bubbles to the surface is interesting, and the show is still amazing, but you're right that it lacks the cohesion of the first two seasons. UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST posted:I haven't explicitly rewatched the episode with this in mind but I'm pretty sure it's implied that Tony imagines getting up and going outside and meeting Isabella when he's actually just lounging in bed dosed up to the eyeballs. There are some really neat, abrupt cuts that coincide with loud noises (particularly Meadow calling Tony down to dinner) that can be viewed in a new context once you know that the Isabella stuff never happened. They're basically snapping him back to the real world, and because we're used to the jumps in time/location that comes with television, it doesn't strike us as odd that Tony has gone from lunch with a beautiful Italian girl to staggering downstairs in his bathrobe to have dinner etc.
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Apr 9, 2019 00:38
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Jerusalem posted:Yeah, I've said it before, but Nancy Marchand dying really threw the show for a loop. Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood, while a fun episode, does feel like they're desperately scrambling for time as they try to figure out a new direction to take the season. Then September 11 happens and there is a huge gap between season 3 and 4. The undercurrent of tension over terrorism which every so often bubbles to the surface is interesting, and the show is still amazing, but you're right that it lacks the cohesion of the first two seasons. There's probably also something to be said that the first two seasons have very clear antagonists (Junior/Livia and Richie) and the others... kinda don't.
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Apr 9, 2019 01:01
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I do like that Ralph is basically a fake-out as an antagonist, and then when Feech shows up Tony very quickly goes,"Have I learned nothing?" and immediately takes steps to negate him as a threat.
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Apr 9, 2019 01:04
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What do you mean by Ralph being a fake-out antagonist? It is weird that Ralph’s backstory has him growing up as part of the same group of buddies alongside Tony, Sil, and Jackie. They don’t seem to have very much camaraderie with him and talk about him as if he’s just Joe Jerkoff who’s new on the scene. Could be just cuz he’s an unlikable rear end in a top hat though.
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Apr 9, 2019 02:54
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Kevyn posted:What do you mean by Ralph being a fake-out antagonist? One can infer he's the annoying tagalong of the group and also that he spent a lot of time in Florida once he could get away, maybe even as the Aprile crew's point guy down there.
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Apr 9, 2019 03:02
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Kevyn posted:What do you mean by Ralph being a fake-out antagonist? They keep setting up Ralph as the major "bad guy" of the season, with the expectation being that it will come to a head in the finale. This doesn't get resolved in season 3, and then in season 4 the stuff with Johnny Sack indicates it is going to be a 2 season long arc of Ralph becoming too dangerous and how Tony deals with him and how that impacts both his Family and New York. Instead, that all gets settled with something like 4-5 episodes left to go in the season - basically, they turn the standard drama tropes against the viewer and set up what looks like a revamp of the Richie Aprile storyline, so nobody is expecting Tony to brutally murder Ralphie seemingly on a whim halfway through the season. That also leads to everybody trying to figure out what happens next, because the "bad guy" is done with but everybody knows there are more episodes to come. Dawgstar posted:One can infer he's the annoying tagalong of the group and also that he spent a lot of time in Florida once he could get away, maybe even as the Aprile crew's point guy down there. Yep, and he notes he missed the Feech heist which basically put Tony, Jackie and Silvio on the fast track while he remained low ranked and had to work his way up without them.
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Apr 9, 2019 03:09
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Season 1, Episode 13 - I Dream of Jeannie CusamanoTony Soprano posted:If you're lucky, you'll remember the little moments, like this, that were good. Silvio and Paulie sit outside Satriale's, while inside a meeting of the top ranks of the DiMeo Crime Family are meeting. It's been a productive and amicable meeting, as they discuss how to handle the current pressure of the FBI Investigation. They're all in agreement, including Mikey Palmice who warrants a seat due to being Junior's right-hand man, and Junior asks Jimmy if he is satisfied. It seems he is the one who called the meeting, and after everybody hugs and they go their separate ways, Junior and Mikey are satisfied that Tony's suspicions proved accurate. Jimmy must be the rat, why else would he call a meeting simply to go over things they're already covered in previous meetings: he must be wearing a wire. Junior tells Tony he has his blessing to do what needs to be done, with his only caveat that Tony needs to make sure the message is understood by everybody else. They hug, and Tony and Mikey shake hands amicably before they leave Tony behind. After their botched hit, they want no reason for him to suspect he isn't anything other than Junior's beloved nephew. Tony, meanwhile, is just satisfied that he finally has an enemy he can deal with head-on. Late at night in New York, Jimmy and Christopher make an odd pair as they step out of a lift in a nondescript hotel. Christopher has gotten Jimmy up in the middle of the night with the promise of a night of passion (for him) with a Russian prostitute. Any other "job" in the world this would be a bizarre and suspicious thing, but Christopher isn't Made yet and Jimmy is a Captain, it makes all the sense in the world to him that Christopher would be doing everything he could to curry favor. The sight of a very pretty Russian woman with enormous breasts and tiny lingerie sets him further at ease, though he still complains that Christopher made him rush and he didn't have time to put on anything decent. Christopher is perfectly natural though, talking up how Russians will go above-and-beyond when it comes to servicing a man who shows even the slightest attention. He admits he had a grudge after his mock execution, but these girls are friends of Irina's (Tony's goomar) who he genuinely likes, and the notion of sex with a beautiful woman has a way of soothing any guy's temper. Jimmy takes a seat in the little hotel room, obviously still wary enough that when the door bursts open he immediately reaches for his ankle holster, but Christopher gets to it first. Silvio presses a gun to the back of his head as Jimmy warns them that he's a Captain and this is a dumb move, but all the fight goes out of him the moment Silvio calls him a rat. Christopher explains he didn't have a chance to put anything decent on, meaning he didn't have time to strap on a wire, and all Jimmy can manage is a little moan of,"God" before Silvio blows his brains out. While it was never explicitly shown that he was an informant, there seems little doubt based on the way he fell apart that he was. Thus ends what Tony assumed to be his biggest concern.   