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Kemper Boyd posted:I rewatched that ep yesterday and he's also doing it because he feels like he's outside Tony's circle for not earning enough, and the old lady had a bunch of cash stuffed under her mattress. What'd you do, rob a bank?
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Jul 1, 2019 14:51
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Eloise is one of my favourite eps/fav of S4 and I'll hold off on it for now.ruddiger posted:I liked Paulie up until the stuff with his mom. That came off as really disgusting and still true to his character, which made me realize that nah, this guy is a real piece of poo poo. The end of The Ride is beautiful, though with his "reconciliation". He's feeling alone against the community, god, the church, and his own associates who are supposed to be his surrogate family in the face of the fact he's the odd man out in his actual family. His repudiation of Nucci is vile, but after finding out he has cancer and feeling more alone than ever, he realizes she, his aunt, is the only person who will go to bat for him so to speak. So he returns without a word to sit and watch the Lawrence Welk Show and ponder his own mortality next to the one person who can still provide him an aspect of psychological safety- except even that is not possible. It's not a comeuppance by any chance but it shows this murderer much like Tony is beset with inner emotional demons so there is always an aspect of self-punishment in the absence of external punishment.
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Jul 1, 2019 15:13
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Paulie was a scumbag in pretty much every way, the writing and acting was just so solid and had so many comedic moments that it made him likeable to the viewer. Even his arguably best trait, loyalty, is complete bullshit: - He disowned his mother whom he previously showed complete loyalty and respect to - He is known to withhold parts of his collections and not mention side scams unless caught by Tony throughout the series - He betrayed Tony by giving info to NY to try to play both sides to cover his rear end in case the Aprile crew was dissolved - He claims to believe in the old school mob traditions but is actually in it for greed, as seen when he was going to hold back paying Carmella support money until he realised Tony would survive his gunshot - He did a terrible job of supporting his underling, Christopher - He only agreed to help Tony run the Esplanade because he was forced to, at a time when the crew was at its most vulnerable and needed support The fact that he's still likeable (or at least entertaining to watch) despite his one good quality being total bullshit is really a testament to how great this show is. His character also really helps drive the theme that the old Omerta way/Mafia traditions are long gone, or were bullshit to begin with. Paulie was supposed to be one of the old school guys who bought into those ideas completely but his actual actions do not demonstrate that at all. Actually, this theme is kind of similar to The Wire, where they demonstrate that the new street gangs run by Marlo are even more violent and chaotic and have less respect for tradition/treating it like a business than the previous generation's gangs, like the Barksdale and East Baltimore crews. denzelcurrypower fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Jul 1, 2019 |
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Jul 1, 2019 19:04
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Well said. I think Paulie's only real internal code is so long as you don't rat, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
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Jul 1, 2019 19:17
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Paulie's moral code is that you'll get punished for what you do in purgatory, but as long as you go to confession, you'll get into heaven eventually. And he can do six thousand years in purgatory standing on his head.
No Wave fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Jul 1, 2019 |
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Jul 1, 2019 19:25
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COMPAGNIE TOMMY posted:Well said. I think Paulie's only real internal code is so long as you don't rat, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Honestly, given his actions, I wouldn't even be surprised if he did rat if he were facing serious prison time. I don't recall if they mention him taking a prison sentence instead of ratting when he was younger, like Tony Blundetto and Phil Leotardo did. Obviously he showed disdain for rats throughout the show but he also does a lot of super questionable/hypocritical things that contradict what his supposed values are. No Wave posted:Paulie's moral code is that you'll get punished for what you do in purgatory, but as long as you go to confession, you'll get into heaven eventually. And he can do a thousand years in purgatory standing on his head. His relationship with religion is something I never really considered in my analysis, I'll have to give that more thought. Mostly I thought his weird superstitions/religious visions were for comedic relief but I might have missed some important themes there. Even in the case of religious beliefs, he's again shown to be a bullshitter in 'The Ride', when he acts like the Saint parade is such an important Italian and religious ceremony but then cuts corners to save money. Same deal with Tony claiming to want to retain old Italian culture but then eventually gives in to selling the old building with the chicken store in his Italian neighbourhood to a Jamba Juice, once the price is right. Pretty much they are all hypocrites, the only one who showed any sort of continuity in his values was Sil, IMO. And he's still obviously a murderous scumbag pimp and didn't come through in the top leadership position when he was needed most. denzelcurrypower fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Jul 1, 2019 |
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Jul 1, 2019 19:27
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ruddiger posted:I liked Paulie up until the stuff with his mom. That came off as really disgusting and still true to his character, which made me realize that nah, this guy is a real piece of poo poo. I always really disliked Paulie myself, but I definitely rooted for him at times. Like all the characters, he's got multiple sides. At times he can be real cool, friendly, in charge, etc. and he's one of the more experienced and less gently caress-up of Tony's crew. But he can turn on you on a dime, there's so many examples of it and it always made me really dislike him. He seems to have almost zero loyalty past how you treated him in the last week. But he also demands complete loyalty from others; a massive hypocrite. Like when Chris first gets made, and then comes up short. I get they're trying to show us its a dog-eat-dog world, and this is his loving job, but the way Paulie was like "hey congrats on getting made, where the gently caress is my money you bitch?" just really highlighted to me how little these guys actually care about each other. Chris is otherwise always shown as this sympathetic younger character, Tony's family, and they're willing to treat him like poo poo, even after he gets made. Non-made guys just get a bullet in the dome because, eh, IDK, it was easier that way. Another example is Paulie turning on the Russian guy. Again, what a great scene, and what a good example of how all the guys are, their dark side. The guy is on their side, he's making Tony tons of money, and he's being friendly. They're in HIS house, and yet because he shows the loving TINIEST amount of disrespect to Paulie, in his own house, Paulie can't take the slight and has to stick it back to him. Its so petty and ends up costing them in multiple ways, but I don't think Paulie ever really had a moment like "oh poo poo, that was dumb of me." His reaction would just be "he shouldn't have made me do that!" He even potentially put Tony's life in danger by doing this, since he had to meet Slava later. Does Paulie recognize he hosed up? Hell no. Or the lawnmower competition where Paulie and ... was it Ralphie? No, it was uhhh somebody else. But anyways, these two guys are having a pissing contest over their turf and who gets to say who does lawnmowing gigs, but rather than fighting each other (because they're both made men) they instead take turns beating the poo poo out of the poor guys making minimum wage doing law mowing. Those guys are busting their humps and don't have any involvement in your spat whatsoever; but Paulie is totally happy to maim and seriously injure these guys just as a way of sending a message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_VbsCS97EA That's so brutal. And if the guy like, assaulted your sister i'd get it. But to break somebody's legs like that just because they didn't bend over when you told them to get lost... Jesus dude. I didn't mean for this to be such a big post, but that's what a show Sopranos is and what characters they have. I just start thinking about Paulie and moments of conflict with him and one after another interesting scene just starts coming to me. Ornithology posted:Even his arguably best trait, loyalty, is complete bullshit: Wow, and even after all those things I came up with, you have this list here and "not caring about Chris enough" is the only one we both had. Zaphod42 fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Jul 1, 2019 |
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Jul 1, 2019 20:08
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Paulie's a loving rear end in a top hat. I love the character but he was the one I liked the least as a person. I think he had more reprehensible moments than most of the other characters but when he killed that old lady I was hoping he'd get whacked.
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Jul 1, 2019 23:05
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I’m surprised so many people like paulie. He wasn’t exactly given many sympathetic moments and a lot of annoying rear end in a top hat moments. Silvio I can understand considering how much time he spends as the only adult in the room but not Paulie.
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Jul 1, 2019 23:18
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Paulie *can* seem like a lovable goof at times. Of all the actors he had the most incredible range in facial expressions. He could go from comic relief to terrifying in a moment. I understand why some people liked him but he did too many terrible things, eventually I couldn't forget those.
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Jul 1, 2019 23:22
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CharlestheHammer posted:I’m surprised so many people like paulie. He wasn’t exactly given many sympathetic moments and a lot of annoying rear end in a top hat moments. Silvio I can understand considering how much time he spends as the only adult in the room but not Paulie. I think when people say "like", they mean he was an entertaining part of the show, not that they want to hang out with him or root for him. He had a ton of the best comedic moments in the series (I'll never stop loving the hair in Pine Barrens), was second only to Carmine I think with malaprops and Sirico played him really well. He was a reprehensible, creepy, murderous rear end in a top hat on the show but I think "liking" him means you can put together a hell of a highlight reel on him more than it means "that poor Paulie".
