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"50 thousand dollars.....mailmen make more than that" I love Janice
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Apr 19, 2019 15:13
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| # ? May 28, 2024 07:04 |
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The only difference I can really see between Livia and Janice in the way they operated was that Janice was motivated by material greed and envy (I guess this would be debatable - maybe the envy of Tony and Carmella's lifestyle had deeper roots) while Livia was motivated by a need to feel in control of everyone around her. Either way though, they are both going to conspire in separate ways to have their son/brother whacked!
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Apr 19, 2019 19:10
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Also Bobby whose role later on really could not be foreseen. Even in his first appearance he seems like such a tragically misplaced person 
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Apr 20, 2019 00:37
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crispix posted:Also Bobby whose role later on really could not be foreseen. Even in his first appearance he seems like such a tragically misplaced person Especially when you find out his dad was the Junior's top button man.
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Apr 20, 2019 01:19
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I got to where Noah dumped Meadow and it seems like the second Tony hit him up with kind words he decided to pump and dump Meadow to exact revenge (I also like how he's still an rear end in a top hat character while still making tony out to be the racist prickjob himself in their encounter)
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Apr 20, 2019 05:28
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Always struck me how Tony's parenting incorporated his mafioso tactical thinking - "if she realises we're powerless, we're hosed!". Also Meadow's little smirk and strut away from the situation where she should have faced consequences for her actions but actually dictated the terms of her own punishment is priceless.
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Apr 20, 2019 18:18
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drjuggalo posted:I got to where Noah dumped Meadow and it seems like the second Tony hit him up with kind words he decided to pump and dump Meadow to exact revenge (I also like how he's still an rear end in a top hat character while still making tony out to be the racist prickjob himself in their encounter) I love how Noah is one of the most unpopular characters according my looking at the youtube comments for clips with him in, mainly for racist reasons. He’s such a frigging Chad, it’s awesome. Good looking, rich, intelligent, bangs a mob bosses daughter, and when the mob boss tells him to back off, he tells him gently caress you with no repercussions, keeps ON banging her, and then drops her and breaks her heart when he gets bored. I get that he’s a civilian, but there’s not really many characters that get away with so much in the show.
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Apr 20, 2019 18:46
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Paulie loves to repeat his jokes. He is such a loving nutter 
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Apr 20, 2019 20:13
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crispix posted:Always struck me how Tony's parenting incorporated his mafioso tactical thinking - "if she realises we're powerless, we're hosed!". Also Meadow's little smirk and strut away from the situation where she should have faced consequences for her actions but actually dictated the terms of her own punishment is priceless. There's an interesting example I just watched from Season Five where AJ complains about the type of milk in his cereal and Tony just flat out grabs the bowl and pours it out and is all smug that AJ doesn't have anything now.
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Apr 20, 2019 21:00
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code:crispix fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Apr 20, 2019 |
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Apr 20, 2019 21:12
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Parvati Vishnu posted:I'm petitioning the state department but they still have me on their enemy radicals list so... 
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Apr 21, 2019 13:56
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Season 2, Episode 4 - CommendatoriChristopher Moltisanti posted:I'm gonna see that fuckin' volcano. In a reminder that this show was made in the year 2000, the episode opens with Tony and his crew gathered around to watch The Godfather II on a lovely little CRT television. It's the advanced bootleg copy (complete with FBI piracy warning) of the DVD with alternate takes, and a fed-up Tony can't believe they're planning to watch the film AGAIN. As the DVD player goes on the fritz and Christopher and Paulie attempt to fix it, Pussy "makes conversation" with Tony about an upcoming trip to Italy. It's really an excuse to pump him for info regarding his relationship with Junior to in turn feed back (in garbled form) to the FBI, but he's smart enough to not show TOO much interest in Tony's "upper management" dealings. As Paulie begins whacking the player with his shoe, Tony - in spite of himself - can't help but get into discussing his favorite scene in the film: the young Vito's return to Sicily. Obviously, that's heavy on his mind at the moment, because he, Paulie and Christopher about to fly back to "the old country" themselves. An extremely whitebread family going out to dinner in New York are carjacked, fleeing in terror as the two black carjackers race away in their expensive family vehicle, though they at least let the family dog go before they leave. It's a bizarre, initially seemingly disconnected from the main show scene but it's also incredible as a case study of repressed impotence and white suburban rage. The father is clearly fed up with his neurotic family and their lack of respect, the boy screams for his dog to attack the carjackers, the dog itself just races away happily up the street ignoring the family's pleas for him to come back, and the father - utterly emasculated - lets vent by blaming "loving niggers!" and then screaming at his wife who else should he blame? Well Tony Soprano of course! As he waits at a doctor's office to see Junior he happily looks through Polaroids of the many cars stolen to his specific order, including this family's. This is what the trip to Italy is about, another benefit of Tony no longer having to hide the actual hierarchy of the Family from Junior: he is taking over a car-smuggling operation Junior has been running for years, and intends to modernize it and take full advantage in a way Junior has not. Tony and Junior move into the office, and it is actually a real doctor's visit this time. Junior is in a wheelchair, wanting to get his sprained hip looked at, and obviously frustrated by previous visits as he insists he won't get undressed until he knows for sure the doctor will actually X-ray him. Tony and Junior's conversation is amicable, even when Junior is understandably upset that "his" car operation is no longer his he doesn't press the point. For all that Junior attempted to take Tony down, they at least understand each other perfectly. It's not like his mother or his sister or even his wife and kids, Tony knows Junior took a shot, they both know he failed and Junior was only saved by his arrest, and now they just move on with full awareness of the status quo... for now. Tony asks about the top guy in the Italian family they'll be dealing with. Zi Vittorio, a serious man who came to America on the Italian Line for a trip in the 1960s. Junior remembers their celebrations fondly as they put together their relationship, and Tony - still feeling somewhat nostalgic due to the upcoming trip, smiles to see him reminiscing. Zi is old school from The Old Country, though at least he doesn't listen to opera, and technically he is related to the Sopranos, but at such a distance it is largely irrelevant. Junior's primary relationship was through their frontman: Furio Giunta. This is the first reference to what will be an extremely important character going forward, for now though he's just a name, an Italian who speaks English. Their conversation finished, Junior notes it's nice that Tony is getting to go to Italy, before sighing that he himself never got to go. Tony actually offers a sympathetic gesture, patting his shoulder as he leaves and telling him it isn't over yet. But once he's gone, Junior is left alone to seethe. Yes they know where they stand with each other now, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow as he sits in a wheelchair facing possibly jailtime while his nephew takes over his operations and is taking a trip he never got to. Thoughts of Richie Aprile must be close at hand. At dinner, Meadow can't help but stir poo poo as she helps set the table. Tony is going to Italy and not taking the family? Not even Carmela? Tony keeps pointing out it is a business trip and there will be no time for sight-seeing or even just enjoying the atmosphere, but Meadow keeps harping on about all the beautiful things to see and do, and thus by omission all that Carmela will NOT get to see and do. Carmela, in beautiful passive-aggressive fashion, insists that everything is fine and she hasn't complained, while making it extremely clear she is PISSED. Tony tries to reassure her, noting that he knows he promised her a trip after he declined to join Tom and Barbara in the Bahamas last year because it was football season which is such a busy time for him. Carmela calmly ignores or agrees with him, while clearly getting angrier and angrier at the same time, and Tony can see it. Like millions before him, he can't understand why his partner is being so unreasonable about him constantly excluding them/putting them a distant second behind his financial interests!   Pussy meets with his FBI handler Skip to discuss what information he's been able to pick up recently. He explains how Junior used to run a smuggling operation to Naples, just two months ago he sent 60 cars overseas. Skip asks who is running that operation now and Pussy is quick to give the answer: They've come to as an out-of-the-way place as possible for their meeting, a party supply store. But by sheer chance a mob-connected guy named Jimmy Bones, who works as an Elvis Impersonator and is picking up some supplies of his own. Jimmy is a happy, outgoing guy who cannot read a room to save his life. He bounds over and starts enthusiastically chatting to Pussy, pointedly staring at Skip and waiting for an introduction. Pussy claims he is a "friend-of-ours" from Dover in Delaware. Jimmy is delighted, he lives in Dover... but in New Jersey! He. won't. go. away. He just keeps chatting as Pussy gets ruder trying to make it clear he wants him to go, but Jimmy just laughs it off and explains he's here for supplies for a 6-year-old's birthday party, then peers at Pussy and asks why he is here since his kids are all grown? Skip tries to explain it is for his own daughter's birthday, while Pussy near-simultaneously claims he is prepping for a Bachelor's Party. Jimmy, ignoring Pussy's protests that he box he is holding is probably heavy so he should maybe leave, ponders the fact he never met a connected guy from Delaware before. Finally he informs them he has to go, mocking Pussy's rudeness before departing. Pussy and Skip leave the store too, the latter trying to convince Pussy the chance encounter was fine and Jimmy isn't suspicious at all, he's just being paranoid. At least for now, all demands for more information on Tony Soprano are forgotten. Carmela, Rosalie Aprile and Angie Bonpensiero (played at last by her series regular actor) have lunch together at a restaurant, listening to Con Te Partirò, a song which will feature multiple times in the episode. They discuss how happy Angie must be that Pussy is back, and with quiet desperation she agrees. Rosalie becomes emotional as they listen to the music, which is about saying goodbye, and Angie is quick to try and turn the conversation to Rosalie's grief rather than her own "happiness". In a lovely little touch, Carmela "completes" a quotation when Rosalie notes Que Sera Sera, adding in "helpfully" what will be, will be. Rosalie's little pause before nodding is hilarious, it's hard to tell if it is grief or just politeness. Carmela notes how handsome Andrea Bocelli is, causing Rosalie to giggle, but Angie cracks at this point, she can't take it anymore. Not because Andrea Bocelli is blind ("I'm sure he got used to it!" Rosalie assures Angie), but because Pussy is back. She's not happy, she's depressed... hell, she's suicidal. Rosalie makes the sign of the cross in horror, then snaps at the women at the next table to mind their own business. Angie tells them about hearing Pussy's voice the day he came home, and immediately wanting to vomit. All her worrying, all her praying, the moment he was back her heart sank. Rosalie, no stranger to how Jackie was before he got sick in addition to having to sit through his long, agonising decline, immediately guesses that he Angie had wished Pussy really was dead. Angie hits them with yet another blow, informing them that she recently sound a lump under her arm and will get the results of the biopsy in a couple of days. When she told Pussy, he had a moment of surprise and then just.. went back to doing whatever the gently caress it is he does. Angie has reached the end of her rope, and to Carmela and Rosalie's great unease, explains that whatever the results of the biopsy, she's going to get a divorce.   