Meadow and her boyfriend Jeremy are watching Perversions of Science (well, Meadow is, Jeremy is trying to make out with her) and AJ is upstairs beating off when they're all alarmed by the sudden bellow of,"SETTIMIA!". Livia is wandering through the backyard, mistaking AJ looking out the window as "Cakey", the cousin who had the lobotomy, then insisting he get under the vaporizer when he explains he is AJ and she gasps that he's got whooping cough! Livia lets herself in through the kitchen, dismissing Jeremy's demands to know what she wants so she can turn an accusing glare at Meadow and warn "Settimia" that she will never talk to her again. Meadow gently tries to explain that Aunt Settimia is dead and she is her granddaughter, trying her best to calm her. Livia seems to come back to the present, but still thinks the "facia bruta" Settimia is there. The doorbell rings and AJ lets in a police officer who explains they got reports of an elderly woman wandering down the road at night. Livia insists he make her sister leave, then spots AJ and beams happily until she's asked if she recognizes him, and struggles to find a name until finally she settles on simply,"He's my grandson." AJ and Meadow exchange worried glances, especially when the cop asks if this is her house and Livia can't seem to come up with an answer. In therapy, Melfi commiserates with a miserable Tony about the situation. He blames himself, of course, especially because as they now fear she has Alzheimer's they are doing the one thing Livia always told them she feared the most: transfering her to the nursing unit set up behind the pleasant face of Green Grove. Melfi, however, has a different take on this, and makes perhaps the biggest professional and personal blunder of her life outside of the initial decision to treat Tony Soprano in the first place. She finds the timing of Livia's sudden memory loss convenient, and with growing enthusiasm in front of a shocked Tony she lays out a theory that Tony's own subconscious is trying to warn him that Livia is the one who ordered his attempted assassination. That's why she was suddenly obsessed with infanticide in the news. That's what his dream about the duck eating his penis was about. That's why he fantasized about a perfect mother figure in Isabella. Excited, she grabs the DSM IV and reads out the definition of borderline personality disorder: a pattern of unstable relationships; affective instability; intense anxiety; joylessness; their internal phobias are the only thing that are real, everything outside of that - including people - are peripheral at best to them. They have no love, no compassion. They excel at creating conflict, at causing bitterness in those around them an-  Tony's loving lost it, and can you blame him? What the gently caress is Melfi thinking here? She claimed that while normally she'd leave a patient to make their own breakthrough, she pushed him in this regard to save his life. But that smacks of bullshit to me. She was getting a thrill out of this, an adrenaline rush as she played detective and got wrapped up in her own head as a major player in the drama that she has till now been one step removed from. And how dare she jump to this conclusion in any case? Even if as viewers we know she is (mostly) right about Livia, there is no way for her to know this, and the leaps of logic she made to get there are ridiculous. She took third party accounts from a guy she knows for a fact suffers depression and even recently hallucinations, coupled it with some sketched out stories she saw on the news, and then takes it upon herself to "solve" the mystery of who tried to have Tony killed by deciding it was his mother? And telling him that!?! I'd say at best this is unprofessional, at worst highly unethical, and a sign that Melfi has gotten way too close to Tony and lost her objectivity. Flipping the table between them over and lunging into her face in the complete opposite of his attempted seduction of a few episodes earlier, Tony is enraged. He hisses at her that she is talking about his mother, not "some gently caress up in Attica", and proclaims their relationship is over, and she's lucky he doesn't smash her face into 50,000 pieces for what she just said. He turns and stalks out of the room, and she rushes to the door to lock it and press a chair up against it for good measure, utterly terrified. What the hell did she think his reaction would be? Meanwhile, Carmela and Rosalie Aprile have lunch together at a pleasant if unassuming restaurant, discussing the stress of the jobs their husbands do (or did, in Jackie Aprile's case). She says it was the work that killed him, that put him into a state that brought on the disease. Carmela notes at least when Jackie was in charge, there was "peace", nobody ever shot at him like they did at Tony. Rosalie cuts her off to say that if Jackie hadn't gotten cancer, who knows what else might have done him in - Angie Bompensiero certainly had no reason to expect Pussy to just disappear the way he did and he wasn't a top ranked guy in any case. The owner of the restaurant arrives to offer them a complimentary meal: It's Artie Buco. The restaurant is Nuovo Vesuvio, it seems the insurance money finally came through and he's back doing what he loves instead of being a glorified fry-cook. Workmen are still putting in the fixtures and he apologizes for a bug they found in their salad, saying that the produce guy he goes to is the most expensive in the area so he doesn't know how it happened. Conversation turns to Livia, and then Tony... and then the carjacking. Artie just won't loving go away, and Carmela and Rosalie politely nod along and make conversation as he just looms over them. Finally he tells them to enjoy their meals and leaves, and Carmela spots Father Intintola just arriving. Back in the kitchen, Artie complains to Charmaine that he doesn't like her hiding away in the back instead of going out and saying hello to Carmela and Rosalie. Charmaine admits that while she and Carmela are still friends, she's upset that this new restaurant may end up like the previous: a place frequented by mobsters. Father Intintola has joined Carmela and Rosalie, seated at their table rather than hovering like Artie. He was gifted a voucher from the Dellacrocces, part of Artie's opening promotion to get word around about the restaurant. With a toothy grin he flatters them both, saying Artie will have to be pretty great to match either of them in the kitchen, and openly talks about the zabaglion' that he and Carmela made together recently. He shifts to the carjacking, exasparating Rosalie, but when he checks his watch and makes to excuse himself, Carmela insists he stay. Rosalie asks him about his watch and he raves about it, and Carmela comes to a shocking realization: that's Jackie Aprile's Rolex. She asks and Rosalie nods that she gave it to Father Phil, then clearly gets emotional. Phil reaches out and pats her on the hand, and Carmela looks in surprise at the tender gesture between the two of them.   