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Jul 1, 2019 23:29
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BiggerBoat posted:I think when people say "like", they mean he was an entertaining part of the show, not that they want to hang out with him or root for him. He had a ton of the best comedic moments in the series (I'll never stop loving the hair in Pine Barrens), was second only to Carmine I think with malaprops and Sirico played him really well. IDK, maybe among people who spend their time analyzing the hell out of 20 year old TV shows like us you're right, but... I dunno. Call me a misanthrope but the older I get and the more people I talk to the more I think most people don't have a very strong sense of morality or principles. People are all too happy to accept main characters who are cool or entertaining, and then find themselves psychologically identifying with them and defending their actions which would otherwise be reprehensible. I truly believe the people making TV shows like Sopranos and The Wire intended for characters like Tony to be clearly flawed to a point of undesirability and a cautionary tale if anything, but I also truly believe there are lots of people who don't get that at all and just legitimately do like the anti-hero. Characters like Tony, Cartman, Scarface, Tyler Durden, they're just too cool at times and some people fall for that. That can become a strong relationship before you consider the ramifications of identifying with it, and some just don't even care. I think its a serious challenge with making art. Depicting something isn't the same as condoning it, but you can't control how people are going to interpret your art. Someone could come away with entirely the opposite take from what you intended, but that's just... how art is I guess. I'm really not sure what you can do about that other than just not making art, or at least not making art about controversial subjects, and that doesn't seem like the right answer.
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Jul 1, 2019 23:34
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Look at how Tony idolizes The Godfather on the show. Life imitating art. And that itself is fictional, but you have to imagine that some real-life mobsters look up to Tony. That's a little weird to think about. Like, hasn't Gandolfini said that he's met with real mobsters since The Sopranos and they were really nice to him or something? That's weird. Now its like Melfi helping Tony, is she really making him better or is she helping him justify what he does and thus ultimately be worse? Does The Sopranos inspire people to think bad of these acts, or does it more inspire people who commit these acts to rationalize and normalize them? Neither, nobody cares, people just wanna binge something after work. Sorry forgetting all meta and weird. I just think its interesting.
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Jul 1, 2019 23:38
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Some of that stuff is timeless and goes back forever though. Like digging Darth Vader and the Joker...wanting to play the robbers in a game of "cops and robbers" poo poo like that. I'm old too and you make a good point though. Think of Scarface, Omar, Travis Bicklle where they're "cool" but I was mainly referring to the people that "like" Paulie in this particular thread where we tend to know better. Sopranos and other smart TV shows like The Wire and Breaking Bad are great because they present good people as deeply flawed and villains who still have certain virtuous and likable characteristics, even if they're not entirely sympathetic. To me that's just good writing that explores shades of grey and pretty much how most people are, to varying degrees of course. Some people, like you said, are just assholes who enjoy watching other assholes doing assholish things just for the assholishness of it all. I mean, Donald trump is president and 2 out of every 5 people in this country think this is not only perfectly fine but a thing to be proud of. I think this is what you're referencing in a sense, where the line between fiction and truth, entertainment and reality is so blurred and seems to have gotten caught in a feedback loop to the point that we elected a game show host president. So maybe you have a point. But Paulie is a giant rear end in a top hat. I'm trying to think of the kindest, most selfless thing he did in the series and seriously drawing a blank. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 00:43
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Yeah I'd give the posters in here the benefit of the doubt that they're not just like aw man he's badass that's badass that's badass and comically missing the point. The show is great because nearly every single character in the show is guilty of something wrong. Like at best, most of the cast are liars or hypocrites and at worst, many of them are pathologically unfaithful and are murderers. Totally agree that them having some sympathetic qualities makes for good TV.BiggerBoat posted:But Paulie is a giant rear end in a top hat. I'm trying to think of the kindest, most selfless thing he did in the series and seriously drawing a blank. He was genuinely very sweet to his mother until he the revelation, and eventually he does come back around to her. I swore he did something nice for Chris, but it might have been after Chris was dead and he realized maybe he was being a tremendous dick to the guy over the years
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Jul 2, 2019 01:57
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Zaphod42 posted:Look at how Tony idolizes The Godfather on the show. Life imitating art. And that itself is fictional, but you have to imagine that some real-life mobsters look up to Tony. That's a little weird to think about. Not really. Real life mobsters liking The Sopranos' actors and the show itself is a tradition that's gone back as far as there were mob movies. "Crazy Joe" Gallo idolized Richard Widmark in 'Kiss of Death' and then it's well known that the Mafia were influenced by The Godfather. And it's pretty easy to see why. Any time you take a profession - even a violent, amoral one - and give the 'workers' characters like them who are both magnetic and charismatic with sharp dialogue doing interesting things they're going to react positively.
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Jul 2, 2019 02:02
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To clarify, when I said Paulie was likeable I meant he was a great character that had some amazing scenes that made for incredible TV, not that I would want to hang out with him/idolize him/condone any of his actions. He was a good balance of comic relief, being a dick in general, and being a vicious and remorseless murderer. The people who watch these type of shows and think 'I want to be like Tony/Paulie/whoever' or some such are clearly not getting the point. denzelcurrypower fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 03:11
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Zaphod42 posted:Look at how Tony idolizes The Godfather on the show. Life imitating art. And that itself is fictional, but you have to imagine that some real-life mobsters look up to Tony. That's a little weird to think about. I don't know if Tony idolizes it. He's amused by the Godfather and they all enjoy the movie and Sil's quotes, but I don't think they hold it up as a piece of high art or anything or as a moral code to live up to. It's just a goofy Italian movie that's quotable for them. Also the whole waiter and Paulie/Chris thing is something the show likes to do a lot which is pit mobsters against normal people and then have those confrontations escalate into something terrible. There are normal people who would do just what Chris did there and fail to properly tip, but most normal people would just have a little back and forth argument with the waiter and then leave after a few choice words. But for Chris and Paulie, that situation escalates into a dead waiter instead. In some of these situations you even sympathize with the mob characters at first. When the kid in the donut shop is being an rear end in a top hat to Chris you're on Chris' side. But obviously the kid doesn't deserve to have a gun pulled on him and then to be shot in the foot to boot (see what I did there).
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Jul 2, 2019 04:33
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Dawgstar posted:Not really. Real life mobsters liking The Sopranos' actors and the show itself is a tradition that's gone back as far as there were mob movies. "Crazy Joe" Gallo idolized Richard Widmark in 'Kiss of Death' and then it's well known that the Mafia were influenced by The Godfather. And it's pretty easy to see why. Any time you take a profession - even a violent, amoral one - and give the 'workers' characters like them who are both magnetic and charismatic with sharp dialogue doing interesting things they're going to react positively. That's exactly my point though? Ginette Reno posted:I don't know if Tony idolizes it. He's amused by the Godfather and they all enjoy the movie and Sil's quotes, but I don't think they hold it up as a piece of high art or anything or as a moral code to live up to. It's just a goofy Italian movie that's quotable for them. Oh no, its not a moral code to live up to. But they like to imagine themselves as real life movie stars of a sort. It romanticizes their life, and they enjoy taking part in that.
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Jul 2, 2019 04:40
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The whole thing about the Code that the mafia follows and the discussions around that remind me of the TVIV talk about Game of Thrones a couple years back, namely when everyone was talking about who has a legitimate claim to the throne. GOT was very upfront about that there's really no legitimate claim as such: if you can usurp and hold onto power, you can do that and people will fall in line. The Sopranos, on the other hand are up front about how all the rules and traditions get cast aside whenever someone can get away with it. Everyone is stealing from both their bosses, their underlings and business partners alike, whenever they can. Tony shouldn't have laid hands on Ralph, but he did, and what's Ralph going to do about it?