Tony, Paulie and Christopher arrive in Naples, enthralled immediately with the beautiful weather, the scenery (Mt. Vesuvius is right there, putting Artie's restaurant mural to shame) and especially the beautiful women. Paulie manages to impress them by communicating in rough but passable Italian with the cabbie who agrees that the women are indeed beautiful. Pumped up to be in the "mother country", Christopher excitedly proclaims that his two big must-dos are to get to the topless beaches and to climb to the top of Mt. Vesuvius and see the crater. Tony and Paulie share his enthusiasm as they enter the hotel, where they are immediately greeted by Furio and his associate Tanno. It's smiles, kisses and handshakes all around, at which point Christopher can't help but notice tell-tale needle marks on Tanno's arm. At once, the two top items on his agenda drop precipitously. Furio suggests they get some sleep if required, freshen up and he'll return to pick them up at 8pm to meet Nino to discuss business over dinner. Tony is still smiling, but not genuinely now as he asks who the gently caress is Nino? He was supposed to meet with Don Vittorio. Furio just offers a non-committal "maybe not" that unsettles Tony, but politeness dictates he leave it as the concierge informs them they are already checked in and he can bring them to their rooms. Paulie is thrilled to be called Commendatori, tucking the word away in his Italian vocabulary. Back in America, Carmela and Rosalie are gossiping like schoolgirls. Their sympathy for Angie was real, their unease about her desire for divorce was unreal, but there's also a savage pleasure to be taken in just dishing the dirt with their girlfriends. Carmela talks on the phone to Gabriella Dante (also with her now permanent actor, the real-life wife of Steven Van Zandt) before taking a call from Rosalie, who gets very excited when she realizes she can be the one to break the news to Franny Altieri: Jimmy's wife, presumably, they remain in contact in spite of the circumstances of his death? In Italy, Tony and Paulie are brought to dinner in a lovely restaurant by Furio. Multiple men from the local Camorra family are in attendance, but Christopher is absent (he told Paulie he was buying Adriana a gift) as is Don Vittorio, who Tony was hoping to gift a golf club that Christopher has in his possession. Nino sits at the head of the table, Tony only in the place of honor beside him due to Furio's required presence as a translator. The negotiations kick off, with Nino lamenting Junior's inability to meet their demands and Tony happily agreeing he can more than step up. Paulie hands over the Polaroids of the various available cars for smuggling, and Furio gets to enjoy the unenviable task of all translators everywhere as he diplomatically translates fairly insulting remarks back and forth to be as polite as possible. Tony isn't happy to be dealing with anybody but the Don, while Nino isn't happy this rear end in a top hat from America has shown up and questioned who the gently caress he is.   Tony elaborates on the flaws in Junior's system. He worked via Russians in Brooklyn, who skimmed off the best cars for themselves to trade through Eastern Europe, a market that the Italians themselves should be exploiting. As Tony lays it all out, Paulie interrupts to ask him if he's tried the octopus yet, irritating him since he's, you know, in the middle of working out an international smuggling operation deal here! Seeing that Furio has started translating, Tony takes the opportunity to chide Paulie who getting overexcited about food and pussy. Paulie explains that it is a big deal for him, he never got to come to Italy (presumably when he in the army) but both his brothers (including one who is a doctor!) did. Nino, in rough English about on the level of Paulie's Italian, asks how much will Tony charge for a single car. Picking up the polaroid of the Mercedes ML stolen from the emasculated dad, Tony stresses again that the Italians should be selling to the Eastern European market, where they could get 110k for the Mercedes ML, and he'd sell it to them for only 90k! I'm guessing the two black guys who stole it would be lucky to have gotten $900 for it from Tony. A cute remark from Nino's righthand man about the quality of American manufacturing does not sit well with Tony at all, but Furio is saved from having to translate it by the sudden arrival of Don Vittorio. A hardfaced looking man in a wheelchair and tracksuit accompanied by a beautiful if severe looking woman, everybody immediately stands and steps over to pay their respects. Nino assures Don Vittorio (in Italian) he didn't need to leave the house, and welcomes the beautiful woman - Annalisa - with obvious attraction. Nino introduces Tony to Don Vittorio, who looks up with a keen gaze and accepts Tony's kiss on the cheek and respectful greeting as Annalisa looking on approvingly. Seemingly satisfied himself, the "serious man" who lived it up on The Italian Line in the early 60s in New York motions Tony closer and, grinning broadly, informs him,"Wiltshire Boulevard  "Tony misunderstands, asking Furio is something is wrong with the wheelchair, but Annalisa translates his garbled words correctly before introducing herself to Tony, she is Don Vittorio's daughter. Don Vittorio beckons him down again, and with the same great pleasure explains to Tony,"George Washington Bridge." Tony, quickly picking up on the situation here thanks to his own experience with his mother, is respectful and approving of Don Vittorio which earns him enormous points from Annalisa. To her father's dismay, she warmly suggests they have dinner now and talk about streets later, and grumpily he allows himself to be wheeled to the head of the table. Paulie, who at least keeps his voice down, isn't particularly subtle as he warns Tony that if he gives Don Vittorio a golf club, he'll probably try to gently caress it. Meanwhile, Christopher is making in-roading into developing closer relationships with his Italian counterpart Tanno, as they nod off on a heroin high in his hotel room. Back at the dinner, Tony takes the chance to vent some quiet frustration to Furio, why the gently caress did he never hear about Nino before making his trip? Furio admits that Nino was in hiding from the police until two days ago, his appearance was a surprise to everybody, probably even Mauro Zucca. Which just raises further questions from Tony, who the gently caress is Mauro Zucca? Well apparently he's the one who runs the Family considering Don Vittorio's mental state. So where the gently caress is he? Well in prison for life of course! Tony is flummoxed, rubbing his forehead in despair as beside him a grumpy Paulie calls over the waiter to complain about the food: can he get macaroni and gravy? The men across the table explain the waiter (and themselves) have no idea what he is talking about, grapes? He wants wine? Beaming, Paulie explains he wants tomato sauce, and they grasp his meaning at last. Telling the bemused/slightly disappointed waiter Paulie wants spaghetti and tomato sauce, they joke about how classless Paulie is as he happily watches the waiter take his probably quite delicious food away.   Tony is laying out to Furio his big concern with Nino, something he immediately picked up on: he's insecure, which affects everything he says and does. Furio understands, and assures Tony he will talk to Annalisa. This confuses Tony more, why talk to Don Vittorio's daughter? Well because she's the wife of Mauro Zucca of course! As Paulie departs to use the bathroom, Don Vittorio sees a lull in the conversation and takes the opportunity to make an extremely important point to Tony,"Major Deegan Expressway!" - Tony nods in agreement. Annalisa strikes up a conversation, explaining she has never been to America and picked up her English from school and, of course, films. Like something out of a film itself, Tony smoothly lights her cigarette for her as she pulls one out, her hand resting just a little too long on his own. He asks when they can talk, just the two of them, but she doesn't get a chance to answer as she is brought a message in Italian. Paulie, meanwhile, finds the toilet, but is disgusted by the state of it, especially in comparison to how nice everything else is. The dinner over, Annalisa and Tony walk together and in a moment whose significance he understands all too well, she invites him to come and stay at the house for a time as their guest. She offers to give him a tour of the area, it's in Avellino where his family originally came from, and surely thoughts of Isabella and his fantasy of a simpler life that could have been are flashing through his head. She assures him it is no bother, it should have happened in the first place except for Don Vittorio's condition, but she'll send round a car at 9 tomorrow. He graciously accepts, only for the moment to be ruined when Paulie calls him over to inform him helpfully that he's going to head back to their hotel so he can take "a wicked poo poo". Tony is revolted, not just by the content of what he said but the fact he has pulled him away from his counterpart for such an obnoxious thing, and that Paulie is turning down a ride by them which is a massive breach of protocol. Suddenly a loud bang kicks everybody into action, nobody moreso than Furio who immediately hurls himself onto Don Vittorio's body, knocking over his wheelchair but also shielding him from any potential harm. It almost instantly becomes apparent that this was simply firecrackers going off, but the boy who did it is hauled over and slapped around, his wailing mother punched in the face when she tries to intervene. Local police peel on out of there, wanting nothing to do with this, while Don Vittorio and Annalisa quickly get out of there too for the Don's safety. The restrained kid who lit the firecrackers cries out that he wants to be part of the crew, and an angry but also calm Furio snaps that this isn't the way to do it and slaps him around. Two of the crew see Tony and Paulie's shock at how brutal the treatment is and laugh, saying not to worry, this is "Naples University." But while Tony is shocked, he's also impressed. Not by the brutality, but the complete lack of hesitation on Furio's part in putting his life on the line to protect a senile old man simply because he is The Boss.  He returns to the hotel and calls Carmela, who is busy trying to make dinner and not all that inclined to chat as he admits that Italy is pretty goddamn great, not believing his assurance that the two of them will make a trip of it too. She certainly doesn't appreciate when he tells her it sounds like she is working too hard on dinner and suggests she take the kids out for Chinese instead. She reminds him she doesn't need his permission to enjoy "the excitement of Chinese Food", and when he tries to explain himself he finds himself getting angry and demands to know what she wants from him, because nothing is going on. Immediately following that statement, we cut to Tony in a Roman soldier's outfit banging Annalisa in a toga on a balcony overlooking the sea. It's a dream of course, but a far more pleasant one than what Pussy is having back in America, as he shouts in his sleep about shutting up Jimmy if he says what he saw. He's sleeping on the couch, but is loud enough to wake Angie who stomps over and kicks him, waking him up and snapping with disgust that he's having a nightmare. She has no idea what he is going through of course, but that's not her fault. Christopher isn't having pleasant dreams, in fact it looks like he hasn't slept at all as he sits in his bathrobe in his motel room looking like warmed-up poo poo. He tells Paulie that he suspects he has food poisoning from the shrimp he ate on the plane, who is disappointed since the two of them are supposed to be working with Nino to inspect the dock facilities they'll be using for the smuggling operation. Christopher nods, but his major concern is that he might not get any spare time to get up and see Mt. Vesuvius, which he is absolutely determined to experience. Tony is driven to Avellino and the expansive estate of Don Vittorio, two houses - one modern and large, the other rustic and small - taking pride of place on a hillside that looks out over the city and the bay. Brought to his room by a curt manservant who has no experience or interest in tipping (he just takes the money Tony offers and leaves without a word), Tony steps out onto the balcony