Later that night outside a bar, a guy carrying boxes of empty bottles trips as he heads into the nearby alley to dump his rubbish. Looking over at what caught his foot, he is horrified to see the corpse of Jimmy Altieri lying where anybody could see it, a dead rat stuffed into his mouth. Tony certainly made sure everybody got the message. The FBI got it, but it seems they didn't quite grasp they got it from Tony. With one Captain-turned-informant dead, they apparently think the most likely to be turned next is.... Tony? Brought by Agent Harris to a clandestine basement meeting after "suggesting" he might otherwise come back with more Agents to forcibly take him away in front of his kids, Tony meets Agent-in-Charge Cubitoso, the man overseeing the entire Joint Taskforce. An Italian himself, he has also brought along Agent Grasso (Tony again makes the "your rear end in a top hat will be this big when I get done loving it" symbol at him) so he can make a point. Though all three are Italian, they clearly couldn't be more different... except when it comes to a few common shared ideals on religion, food... and mothers. Harris is clearly upset about Cubitoso' strategy but keeps his mouth shut, as his Boss explains they believe Tony is a marked man whose time is rapidly coming to an end. As proof, Cubitoso plays an audio tape that has been sitting on the table the entire time, and that Tony has been trying to pretend he doesn't give a gently caress about since he first saw it so prominently placed. He probably assumes it is something they recorded with Jimmy, but Cubitoso has something far more devastating. It's surveillance from Green Grove, Cubitoso fought his superiors and the accountants and got the cash to get the place bugged, and on the tape is Livia and Junior Soprano clearly plotting Tony's assassination. Cubitoso sits drinking in Tony's expression as the audio plays out, Harris clearly thinking it's all going too far. But when Cubitoso stops the tape, Tony restarts it so he can hear it all, so he can hear Junior saying he has to do it, and Livia's lack of protest. He erupted in a rage at Melfi, but here he controls himself outside of one beautiful bit of acting from Gandolfini where Tony's eyes close in despair for just a single moment. But he listens in silence, and when the tape finishes he simply sits and keeps himself under control, affecting nonchalance in front of the FBI.   The betrayals don't end there though. Artie visits Livia at Green Grove's nursing unit. At first she's a kindly old lady (reading the obituaries), lying in her bed and beaming with happiness when she recognizes him. But even now she's working her angles, as she "confuses" things and claims he used to play Little League with Johnny Boy rather than Tony. Artie takes it in stride and tries his best (included exaggerated and unnecessary miming) to set things straight, and she laughs along with him about her memory. Just like in the restaurant, he hovers, clearly struggling to make conversation, even Livia looks a little uncertain how to talk to him since he is so uncertain in himself. When she asks about his mother he has to remind her sombrely that his mother passed away only six months ago, but doesn't press her when she seems not to understand and talks about her like she was alive. On safer ground, he talks about his food, he brought her a meal. Her face just absolutely lights up when she realizes it is gavadel... until he mentions it is a Northern recipe, and immediately she loses all interest, turning her nose up. Now it is time for her to shine though, as she suddenly becomes upset and he worries it is something he said. But no, she just appreciates him coming to see her... especially after what her son did to him. Artie is confused, which confuses her... does he really not blame Tony for setting the fire?  Dr. Melfi posted:Borderline personalities are very good at splitting behavior, creating bitterness and conflict between others in their circle. In the back room of the Bada Bing, the fine line of what is appropriate is the subject of discussion as Silvio - who murdered Jimmy Altieri - tells Paulie it was over the top to call in a bomb scare to Jimmy's wake which is being held tonight. Tony arrives fresh from his meeting with the FBI and everybody immediately senses something is up. He informs Silvio, Paulie and Christopher that he now knows for certain Junior ordered the hit, there is no room for interpretation. They suspected as much, now that they know it for certain they have no qualms about what needs to be done. Tony, still retaining his calm in spite of his obvious rage, says they have to do this right, which means no setting off alarms: they have to act like everything is normal. Paulie makes the good point that Junior will need to finish what he started, and Christopher adds that he will use people he knows this time instead of hiring out. Silvio notes that Mikey is now too high up to do this kind of work, so it will probably be Chucky Signore. Tony concurs, which means Chucky needs to disappear without making any noise... luckily he just passed his Coast Guard exam. Having done his work, he stalks out of the office leaving his inner circle behind to marvel at his restraint. At home, he sits in a daze, still reeling from the revelations he's been trying to process all day. Carmela brings him a sleeping pill, he's apparently told her what happened as well. Because he is his mother's son, he can only really comprehend this as all revolving around him. What kind of person is he that his own mother would want him dead? Not what kind of person is she to want to kill her own son, because he is even here unable to think of himself as the center of the universe. Carmela reassures him that this is nothing to do with him, it's all about her. She talks up Tony's qualities, reminding him both his sisters fled New Jersey but he remained and did what he could to make things work. Tony still can't get around the fact that the two "pricks with 9mms" who came after him were sent by his mother: his self-esteem is at zero now! But when Carmela says she could kill Livia herself, he insists that she must act normal as if nothing has changed. He admits that his jokes about Junior muff-diving were a mistake, and offers the immortal line,"Cunnilingus and psychiatry brought us to this." Perhaps the most notable of all this is again how open he is with Carmela regarding his "business". He straight up says he will deal with Junior and Mikey P and get his satisfaction, but inside he will know everybody is aware of the utter humiliation of having his own Uncle try to kill him. The next day, Tony surprises Chucky Signore as step