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Jul 2, 2019 09:28
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Season 3, Episode 13 - Army of OneTony Soprano posted:How are we gonna save this kid? AJ and his buddy hide out in the bowels of the school, waiting for 8pm when the janitor leaves for the evening. After pissing in the corner of the room, the two break into the school office to get their hands on an upcoming midterm on Geometry they haven't studied for (who has the time when you're waiting around pissing in corners!?!). From one idiot to another, Jackie Jr is lead by a friend through the unfamiliar and daunting corridors of a housing project in Boonton. He's brought to the apartment of a young black man named Ray-Ray (played by the wonderful Michael K. Williams), assured that he will look after him, get him a gun if he needs it, and best of all nobody from the Soprano Family will ever be able to track him down here, this simply isn't an area they come to/are familiar with. Ray-Ray's daughter, Leena, says a friendly hello but Jackie isn't sure he should give his name and isn't smart enough to think of a fake one, so Ray-Ray suggests they just call him Mr. X for now. Paulie brings his mother, Marianucci, to Green Grove, where he is moving her now she is no longer able to live alone. Bonnie DiCaprio shows them around, and Marianucci ("Nucci") shows none of the malice or paranoia that Livia Soprano did. Instead she's thrilled, taken aback with pride to the point of tears that her son would put her into such a paradise. Paulie drinks in her love greedily, relishing not only the chance to publicly show off his devotion as a son, but to have her so open about her gratitude. It's going to cost him though, the deposit on her room is $40,000 and then it'll be $8000 a month going forward, but he shushes Bonnie when it comes to the finances: in a rare example of thoughtfulness, Paulie wants his mother's adulation and gratitude but he doesn't want her worrying about the fact he is spending so much money on her. Or maybe he just knows that it would sour the experience for her if she thought she was being a burden. At the Soprano home, Tony and Carmela quietly read the newspaper at the table. Tony, Jackie Jr on his mind, unknowingly echoes his mother's obsession with death as he reads out loud an article on a 19-year-old college kid with a football scholarship who died from crack. Carmela understands his concerns though, even if not the depth of his involvement, and raises another pertinent point for them both to be worried about. Rosalie was convinced that Jackie just occasionally smoked marijuana, which makes her wonder about what she doesn't know about her own children. She credits Tony for his efforts with Jackie Jr, and it is true that he tried in his own strange way to keep him away from crime, but as she goes back to reading her paper he is obviously still stewing on if he did enough, or if he did too much. The reason for Paulie's confidence to pay his mother's bills are soon made clear. He has passed on valuable information Ralphie Cifaretto's way, leading to the successful theft of the contents of a strongbox with almost 100k in it. Paulie is expecting an even split for providing the codes to get in, meeting with Ralphie now along with Silvio to work out the details, it's been over a week and he still hasn't gotten anything. Ralphie can't help breaking balls, pondering exactly what that figure should be, irritating Paulie who hits back where it hurts by pointing out that Ralphie is looking bad for not having dealt with the Jackie Jr situation yet. Silvio clearly agrees, Jackie held up Ralphie's card game, shot his dealer, opened fire on at least three Made guys and yet nothing has happened. Ralphie is pissed at being called out like this and warns them off, and promises that as soon as he can find Jackie things will happen. Silvio treats this statement with the contempt it deserves, revealing that despite Jackie's friend's assurances, everybody already knows exactly where Jackie is: a housing project in Boonton!   They get back to the subject at hand, the 50k that Paulie believes is coming to him. Before they can get into it though, Ralphie's phone rings and he happily shoots the poo poo with Tony, claiming he's not dealing with anything important right now while looking right at Silvio and Paulie. They sit fuming at this slight, but also wondering if Ralphie and Tony are really great pals now... after all, Ralphie does bring in a hell of a lot of money. Of course it's not Tony on the other end, this is all a scam by Ralphie to get out of the meeting as well as get a psychological edge over both Paulie and Silvio. On the other end is Vito, bored sitting in his car outside idly mumbling out everything he sees going on around him, killing time while Ralphie cheerfully runs through his faux-conversation with Tony. Hanging up as Vito ponders whether he saw a rabbit, a squirrel, or a possum, Ralphie "unfortunately" has to depart the meeting since Tony "needs" him for something "big" that they don't know about. Tony IS on the phone, woken by Jackie Jr calling the house barely able to hold back his tears as he begs him to help him, claiming he is all out of options. Tony is pissed to be getting this call and makes it extremely clear that there will be no help from him, shutting down all of Jackie's attempts to say sorry or to tell him where he is. He insists he call Ralph and get whatever help he can from that front, because he'll get none from Tony. When Jackie invokes his father's name, Tony - cruelly perhaps - points out that Jackie Sr has been dead for two years now, and they just hit the expiration date on all of Jackie Jr's bullshit as a result. When Jackie, trying not to openly sob, reminds Tony that he and Jackie did the same thing they got away with it, Tony tells him to think about it and see if he can work out the difference. With that he hangs up, leaving Jackie a mess on the floor, watched by Leena who, with a child's self-interest, asks if he can play chess. When he says no, she proudly declares that she can because her daddy taught her. Even that must hurt Jackie, because clearly his father didn't teach him the things he really needed to know. This call becomes the subject of conversation at a later ACTUAL meeting between Tony and Ralphie. Without a word, Vito has casually carried a bag of cash over to the trunk of Furio's car and dropped it in, then wandered off to look out over the river as Furio - using a cane before of his gunshot wound - hobbles back to his car and drives off. Tony sits in his own car, joined by Ralphie, just a couple of buddies meeting who had absolutely nothing to do with the two gentlemen who just happened to make that handover just now. It really does seem initially like Ralphie's claims to great friendship with Tony now are justified, as he happily tells Tony he's just gotten 300k in cash from the Esplanade handed over to him and Tony congratulates him on a job well done. But as a satisfied Ralphie prepares to leave, Tony gently takes him by the arm and with the big beaming smile that serves as a warning sign to anybody familiar with him, asks if Jackie Jr has called him? Because he's called Tony. At his house.  Ralphie immediately apologizes but Tony remains unnervingly relaxed, smiling as he assures Ralphie he doesn't have to take the blame... but he did tell Jackie to call him, making it clear once again that this is HIS problem. When Ralphie again tries what he did in the last episode, to make this a Tony call by "reluctantly" reminding him that he's the Boss and Ralphie has to do what he's told, Tony shuts that down immediately. NOW the smile is gone, but it hasn't been replaced with rage, just a faux-confusion as Tony reminds Ralphie that they "talked" about this and "agreed" that RALPHIE was going to give Jackie a pass. Again, Tony seems to be suggesting to Ralph that he's okay with the idea of Jackie getting a pass, but he simply won't come out and say that, muddying the waters when, acting as if he's just musing to himself, Tony mutters that more important than whatever decision RALPHIE might come to, it's important that it happens in a timely fashion. The message is clear: do SOMETHING and do it FAST. With that out of the way, that big fake smile pops back onto Tony's face as he laughs this all off, why is he telling Ralphie any of this when he knows it already? After all, he is a Captain, just like he always wanted! All Ralphie can do is offer another quiet apology for Jackie calling his house, and the smile disappears again for an instant as Tony reminds him not to apologize, before it comes back full force and he pats him on the shoulder, dismissing him. Ralphie exits the car and Tony drives away, leaving him in much the same position as last episode when he exited Satriale's, head-spinning from the way Tony had played him. You could argue this was a redundant scene but I think it was important: Tony is firmly putting Ralphie in his place, reminding him that there is a flipside to the prestige that comes with his new authority but also distancing himself from a tough decision. Does Tony want Jackie Jr dead or alive? It doesn't matter, what he really wants is to wash his hands clear of the whole thing. He has delegated, any positives will be claimed by Tony, any negatives can be blamed on Ralph (hence his line about chain of command being so important), and Ralphie himself is given a strong reminder that while the money he brings in buys him a lot of leeway and prestige, he is still subordinate in every way to Tony Soprano. AJ and his buddy are summoned by Principal Cincotta at Verbum Dei to congratulate them on their remarkable achievement in their latest geometry test. Neither has ever managed a passing grade before, now BOTH of them have scored exactly the same mark of 96? What a remarkable and not at all suspicious coincidence! Why he's so pleased, he wants to call their parents to share the good news, and they quickly assure him that won't be necessary. Leaning back in his chair, he asks them if they have anything they want to tell him. AJ tries to maintain his cool, saying they just studied hard, and with a sigh the Principal explains he doesn't have to waste his time with them since the janitor Mr. Lubimov spent two hours scrubbing their urine out of the corner, but not before they took DNA tests that proved a complete match to the two of them. It's a pathetic lie, one only a complete idiot would beli... and AJ's friend bursts into tears as AJ immediately protests that he only peed because his buddy did first, as if this somehow absolves him of blame in cheating on the test. As his friend sobs like a baby, AJ - actually looking mad that his integrity has been called into question just because of a little blatant cheating - tries to bargain by saying he'll take the test again with the Principal watching if necessary. There's just one problem for AJ: football season is over, which means now somehow the Principal has magically rediscovered his sense of moral integrity. At FBI Headquarters, the taskforce reviews the latest development in their ongoing investigation: the return to health of Junior Soprano. As far as all medical tests can demonstrate, he has beaten his cancer, and he still sits like a lightning rod atop the organizational chart of the DiMeo Crime family, with Tony still listed as "Acting" Boss beneath him. This is a mixed blessing for Junior, now that he no longer has any medical conditions to delay it, the Judge has agreed to set a new trial date within the next 30 days. The trouble is, the Feds aren't really any closer to developing a case against Tony who they at least know is running things on the street level: their carefully placed bug was pulled out by Meadow, and Pussy is long gone and presumed dead (Skip has also disappeared from the series by this point). So they decide on a new tack, the rising star of the Family: Christopher Moltisanti. Once lucky to have been listed as simply an "associate" in the Press, Christopher has been Made at a relatively young age and is seen as a rising star. If they can get close to him, maybe they can get to Tony? Reviewing what they have on Chrissy, they see the most obvious pathway to him as going through Adriana La Cerva. Cubitoso considers this and calls in Agent Deborah Ciccerone, and immediately all the men around the table sit up a little straighter and fix their collars/shirts, wanting to look impressive. Ciccerone's only experience is background checks, but Cubitoso dismisses the Agent who brings that up, pointing out that is where the male Agent got his start too. But make no mistake, as borderline creepy as it is, Cubitoso isn't interested in her for any particular talent or promise she shows, but rather for the fact that she is a very pretty young Italian woman.   