and looks down appreciatively at Annalisa in swimwear, getting a manicure while her children play somewhere off-screen. Janice arrives at the mostly empty Soprano home, finding Carmela brooding in the kitchen until she notices her and instantly puts on a happy face and greets her warmly. She's listening to Andrea Bocelli again, Janice amused since she knows Carmela is thinking about missing out on Italy. She assures her she has been many times and it isn't a big deal, doing a weird flex by talking about the constant sexual harassment that she - but not her friend, only Janice! - was subjected to. Carmela explains the song isn't making her sad because of Italy, but because of Angie Bonpensiero. She explains Angie is considering a divorce and Janice, of course, is all for it. She admits she doesn't know either Angie or Pussy well, but surely a marriage to a guy like Pussy can't be great. Carmela's defenses are immediately raised, isn't a man like Pussy... well, Tony? She doesn't say that but the threat is implied in how she asks, and Janice explains she means his clear attitude and obvious medieval outlook on women. Carmela defends Janice tries to mollify her, saying all she knows is that Carmela is intelligent and capable but asks so little from life and herself before admitting that it is none of her business. Carmela, calm but clearly deeply offended, talks about how marriage is a holy sacrament and family is a sacred institution. Janice bites her tongue and just nods along, still gunshy after nearly being thrown out of the house recently, but Carmela is still coming after her. She points out that Janice is the one who is a hypocrite since she's rekindling a romance with Richie Aprile, who is far more "old school" than Pussy or Tony by far. Janice is shocked, coming to Richie's defense by noting his prison experience has made him more sensitive to the plight of women, and Carmela bursts out laughing at how utterly ridiculous that statement is. Ebullient, she admits Janice almost had her going and walks away still laughing and cheerful, leaving a crestfallen Janice behind. The victory is Carmela's, she came out on top on that one. She holds her cheeks, a wide smile on her face, and pauses to try and not let the dread about the reality of her marriage set in. Annalisa is still getting her nails done, watched by Tony from above still. He notices her demand her nail clipping be handed over to her and how she tucks them away. Shortly after she is dressed and they stand on the hillside as she hits golfballs with the club he brought as a gift for Don Vittorio. He smokes a cigar and enjoys the sight of her rear end wiggling as she lines up her shot, and asks to be introduced to the Boss. That, she explains, is her, and he laughs at the very idea. Not in disbelief, he believes her, just in amazement that they'd do this in Italy of all places when it would never happen in America. She shrugs, it's not like there is much in the way of options when all the men so frequently kill each other or go to prison like her brothers and husband. Naples is at war with Rome so deaths are high, but thankfully all the men love their mothers and thus are used to the concept of taking orders from a women. It's an interesting twist on the Madonna/Whore complex, brought about by necessity/attrition in a way that hasn't happened in the American mob, at least not yet at the time of this season. Tony admits that it is smart of her to be her father's nursemaid, given that his name still carries respect and this puts her in a position of power and influence. He can't help but equate it to his own situation with Uncle Junior, and Annalisa isn't surprised, after all, they are cousins.   They head into town to a seaside cafe to eat shrimp and drink wine, where they finally get down to business. She doesn't agree to the price he gave Nino on the Mercedes, but he has another question in mind: why did she save her nail clippings? She jokes, asking if he wants them, then explains - a smart, sensible, competent woman and successful/respected leader of a bloodthirsy mob - that enemies can use your nails and hair clippings to perform evil acts to you. Tony laughs it off, declining her offer, and she explains she burned them anyway: nobody gets her nail and hair clippings, nobody. It's a ludicrous old superstition, but the look on her face makes it clear she takes it deadly serious. His work with Nino apparently done, Paulie is at a loose end without Christopher to pal around with. So he takes the opportunity drink in the atmosphere and sights of Italy like any good tourist might. Of course, Paulie also thinks of himself as an Italian, and his efforts to fit in and find a connection with a country he has always considered a true "home" fail miserably. Sitting alone at a cafe, he watches older men at the next table chatting amicably and, catching one's eye, attempts a friendly "Commendatori, bon giorno". They simply stare then ignore him, the one who looks away indifferently being series creator David Chase in a small cameo. Irritated, Paulie finishes his drink while glaring darkly at the "cocksuckers" then leaves to find his connection elsewhere. Tony and Annalisa walk off their lunch along the beach, discussing the major issue on Tony's mind. In America now, it's hard to get solid people working for you. They're either on drugs or so scared of jailtime they turn informant, there is nobody old school (and compliant, Richie Aprile is plenty Old School). Annalisa figures out his angle immediately, part of the reason for his deal is that he wants guys from Naples to come over to America and work for him. That way, they're loyal to nobody but him, they'll have no ties to anybody but him. Annalisa is pure business, what is the benefit to her in sending over her men to work for him? In complete contradiction to what he just said about being loyal only to him, he explains it will be of benefit to her to have "her" men in place in America. She doesn't give a gently caress about that though, that's what Tony and his crew are supposed to be for: she wants to know how much money she'll be getting. He insists her profitability is going to go up and that is pay enough, and she lets that lay for a moment to ask the next pertinent question: who does he want to begin with? The answer there is obvious, he wants Furio. Immediately she is furious, spitting in disgust and shouting at him for daring to ask for one of her best men (AND a cousin!) in return for nothing but numbers in the air. She rants in Italian as he, rather condescendingly, tells "hon" that she is being short-sighted. Frustrated at having to have this conversation with a woman, he demands to speak with her husband, and her reply is completely on-point for such an insulting declaration: her husband is never coming back so gently caress you, you have to loving deal with me. "Up your rear end!" he snaps back, and they storm away from each other. In America, Angie is unloading groceries when she drops a carton of eggs onto the floor. As she stoops to pick them up, Pussy comes through looking for his belt. Angie, with quiet, pleading desperation, informs him she just got back from the doctor's office and the biopsy came back negative. "Oh good, I'll be back later" grunts Pussy and leaves without a backward glance. In Naples, a loudspeaker announces the latest in a series of tour bus trips to Mt. Vesuvius is about to leave. In what will come as a shock to all, Christopher isn't on that bus, he's lying near-comatose with some strange woman, Tanno passed out on the couch nearby, all them completely hosed up on heroin. The music here is particularly good. Pussy visits Jimmy Bones' home, telling him he was in the area and thought he'd drop by. It turns out that bachelor party he was shopping for now needs some entertainment and thought maybe Jimmy would be right up their alley. Jimmy is intrigued and asks if he wants some coffee, probably barely noticing that Pussy inched his way in past the front door without ever actually being invited in. Pussy doesn't want coffee, and Jimmy in what is now clearly standard fashion ignores him as he insists it is currently on the boil. He turns to lead Pussy to the kitchen, and Pussy... whips out a ballpeen hammer and beats Jimmy Bones to death with it, a picture of Colonel Parker knocked to the ground and covered in blood, busts of Elvis Presley throughout the house the only witnesses. I think the FBI might consider this act of murder a potential breach of their informant agreement.   In Avellino, Tony is packing his bags to leave when Furio enters the room and informs him dinner is in one hour. Tony is determined to leave though and asks Furio to drive him back, and he agrees, pointing out that he had to tell Tony about the dinner since the Boss told him to. That intrigues Tony, now is the chance for a male's take on this: is he really okay with working for a woman? Furio's answer says it all, he just shrugs and asks "whaddya gonna do?" - this is the type of soldier Tony wants, somebody who follows the Boss' orders regardless of what they might personally think. Furio is curious too though, do they really not have women Bosses in America? Tony insists they don't and Furio's look suggests he considers that a rather amusing, backwards mentality. Annalisa's voice gets his attention, she is calling from down below where she is picking vegetables out of the garden. Now she is dressed far more simply than usual, and Tony can't stay mad when she says they still have business to finish, realizing he looks like the jackass yelling at this nice woman in the garden asking him to come to dinner. With a slight roll of his eyes he says he is coming down, and it seems Annalisa was right, Italian men really are programmed to do as their mother's tell them. Pussy, a giant weight of his shoulders having taken care of the Jimmy "problem", returns to the house with a bouquet of red roses. He offers them with the closest thing to an expression of remorse he might be capable of to Angie, who silently takes them, stares... and the begins beating him with them in a silent fury. Good for you, Angie! In a far more rustic setting than the big house, Tony sits on stone steps playing with a dog as Annalisa brings food to the table where the family, including a sleepy Don Vittorio are eating under a lovely vine canopy. This is the house Don Vittorio was born and raised in, and when he became a power and serious man, he built the big house for the larger family but kept this one too. Tony is thrilled by that story, this is the Avellino of his fantasy: a safe place for family and loved ones where everything is as it should be. They drink Amaro together on the step. He notes she takes good care of her father, and like Furio her response is a bemused,"What are you going to do?" - the thought of questioning the done thing just isn't considered. Gently, he tries to make amends for their earlier argument, one finger creeping along her thigh, leaning in closer... until her son knocks something over and she decides it is time he went to bed. With great affection she explains he needs his mother present before he can go to sleep, another reminder of the deep love for their mothers that makes her Italian men so predisposed to following orders from a woman. She tells him she will drive him back to Naples tomorrow, and heads away. Carmela visits Angie at her home, where they discuss her plan to divorce Pussy. Carmela is pleased to hear that despite seeing a lawyer today she won't be filing till Tuesday, assuming she has left Monday to consider her options. Angie sneers at the idea, she's waiting because it's a Jewish holiday and her lawyer won't be available. She's made up her mind, she wants out of this marriage and she means to go through with it. Carmela again falls back on her old standby: what about the kids? Hilariously, Angie completely punctures the earlier "they'll be from a broken home!" argument by pointing out the "kids" are 19, 21 and 24! The youngest, into his Sophomore year at College, will be fine so long as he has privileges to use the house on the shore to party in. When Carmela mentions the Church, Angie snaps the Pope can live with Pussy then. Her negative biopsy has made her realize something: God gave her more years, a gift that she won't squander. She'd been living with the thought of death and that is gone now, and the idea of wasting any more years after 24 with Pussy is revolting to her. So gently caress thinking about it anymore, gently caress what Pussy thinks, it's time she started living for herself.  