one on his path to satisfaction. Pretending it is a chance encounter at a small pier, he pulls a gun out of a fish he was holding and shoots Chucky several times, before Silvio joins him with chains and cinderblocks so they can take the body out in Chucky's own little boat (the Villain III) and dump it in the river. At Melfi's office, she prepares to leave for the day and is shocked to see Tony outside in the waiting room. She slams the door and locks it as he begs her to let him talk, and she starts to dial 911, warning him that if he does anything to her it will be heard by emergency services. He assures her he just wants to talk, and offers to go down to a coffee shop so they'll be in public. Conflicted, she demands his word he won't hurt her and he is flattered she would take it, and promises he won't hurt her. Hanging up on the Emergency Services Operator (who I'm pretty sure wouldn't just let that lie), she tucks a pair of scissors up her sleeve and lets him in. Remaining in her office, they awkwardly discuss what he has learned from the FBI. She sits behind her desk, a barrier between the two of them, and attempts to be a proper psychologist. But that ship has sailed, for now at least, and a half-hearted attempt by Tony to discuss an erotic dream about Jeannie Cusamano quickly peters out, despite her assurance her personal friendship with Jean won't impact on her professionalism. He explains that he isn't here because of feelings of worthlessness brought on by the revelation of Livia's involvement, but concern about the fact one of the reasons for the attempt on his life was because of his therapy sessions here. She again tries to explain that Doctor/Patient confidentiality would prevent her from testifying, but he explains to her that regardless of whether they know that or not, it's an excuse they can use. Melfi's professionalism is out the door now, as she realizes again that she's let herself be drawn in too close and gotten involved: she complains she doesn't know any names, and it isn't fair that she should be in danger now. They don't give a poo poo about fair though, he can't believe she doesn't understand this. There's a wonderful little double-take by Tony when he notices her slip the scissors out of her sleeve and back on the desk, but it goes without conment. She comes around the desk as he tells her to get out of town, in fact he'll send some guys around to keep an eye on her until she leaves. But she can't just go, she has patients, some of whom are suicidal and need her to be available. With cruel logic though he points out that they won't feel any better if she gets murdered. He assures her he is taking care of the problem and soon she will be able to return, just not now. Finally it really hits home for her: people are going to be murdered. This is real for her at last, as much as she might hate to admit it, Richard was right. She should never have taken him on as a patient. Treating her like another of his underlings, he warns her not to be stupid, to keep her poo poo together, and then in what I'm sure is hardly a comfort to her thanks her for being such a good doctor to him.   Tony drives to the parking lot beside Satriale's, where another cruel betrayal is waiting, one he would have never expected. Artie Buco is waiting for him... with a hunting rifle. He is devastated, they convinced Artie to be the one to come for him? How much did they offer him to turn his back on a lifetime of friendship? Artie is baffled but enraged, pointing the gun at him and demanding to know how he could burn down Vesuvio, even his mother treasured the memory of that place but he burned it down. The other shoe drops for Tony, it was his mother who told him this? Immediately he goes from defiantly yelling at Artie to take the shot, to calmly trying to talk hot-headed Artie down. He reminds Artie that two arson investigations cleared the fire as accidental, and what benefit would Tony gain anyway? Apparently Livia "let slip" that too, because Artie knows about the planned hit of Little Pussy and can't believe Tony is so hosed in the head that he thought setting fire was a proper solution. Tony, nervous now because he can see Artie is trying to psyche himself up to pull the trigger (as well as having the stupidity of his decision thrown in his face), agrees it is stupid and that is why he couldn't have done it, because he's not stupid. As calmly as he can, he reminds Artie that his mother, God bless her, is going senile. Artie, in tears, laments that his new restaurant is forever spoiled by the knowledge of how the money to buy it came about, but now this is him trying to maintain his rage because Tony's words are getting through, and they both know it. Tony, calm and friendly and acting the therapist himself, assures him that Livia was simply confused, and then in a moment that marks an absolute point of no return, swears on his mother that he did not burn down the restaurant. Artie, frustrated and anguished, smashes his rifle on the back of his own car, jumps inside and drives away, leaving behind Tony to deal with the emotional impact. That night though, Tony is all smiles at family dinner, cracking jokes and happily eating. Junior, across the table from him, can barely manage a bite or to meet his eyes. But Livia eats without a care in the world, while Carmela can't help but side-eye her in disgust whenever she isn't looking. The kids can sense the tension, but Carmela does her best to keep up with Tony and Livia, making small talk with Livia (and rather pointedly noting how good the nursing unit she's in is treating her). Livia complains about the pork being undercooked, telling a story about a family that died of trichinosis in California from eating undercooked meat. Tony keeps up normal appearances through all this, including consternation with her death obsession without making it look like anything out of the ordinary. As Junior tries to keep a low profile, Carmela warms up to keeping up appearances, but if either of them think bombarding Livia on both sides with normal patter will do anything, they're to be disappointed. Aside from pretending not to know who Artie was, she seems utterly, blissfully unaware of any reason she should be concerned. At the Church, Artie sits with Father Intintola to discuss his crisis of conscience. He still believes Tony burned down the restaurant, but given he couldn't bring himself to kill him (he doesn't mention this last part to the priest) now he is at a loss of what to do. Father Phil thinks he should tell insurance company, or at the very least tell Charmaine. Artie, who admits he only goes through the motion of Church on special events with the kids, is still looking for guidance... just not THAT guidance. He doesn't want to risk an anti-defamation lawsuit, and when Father Phil insists that Charmaine can handle it and Artie is just scared she'll force him to go to the police, he says they're straying away from the subject of what he can do to make himself feel better (that also doesn't impact or inconvenience him in any way). Christopher arrives - late of course - to a meeting