As an aside, if the way Ciccerone is shot in this scene feels odd, it's because initially this part was played by Fairuza Balk. Supposedly this was supposed to be a one-and-done appearance for this character, but they decided to bring her back in season 4 and Balk was unavailable, so they reshot the scenes for the DVD releases with Lola Glaudini. As an ad for Superbowl 35 airs in the background (firmly cementing the date of this episode as late January, 2001), Jackie sits in the Boonton Housing project losing at chess against a little girl. Leena has to remind me of the rules as he fucks up his pawn movement, and Ray-Ray settles down at the table and points out that Leena's movement of her knights has probably already got Jackie beat. Staring down at the board and trying to wrap his head around the intricacies of the game (remember, he put down POO in Scrabble), Jackie gives up and knocks the pieces over in a huff, causing Leena to declare her victory happily. Ray-Ray sighs, saying he should have played it out... sure he was going to lose, but that is the only way you can learn and improve. That's a lesson Jackie never had to learn and one he isn't going to start, he got by his whole life on his charm and his father's wealth/power. He displays at least a little of that charm now when he gets up to go for a walk down to the park, throwing a smile Leena's way before heading outside. He walks past the people who live their whole lives in this neighborhood, clearly an outsider but still even now confident due to his largely smooth run through life... that ends two seconds later without fanfare when Vito steps out from behind him and blows his brains out with a gun. Unhurried, unconcerned about witnesses or law enforcement, he wriggles his way into the seat of the car that has driven up beside him, and they head down the winding road leaving Jackie Aprile Jr lying dead in a small snowbank dyed red with his blood. His father never wanted him in this life, and it's pretty clear now that he was right to think that, even if it was for the wrong reasons.  Ralphie is arguing on the phone with Rosalie over her allowing a mechanic to overcharge her (he assumes) for work on his car, adamant that they'll take it to a friend of his for a second opinion and a cheaper repair cost. But as he lays down the law, hitting her with all the things they are going to do, he spots Vito coming through the door and instantly he changes his tune. With a sigh he tells her not to worry about it, to just pay whatever the guy is asking and forget about it. When she asks if he means it he turns ugly, asking her what the gently caress he just said before again regaining control. Not wanting to face her, he tells her he will be working late and won't be home, hanging up. On the other end she winces, she probably experienced this plenty of times when Jackie Aprile was still alive. In the back of the Bada Bing, Paulie is taking bets over the phone while he and Christopher are watching a sports program on the upcoming Superbowl, which will be a giant betting day for them. Tony arrives and Paulie greets him warmly with a hug, in a good mood thanks to all the money that will be coming in. Christopher approaches as well, allowing Tony one arm around his shoulder before rolling away and grunting that he's going to the betting parlor. Tony isn't happy about this but he decides to let it go, opening the fridge... and flying into a rage because the Lo Mein he has been dreaming of his entire way over is gone! Clearly a reasonable reaction and not a symptom of deeper underlying concerns at all! He grabs a bottle of booze and settles in at his desk, while Paulie carefully brings up that recently he has been wound a little tightly. Tony agrees, blaming Ralphie, and Paulie - who had been lead to believe Tony and Ralph were good friends now - eagerly takes what he thinks is an opening to air his own grievances. He explains about the tip he gave him on the strongbox in the check cashing store as well as the alarm codes he provided, making it sound like the 50k was agreed upon ahead of time. Tony apparently has no idea about any of this, but upon hearing Paulie's side of the story he agrees to talk with him. For Paulie, stupidly that isn't enough, demanding as the phone starts ringing that he wants a sit-down. Tony is startled by his vehemence but agrees nonetheless, still laying down the law by ordering him to answer the phone. Paulie, looking a little surprised himself at his anger, does so. He quickly passes it over to Tony, it is Carmela and it sounds like she is crying. Tony knows this can only mean one thing, and with trepidation he rises from his desk and slowly approaching. Taking the phone, he braces himself for the sobbing and grief he knows will have come from Jackie Jr's murder, then answers.... and lets out a shocked,"WHAT?" - because the news isn't that Jackie Jr is dead. The news is that AJ has been expelled from Verbum Dei. Back at home, AJ stands before them as they demand answers and vent their disappointment and anger towards him. Even Tony was able to make it through high school to graduation (and a semester in college!), and he can barely bring himself to look at AJ, worried that his rage is going to spill over into violence if he does. Furious, he still notes that this could be a blessing, because the school was too soft on him. AJ complains about that, how can it have been too soft if he got expelled? Tony roars at him to be quiet, going off on the fact he works hard all day (he sits on his rear end at various businesses doing no work and collecting stacks of money) to pay for the house, big-screen TVs, the food, videogames etc and for what? To come home to this? He jabs one meaty paw AJ's way, and AJ - clearly not the brightest spark as we've already established - mumbles,"Sucks to be you," which is about the worst thing he could have said. Shocked beyond his fury, Tony reacts without thinking, slapping him across the face HARD. Carmela is horrified, her ban on physical discipline was the one area she always held sway over Tony when it came to authority over the children. AJ, initially in shock from the slap, glares at his father in impotent fury and rushes up the stairs to his bedroom, Carmela chasing after him after a frustrated look/complaint at Tony. He watches them go, already regretting it but still too mad to admit it, shouting after them both that there is more where that came from: things are going to change around here now!   Carmela gives up on chasing AJ as he slams his bedroom door, probably so he can leap onto the bed and sob in teenage frustration at how unfair it is to suffer the consequences of his actions. She tells Tony that the school's counselor thought this might be a cry for help, and has recommended another school that has a psychologist on staff. Tony is revolted, despite his own therapy this just strikes him as more of the same mollycoddling that has put AJ into this position in the first place. No, Tony has made his own decision: AJ is going to Military School. Carmela was horrified by Tony slapping AJ but this is beyond the pale, and she becomes further alarmed when he reveals he has already been looking at brochures. Where the hell did he get brochures? Janice of all people gave them to him, she was considering sending Harpo there back when she still had custody, but by then it was too late, a fate that Tony is trying to avoid for his own son. He storms off and Carmela, who has no idea about the depth of Tony's involvement with Jackie or Jackie's ultimate fate, is left bewildered: expulsion is bad for sure, but Tony seems to have gone off the deep end. That night at dinner, a sullen AJ sits at the table as Tony looks through his brochures and Carmela tries to at least keep an open mind. Tony reads out highlights of the brochures, Carmela non-committedly just asking which particular institute this is. AJ offers a grumpy reminder that he never said he was going and she assures him they're just looking, but Tony is still in no mood to placate his son and agrees that they're looking... but HE is going. The phone rings and Carmela answers, happy to get away from the tense atmosphere, but the news that is coming isn't going to help matters. Tony's alarm-bells start ringing when he hears it is Marie on the line, Rosalie's sister. She gasps as she gets the news, promising to be over to Rosalie's as soon as possible. After hanging up, Tony pretends ignorance, asking what is wrong, and her response even gets through AJ's self-interested pouting: Jackie Jr was shot to death in the Boonton projects by drug dealers. Tony sits quietly for a moment with his son as Carmela rushes off to get changed, then looks AJ dead in the eye and quietly asks him,"You see?", taking this opportunity to hammer home exactly why he is so alarmed - even before the normal, understandable reaction - to AJ's expulsion. Meadow gets a phone-call as she sits going over her notes from class. It's AJ, who has called to fill her in on the gossip. She thinks he means her expulsion, and mocks his falling apart over the so-called DNA test they "did", saying even if they had it would have taken weeks for the results to come back. This hadn't occurred to him before because, well to be frank, because he's not very smart. Further evidence of which is the fact that when he explains to his sister that her ex-boyfriend that she grew up with has just been found dead in a drug deal gone wrong, he does so with an almost excited gossipy tone, not having figured out that maybe, just maybe, this story would upset her.   