Goddamn, gently caress yes Angie! But this isn't about Angie, not for Carmela. This is about her justifying to and convincing herself that her marriage to Tony isn't a wreck. That she isn't a coward/hypocrite for putting up with all his bullshit in response for the trinkets of wealth and success. So she goes to work on Angie in methodical, bruising fashion that - if Tony could see it AND appreciate it - would make him realize just how stupid not wanting to work for a woman Boss is. She points out how much Kevin loves Pussy, but also how Terri and Scott are having money problems and issues with pregnancy, and THIS is the example Angie intends to set for a daughter whose own marriage is struggling? Angie, worn down, wants to know why Carmela is so invested in this and she insists it is because Angie is her friend. Plus she's not saying don't get a divorce (but don't get a divorce!), just that she needs to consider all the potential repercussions and issues it might cause. Angie laments that Terri might not be able to have children at all and bursts into tears as she admits that Pussy cried when he heard that: showing the emotional response so absent in their own relationship. But she's had to admit he does have feelings now, and Carmela hugs her tight to "comfort" her, all the while calmly intoning how confident she is that Angie will do the "right" thing and she knows that in the end she won't leave Paulie's quest for connection continues, as he wanders about Naples, a lonely older man with no companions, no friends, no family, trying to fit his square peg into a round hole. He passes another man and tries out his,"Commendatori!" again, happily telling the confused Italian that he is from America, smiling broadly as the agitated man follows after him demanding to know in Italian if he is from NATO and why they wrecked their gondola?. Finally he retreats into the only way he knows how to make a connection: he pays for it. Bringing a prostitute back to his hotel room, he is all cheer as he chats away to the utterly bored hooker, insisting she stick around for the full time he paid for even though they've already had sex. It's both endearing and pathetic as he holds a one-sided conversation as they smoke on his bed, talking about his family history here in Naples and insisting that he (and Tony) are both Napoletan', unlike some of the other boys who are Sicilian. She picks up perhaps one word in ten from him, and his own fractured Italian isn't much better. When he asks where she comes from, she mutters that it's "right over there", which he mistakes for Ariano Irpino, excitedly explaining that is where his family came from. "Right over there" she agrees, confused as to why he is so excited, as he excitedly points out that if his grandfather hadn't gone to America the two of them might have known each other as fellow citizens (what a thing to say to a prostitute). He lays back in the bed as she distractedly rubs her feet, both of them waiting for the clock to run down. Meanwhile, Annalisa and Tony conclude their business with a visit to the site of the Sibyl of Cumae. Tony is enthralled, saying he must bring his kids here some time. She gives a brief history lesson and he reads an information board (scrawled with gently caress NATO graffiti) before they head into the cave after reading the ominous line about rulers learning their fates in that cave. Paying her a jokey compliment when learning the Sibyl's were beautiful, he asks her to give a premonition. Looking him up and down, she notes he's easy to read: he's his own worst enemy, and he complains that she's just like somebody back home. The presumption is he means Dr. Melfi, and his failure to answer when she asks if it is somebody he wants to gently caress would indicate this is the case. But I also wouldn't be surprised if she (subconsciously at least) reminds him of his mother. His simultaneous attraction and revulsion to her could be explained by typical macho bullshit "I don't take orders from a woman" crap: but she's a powerful woman who openly uses motherhood as a means to power instead of letting herself be tucked away like a nun in a convent or an idolized figure. Yes she probably reminds him of Melfi, but Melfi reminds him of his mother as well. The subject of loving does come up, Annalisa asks if he wants to gently caress HER and he admits that he does, of course he does. But they're in business together, and this final admission seems to trigger at last her decision to close a deal with him. Because he can keep it in his pants, or rather he can see her as a Boss/businesswoman first and a sexual object second. So they haggle, she doesn't accept his proposed prices, so he offers to drop to 85k if she gives him Furio. She considers and accepts, but when he notes he wants more of her guys coming in over time as he dictates, she uses that as an excuse to drop the price down further to 75k. He accepts and they shake hands, and she walks away leaving him to stand where ancient rulers once flocked to hear the wise words of a woman. They return to America, where already the trip has gone from a troubled few days disconnected from what they know into a rousing success story. Paulie raves to Pussy about how wonderful Italy was, how at home he left, and of course has to rub it in to Pussy by saying he feels sorry for anybody (Pussy) who hasn't been, especially any Italians (Pussy). Tony quietly notes it was a big success business wise, but he's also concerned that there is no sign of Christopher. It seems he's grabbing a last minute present for Adriana in the duty free shop, leaving Tony at a loss: he spent 4 days a block away from the greatest shopping district in the world and he didn't get her something then!?! Paulie defends him, saying it was because of "a broad", which is apparently the cover story Christopher came up with on the third and fourth day that he wasn't able to leave his hotel room. Tony, his nerves frayed, just wants to get the gently caress out of there and says they'll go without him, squeezing a stress ball as he again insists he did great on the deal. He did too, even at 75k each he is getting twice the money back that went into smuggling them in the first place. But even now is he troubled by Annalisa's premonition? Or just upset at himself now he is out of the magic of Avellino and pondering that he let a woman haggle him down 15k on the price per unit? Christopher finally arrives and jumps into the car, and they set off down the road under gray skies, passing concrete and overgrown weeds, parking lots and factories. Christopher looks dazed after coming off a 4-day bender, Tony ponders his unreasonable dissatisfaction with pulling off a successful overhaul of his Uncle's neglected smuggling operation, and Paulie... Paulie is in heaven, back where he truly belongs.   Andrea Bocelli plays again as Carmella does laundry upstairs. The sound of a door opening and the call of,"I'm home!" from downstairs snap her back to reality. Downstairs, Tony waits for a response, while upstairs Carmela takes a moment to consider the holy sacrament of mariage and the sacred institution of family before finally heading out the door to welcome her husband home. Angie Bonpensiero posted:When he did come home that day, I was upstairs. I heard the door and then his voice,"I'm home". I loving wanted to vomit. Season 2: Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office... | Do Not Resuscitate | Toodle-loving-Oo | Commendatori | Big Girls Don't Cry | The Happy Wanderer | D-Girl | Full Leather Jacket | From Where to Eternity | Bust Out | House Arrest | The Knight in White Satin Armor | Funhouse Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:32 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2019 14:05
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This is one of my favorite episodes and it is incredibly dense and layered and I could have easily written something twice as long (hell I could have spent the entire post talking about Tony's business sense/ability and how it juxtaposes with Junior's) so this both took longer than usual and as much restraint as I was capable of. Edit: Also I'm in loving love with Angie and I'm so happy about how things end up for her in the show. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Apr 21, 2019 |
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Apr 21, 2019 14:06
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Jerusalem posted:Suddenly a loud bang kicks everybody into action, nobody moreso than Furio who immediately hurls himself onto Don Vittorio's body, knocking over his wheelchair but also shielding him from any potential harm. It almost instantly becomes apparent that this was simply firecrackers going off, but the boy who did it is hauled over and slapped around, his wailing mother punched in the face when she tries to intervene. Local police peel on out of there, wanting nothing to do with this, while Don Vittorio and Annalisa quickly get out of there too for the Don's safety. The restrained kid who lit the firecrackers cries out that he wants to be part of the crew, and an angry but also calm Furio snaps that this isn't the way to do it and slaps him around. Two of the crew see Tony and Paulie's shock at how brutal the treatment is and laugh, saying not to worry, this is "Naples University." But while Tony is shocked, he's also impressed. Not by the brutality, but the complete lack of hesitation on Furio's part in putting his life on the line to protect a senile old man simply because he is The Boss. This is a very good writeup of what is also one of my favourite episodes but I have to say I don't share that reading of the last part; it's absolutely the brutality that impresses Tony, or I suppose as a compromise, brutality in the line of duty rather than the straightforward violent loss of self-control exhibited by underlings like Chris and Paulie (or himself, usually). But most of all that Furio doesn't hesitate to raise his hands to a defenceless kid, which leads directly into how he deploys him next episode. Tony's far more preoccupied with effective extortion and punishment than his own physical safety, particularly this season, but pretty much also up until the final episodes. UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Apr 21, 2019 |
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Apr 21, 2019 16:12
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One thing I recall David Chase saying in the commentary, and it was clearly true, is that no matter where they turned the camera in Italy they had a beautiful shot.
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Apr 21, 2019 16:26
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Also if anyone's intrigued by the Neapolitan mob (the Camorra) as featured in this episode there's a very good Italian film, Gomorrah, based on a nonfiction book considered damning enough that the author now lives under 24 hour police protection. There's also a followup TV series, albeit more fictionalised, covering one powerful Camorra clan on the verge of catastrophe. I think it compares more to The Wire than The Sopranos, albeit an even bleaker version of The Wire where the police simply aren't coming along to intervene. The Sopranos seems very much a product of a country where the Cosa Nostra are fading into outlaw mythology (even if they refuse to die), and Gomorra of a country where their regional counterparts have rotted the country to the core. As such there's not a lot of humour or humanisation to be found in Gomorra, bar the interior decorating, but I find the cold anger and authenticity of it very compelling.
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Apr 21, 2019 16:50
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UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST posted:. As such there's not a lot of humour or humanisation to be found in Gomorra, bar the interior decorating You leave the Czechoslovakians out of this.
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Apr 21, 2019 17:18
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Great writeup for a great episode. The party store in this episode bothered me because it's supposed to be far away, but in reality it's within sight of the Bada Bing- you can see it in later episodes. Also if you watch the airport doors when the rest of the guys are waiting in the car, Christopher comes out twice. 
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Apr 21, 2019 17:49
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Borrowed Ladder posted:The part about 'how's your sister" always bumped me because Tony says, " I thought you are baiting me. Ya know like,how's your sister, gently caress your mother" like that's a common set up for a diss "Your sister's oval office" or just plain "your sister" is used with frequency in the show as one of the very strongest insults. I don't know how you could have missed that.
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Apr 21, 2019 20:18
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Jerusalem posted:Carmela bursts out laughing at how utterly ridiculous that statement is. Ebullient, she admits Janice almost had her going and walks away still laughing and cheerful, leaving a crestfallen Janice behind. The victory is Carmela's, she came out on top on that one. She holds her cheeks, a wide smile on her face, and pauses to try and not let the dread about the reality of her marriage set in. This is in the top 5 episodes of the series for me- LOVED your write up! This little exchange is so good because Carmela really does pin Janice to the mat here. The way she (Janice) just looks so defeated is a glorious comeuppance for a character whose hypocrisy and smugness really steals the show in a series overflowing with smug hypocrites.