called by Tony at the back of Satriale's. It's time for him to come clean, the only way to survive now is to get ahead of everything. So he tells them he has been seeing a psychiatrist for 4-5 months now. They're startled, of course, he even admits it is a female psychiatrist. They sit in silence so he tells them to give it to him to his face, and eventually Silvio manages to get out that he's sure Tony handled things with complete discretion. Tony assures him he did, no names or specifics were given, but Junior knows and has decided to use it against him. After another uncomfortable silence he tells them now is the time to ask questions, because this will never be an open topic of discussion again. Shockingly, Paulie has an admission of his own: he saw a therapist himself about a year ago. That surprises all of them, but he plays it off with a simple,"I had some issues. Enough said." He admits it helped him learn coping skills, and Silvio with great reluctance admits that it would be nice in this day and age if as men they could admit these are painful and stressful times... but he knows they won't. That only leaves Christopher, and he struggles to articulate his feelings, finally asking if it was something like marriage counseling? Tony admits it was something like that, but Christopher can't deal with it. He grew up idolizing Tony, and to a lesser extent Silvio and Paulie and Pussy, and now here all of them (sans Pussy) are talking about their feelings and going to therapy? It doesn't fit with his image of them at all and he can't reconcile it, and all he can do is rush out of the room. Speaking of marriage counseling, Carmela comes to the Church with a plate of food for Father Intintola, but pulls up short when she sees him sitting with Rosalie Aprile, chowing down on a plate she brought him while he regales her with stories of his missionary work. Quietly, she turns to leave, looking back in time to spot Rosalie dabbing some food from his cheek. Heading outside, she dumps the food into the trash and walks away.   Artie settles down to a meal of his own making at Nuovo Vesuvio, where Charmaine is giving direction to their brand new hire as a Hostess: Adriana La Cerva. Charmaine is impressed with how quickly Adriana picks up on direction, and especially impressed to learn she is working two jobs to pay her way through becoming a Music Manager... whatever that is! She asks Artie what he wanted to tell her, and looking at his wife's happy face he chickens out and just compliments her on her choice of bar stools. Tony comes down for breakfast in the morning, in an extremely good mood which surprises Carmela. The reason why soon becomes obvious. At Mikey Palmice's house, he steps out to go for a run, yelling at Jojo to get him on the cell phone if Chuckie calls. She yells at him for yelling at her, and he dismisses her with a contemptuous,"Go take a Midol!" He stretches and heads down the street, passing a girl walking her dog (which tries to lunge at him) and heading down into road lined on both sides by woods. A car slowly comes up behind him, and he casts a look back, unable to see who is driving... but he instantly knows this isn't some random car wanting to get by him. He takes off into the woods, pursued on foot from the car by Christopher and Paulie. There is no attempted camaraderie, so false politeness or trickery, it is clear that they have come to kill him and he doesn't question it for a second, just runs. He's fast, but Christopher can keep up with him, only Paulie struggling to keep the pace as he stumbles through poison ivy to his great distress. Christopher fires several shots but misses, but as Mikey clears one section of woods he trips and crashes into a creek. Twisting around, he doesn't have time to do anything before Christopher shoots him in the leg. It's about as perfect as Christopher could have dreamed. Brendan was shot in the bathtub, and now the guy he knows murdered him is lying helpless in a body of water too. Even better, while Brendan's death was near-instant, Mikey is very much alive and trapped, and begging for his life. It must be music to his ears, but he's also too angry to enjoy it, while Paulie arrives more concerned about the poison ivy than the guy pleading for his life in front of him. The latter must be the truest ignominy, for Mikey who dreamed of going up a notch or two to be lying on the ground pleading for life, while one of his assassins is more concerned about getting a rash than Mikey's life. Christopher screams at Mikey that Brendan never had a chance to run, and Mikey squeals that it was Junior who shot him, an obvious lie that Christopher sneers at ("Mr. Magoo!"). Paulie, fed up and wanting to get his rash treated, shoots first, but Christopher gets his in as well, emptying the clip and still pulling the trigger as he vents his rage and sorrow over the death of his friend. A scumbag friend for sure, but a friend nonetheless. This marks a pretty serious turning point for Christopher. He took it upon himself to kill Emil in The Pilot, and it haunted him. In this episode he was allowed to lure Jimmy to his death but it was Silvio who took the shot. Now, not a Made guy, he gets to join in as an active participant in the murder of a high ranking Made man. As Mikey breathes his last, his cellphone rings, but nobody ever answers.  In an odd, 3rd-person camera view, we see the sudden arrests by the FBI of 16 mob figures, including three key members of the DiMeo Crime Family. One is Joseph "Beppy" Sasso, a character never seen before who was apparently the Underboss of the Family, but had been sick for some time. The second is Larry Boy Barese. The third, and most important, is Junior Soprano (his "gently caress!" when he spots the Feds is hilarious). The story is all over the news, watched by Tony and Carmela in their bedroom that night as Tony rages about the timing saving Junior's life. Meadow walks into the room and is thrilled to see Uncle Junior on the news, but Tony is instantly into defense mode, outraged that Junior is being made to do a perp walk when he's a legitimate businessman! Meadow tells him to cut the crap, but Carmela isn't having an argument about this and tells her to leave. AJ shows up eating ice cream and thinks it is "cool" that Uncle Junior was busted, so Tony gives him a little whack on the back of the head. On the news, they report that a fourth key figure was supposed to be arrested but could not be found: Chief Enforcer and Loan Sharking Chief Michael Palmice. They cut to Jojo standing outside her house, neighbors standing gaping in the background (one kid having a great time jumping about waving at the camera) as she weeps that Mikey was so happy to be trying his new running shoes, and the last thing he was Tony takes a call from his lawyer, and he and Carmela head down to the kitchen where he tells her what he knows so far. It seems the Indictment has been talked up heavily in the media but doesn't have all that much scope. Tony wasn't arrested or named because the focus of the investigation was on a telephone calling-card scam being run by Junior and Larry