Just as an aside, check out all the unconscious cultural signaling going on here. Carmela said Jackie was shot by drug dealers in Boonton. AJ automatically translates that in his head into "black dudes". In Tony's next therapy session, he discusses Jackie Jr's death. Like he did earlier in the episode discussing the 19-year-old, here he puts Jackie's death in terms of the lost potential. He was 22 and living in a housing project when he died, it is such a waste.... but at least he and Meadow were no longer dating when it happened. Melfi notes that Tony - who has discussed Jackie Jr with her before - saw the potential issues coming with Jackie, but she isn't aware of the (unspoken) part that Tony played in Jackie's death. He gives the same pat response he continually gave after Livia's death, his way of masking the numbness he feels in place of the sadness or guilt he knows he SHOULD be feeling: What the gently caress are you gonna do? He blames it on the world today, again unconsciously echoing his mother, but stresses that he won't make the same mistake with AJ, who is definitely going to Military School. Melfi notes that while they've frequently discussed his family, they've never specifically spoken about his hopes for his children: why is Tony against the idea of AJ following in his footsteps given that he followed in his father's and takes pride in the fact he did so? Tony insists he had no choice, but he's always wanted his kids to have the opportunities he didn't. That seems to be working out for Meadow, and he smiles sappily as he ponders her ending up a professional woman like Melfi one day: not a psychiatrist (and listen to guys like me whine all day!?!) but something like a pediatrician. He would like her to be physically close, to live nearby, but he wants her as far away from "him" as possible. Melfi understands, it's a rare bit of unfiltered self-analysis from Tony that isn't purely in service of his own ego: he recognizes at least intellectually in this vulnerable moment that he is a horrible human being in spite of his great success, and he wants Meadow to have the latter but not the former. But as for AJ? He could never survive in Tony's business, he'd never make it. Meadow has returned home to grieve, wanting the closeness and familiarity of home. Unfortunately, Carmela and Tony are driving AJ up for an interview at Hudson Military Institute which means she is going to be left home alone. Carmela has come in to gently wake her up, wanting to know she is up and about rather than locking herself away in her room. Meadow can't believe they've got something as irrelevant as school for AJ on their minds when Jackie is dead, so - still gently - Carmela reminds her that she was up all night with Rosalie (Jackie's mother, which slightly outranks ex-girlfriend) and made all the funeral arrangements with Marie this morning. Now that she's taken care of that, she has to put her own house in order: AJ has been expelled, they have to find him a new school as soon as possible before he starts spending his days in Internet chatrooms all day with all the other dropouts and flakes (ouch). Meadow can't deny that, and opens up a little on her feelings, Jackie is the first person her own age that she knows who has died. Unfortunately for her, Carmela takes this opportunity for a very minor bit of preaching, pointing out he must have known the risks involved. Meadow's defenses are immediately up: the risks of selling Ecstasy? Half the kids she knows take it, it isn't something you get killed over. When Carmela reasonably points out that he DID get killed over it, she doesn't like Meadow's sullen questioning over whether this is what got him killed. She points out who he grew up with, who his father was, who everybody around them is, and dismisses Carmela complaint that she is being "cute". She tries to retreat back under her covers but Carmela hauls them off and pulls the curtains open, flooding the room with light. Though she has no idea that Meadow is completely right (for all the wrong reasons, she's simply looking for somebody to blame), she is in the right to point out that Meadow is simply lashing out because she's upset and looking for somebody to blame. Carmela is no fool, but here at least she has a blindspot: she knows little about drugs apart from what her terror as a mother and a very effective propaganda campaign by the Government has taught her: the idea that Jackie would be killed over a drug deal involved ectasy seems completely reasonable to her. After all, why would anybody in the mob kill Jackie Jr? He wasn't involved, and even if he was everybody loved him and respected him for who his father was.   At Hudson Military Institute, Major Carl Zwingli (played by Tobin Bell, best known nowadays as Jigsaw from the Saw movies) has a one-on-one interview with AJ. It's not so much an interview as it is the Major laying out the philosophy of the Institute and the problems with AJ's generation. He dismisses AJ's complaints that there is too much pressure on him from the school and from his parents to live up to Meadow's success, saying this is "stinking thinking", likening it to an alcoholic. AJ, who isn't the brightest spark, instantly rejects the idea he is an alcoholic, but the Major doesn't get up with trying to explain himself, instead pushing past AJ's inability to understand a rhetorical question so he can lay out the daily schedule he'd be subjected to if he was accepted into the school. Verbum Dei is a good school but it put too much emphasis on him as an individual, and not enough on him supporting the greater good of the institute itself. The schedule starts at 0530 and ends at 2200, with every single moment accounted for with no room for distractions like television. AJ takes this all in and then finally asks the one question burning at him... what is 0530? When the Major explains and asks if this is really his ONLY question after just being handed an outline for self-discipline that will take him through his entire life, AJ asks the other burning question... why do guys in the army and spies and stuff use that "0" thing to tell time? The Major is amused at last, not by AJ but by the pleasure he takes in telling him this will soon become (painfully) clear to him. Tony and Carmela are called into the office while AJ is taken on a tour by a young student called Captain Delaunay, who looks over AJ with clear contempt for his lack of discipline. Inside the office the Major, who spoke so highly of self-discipline and "stinking thinking" can't make it through the meeting without smoking a cigarette, though he at least checks for their approval first and makes sure to open a window so smoke doesn't fill the room. Carmela is frank, she doesn't agree with this level of discipline for children, and he admits that mothers seldomly do... until their sons start opening doors for them and pulling out chairs for them to sit in at dinner time. Tony is delighted by that idea, but Carmela is still unconvinced, what about creativity and independent thought (when has AJ ever expressed either?)? The Major admits he stressed groupthink to AJ, but that is only to begin. The Army's current motto is "Be an Army of One", to learn self-dependence, a variety of skills and the ability to adapt to given situations. Carmela is hung up on the army side of things though, her head full of thoughts of death, amputation and other horrible life-threatened situations, causing Tony to complain that all AJ is gonna do is march around a bit! The Major again tries to alleviate Carmela's concerns, the marching plays a part but what makes the real difference is the mentoring, the small class sizes, the heavy faculty involvement in student life etc. Carmela has to admit that sounds good, and Tony nods in agreement as the Major - disciplined, well-spoken, a "real" man - says the problem is that kids nowadays have too many options, and when they go off the deep-end they just get chucked into rehab. But if Carmela was wavering, Tony wrecks it by being unable to resist questioning what happens when an "Army of One" decides gently caress it when told what to do, since they've been taught so much self-reliance. This sets Carmela off again, are they setting AJ up to a military soldier? As Tony belatedly tries to undo the damage he's just done, the Major - who has probably seen this a thousand times before - simply finishes his cigarette and suggests they take it one day at a time instead of leaping so far into the future. Back at home that evening, the argument continues, Carmela becoming increasingly frantic at the thought of her precious baby boy being turned into a trained killer. Tony accuses her of being melodramatic, after all, the United States Army hardly even goes to war anymore! Oh sweet, sweet pre-9/11 timeline. Carmela follows him from the bedroom to the bathroom and back again, Tony getting angrier and angrier as she continually brings up all the reasons (some very valid) why Military School is wrong for AJ. Part of it is that he will be getting disciplined by kids hardly older than himself, the type who kill frogs and small animals. Tony is startled by this for an entirely different reason, does she mean AJ was the one who killed the Cusamano's dog Binky with that nailbomb recently? That isn't what Carmela meant at all, but she tries to take this opportunity to get through to him now that he's at least turned and is actively paying attention to her. AJ screwed up, but he's a child, a normal child who did something stupid and they're risking doing more damage than good by overreacting. Tony shouts back that he thinks the world owes him a living, and his silence is chilling after Carmela takes things too far by shouting back sarcastically that she wonders what could have given him that idea. For a moment they simply stare at each other, then Tony's face hardens again and he jabs a finger at her, reminding her that they've tried things her way for 15 years, 15 years of validating his feelings, of the school doing the same, of letting him get away with things that should have seen him at the very least suspended. It is no wonder he thinks the world revolves around him (and thus, not Tony's fault), so he is going to go to Military School and learn to be a man! When Carmela rejects that, saying she will not send him there, and tries to haul a pillow and sheets out to go sleep elsewhere, he refuses to give her the satisfaction. Instead he tears sheets and a pillow from her and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He does it so violently that it bounces back open, and he does it again and again, swearing in frustration that he can't do his big dramatic exit. AJ lies in his bed, headphones on listening to music but unable to avoid hearing the argument caused by HIS gently caress-up, while Carmela sobs in the bedroom, torn between her fear for AJ's future and her desire to protect him, knowing that Tony's rage is fueled by the same thing.   People often talk about The Sopranos as "that mob show", but the scene above and many like it are why I love this show far beyond any flashy "hits" or shoot-outs. It feels so real, so true to life, and just because Tony is a mobster doesn't mean the every day concerns and travails of family life aren't present in his world.