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Apr 21, 2019 21:12
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UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST posted:This is a very good writeup of what is also one of my favourite episodes but I have to say I don't share that reading of the last part; it's absolutely the brutality that impresses Tony, or I suppose as a compromise, brutality in the line of duty rather than the straightforward violent loss of self-control exhibited by underlings like Chris and Paulie (or himself, usually). But most of all that Furio doesn't hesitate to raise his hands to a defenceless kid, which leads directly into how he deploys him next episode. Tony's far more preoccupied with effective extortion and punishment than his own physical safety, particularly this season, but pretty much also up until the final episodes. I can see that argument, and you make a good point that Furio's brutality is absolutely controlled as opposed to the wildness of others we see. I do think the pointed way the episode shows both Tony and Paulie trying to defuse the situation when they realize it was only fireworks and it's just a kid, and their shock at the beating indicates that Tony's interest in Furio is more on his loyalty (at the potential expense of his own life) more than anything else. In regards to the next episode, a lot of that I think is colored by Tony's mindset as he suffers another depressive episode which inevitably leads him to second-guess himself when he sees Furio being all lovey-dovey with kids. COMPAGNIE TOMMY posted:The party store in this episode bothered me because it's supposed to be far away, but in reality it's within sight of the Bada Bing- you can see it in later episodes. Kinda reminds me of The Wire where a guy decides to go on the run so shifts to the east side of the city, and one of the kingpins is like,"Why the hell do people think traveling a couple of blocks is going into hiding?" 
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Apr 22, 2019 02:47
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Season 2, Episode 5 - Big Girls Don't CryIrina Peltsin posted:Why do you always have to ruin everything? Christopher and Adriana pull up outside a seedy looking tanning/massage therapy store optimistically called Bahama Skies, so Christopher can run a last minute errand. Adriana is concerned, she'd paid for Christopher to take an acting for writers class as a birthday present and is worried he's going to miss his first session. He assures her this won't take long, and heads into the parlor which is jam-packed with a mostly male clientele. Because it's a brothel, of course, and he's here to collect the Mob's take. Unfortunately, the owner - a seedy looking dude called Dominic with coke all over his nose - only has half, the latest in a series of incomplete payments, and his wife Rosie - a hardfaced looking Filipino woman - doesn't make matters any better by haranguing Christopher that his "protection" is useless as they've still got graffiti and broken windows to deal with. Dominic bundles her out of the room when she starts talking about not paying, knowing he can only push things so far, especially with Christopher obviously agitated by Adriana honking the horn outside. Dominic freaks out when Christopher jams a paintbrush from his model set up his nose and warns him that next time he'd better have the full amount: after all, the place is jampacked with patrons, how the hell can they not have the money? But in the end, all he does is rough him up a little and walk out, he still only took half a payment. At Nuovo Vesuvio, Charmaine ignores Tony, Paulie and Silvio as they eat and call out a greeting to her. She passes by Artie on the way out, irritated that they're regular clients again. He - quite rightly - points out he can't turn down paying customers, especially ones with appetites like these guys, and brings them his latest experimental dish: baby quail stuffed with fennel sausage. They break his balls, which he takes in good humor even as he stresses that he's trying something new, trying to broaden the scope of his culinary skill. Tony, who likes things exactly as he wants them, tells him the real key is to do the basics well, and he and Paulie rave about a mozzarella maker they met in Italy who just spent the whole day making cheese. Artie, to his credit, agrees it was probably better than anything he can provide since they have better access to "the real milk" that he doesn't. Tony REALLY pushes this though, while a frustrated Charmaine watches them all laughing together as Silvio turns his jokey insults onto Paulie. After Artie leaves to prep for a bank run, Tony follows him so he once again bring up the mozzarella maker, explaining it's actually a cousin of his by the name of Furio who is going to be coming to America. It would really help with his Visa if he had a job... say as a cheesemaker at Nuovo Vesuvio? Artie's guard is immediately up, coming up with excuses, but Tony assures him he'd be happy to pay Furio's wages, and gets upset when Artie won't even do him this ONE little favor of committing immigration fraud. Artie, ever desperate to be not just a supportive friend but be seen as a "cool" guy, quickly agrees, just asking if this Furio - who he clearly understands is NOT a mozzarella maker - at least knows his rear end from a schmutz?. Tony laughs, all smiles again now that he has gotten his way. Artie of course is left feeling deflated, all smiles and joking aside it must be exhausting having these "friends" constantly around making "good-natured" fun of him or asking him to do morally/legally dubious things. Hell, even Silvio and Paulie's compliments on his wine only happened AFTER he'd left the table.   Christopher arrives late to his acting for writers class, apologizing as he takes his seat and Adriana waves a silent, supportive goodbye. As the teacher introduces the goals of the class, he realizes how woefully underprepared he is and has to borrow paper and a pen from the unimpressed girl beside him. The teacher gets to the worst part of every class in the world, as she asks them to all go around and introduce each other. The obvious teacher's pet is the first to bound up, a middle-aged middle class looking type whose name might as well be Chad Whitey. He's Mitch McDermott, full of inoffensive dad-jokes and dreams of being discovered as a Hollywood writer as he works as a car salesman for a Porsche/Audi dealership. Christopher is next and gives the fake name he is registered under: Chris MacEveety, who works in stocks. His jokes land more naturally than Mitch's and getting the approval of the crowd helps put him at ease. He takes a seat as the girl beside him gets up next, Cynthia, and he stares awkwardly around the room of strangers while Mitch is open-mouthed with rapt attention as he drinks in everything about the class he can. Tony sits at home eating and watching the news, where he isn't pleased that the story about Junior's release on medical furlough hasn't dissuaded the Attorney General's office from indicating they believe he remains the defacto Boss of the North Jersey Mob. He isn't happy about a picture of him and Pussy being shown, clearly designed to put him in the most unflattering light possible, and complains vocally about it as somebody enters the room, only to realize it is the maid and not really an appropriate person to be venting to. Happier times come when he meets Paulie at Lou Costello Memorial park. An open space, the two of them walking and talking, it's designed to stymie as much as possible any chance of bugging. He's got a task for Paulie, an airport run in Newark to pick up Furio, who is arriving into the country. Paulie is shocked, why is Furio coming over here? Tony pauses, the statue of Lou Costello prominent behind them, and explains that he is making changes. Paulie is disturbed, and openly asks Tony if he's done something wrong. Hardfaced, Tony accuses him of eating an entire box of mallomars left on his kitchen counter when Paulie was around the previous Sunday. Paulie is horrified until Tony laughs and admits he is joking, then gets serious again as he explains that Furio's arrival is good news for him: because with Larry Boy in prison, Ray reducing his workload, Jimmy dead and Junior under house arrest it is time for new people to move up. Paulie is one of those people, he and Silvio are now Capos. Furio is there to free them up from the day to day stuff that might put them in danger, particularly Tony, who the FBI will now be watching very closely just looking for an excuse to arrest him. Paulie can't help but notice one name conspicuous by its absence however, what about Pussy? Without voicing any doubts he has, subconscious or otherwise, Tony just notes that Pussy will be reporting directly to Paulie and Silvio like Furio. They embrace and Paulie thanks him, he's been waiting a long time for this step up and his gratitude is genuine. Meanwhile, Dr. Melfi attends a therapy session with Elliot Kupferberg and discusses her nightmare in which Tony died in a car crash. Its an awkward conversation, Melfi clearly does not enjoy being on the other side of the psychiatrist/patient relationship, and her desire to see Elliot as a colleague conflicts with her need for him to tell her uncomfortable truths. Timidly she tries to sing the song from The Wizard of Oz she heard in the dream, and becomes agitated by Elliot's cryptic comments about her observations and self-analysis. Experiencing therapy from the other side, she can feel the impotent rage that Tony and other patients must feel when their psychiatrist won't simply come out and say what they mean. She sees Tony (always "my patient") as Oz, she remembers watching The Wizard of Oz as child in her parent's house and hiding under the covers with her sister during the scarier parts. Shifting uncomfortably in her chair as he ponders these revelations with a poker face, she comments that she's gaining weight and he even files that away. Like Tony, she's fidgety, grumpy about being led in a direction, not wanting to admit obvious conclusions. Elliot has taken note of her memory being scared as a child and the context in which it happened: a safe thrill, danger without danger, and gets her to admit as much. When he tells her that for her therapy is exactly the same as watching a scary movie, she sardonically congratulates him on such an obvious conclusion but reminds him her danger was far from detached, she had to go into hiding! But that itself was also a thrill, wasn't it? he ponders, and like Tony she loses her poo poo, shouting expletives at him and storming out like a child. Even that he just takes in a reserved manner, mentally filing away her reaction and what it might mean.   On a different morning, Tony sits at the kitchen counter as Carmela cleans up, reading the paper. He doesn't look his best, unshaven and underdressed, but this is just a matter of him being up early as opposed to another depressive episode. When the phone rings and Carmela makes it clear she expects him (far closer and doing nothing) to get it, he is grumpy but only in a typical lazy way. But given his prior history it is easy to misread as signs of a potential explosion of rage, which is clear in AJ's face as he steps into the kitchen and immediate is wary of his father - usually asleep at this point in the day - and keeps a clear eye on him as he asks Carmela if they have any jam. She tells him to go get ready for school, but he's fixated on Tony as he hears him getting upset on the other end of the phone. Hanging up, Tony vents about "that loving bitch" and explains to Carmela that this was the bank, they called him trying to get hold of Janice because she gave the wrong information on her loan application. What loan? She's trying to take out a loan on Livia's house, and it's pure luck Tony just found out. While he wasn't in a depressive episode, the potential was swimming under the surface and has now taken the chance to breach. As he grabs the phone to call Janice (snapping at Carmela not to call her Parvati), he completely loses his cool and begins smashing it against the wall before tearing it out and tossing it across the room, almost hitting AJ in the process. Now Carmela is livid, as Tony stands like a chastened schoolboy having vented only to realize how stupid he was. AJ, shocked, simply stands and stares and Carmela tries to reassert some normalcy by pretending to be irritated at him for not listening to her instruction he get ready for school. He gingerly makes his way out of the room, this is the new norm for him and it has to be guilt-inducing for Tony, to see his own son looking at him like an ogre. With AJ gone, she turns a forbidding look Tony's way and with genuine contriteness he apologizes, but her only response is a disgusted command that he just grow the gently caress up. He heads upstairs and looks in on AJ, trying to crack a joke about being a product tester for Radioshack which falls flat. All he can do is walk quietly away, full of self-loathing. Or rather, drive away full of rage to express that self-loathing as rage against Janice. He storms up to Livia's front door and hammers on it, demanding Janice let him in. The door opens and... Richie Aprile is standing there in boxers and an undershirt, completely unfazed by Tony's arrival while Tony is absolutely bewildered, what the gently caress is he doing there? Where is Janice. Richie calmly tells him she's at the store then turns around and slaps