Boy, as well as a bullshit penny-stock they were selling. But he knows he isn't in the clear, they had Altieri for at least a little while and he will have given them plenty of information. Enough for an investigation, just not enough to make a case... yet. Tony knows it is a problem for the future, but in the short term his concern is whether the guys arrested today flip. Father Intintola brings another certificate to Nuovo Vesuvio for a cheap (free?) meal, and Artie comes over to thank him for his spiritual guidance the other day. But he admits he hasn't told Charmaine and isn't going to, and begins happily spouting about making the decision to be either a positive or a negative ion, and he chose positive while Livia has always been negative. You can see Father Phil's face fall as he realizes that Artie is basically going to do nothing, not tell his wife, and let Tony get away with arson as well as Artie himself committing insurance fraud. But like a coward, rather than pushing Artie he chooses not to rock the boat himself, and simply tells Artie that as long as he is at peace with himself, that is the important thing. Way to be a moral compass in the world, Father Phil! The District Attorney (named after a character from The Rockford Files invented by David Chase) sits with Junior Soprano where he offers him a deal. They wanted Tony so they could get Junior, but now they want Junior so they can get somebody even bigger than him: Johnny Sack, who in turn will get them the big fish of Mangano and Teresi. The DiMeo Investigation has always been considered a way to wedge into the Lupertazzi Family, and the DA lays out a path for Junior to avoid the charges against him. All he has to do is testify that he was never actually the Boss. That's all. Just swallow his pride and admit that his nephew set him up as a lightning rod while he really ran everything with the backing of New York via Johnny Sack. That's all. Just admit he was a puppet, that he never achieved his dream of being The Boss. That he was tricked and manipulated and everybody knew it, he was "allowed" to make profit but not to make orders, he was never in the loop. Junior sits and thinks, he thinks about all the hard work and all the times he was passed over, and how he was made a fool of by his own family. And he absorbs all of that in silence before making the hardest decision of his life, but one that keeps him true to the ideals he always espoused. His nephew ran everything? Not that strunz, not in this life.  Is it pride? Loyalty? Stubbornness? Self-delusion? In the end it doesn't matter, Junior Soprano doesn't compromise. He'd rather live with the empty illusion than get revenge by giving up his dignity. It's a key difference between himself and Livia, as we'll soon find out. Carmela comes home with the groceries to find Father Intintola INSIDE HER HOUSE. That's... super hosed up. Carmela doesn't blink though, just quietly asks how he got in and he happily admits he had the maid let him in before she left and has just been... wandering about in the empty house waiting for her to come home? He makes small talk about the big storm reported as coming in this way while he convinces her to have a wine. He asks how she is doing with the whole indictments story, and explains the DVD on the counter is one he hired - "One True Love" - since he thought she might like to take her mind off things with a movie night. Peering at him as she considers something, she ask if he is staying for dinner and when he senses her frustration she assures him she just needs to know so she can defrost enough steaks. He starts talking again about Tony's spirituality and she's had enough, turning around telling him coldly that Tony doesn't give a flying gently caress and they both know it. She unloads on him in pretty brutal fashion, and in his total inexperience with women he just stands gaping and making pathetic attempts to defend himself as she lays out all his problems. Tony is a sinner but Father Phil is more than happy to show up and enjoy the fruits of those sins: eat his food, use his entertainment system etc. He gets off on the whiff of sexuality, of exploiting spiritually thirsty women, even if he doesn't realize he is doing it. More to the point, he's exactly like Tony in many ways, including doing something lovely like picking up a DVD that HE wants to watch in spite of her telling him she didn't like the actress, then acting hurt and confused when she gets upset about it. She has to put up with it with Tony, she doesn't have to put up with it with him. He can admit sexual attraction to her and then be a martyr who is fighting his urges... except she points out that he seems to be doing exactly the same thing with Rosalie Aprile. In short, she takes out all her frustrations about Tony and the current situation on him, using him as a good scapegoat because he really does have a lot to answer for as well. Because he can tell Carmela she needs to help Tony be a more spiritual person, and he can tell Artie to do the right thing and tell his wife. But he obviously feels some level of moral superiority when he does it, when he's just as guilty of both of them of exploiting Tony's immoral and illegal actions for his gain. Blown away by getting ripped to pieces like this, all he can manage is a slow stagger out of the house... except he has to stop and come back silently, shamefacedly to retrieve his DVD before he goes.   With Junior arrested, Tony still needs an outlet for his frustrations that was denied when Junior "escaped". With malice of forethought (he told Carmela he wasn't coming home for dinner) he walks through the corridors of Green Grove's nursing unit, collecting a pillow on the way. He's clearly prepared to murder his own mother, an act which would probably psychologically torture him forever and stand a good chance of getting him arrested and sent away for life. But before he can, he runs into Ms. Giaculo, one of the staff members who believes Carmela has gotten hold of him. He's confused, and she explains that Livia has just suffered an incredibly convenient stroke shortly after learning that Junior was arrested. Tony smiles, not believing a word of it, and tosses her the pillow before heading towards where the EMTs are wheeling Livia's bed for the hospital ride to St. Vincent's. Reaching his mother's side, he cups the side of her face as she stares up at him wide-eyed, and leans close to whisper that he knows what she did. But as he continues to whisper accusations designed to stab her with guilt, she simply smiles beneath her oxygen mask, a sparkle in her eyes. The EMTs warn him that she can't answer, she's lost her speech in the stroke, but he ignores them, telling her he heard the FBI Tapes. The EMTs, sensing now there is more going on here than a dutiful son talking to his mother, yell at him to back off. He warns them to back off and Ms. Giaculo calls for Security to come help, as Tony gets in close to Livia again to remind her that with Junior in jail he only has one little detail left to deal with. He assures her he's going to live a long and happy life, which is more than he can say for her. But she just continues to smile, as he gets angrier and angrier that she isn't playing along with the script in his head. He's revealed his knowledge of all her horrible machinations so why isn't she denying it? Why isn't she afraid? Why is she... why is she laughing?   