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Jul 2, 2019 12:26
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The day of Jackie Jr's wake comes, and the Sopranos arrive at Cozzarelli's Funeral Home where Paulie chooses the worst possible moment to try and take Tony aside to set a date for the sitdown with Ralph. Tony hisses that he'd like to bury his best friend's kid first and pulls away, leaving Paulie somehow surprised at this treatment. Carmela braces herself and then leads Meadow and AJ in to Rosalie, who looks like has been pumped full of drugs to help keep her together. In the back of the sparsely populated room, those in attendance are largely concerned with taking last minute bets for the upcoming Superbowl. Meadow hugs Kelli Aprile, Jackie's sister who has come back from College to attend. Meadow is holding it together okay until Kelli introduces her to her cousin Mackenzie Trucillo, and when Meadow turns to see her she instead looks past right at Jackie's corpse laid out in the casket. Collapsing into Carmela's arms, she sobs in grief, not only is her ex-boyfriend the first person her age she knows who died, he is the first dead person her age she has ever seen. Carmela helps her to a seat and Tony sits beside them, offering Carmela a significant look before looking over at his own son and considering him sharing a similar fate. He's distracted from that though when Rosalie numbly turns and offers bitter sarcasm at the lack of attendees due to the Superbowl's proximity, asking Tony if Vegas has moved the line. In response he turns to the back of the room and gestures to Eugene to get the hell out of there while he's on the phone (he still expects him to take the bets though). Rosalie turns back and looks over the collected pictures of her son: the perfection and glory of his handsome, athletic, charmed life before all his perceived potential was so cruelly cut short. Even in her numbed state she fells the tears welling up again, while behind her Christopher approaches Tony and quietly asks if he can have a word. Mr. Cozzarelli is in his office hunting around his paperwork when Janice approaches, never turning down an opportunity to Tony and Christopher meet in the corridor when Chrissy offers his apologies for his recent attitude. Only now that Jackie is dead can he see (or rather, believes) that Tony was always acting with everybody's best interests in mind, setting things up so there was no way his death could come back on them. It's a humbling moment for Christopher, he apologizes and it is far more authentic than what Ralphie offered Tony, and he admits that he was wrong to say he didn't love him. Tony, still hurt at Christopher having said that in the first place, mad about AJ and guilt-ridden over Jackie Jr, does not take the opportunity to put another potential fire out. Instead he just listens to what Christopher says, simply stares at him and then walks off. Again he is trying to use Sun Tzu's teachings, but mistaking putting people off-balance with effective leadership. Carmela finally finds the strength to approach Jackie's casket, where she stares down at the corpse of a young man given every advantage in life who got into trouble which eventually lead to his death. She can't help but think of AJ, and that night she climbs into bed and cuddles tight up against Tony, and agrees that they will try things his way with AJ now.   The day of Paulie's sitdown with Ralph finally arrives, and he joins Tony and Silvio at a plastic table at a cafe across from Janicelli Meats and Provisions. He's outraged to see he is the first to arrive, having obviously tried to arrive late to put Ralphie on the back foot and having that turned around on him. Silvio summons a coffee for him, and Paulie takes the opportunity while it is just the three of them to crow about how much his mother is loving Green Grove. He insists that he chose it at Tony's recommendation, an idea Tony rejects, showing little interest until Paulie refers to it as a rest home and - reminded of his mother - he can't help barking back with,"It's a retirement community!" He points out that it is 8k a month, but Paulie takes umbrage, he's not a beggar, it'll be tough but he'll make it work. It'll be worth every penny, because now in his mother's eyes HE is the hero (presumably a dig at his brother, Gerry). Ralph arrives at last, joking that while he is late today, Paulie will be stupid forever. Paulie lunges at him and Tony has to drive him back into his seat, snapping at them both to calm down. Ralph declines a coffee, complaining that he "had" to be at his goomar's all night because it is too much having to deal with Rosalie's grief over the death of her son. This is apparently a hardship for Ralphie. They begin arguing again over Paulie's claim on 50k, Ralphie pushing for 5 instead which kicks off an argument over Ralphie thinking he is untouchable because of his union connections (Ralphie agrees, he just doesn't think that's a bad thing, it makes the Family over 3 million a year). Silvio tries to calm them down, 5k is clearly a negotiating platform, and Tony agrees that everybody knows it isn't going to be 5. He does point out however that Ralphie's guys did all the heavy lifting, prompting a new complaint from Paulie since he'd sent his nephew to join them but they never picked him up, just living him standing outside all night waiting for a call that never came. Tony considers that, gives it due weight and then comes to a decision... Paulie gets 12k. Paulie is outraged. He was relying on at least 40k for his mother's deposit and now he's leaving almost that much on the table? He pleads with Tony to reconsider but Silvio shuts that down firmly: he requested a sit-down, he got it, Tony heard both sides and made a ruling. Everybody else is distracted as Furio approaches on cane and slips in some muck, shouting in frustration and pain. Tony, Silvio and Ralphie rush over to help him up, leaving Paulie stewing in his own juices. Adriana shops in the mall for a new dress, she wants to find something muted and the clerk goes to take a look for her, and another customer who overheard the conversation comes over and points out black cocktail dress she saw. Adriana explains she actually needs it for a funeral, complaining that her fiance disliked what she wore at a recent funeral and wants her in something more tasteful.... oh also the funeral is for her 22-year-old cousin who was murdered and owww her feet hurt from the heels she's wearing! The other customer takes in this deluge of information in stride and focuses on the most important thing... she doesn't like wearing heels either! She points out that was planning to go sit at Starbucks, and Adriana was planning to do that too! So with this as the firm foundation of a brand new friendship, they walk out of the store together (that poor clerk is gonna come back with a dress!) as the other woman introduces herself: Danielle, who unknown to Adriana is FBI Agent Deborah Ciccerone.  Tony watches Dr. Fried's commercial for penis enlargement on the television, amused to see somebody he knows and also at the idea of ever needing to get a penis enlargement... until a blank look from Carmela gets him worrying. AJ comes down the stairs in misery, he's dressed in his dress uniform for Hudson Military Institute so Carmela can fit it, and Tony can't resist a crack at his expense. He agrees when Carmela chides him, apologizing for insisting AJ not be so gloomy, looking him over and liking what he sees: AJ looks sharp, the suit shows off his lats, and Carmela for one thinks her son looks very handsome! Though she's still concerned about the nature of the school, she can't deny seeing her son squared away instead of a slovenly mess is appealing, and she asks him to put on the hat. He refuses, the hat doesn't need fitting so why should he wear it, and when he refuses Tony's happy request that he do so, Tony immediately leaps to his feet and storms up to him, asking him what he just said. Cowed, AJ puts the hat on and stands miserably in place as Carmela's eyes light up and Tony insists he is being honest in his compliments while unable to keep the smug glee off of his face at his son's discomfort. Turning, he walks to the mirror and looks at himself, struggling to hold back his tears as he moans that he looks like a jerkoff. Tony is disgusted to see the tears welling in his eyes, and AJ sobs that he doesn't want to go, all the backtalk and arrogant smugness gone entirely now as he sees what must seem to his 15-year-old self an endless 3 years stretching ahead of him in hell. He pulls the hat off as Carmela drops to adjust the hem of his pants, snapping that he's standing straight when she asks him to, getting Tony roaring in his face again for his disrespect. An awkward silence follows as Carmela continues to fold up his pants legs, and Tony takes the helmet and tucks it into the crook of his arm as he stands pathetically in place feeling his life falling apart around him. He struggles for breath, choking back tears, the pressure piling in on him... and collapses to the ground in a repeat of the same panic attacks that have plagued his father. In therapy, a devastated Tony tells Melfi the news. This has put the kibosh on their plans for military school, the pediatrician said it couldn't be allowed on medical grounds. Tony vents his disgust, not at AJ and not even at himself, but at "that putrid rotten loving Soprano gene", telling her that his great-great-great grandfather died after driving a mule cart off a road... he probably had the same panic attacks that affected Johnny Boy too. It's both an excuse and a lament, Tony feels like he is cursed by something out of his control, because he's tried everything (half-assed occasional attempts at engaging with his therapy) and nothing has worked. But it also means this is outside of his control, that the panic attacks are always going to be coming for him no matter what he does so why try? Melfi notes that blaming your genes IS blaming yourself and that is what she wants to talk about, but Tony doesn't want to do that, he wants to lash out at something, so he decides to complain about Verbum Dei instead. He found out only after this incident about AJ's former panic attack after being named Defensive Captain of the Football team, something the school nurse incorrectly thought was dehydration. He plans to sue them for not informing the parents, and Melfi mumbles that this is his right, even though she knows he's just looking for a target to take his aggression out on and anything to avoid introspection about why he thinks his "genes" are rotten. Finally, after an eternity of silence, he releases his anger and closes his eyes tight, letting the hopelessness he is feeling wash over him. Sniffing back a tear of his own, he shakes his head at her proffer of a tissue and grunts that she doesn't understand. She asks him to make her, and he admits (though he doesn't lay out the details) through his tears that all his anger and hostility has been a mask for his very real fear brought about by Jackie's death: if he can't send AJ to military school, how can he save him from the same fate?  