his hands together eagerly, explaining he's making breakfast and offering Tony some eggs if he'd like. Tony slowly enters what was his mother's home, now empty save for a pullout couch which presumably Richie and his sister spent the night in. He tosses Richie his pants and asks him to put them on, and Richie just casually takes them to the kitchen and sets them aside, offering him coffee. Tony, still reeling from the sense of unreality, asks if the mattresses at the shelter were too lumpy but Richie, quite surprisingly, just laughs and doesn't seem put out at all. Part of that may be that whole "old school" thing he mentioned to Christopher: after all, Tony is Janice's brother and Richie isn't married to her, so doesn't he have every right as the "paterfamilias" to demand answers? He assures Tony that he and Janice are both adults with history ("Israel and loving Palestine" snaps Tony) and Richie only seems to get riled up when Tony cracks a joke about Janice's look and then warns him not to think about moving in. Setting down his eggs, he forces himself to stay calm and explains they were out late so he spent the night, but they're trying to take it slow. Tony cracks another joke about their past and Richie has had about enough of eating the poo poo of his little brother's chubby friend, approaching with his fork and quietly telling him to back the gently caress off, all due respect. Tony finds that last phrase maddening though, reminding him that he put Richie back to work (it seems he thinks what is Richie's really is his to give him) and demanding to know if he's been to see Beansie after he made him a paraplegic? Janice arrives into this confrontation, happily greeting Tony who is immediate back in a fury as he demands to know why she is taking out a loan on the house. Richie goes back to his eggs, fuming as Tony and Janice go back and forth about her "disability" and her true intentions for asking for the loan. He doesn't buy she is doing it to make the place habitable for Livia, while she is outraged he'd classify her welfare payouts as begging. Richie quietly turns to her and mumbles that she needn't go to the bank for a loan, he'll be happy to pay for anything that needs doing. Tony is disgusted at this display, refusing to accept for even a second that there might be genuine affection between these two, or at least not from Janice's side anyway. "Graciously" he "allows" Richie to stay as long as he likes, saying they deserve each other and now Janice can be his problem, just like Livia is now Janice's.   At his class, Christopher acts out a scene with Brenda and Omar where he plays a cop who has pulled over Brenda to give her a ticket, and her husband Omar arrives from the market with a bag of oranges. When Omar tries to throw in some bribery improv, Christopher points out he is dropping his "oranges" which gets a big laugh from the other students and approval from the teacher. Christopher beams to be in the limelight, and she lays out their homework, breaking them into groups and giving them scenes from various real scripts. Christopher, Mitch and Cynthia get two scenes from The Glass Menagerie, with Christopher to play The Gentleman Caller. Furio is welcomed to America with a big party at Tony's, where his "cousin" is welcomed with open arms by the Family and the family. Furio is of course the center of attention, and he lavishes attention on a crying baby as he offers old country remedies for crying to his mother. Tony watches over it all with pleasure, his plan unfolding before him, while Pussy complains to Silvio about the fact that he was completely in the dark about Furio's arrival. Silvio's reaction, even if he wasn't now a Capo, makes perfect sense: Furio is a "Friend of Ours" and what else is needed to be known? But as Tony continues to watch Furio, his good mood darkens more and more. Still smarting from his encounter with Janice and his loss of control in front of AJ, he's already starting to second-guess himself and pondering whether his genius plan isn't actually a complete bust. This isn't the hardfaced guy he saw diving on Don Vittorio or smacking around that kid. When Carmela passes by she immediately picks up on his mood, and looks less than convinced when he tells her nothing is wrong. On some level at least he understands the issue isn’t with Furio, but rather himself. He puts on a big smile when Furio looks his way and summons him over, asking if he is enjoying himself. Furio waxes poetic about his beautiful home but also his television and ESPECIALLY what he saw on AMC, an airing of Two Women! (thanks to UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST for the correction on this) They don't even show that in Italy! Tony is bemused if a little unsettled, this is what he's made of America so far? He brings him over to Paulie, Silvio and Gigi just as Christopher arrives, amazed to see Furio there. They hug before Furio is called over by Carmela to see somebody, and Christopher asks if he is here on vacation. "He saw a poster for sunny New Jersey" mocks Paulie, because that was a stupid loving question. Christopher accepts that Furio is part of their crew now, but can't help but note he didn't "get the memo", which of course leads Tony to ask if he'd have read it even if he had. He asks how things went with Dominic and isn't pleased to learn that once again he only got half. Paulie notes that the problem is the bad influence of his "Chinese oval office" of a wife, uninterested in Gigi's correction that she is Filipino. Tony isn't pleased that Christopher wasn't sure exactly how he wanted the situation handled, because it's a pretty basic equation: you don't pay, you get hosed up. Christopher assures him he'll fix it, but Tony decides to hold off on that. He looks over at Furio, who is back being the friendly, fun cousin with various children and sees an opportunity to test his concerns. The doorbell rings and Carmela goes to greet yet another member of their wide extended circle of friends and family... and finds Uncle Junior at the door with Bobby Baccalieri. She's revolted, what the gently caress does he think he's doing there? He brought a box of pignolis for Furio, eager to meet his relative from the other side (who he set up the initial contact with, which goes unsaid) and pay his respect. Carmela doesn't want to hear any of that bullshit about respect though, slamming the door right in the face. What the gently caress did he think would happen? Christopher returns home where he runs lines with Adriana from The Glass Menagerie, struggling through the lines before finally giving up and leaping from the couch to light a cigarette and complain that the writing and characters (by Tennessee Williams!) don't make any sense. Why would a player want to gently caress some gimp like this chick? Adriana complains that nothing in the script says he's trying to get her into bed, which makes Christopher scoff, so she points out he is a gentleman caller after all. He settles back onto the couch and, resigned that this will be another thing he doesn't follow through on, she says he might as well just go ahead and quit. To her delight he refuses though, he'll just find a different scene that he can understand. She beams and tells him how much she likes him as an actor, and he gets enthused as well, quoting some Joe Pesci, and even his consternation that she doesn't recognize Jimmy Hollywood doesn't upset him, he's having too much fun. As an aside, remember in The Pilot when he hosed up basic quotations/character names from The Godfather? Tony visits with Hesh at his lovely home, Hesh's girlfriend - a stunningly beautiful, tall black woman (I'm not sure if this is Renata?) - clearly dressed up (or down) for an enjoyable day between just the two of them. He sends her off to fix some drinks, promising he'll be back in a few minutes. Hesh asks what Tony is after and he explains he is looking for confirmation that Danny Greco is good for a loan, since he said Hesh would vouch. Confused as to why this warrants a personal visit, Hesh says Danny is fine and reminds Tony he told him this when they were at a steak house recently. Distracted by his girlfriend calling him, Tony snaps him back to attention and asks if he can talk to him about something privately, closing the door. He talks about how everything is going so well for him in every sense. His leadership is secured, his enemies contained, his allies loyal, even his home life comparatively stable. So why is he so full of rage? Hesh assures him that this is to be expected from a Boss who has so much on his mind, but Tony doesn't buy that: Carlo and Lucky and Douglas MacArthur never lost their cool and went around punching walls. He quietly informs Hesh that he was seeing a shrink, which doesn't surprise him though he's finally stopped being distracted by thoughts of his girlfriend. He leads Tony to a table to sit, and Tony lays out his recent history of anxiety attacks which has led to him passing out. To his utter disbelief, Hesh casually reveals that Johnny Boy used to suffer from this too. Tony can't believe it, but it's true, apparently once or twice a year Johnny Boy would keel over from stress, even hitting his head on a cigarette machine once. Did he go to a doctor for help? Hesh scoffs at that idea and reminds him that even if he had the doctors of the time wouldn't have known how to treat it. Warming to the subject, he explains about a recent clinical trial he read about where adults in an MRI machine where played tapes of parents criticizing them, and even in adults you could see the fear center in the brain kick into action. Tony, still stunned by the revelation about Johnny Boy, grasps at this fact and then - because this is clearly a therapy alternative to him - starts to tell him about a recent dream he had. Unfortunately for him, Hesh is now rambling as he recalls his own experience with an MRI, and Tony has to shut him up and demand he listen to HIS dream.   Christopher approaches the class teacher and explains that he just can't find an angle to come at The Glass Menagerie, and has already cleared it with Mitch and Cynthia to ask for another scene. She isn't happy but this does work in her favor, as another student called Alan had his scene partner drop out and needs a new group. She has a four person scene that should be right up Christopher's alley: Rebel Without A Cause. He's delighted, but she warns him she doesn't want to see a James Dean impersonation, she wants HIM to interpret the scene. On the Stugotz, Tony's goomah Irina is happily feeding ducks swimming nearby cheese puffs, softly baby-talking to them that they are such poor creatures, yes, such poor poor creatures. Tony steps out of the cabin and spots what she is doing, and tells her not to feed them that crap. She smiles happily down at them, insisting they like it, but he snaps that they'll choke, and is infuriated when she mocks the idea that he knows EVERYTHING, even about ducks. Referencing the ducks that stayed in his pool for two months. Her good mood is gone now, she was really enjoying feeding those ducks, while he carries the cheese puffs away and tosses them in the bin. As he does, he notices a couple on the boat moored next to them watching him, the man in a particularly garish yellow outfit. He ignores them, turning to go back into the cabin, but as Irina passes him she complains at Tony in Russian and that gets the neighbors attention. In Russian, he calls out to here that this is what she gets for dating an American, maybe he should introduce her to his brother. She throws back at him that she'd have stayed in Kazakhstan if she wanted a factory worker, and he simply throws his arms wide in the universal gesture of "welp okay whatever" and that is the end of that. Except it's not, because Tony heard them talking and now he wants to know what was said. Irina insists it was nothing, when he doesn't believe her she offers a sanitized version, that he'd suggested she find a Russian boyfriend instead. Horrified, she watches as Tony storms off the boat, looking forward to having another target for his ever simmering rage. He demands to know if the Russian has a problem with him, and he doesn't back down, after all he's taller than Tony and just as big, why should he be scared? So Tony grabs him by the balls and squeezes tight, forcing him to the deck and demanding he do something, fight back (and give him an excuse to beat the poo poo out of him). The Russian's wife (I assume) pleads with him to leave her husband alone and warns she'll call the police. He releases the Russian's balls, tells the wife to go gently caress herself and storms back to the Stugots. But as he reenters the cabin, the immediate satisfaction of venting his rage has given way to the realization of just how stupid what he just did is. It's one thing to rip the telephone out of the wall in his own house, but he just assaulted a guy right there in broad daylight, at a time when the FBI is looking for any excuse to arrest him. Grabbing Irina, he insist they leave immediately and she grasps what he has done. Storming out herself, she echoes Carmela's earlier comment that he grow the gently caress up by demanding to know why he always wrecks everything. It's a question he is forever asking himself.  