Dr. Melfi posted:These people's internal phobias are the only things that exist to them. The real world, real people, are peripheral. Because, as hosed up as her deciding to jump to this conclusion was, Melfi was right. Livia is the only real person in the world, she never learned (or accepted) she wasn't the center of the Universe. All of her acts, all of her planning and actions and often bizarre decisions? They all had one goal and one goal all along: she wanted to punish Tony. Punish him for what? For putting her in Green Grove? For selling her house? No no, those things were peripheral. She punished Tony because he took away her agency. HE chose to put her in Green Grove. HE chose to sell her house. She had no choice in these matters, or acted like he gave her no choice at least. For her, that was unforgivable, because it denied the fact that SHE was the most important, the most real, the ONLY real person in the world. Everybody at some point comes to the realization that when they die, the world will continue on with barely a blip at best, because they're just a small part of the ongoing thing that is life. But for Livia (and Tony himself, to a large degree) that is unacceptable. So she sided with Junior to punish Tony. And she agreed to a hit on Tony to punish him. If he'd died, that would have been his punishment. But he survived, so she put on a worried face and then did the Alzheimer's bit, not only to illicit sympathy and a potential excuse for her actions, but so that she could use it to punish Tony further. She told Artie about the fire to punish Tony. She faked the stroke to protect herself but also so could lord it up knowing she was not only fooling everybody but to make Tony look foolish if he tried to accuse her of being some kind of threat. Now that he has shown up and revealed he knows, she can only laugh, because he can't do anything about it, and she knows that the knowledge of what she did is killing him inside, and that too is suitable punishment in her mind. She is Livia Soprano, she is the most important person on the planet, and Tony is the wilful son who chose to stay close to her and in doing so, became the one person in the world who had power over her. She is one of the greatest television characters/villains in the history of the medium. Tony leaves the hospital and drives through the steadily worsening weather. He goes to Melfi's office but finds it empty, a maintenance man explaining she has gone on vacation. The power goes out and he is left in the dark, figuratively and literally. With the power out, he picks up Carmela and they pick up the kids from school so they can drive to Aunt Patty's (presumably Carmela's never seen sister). But the worsening weather is making the roads more and more dangerous and Meadow insists they give up trying to make it there. Fuming, Tony insists it is an off-road vehicle and doesn't appreciate a smart-rear end joke from AJ, but Carmela agrees with Meadow: they can barely see in front of them, this is dangerous. Realizing what street they're on, Tony has an idea, and drives them to just outside Nuovo Vesuvio. They rush through the rain to the door and knock frantically, and Artie pulls the door open with Charmaine just behind him, explaining they've lost power too and are just clearing up the last of their remaining customers before closing for the night. Disappointed, they figure they can head to McDonalds, and Artie can't stand it, telling them to come in much to Charmaine's frustration. Inside the restaurant they find Silvio and Paulie eating together, Paulie smothered in lotion for his poison ivy, and they happily greet Tony. Christopher sits at the bar with Adriana, the two apparently reconciled and with eyes only for each other - perhaps killing Mikey exorcised something in Christopher, perhaps it was just a standard break-up/reunion for a couple whose tempers run hot, but in any case they appear very much in love again. Charmaine takes a moment but ultimately ignores Carmela's timid greeting to instead ask Meadow and AJ if they'd like to go into the kitchen to see Chiara and their other two kids. Artie offers to cook them anything they like, he still has gas at least and doesn't mind cooking by candlelight. Tony says he'll be happy to take anything. Paulie and Silvio consider Christopher and Adriana, then Paulie brings up Tony seeing a psychiatrist. Silvio is surprised Paulie still seems unsure, what with Paulie himself seeing one a year earlier. Paulie explains that was different, his therapist was a man. A female therapist? Well that's just weird! Silvio laughs it off, but gets a little concerned that Paulie seems to still have somewhat of an issue. Paulie quickly smiles and assures him he means nothing by it, and it does at least seem his issue is more one of confusion than contempt or alarm. He genuinely just can't understand talking to a woman about your problems. He agrees with Silvio, Tony is legitimately the Boss now, all they can do is wish him the best of luck.   Artie finishes cooking and brings Meadow and AJ back out to join Tony and Carmela, who look almost as lovesick-happy as Christopher/Adriana. Artie doesn't even hover around, and they prepare to eat, but first Tony proposes a toast: to his family. Whether trying his best not to be his mother or just because it genuinely feels like a special moment, he tells them that someday soon they will have families of their own. He hopes they will be able to remember these little moments, that were good. They clink glasses, and AJ at least takes this to heart, he will repeat this line in the final episode of the series and it will touch Tony deeply to know that he had some positive impact on his son, even if he himself doesn't remember having said it. So ends season 1 of the Sopranos, a drama series quite unlike anything that had ever come before it. One that still holds up for the most part with the best of anything on offer 20 years later. Characters have come and gone, lived and died, and it ends with a core group of characters together in the dark eating good food and sharing happy times. But the storm raging outside is a clear metaphor for what is to come. Junior in prison, Livia in hospital, and both of them AND Tony fully aware of the betrayal and manipulations they are all guilty of. Other characters are coming, and five seasons of one of the best shows ever made remain. I can't loving wait.  Season 1: The Pilot | 46 Long | Denial, Anger, Acceptance | Meadowlands | College | Pax Soprana | Down Neck | The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti | Boca | A Hit Is a Hit | Nobody Knows Anything | Isabella | I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 10, 2019 11:27
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You could just write a book, I’d pay to keep reading these.