The day of the funeral comes and the Sopranos arrive in the car behind Rosalie and Kelli as the coffin is carried to the waiting grave. As they make their way forward though, Paulie comes racing the other way, tearing past the headstones in full retreat while Christopher and Silvio are both arrested upon arrival by the Sheriff's Department, part of an annual crackdown on illegal betting that happens every Superbowl. Silvio is disgusted they'd do this at a funeral, allowing them to cuff him and bragging that last year he made bail so fast his soup was still warm when he got home. Tony leads AJ and Meadow away from the scene and they join Ralphie and Rosalie at the graveside, Johnny Sack and Ginny not far behind. Tony notices Junior and Bobby arriving, Junior realizing they're late and complaining LOUDLY to Bobby that he was told it wasn't starting till 11am. When Bobby spots Silvio being taken away, Junior freaks at being caught up in or even associated with any arrests when his own trial is fast approaching and demonstrates he really is over that cancer by just ZOOMING back to the car. Tony watches dumbfounded as Junior leaps in and starts to drive away, Bobby begging him to stop. He does, only long enough for Bobby to pile into the car, and then he races away. It would make a mockery of the funeral if it wasn't already massively hosed up that the guy who ordered the hit - Ralphie - is standing right there beside Rosalie, and HIS Boss Tony is right there with them. Jackie is going into the ground because of them, and this entire thing is a giant bad joke. Rosalie - who already lost her husband a couple years earlier - lets out a dramatic scream as the priest reads that they are to commit her son's body to the ground, and Meadow also breaks down into sobbing as the priest does his best to just power through the rest of the ceremony. Amidst all this chaos and drama, AJ turns and looks at his father, who just stares back, his implicit message clear about the dangerous path AJ is on. The funeral done, they help a clearly drugged Rosalie up the stairs and into her bedroom as she mumbles that she needs to go to Vesuvio's and put in an appearance since he opened the place for them and all those people will be there. Carmela and Marie assure her she doesn't need to worry about that, while Kelli makes a beeline for the kitchen and a bottle of booze, joined by Meadow and Mackenzie. Ralphie meanwhile settles down in his chair and turns on the Superbowl, a man standing deeper in the corridor behind him slowly edging his way up closer to see the game as well, unable to resist the siren call of the game despite the nature of why they're all there. In the kitchen, Mackenzie asks Meadow if Jackie was dealing drugs while they were dating, and Kelli snaps at her cousin to shut up. Kelli's anger isn't at the (clear) inappropriateness of the question, but at the notion that he was killed by drug dealers at all. Like Meadow she doesn't believe for a second he was killed over some ecstasy tablets, but unlike Meadow she has never been under any illusion about her brother's "stupid, pathetic" dream to follow in their father's footsteps. Mackenzie obviously has no idea about the mob connection in the family, and a disgusted Kelli is far closer to the truth than she knows when she grunts that Jackie was killed by "a fat gently caress in see-through socks", dismissing all of the various "soldiers" as looking exactly the same: big, overweight Italians. Meadow, who was making exactly the same arguments only a few days earlier to Carmela, speaks up now to say that Kelli has no basis for what she just said. She reminds Kelli that Jackie's best friend was an Israeli drug dealer and asks her to just drop the whole thing. Kelli is stunned, not only because she and Meadow used to joke around about their dads' criminal lives, but because Meadow is calling HER out for being upset on the day of HER brother's funeral. Hitting Meadow with some of the withering sarcasm she herself often uses on Tony and Carmela, she notes that she'd probably want to pretend everything was fine too if her father still controlled crime in North Jersey like Tony now does.... but if he did, then Jackie Jr's death might not have happened. Meadow is furious at this accusation, and repeats exactly the same bullshit lies and obfuscations she has always rolled her eyes at in the past. Their dads were in the garbage business, the mafia stuff was always just a joke and even if they do "brush up" against organized crime, they can't be blamed for every slimeball who gets their hands on a gun. Then to top it all off, she finishes her tirade against the sister of the dead Jackie Aprile Jr by casting a look at Mackenzie and admonishing Kelli for mentioning any of this in front of an "outsider", and affects disgust at her lack of "loyalty." A reminder, this is Jackie's SISTER that Meadow is ripping into here. In spite of Meadow's education and her frequent dismissal of Tony's attitudes and beliefs, there's a "putrid" Soprano "gene" in her too. She shares the same trait at her father (and mother): a selfish rage at anybody who makes her face up to the hypocrisy she uses to justify her lifestyle.   Tony arrives at Vesuvio's where he greets a now calm Paulie, who escaped arrest even if he lost his dignity in the process. He passes up the offer of a drink, though not quite with the same aggression as Ralphie did in an earlier episode, he has to go be with his mother who is currently by herself. Tony watches him go, unsure about Paulie's current state of mind, then joins Junior at the table where his uncle is enjoying a solid meal after months of chemo. As Tony dabs at his leftover gravy with some bread, Junior is characteristically blunt, he agrees it is a sad day but points out that Jackie Jr was always a dumb gently caress, reminding him he once almost drowned in 3 inches of water at a penguin exhibit. Tony agrees, noting that Jackie Sr always tried to claim Jackie Jr had a learning disorder, and makes a joke of his own by pointing out that stupidity IS a learning disorder in one sense. Junior looks around and comments on the poor turnout, if Jackie was still alive and the Boss then it wouldn't have mattered if this was Superbowl Sunday, the place would have been packed. It's a valuable warning, the prestige of the title is only good for as long as you're alive to enjoy it, once you go it goes with you along with all the respect and "love" that once accompanied it. Tony changes the subject, congratulating him on finally getting his House Arrest overturned, his lawyer was finally able to get a judge to agree he was not a flight risk. But Junior, being Junior, still isn't happy, he now has a new RICO trial coming up. In spite of this typical downplaying of his phenomenal good luck, Junior can't help but smile at the fact he can eat properly again, and says the cancer has given him a new outlook on life and he means to take the time to smell the roses. Tony agrees that this is something they should all do, taking a moment to look around at the half empty restaurant for the wake of a young man killed in the prime of his life. Outside, Paulie is heading for his car when Johnny Sack calls out a greeting, he's standing outside in the cold smoking a cigarette because he doesn't want his wife to know he hasn't quit. Paulie is amused, the Underboss of a Five Families family, having to hide from his wife. Johnny is amused too, not denying it, but as he smokes he sees the look on Paulie's face and asks him what is the problem, insisting Paulie tell him when he tries to play it off as nothing. Paulie of course desperately wanted Johnny to ask him, and he admits that he's fed up with the way he's been treated recently since Ralphie came along with all the Esplanade money. Johnny, who works well enough with Ralphie that Tony was worried about the two spending too much time together, offers no support of Ralph but doesn't condemn him either. Instead he opines that Tony, dear friend though he might be, did not treat his mother well and shouldn't be looked to for guidance when Paulie is trying to care for his own. Paulie agrees that maybe Tony has a fundamental issue with the elderly, saying it is something he mentioned to Junior before Tony arrived at Vesuvio's, a conversation that Johnny finds amusing... but it also gives him an idea. As if just casually remembering it, Johnny notes that sometimes Carmine Lupertazzi gets frustrated with Tony too, and Ralphie too... that whole generation in fact, he thinks the Esplanade hasn't been handled entirely correctly. Paulie, who is older than Tony, bites onto this eagerly, especially when Johnny notes that Carmine will sometimes ask about him. He thanks Paulie for asking him to send his love Carmine's way, saying "they" appreciate that, playing up the idea that the two of them (a team now) are the guys who think well of the elderly, also making a point that Carmine isn't as well as he could be. Suddenly Paulie finds himself in the unexpected situation of the Underboss of the Lupertazzi Family telling him that the Boss thinks of him and appreciates him, with the additional note that Carmine may not be long for this world, meaning he could be good friends with the FUTURE Boss of a Five Families family. After months of feeling sidelined by Tony, somebody of his own generation from a more prestigious family paying him attention must be like finding an oasis in the desert. He's quick to pledge his desire to fulfil any request Carmine might ever make of him and Johnny - who frequently insists that he has no intention of sticking his beak into New Jersey affairs - promises he will pass that on to Carmine.   Carmela drives with Meadow towards Vesuvio, asking Meadow if she is doing okay, noting that she knows she had a few drinks but she also understands it is something they could all use right now. Meadow, who must at some level understand the hypocrisy of her indignation towards Kelli, justifies it by telling Carmela how she finally understands something she once told her about maxxing out the good times with the people you love. She isn't pleased when Carmela reminds her this was actually something Tony said, not herself, because that further reinforces the unsettling realization that she's far more like her father than she ever wanted to believe. She admits that she never really thought before about how Jackie and Rosalie's off-hand approach to raising Jackie Jr screwed him up, and Carmela is glad she sees that, the implication being that they were tougher on her and she never appreciated it. This actually riles up Meadow, who is looking for an excuse to vent and takes this opportunity immediately. She accuses Carmela of trying to use this as an excuse for her attempts to control Meadow, and a pissed off Carmela snaps back a reminder that she's in college now and doesn't live under their roof anymore, she's OUT of their control. Meadow, who wants to be angry whether it makes sense or not, struggles with this for a second before declaring she'll try to use it against AJ. At Vesuvio's, Tony - who not long ago was making fun of the deceased - is pissed to see Ralphie holding court at a table full of people (including Johnny Sack), cracking racist jokes and loving being the center of attention. One person in particular is REALLY paying attention to him, a seemingly drunk (or high) Janice Soprano cackles with laughter and embraces him with joy, kissing the side of his face and ending up sitting in his lap. Ralphie spots Tony looking and raises his glass high in greeting, not thinking for a moment that yucking it up with Tony's sister in his lap at the wake for the kid HE ordered killed (and whose mother is his girlfriend, at home in a drug-induced sleep) might not be the best idea at the moment. Everybody is happy though when Silvio and Christopher arrive, having made bail as fast as Silvio predicted. Everybody rushes to greet them, Gabriella and Adriana embracing their men, while in the background Junior and another man sits with the guitarist happily singing snippets of lines from Malafemmena. Carmela arrives, joining a beaming Tony as he watches his Uncle sing, and he points him out to her. She doesn't smile at the sight, she tolerates Junior right now but she still has not forgiven him (nor should she) for his attempted assassination of Tony, something Tony himself largely seems to have forgotten or locked away tight as the sole fault of his safely deceased mother. Junior's singing becomes more pronounced as he gets more into the music, he is singing Core 'ngrato, watched now by more than Tony. Ginny Sack is moved by his voice (Dominic Chianese actually did sing this himself) and encourages him to sing more, surprising him as he realizes he has an audience. But everybody shouts out for him to sing and claps and cheers, and he can't resist the urge to be front and center. Getting up, he declares he beat cancer and now he is going to beat the can, getting more laughter and applause (and a frown from Carmela) before he starts tuning up. Meadow, with fresh booze from the bar, joins Tony and Carmela and laughing cynically at Junior, deciding he must be hammered to be standing up and singing. She wanders away, joining Mackenzie and her boyfriend at their table as Junior launches back into the song. It is a tremendous performance from Junior, the laughter has stopped now and everybody gathered stands in silence, feeling more real emotion than they did at the funeral as Junior sings a lament for a woman who rejected the singer's love. The song seems apt for Artie Bucco, who stands close with his estranged wife while unable to keep his eyes off of Adriana clinging tightly to Christopher.  