Christopher practises his scene with Adriana, with her playing his father in the climactic scene of the film. She giggles as he stands up and he is furious, sure she is making fun of him. Retreating to the couch, he snorts a line of coke and she does her best to encourage him, telling him how well he was doing, silently entreating him not to fall back on getting high. He ignores her, throwing on the television, shut down emotionally and verbally to avoid discussing his feelings. Later, he calls the acting teacher to ask to change the scene yet again but she refuses, especially when he suggests the Chicken scene from the film since that doesn't actually involve any dialogue. She's set him a task, he must complete it. Tony makes a late night visit to Hesh to again unload his troubles, trying to use Hesh as an alternative to therapy. Hesh is exhausted and struggling to pay attention as Tony rants about how his own temper almost ruined everything he had going, all for nothing. He doesn't appreciate Hesh's comment that sleep helps, and Hesh doesn't appreciate him snapping at him like an underling: Tony may be the Boss, but Hesh isn't one of his soldiers, he's an adviser and an associate and sometimes a mentor but he does not work for Tony Soprano. Losing his own temper reminds him of the one time he actually felt close to murdering somebody, and he begins musing about a German Sound Engineer at his studio who was forever talking about Germany, which for a Jew in the 50s/60s cannot have been particularly comfortable. As he details one confrontation they had in the parking lot one day, Tony gives up on trying to discuss his recent aversion to his own swimming pool (no ducks there to feed anything but cheese puffs to) or any hope of using Hesh as a sounding board for his problems. In acting class, Omar delivers a monologue and finishes awkwardly by telling them that he's done. She thanks him for his efforts and reminds them all to just end with "Scene", and then calls up Christopher, Mitch, Cynthia and Alan for their performance. She sets the scene for the rest of the class, and they open with Alan getting shot. They all wildly overact, bellowing and mistaking volume for emotion. But once Mitch arrives on the scene as the father to bellow his lines, things suddenly get real. Christopher crawls to Mitch and clutches to his leg, begging his daddy to help him. Mitch, slightly perturbed by Christopher's performance, improves his own almost by accident as he helps him to his feet. Tall and older, he stares down at his "son" and tells them they'll be all right because they'll stand together, and Christopher stares up at him with love and genuine tears in his eyes before doing up Alan's jacket then introducing Mitch to Cynthia's Judy. Mitch calls the Scene and everybody claps enthusiastically, the teacher especially thrilled by how the scene was salvaged. Everybody congratulates Chris who, still emotional, is obviously grateful until one student asks how he made himself cry like that. That's the tipping point, and he rushes out of the room as fast as he can.   Furio, indifferent to Charmaine's withering looks, kneads mozzarella while openly smoking in the kitchen. She slams an ashtray onto the bench in front of him and warns him to watch his ashes. He stubbs out the cigarette and tells her he'll be outside. In the actual dining area, Paulie - in a suit - is eating with Pussy, offering to treat him to a Devil's game sometime soon. Pussy asks if he still gets his tickets from "the Greek", which may be genuine interest or just another bit of useless information to feed to the FBI. Paulie spots Furio and offers him a seat, and Pussy cracks jokes at his expense, obviously insecure by this new, young and strong soldier who effectively ranks the same as he does. Johnny Sack also makes an entrance, spotting them and coming over to congratulate Paulie on his bump up the ranks. Paulie introduces him to Furio and he is immediately intrigued, this is the new soldier from "the other side"? He also cracks a joke obviously hiding genuine offense at Pussy's failure to stand to greet him. He grabs a seat with them and asks Paulie what is up (I presume Paulie asked him to come, why else would he happen to be New Jersey?) and Paulie makes a point of asking Pussy to give them a few minutes for a private conversation. Pussy, both offended at the comment and also keen to hear what they have to say as potential info, insists he's finishing his meal but Pussy simply calls over the waitress and asks her to keep Pussy's plate warm before again politely but firmly asking him to leave. Pussy goes, and it doesn't fail to register on him that Furio, a brand new guy fresh from Italy gets to remain at the table with a Capo and the Underboss of the Lupertazzi Crime Family. Later Pussy joins his FBI handler Skip at a diner, where he whines about how all the years he put in were for nothing. Skip commiserates, but it is more than just a handler making his charge feel appreciated and connected. He has his own grievances to air, as they both complain about being passed over for promotion by others they feel are less capable. Skip notes that at least Furio is Italian, HE was passed over for promotion in favor of a Samoan! Pussy is intrigued, there is a new Agent in Charge? Skip explains the previous has been moved to Kansas City, then grumbles that he's been doing this for 11 years now and is seeing guys only 3 years out of Quantico pass him by. They bond over their displeasure with the state of the world, neither one apparently capable of the self-reflection to see that they were passed over because they're just not cut out to be at the top. Pussy turned on his lifelong friends, disappeared without a trace for an extended period of time and is now bitching about those same friends aren't being loyal to him. Skip has been doing this for 11 years and hasn't figured out that Pussy is feeding him chicken-feed or outright bullshit at times (did he even notice that Jimmy Bones was brutally murdered shortly after encountering them at a party store?). Back in therapy, Melfi straight up tells Elliot what she has been circling around for a long time now: she's thinking of taking her patient back. Rather than judging her, he pauses and then notes this is a serious decision. She justifies it to herself, attempting to maintain a calm and rational demeanor to show that this isn't an emotional call on her behalf. She abandoned him, and while her life might have been in danger it isn't anymore. She criticizes herself for her prior behavior, acting out just like he acted out in their sessions. Elliot doesn't judge her for that either, he certainly wasn't offended (just surprised), and she starts to break down into tears as she attempts to maintain her self control. He reminds her of her seemingly random comment about her weight, asking if she has been overeating as compensation for her patient. What he's really pushing is for her to make a breakthrough about her fascination with her patient, but like she explained to Tony last season before she broke her own rule, that's a breakthrough she needs to make herself. So when she fails to tell him what she's still holding back, he doesn't push it, just tells her (rather hilariously) to watch her intake of sugar AND sugar substitutes. They discuss again the childhood fascination with danger, and he warns her that therapy is supposed to be for the benefit of the patient when she says taking Tony back on as a patient will be therapeutic for her. Pushing a little again, he asks if she has sexual feelings for him, and she takes a long time to answer no, just feelings. That pause is extremely important, because while I don't think she does have sexual feelings for him, I think her feelings are so confused and messed up that she had to take that pause just to figure it out for herself. That's the problem, with Tony she isn't in control, she isn't able to detach herself and think professionally. From both a professional and personal standpoint, taking Tony back on as a patient is a TERRIBLE idea, and Elliot clearly knows it. When she comments about how Tony can be such a little boy sometimes, it gets sooo close to the heart of the matter. Because Tony is seeking the mother figure he feels Livia didn't provide him, and she herself is starting to see him as a boy in need of her protection/nurturing. That "little boy" is currently parked outside Bahama Skies, where he gives Furio the basic layout of the place and the characteristics of Rosie and Dominic. Outside of that, all he's told him is that they're delinquent on their protection payments, and left it to Furio to interpret how that should be dealt with. Christopher doesn't seem to be able to figure things out without being directly told, so what about this new soldier brought in with the idea of being loyal only to Tony? How will he react? With unbelievable, ferocious but also utterly controlled violence of course. Switching it on without a care in the world, Furio is exactly what Tony wishes he could be: somebody in control of himself. He takes the bat Tony gave him, walks straight through the front door and bashes the guy (presumably security) with the bat without hesitation. He backhands Rosie behind the counter before she can grab the gun, takes it himself and then grabs her around the neck before smashing through the security door and hauling her along with him. Punching one of the prostitutes as she stands up off the couch, he fires his gun into the air and shoves a John out of the way as he exits his room. Bursting into the back office, he tosses Rosie to the floor and disarms Dominic as he tries to grab a lead pipe to defend himself with. Beating Dominic ruthlessly with his own pipe, he pulls out his gun and shoots him casually in the leg before turning his horrible attention to Rosie. Screaming the entire time, she immediately tenses up and begins wailing that they'll pay what they owe. Responding in Italian with casual, happy familiarity, he punches her in the face and then enjoys teasing her with several fake-out blows, before kicking her and spitting on her. Grabbing the stacks of cash Dominic was counting off the desk which will more than cover their late payments, he is done. Tony sits in his car, smoking a cigar and greatly enjoying the sounds of violence. His phone rings and his face falls for a moment when Dr. Melfi identifies herself. Trying to sound pleasant and friendly, having drunk some wine to steal her nerves, she tells him that she'd be willing to take him back tomorrow at 2:30pm if he still wants to return to therapy. Tony, who has been boiling over with rage in spite of everything going well in his life, is now high on the buzz of Furio having lived up to his expectations. This is a man who can turn it on and off at will, who knows what his Boss wants and does it without question. He is the perfect soldier, the vanguard of Tony's strategy to protect himself while retaining all the benefits of being the Boss. So no, no therapy, who needs it? He's happy as he is. He tells Melfi with a casual,"Nah, gently caress it" and tells Melfi he's getting by fine without it. She offers to keep the hour open, clearly disappointed to be rebuffed after putting herself out there. But he's barely even listening as Furio calmly returns to the car and he drives them away as the sound of sirens get closer.   In acting class, Cynthia and Omar do a dialogue exercise where they can only say,"A" and "B" in response to each other. She's very pleased with how they did, and calls up Mitch and Christopher to give it a shot. The rest of the class are excited after Christopher's last performance, and so is Mitch (going through his breathing exercises) as he opens with A and... Christopher punches him in the face. He jumps onto Mitch and throws another punch, then kicks Mitch as the rest of the class tries to haul him off. He rushes out of the room, leaving a bleeding Mitch behind. Note the difference between Furio and Christopher. Furio uses violence as required and is otherwise a kind, conscientious and friendly guy. Christopher snaps and lashes out at inappropriate times and holds himself back when violence is actually expected and required. Back in his apartment, he sits on the couch with his foot on Adriana's lap as she holds an icepack to his toe, which he suspects is broken. There's no point in an emergency room visit, they'll simply tape it up and send him home. Adriana tries to figure out why he attacked Mitch based on what he told her: he didn't say or do anything to provoke Christopher, so why did he attack him? She suggests that maybe it had to do with the other scene, the one where Mitch played his father? Christopher doesn't understand and insists he was just acting, but she points out that his father died young and maybe he has some outstanding issues of abandonment/rage towards him because of that? Maybe Mitch being his "dad" gave him a chance to get some of that out? It's not a bad analysis at all, even if it lacks the more nuanced insight of somebody like Melfi or Elliot. But when she offers him this genuine, caring and logical advice, of getting in touch with his feelings and using that to be a better writer, all he can offer is sarcasm and an attempt to bring her down. He asks what she knows about writing since all she does is write down orders in a restaurant. Outraged, she storms off after reminding him she is the only one who supports his writing, and leaves him wincing from the pain in his toe, having to put the icepack back himself as he calls out apologies after her. Melfi checks her waiting room at 2:30pm next day... and there he is, Tony Soprano sitting dejected in a chair, miserable at his own failure to stay away. She calls him in and sits trying to contain her pleasure at having him back, before finally breaking the silence to ask if he is still on his medication. "Off and on" he replies, and she reminds him like a mother to either take it or don't, and his response is a typical kid's silent "Yeah okay fine whatever, MOM!" reaction. She asks about the panic attack he mentioned at the coffee shop and he passive-aggressively points out this feels like years ago. She asks if he is angry with her but he doesn't reply, then hits her with probably the real reason he (told himself he) returned to therapy in the first place: his dad had panic attacks, this is genetic, not mental, does she want to send him to get tests now (and tacitly admit she was wrong to think he was a "mental midget")? In typical psychiatrist fashion she turns that back around on him, what is it he hopes to achieve in therapy? The answer is simple, he wants to stop passing out, to stop panicking, to direct his power and anger against those who deserve it.... he wants to be in total control. She tells him there's no such thing, that therapy isn't for these reasons, that if he wants to be a better leader he should read The Art of War by Sun Tzu.  