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Apr 10, 2019 13:52
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I hated the priest so much . Such a mealy mouthed goober . Nothing interesting or good about him
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Apr 10, 2019 15:58
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Jerusalem posted:Season 1, Episode 13 - I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano A great summation. And such a dramatically interesting nemesis for Tony. He is huge, physically imposing, full of rage, a bear on a fraying leash. It would be the obvious choice to put him against another alpha male, another person driven by physical violence and threats. But to make his archenemy a frail old woman who never quite says what she means is genius. That image of her smiling under the mask is so powerful, it's the first time we've seen her real menace without any pretense, and the message is clear - she is every bit Tony's equal and wants to destroy him. And she is perfectly equipped to do so, since she is the one who created the weak spots in his armor to begin with. drat, I wish she had been in more seasons of this show.
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Apr 10, 2019 19:05
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little moments that show how much people care, genuinely and how much they genuinely don't care 
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Apr 10, 2019 19:31
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Thanks for all the write ups, Jerusalem. It has really added a lot to my re-watch - not least that I am pacing myself by waiting for your digest before watching each episode. I had forgotten just how massive a character Livia was. I have actually encountered a personality like hers in life many years ago (thankfully only at work) since I watched the show. This person blew tiny events completely out of proportion and interpreted everything going on as being completely about them and harboured grudges (in many cases for over a decade) over completely trivial things. The scariest thing was how they had a face that hid all the craziness from people they weren't around much but they would gradually "groom" people to try to turn them against the people they resented. They would make themselves out to be a victim in every situation and would even try to tell people they thought they had got close to that they were being abused by their husband and kids at home. Eventually it became a running joke because it was obviously bullshit - it was known that this person actually lived an incredibly pampered life but it ended with them being fired for making death threats about people at work (!). I won't go into what happened after that but they did not take kindly to being brought face to face with the reality that people knew exactly what they were doing. Sorry for the tangent but I had always thought of this person as "Livia" because I recognised the same behaviour that is shown in the character in The Sopranos. On re-watching though there were so many little things that were lost on me the last time I watched because I hadn't encountered this person. It seems to me the character was either based on a real person with such a disorder or they researched whatever the condition is in meticulous detail. The character is so perfectly observed. Sort of brings to mind the question Elliot asked Jennifer in therapy about why we enjoy watching films. The Sopranos by today's standards never mind those of the time has this unique captivating quality because so many of the characters are just so complete. It is fascinating to watch these psychos live their lives and interact but you would never want to be anywhere near anything like them :/ crispix fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Apr 10, 2019 |
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Apr 10, 2019 19:54
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Pulcinella di Bund posted:little moments that show how much people care, genuinely Do you have a GIF of Ginny on the floor surrounded by junk food? That sequence is one of the funniest things in the show.
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Apr 10, 2019 22:45
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Paulie definitely cared, he just had a hard time expressing it.
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Apr 10, 2019 22:51
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Jose Oquendo posted:Do you have a GIF of Ginny on the floor surrounded by junk food? That sequence is one of the funniest things in the show.  THIS IS HOW YOU TRY?!
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Apr 11, 2019 02:06
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Eau de MacGowan posted:Paulie definitely cared, he just had a hard time expressing it.  WE DON'T RUN, IT'S EMBARRASSING  WHATEVA HAPPENED THERE?! Punk da Bundo fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Apr 11, 2019 02:08
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Ishamael posted:drat, I wish she had been in more seasons of this show. Just imagine if season 3 had got to use the original plan of Tony doing his best to repair their relationship to prevent her from testifying against him? I can just see her reveling in it all, the idea that both sides were desperately trying to get her to do what she wanted and her enjoying all the attention and the power. Him having to bite his tongue and take all the abuse. It would have been incredible. Ishamael posted:It would be the obvious choice to put him against another alpha male, another person driven by physical violence and threats. I really dig that his nemesis in season 2 is definitely intimidating, but he's a little guy in comparison to Tony. That he used to be the badass older brother of Jackie still makes him somebody that Tony struggles to dominate, mostly because he's been away so long that he's still that bigger, tougher, cooler kid that Tony remembers. By contrast, a guy like Paulie who Tony idolized growing up he also grew to see as just another guy, but these figures from the past have a real hold on him (Tony B. especially). crispix posted:Sorry for the tangent but I had always thought of this person as "Livia" because I recognised the same behaviour that is shown in the character in The Sopranos. On re-watching though there were so many little things that were lost on me the last time I watched because I hadn't encountered this person. It seems to me the character was either based on a real person with such a disorder or they researched whatever the condition is in meticulous detail. The character is so perfectly observed. I count myself lucky I've never known anybody like her in real life, though I've certainly known narcissists and they're frustrating enough. Torquemada posted:You could just write a book, I’d pay to keep reading these. Thank you 
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Apr 11, 2019 |
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Apr 11, 2019 04:42
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Pulcinella di Bund posted:
I love when Ginny sees Tony come to visit and she just yells loudly for John to get down there because he's got company. It's the most New Jersey thing.
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Apr 11, 2019 19:32
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Ginette Reno posted:I love when Ginny sees Tony come to visit and she just yells loudly for John to get down there because he's got company. It's called a " great room", but I don't see what's so great about it.
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Apr 11, 2019 19:36
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Pulcinella di Bund posted:
The end of that scene is so loving touching, I love Ginny and Johnny Sack's relationship in this show. When I was rewatching the show last year with my roommate, I was dreading the season where Johnny dies because I somehow got it in my head that Ginny got murdered shortly after, to the point that I could visualize a scene of Ginny getting chased through her house by her killer, I was so relieved when that never ended up happening.
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Apr 11, 2019 19:53
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| # ? May 24, 2024 00:31 |
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Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the woman who played Ginny not really an actress and went on an audition on a whim or something? I thought I recall reading that.
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Apr 11, 2019 19:56
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