The implication, of course, is that his real reasons for being in therapy aren't what he consciously believes, but a cry for help to understand what goes on beneath the surface. But herein lies the problem with Melfi's decision to take him back: she's lost any and all professional distinction in his mind, and thus the authority that came with it. He reminds her that SHE called him, that she knows exactly what it is he does and cannot claim ignorance or to have been caught up in something she doesn't understand. In other words, he now feels in control of her, and it will take a long time - if possible at all - to reassert the proper doctor/patient hierarchy between them. As if to prove the point, he straight up tells her about a crime he ordered, of Furio beating the poo poo out of the owner of a whorehouse and putting a bullet in his kneecap. Melfi, who Elliot warned wanted the vicarous thrill of danger/violence from a safe distance, is now putting her entire professional life on the line... and perhaps, as Elliot would say, isn't that too a thrill? She asks Tony how it made him feel, and when he says he wishes it was him, she asks if he means Furio or Dominic. His face falls at that, the hierarchy may be screwed up but she can still hurt him, but now she's more of a mother to him than ever before, because now their relationship is antagonistic like it is with Livia: now there is a struggle for control, to position and assert dominance/authority over the other. They sit in silence, both probably wondering just what the hell they signed back up for. And finally, Christopher Moltisanti wakes at 1:30 in the morning, limping out of bed where Adriana has at least stayed rather than leaving in a huff. He returns to his computer and looks through his script ("You Bark I Bite") briefly before making a momentous decision. To be a great writer, you have to be in touch with your emotions, you have to confront difficult truths and unresolved emotional issues. So he looks at what he wrote, then, dumping the scripts in a bin, ejects his discs and jams them in too. Collecting the garbage, he limps out to the alley and dumps his hopes and dreams of being something more than he is into the trash, turns, and walks away without a backward look.  Season 2: Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office... | Do Not Resuscitate | Toodle-loving-Oo | Commendatori | Big Girls Don't Cry | The Happy Wanderer | D-Girl | Full Leather Jacket | From Where to Eternity | Bust Out | House Arrest | The Knight in White Satin Armor | Funhouse Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Apr 23, 2019 10:37
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Jerusalem posted:Season 2, Episode 5 - Big Girls Don't Cry Haha, Furio's talking about Sophia Loren in Two Women, not, uh... two women. I do appreciate that the draw of cable TV was still pretty much a toss-up between classic cinema and soft porn at this point, present show excepted. I also thought it was a bit of a shame to undercut the ending of this episode so soon with Christopher's imminent fuckaround with Jon Favreau, although that plotline is pretty funny and has its own payoff. UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Apr 23, 2019 |
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Apr 23, 2019 13:08
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UNRULY_HOUSEGUEST posted:Haha, Furio's talking about Sophia Loren in Two Women, not, uh... two women. I do appreciate that the draw of cable TV was still pretty much a toss-up between classic cinema and soft porn at this point, present show excepted. Ahhh, I knew I should have looked up "La Loren", thanks for the correction  In regards to Christopher so quickly reigniting his Hollywood Dream after this, I do think the show does a good job of showing him at frequent points in his life make drastic, life-changing decisions to end something/start something and then almost immediately backtracking on them. Part of that might be his addictive personality, but I also think he was always a guy seeking an identity/some form of feeling like he'd finally arrived, and every single thing he found (being on the crew, getting made, making a movie, getting married, having a kid, doing drugs etc never managed to fill that void. Maybe the closest he ever got was either his scene with Mitch in this episode or the one where Tony offers up his father's killer to him, if he'd listened to Adriana and explored his feelings of abandonment for his father maybe things could have turned out differently. Then again, if he'd listened to Adriana on a lot of things stuff would have turned out very different.
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Apr 23, 2019 13:19
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Given the tab we'd see Tony has later on in Season Five (I think) at Vesuvio's, it's really funny Artie calls them "paying customers." The whole acting class is super telling about Christopher as a person. I'm not sure if he's come out and said his goal in Hollywood is just to be "a player" (that might be next year) and basically wants to be famous for doing nothing. Which is valid in Hollywood (or anywhere, really). The scenes he wants to do from Rebel and not knowing The Godfather lines just show how much of a surface level goof he is. It's lucky Tony decided that communicating through family was the only way to go later on (for a number of reasons in Chris' sake) and also lucky that Tony B wasn't made when he got out of prison because Blundetto (and wanted to go straight initially) would have been leagues more effective.
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Apr 23, 2019 13:37
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Dawgstar posted:basically wants to be famous for doing nothing One of my favorite lines is Jackie Jr. saying he wants to be in the business of men's suits- but not the "faggy" part, but rather just to "be Hugo Boss"- it's almost endearing in its stupidity.
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Apr 23, 2019 19:23
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COMPAGNIE TOMMY posted:One of my favorite lines is Jackie Jr. saying he wants to be in the business of men's suits- but not the "faggy" part, but rather just to "be Hugo Boss"- it's almost endearing in its stupidity. The actor really nailed the role. In between the attempts to sound tough and his enormously slimy attitude towards Meadow in everything he did he came off as a weak spoiled brat with delusions of being a made guy. The way he walked and carried himself even screamed weakness, like someone desperately trying to look tougher then he is. The dialogue was a major part, but that one scene where Jackie has his "sit-down" is just beautiful for the posture and body language alone.
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Apr 23, 2019 20:02
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pentyne posted:The actor really nailed the role. In between the attempts to sound tough and his enormously slimy attitude towards Meadow in everything he did he came off as a weak spoiled brat with delusions of being a made guy. The way he walked and carried himself even screamed weakness, like someone desperately trying to look tougher then he is. I think the character was well written but I disagree that he nailed the role. I always saw him as a drag on that season because he stands out as a much more amateurish actor than the people he's in scenes with. Maybe that wouldn't have been the case in the first few seasons when some of the cast were still getting their legs under them, but by the time Jackie Jr. comes on the scene they were all humming along pretty good.
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Apr 23, 2019 20:30
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I like that flashback scene in the Christmas episode where he plays a very unconvincing 12 year old version of Jackie Jr. His dad is very proud to show off that his large adult son knows the capital of Canada.
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Apr 23, 2019 20:49
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Kevyn posted:I like that flashback scene in the Christmas episode where he plays a very unconvincing 12 year old version of Jackie Jr. His dad is very proud to show off that his large adult son knows the capital of Canada. It is amazing how many people think it's Toronto, though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCzSUJv2kho Okay that's pretty bad. The way they have Christopher dressed, too. Also I could never believe in the flashbacks because after the first series Gandolfini got so much fatter and lost the hair from his pate.
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Apr 23, 2019 21:36
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Kevyn posted:I like that flashback scene in the Christmas episode where he plays a very unconvincing 12 year old version of Jackie Jr. His dad is very proud to show off that his large adult son knows the capital of Canada. Believe it or not, that is actually the actor who plays Jackie Jr’s little brother playing Jackie Jr in that episode/scene.
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Apr 23, 2019 21:57
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Mahoning posted:Believe it or not, that is actually the actor who plays Jackie Jr’s little brother playing Jackie Jr in that episode/scene. I actually did not believe you so I checked.  Still think it's possibly one of those "female street shark" online myths.
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Apr 23, 2019 22:09
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pentyne posted:I actually did not believe you so I checked. Hope Vitali Baganov is still in the acting game when I am casting for Theresa May in my film Brexit: How a Country hosed Itself.
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Apr 23, 2019 22:22
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I like how they also brought back the Jimmy Altieri actor for that scene and all he does is lurk around in the background.
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Apr 23, 2019 22:56
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Having grown up around a few Jackie Jrs I can say he nailed that role perfectly. "you know who my fawtha was?"
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Apr 23, 2019 23:21
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banned from Starbucks posted:Having grown up around a few Jackie Jrs I can say he nailed that role perfectly. banned from Starbucks Paulie?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_yoSRcHna0
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Apr 23, 2019 23:49
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pentyne posted:The dialogue was a major part, but that one scene where Jackie has his "sit-down" is just beautiful for the posture and body language alone. Him telling that guy with complete confidence,"I'll talk to Christopher  " is so loving hilarious.My favorite Jackie-related scene of all is after he's left a sick Meadow alone in her room, and she takes another look at the scrabble board and finally realizes he's a complete loving dumbass.
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Apr 24, 2019 02:02
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Jerusalem posted:Him telling that guy with complete confidence,"I'll talk to Christopher Thinking on the "sit down" at the Bing with Jackie Jr. and Christopher, it's dawns on one that when even Chrissy is light years ahead of you, you know you've erred.
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Apr 24, 2019 04:39
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Regarding Christopher and Adrianna, I still wonder on how close that decision in a couple seasons really was.
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Apr 24, 2019 08:49
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Jack2142 posted:Regarding Christopher and Adrianna, I still wonder on how close that decision in a couple seasons really was. I tend to think it was an easy one for him. As a partner Chris was probably the absolute worst of anyone in the series (aside from how Tony treats his girlfriends perhaps), which is really saying a lot.
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Apr 24, 2019 13:13
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