But as Junior sings from the heart, Tony notices chunks of bread falling around him, and realizes that a progressively drunker Meadow is tossing pieces at him, getting close enough that Junior falters at points in his song to look around for whatever brushed by him. AJ chuckles happily at his sister's acting up, another role model who is showing him that you can do whatever you want and get away with it, and that's too much for Tony to stand. As she sarcastically sings,"Oops, I did it again!" after hitting Ralphie with some bread, he makes a beeline for her table. She stumbles out of her chair with a drunken,"Yeah yeah, I'm going! I'm going!" and races out the door, and he gives chase. Outside he demands she stop and come back, but when he finally gets close she round on him and shouts out what is a true statement, even if she has acted on it in an appropriate way: "This is such bullshit!". She's right of course, this whole wake is a farce, a follow-up to a funeral nobody really had interest in for a dumb kid that nobody particularly gave a poo poo about anyway. More than that though, she's angry and disgusted at herself for the way she has acted towards Kelli and aped all the same crap she mocked her entire life. Tony is shocked, his perfect daughter is just as capable of being a gently caress-up as either himself or AJ, and he's terrified when she suddenly lurches across the stress through oncoming traffic, almost being hit by one car that barely manages to skid to a stop in time. He watches her stumble away up the street, starting to go after her but hesitating as traffic gets in her way, knowing she's too far off for him to catch her now. Instead he turns and returns to Vesuvio's as Janice clears AJ and the other kids away from the door where they were watching with fascination Meadow's display. Back inside, Tony tells Carmela that as far as he knows she's gone back to school, noting she had her purse and that she'll be all right. He has that much faith in her at least, in spite of her drunken behavior, he knows that Meadow is capable of looking after herself in a way that AJ simply isn't. They summon AJ over to join them, where Tony puts an arm around him and firmly but without anger tells him to stand still and be quiet. He wants his son to pay attention, and he does, as Junior sings with such emotion that Johnny Sack literally weeps. Junior continues to sing, his voice replaced by first Parlez-moi d'amour and then La Enramada. Tony holds his son close, hugging him and patting his head, watched by Carmela who yearns for this love to guide AJ to a better fate than Jackie Jr. Meadow is not there, but the season ends with the family largely together once again in Vesuvio's, surrounded by friends, listening with joy to a beautiful, heartbreaking love song by an estranged family member who has been welcomed back into the fold and escaped the death that took a young man in his prime. It isn't an entirely happy ending, but it is a beautiful one.  So ends Season 3 of The Sopranos, a strange and somewhat uneven season that also just so happens to have some absolutely exceptional standalone episodes in it. As has been discussed to death, the loss of Nancy Marchand completely uprooted the initial plans for this season and it shows. There was no real replacement for any kind of season long arc, just a series of mini-arcs that crossed over each other and set up a new status quo for season 4... which itself got slightly upended by the 9/11 attacks that would have an enormous impact on essentially every aspect of American Culture going forward to the current day. It would be a mistake to say any given season NEEDS a specific nemesis for Tony to clash against, and I couldn't blame Chase if he wanted to avoid a repeat of what worked so well in season 2. But the lack of any driving force to push Tony's story along itself ends up becoming the thing that carries the season along. Whereas in season 2 it was built and built that a confrontation was coming with Richie, only for that to be pulled out by his sudden death at Janice's hands and then the underlying threat of Pussy coming to the fore, in season 3 we largely see Tony running into a number of potential threats that he deals with and moves on from while still finding none of the peace or happiness he thinks must surely be due. His mother is dead, why isn't he happy? He squashed Jackie Jr's beef with him by tarring Richie's character, and got the kid back on track as a result, so why isn't he happy? He ran headlong into a major issue with Ralphie Cifaretto and ended up cowing him and breaking him down while still retaining his earning power... so why isn't he happy? He found a perfect woman with Gloria Trillo, so why did that fall apart? He figured out a way to end things firmly with her when she went off the deep end, getting away with his infidelity unscratched, so why isn't he happy? He and Meadow were no longer estranged, so why wasn't he happy? Carmela seemed back to the wife he knew and loves (the one who puts up with his bullshit) so why isn't he satisfied with that? He saw Meadow get out of two relations he knew were bad for her, so why isn't he happy? He got Ralphie to take on the load of guilt that came with killing Jackie Jr, without ever specifically ordering the hit himself, so why isn't he happy? In the end the only conclusion he can come to is the one that fits his long entrenched sense of self-loathing, coupled with the narcissism that makes him think everything is about him: there must be something intrinsically, physically wrong to explain his inability to be happy. AJ's condition only confirms that for him, but it also provides one of the few times he is genuinely selfless about the problems of another person, as he fears the same misery that permeates his life will also permeate AJ's... and he knows AJ isn't as tough as him. "How are we gonna save this kid?" he pleads to Melfi, and it is an answer she can't give him. She's there to help him, but he won't engage fully with what he needs to do that, so how the hell can she help him help somebody else? Season 3 is over, season 4 is coming, and while a lot of stuff got set-up and never really paid off in this one, it's all in place for what comes next, and it is going to be a loving doozy. Season 3: Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood | Proshai, Livushka | Fortunate Son | Employee of the Month | Another Toothpick | University | Second Opinion | He Is Risen | The Telltale Moozadell | ...To Save Us All from Satan's Power | Pine Barrens | Amour Fou | Army of One Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:08 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Jul 2, 2019 12:26
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LMAO I completely forgot that he's obviously not listening to the Sun Tzu tape AT ALL.
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Jul 2, 2019 13:14
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For some reason Meadow's use of the word 'amazing' sticks out to me when she's giving crap to the Aprile girls. She keeps the high ground by not using words you'd normally use when you're air quotes outraged.
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Jul 2, 2019 15:18
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Excited to get into Season 4 because that's where I'm at in my rewatch so I'll get to watch along with the write-ups from this point forward.
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Jul 2, 2019 15:19
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Ginette Reno posted:I don't know if Tony idolizes it. He's amused by the Godfather and they all enjoy the movie and Sil's quotes, but I don't think they hold it up as a piece of high art or anything or as a moral code to live up to. It's just a goofy Italian movie that's quotable for them. Tony's entire image of his grandfather's generation and the Old Country comes from the Godfather movies. His favorite scene is when Vito returns to Corleone, and I think the Sopranos who went to Naples literally thought it would be like Michael's time in Sicily. They've become so Americanized that their entire image of their heritage comes from movies. Look at Birth of a Nation to see how much impact a movie can have on how criminal groups perceive their heritage and identity. The Godfather series is obviously about how crime rots a family away from the inside, but its easy for mobsters to see it as a flattering portrayal of flawed anti-heroes who commit necessary evils for the sake of their family and their culture. Which is ironic considering that Joe Colombo tried boycotting The Godfather, and is the reason why they never mention "Mafia" or "Cosa Nostra" in the movie. The Sopranos has a lot of fun being a TV show where the characters constantly mistake fiction for reality. Like Tony and Sil's conversation about Columbus and Gary Cooper, Christopher thinking the Cuban Missile Crisis was made up or Jackie Jr's doing a hilarious impression of Michael Corleone.
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Jul 2, 2019 15:45
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I think this is an important question based off this episode What is AJ's SA account. Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 19:01
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Jack2142 posted:I think this is an important question based off this episode AJ racked up a $500 credit card bill after being tricked into using the ATTENTION and HOT tags repeatedly.
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Jul 2, 2019 19:03
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AJ made his account in 2005 and was banned for asking for filez.
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Jul 2, 2019 19:29
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No Wave posted:AJ made his account in 2005 and was banned for asking for filez. He would definitely make a "Hi, I'm new" post in gbs.
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Jul 2, 2019 20:53
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AJ was banned and definitely had a stupid newbie avatar. The "No Fuckin Ziti" podcast is, indeed, way better than the "Poda-Bing" one but, god drat, these 2 aren't nearly as funny as they think they are. Their insights and reads on the episodes are quote good but I wish they'd spend less time trying to be funny and cracking each other up. https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-fuckin-ziti/e/58170057?autoplay=true I also wish I could I could sort the episode order from oldest to newest instead of clicking on "previous episodes" 50 times . Having a weird conflicting thing going on lately because I'm simultaneously reading this thread, The Sopranos Sessions book and listening to the podcasts and each one is on a different episode so it's semi disorienting. BiggerBoat fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Jul 2, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 21:27
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What I didn't understand about that episode was why Carmela was so resistant to military school. Was it because she didn't want her son to leave her? Personally I think the school might have been good for AJ to have had some discipline and direction in his life. Granted I've never met anyone who went to military school so I'm not sure if those schools are good for curing spoiled, and bad kids or if it is brainwashing?
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Jul 2, 2019 21:34
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Vichan posted:LMAO I completely forgot that he's obviously not listening to the Sun Tzu tape AT ALL. That's true! The voiceover saying "he who knows when to fight, and when not to fight" is obviously very intentionally selected. So many nice details.
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Jul 2, 2019 21:42
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Great write-up as always Jerusalem, thanks for putting in so much work on these that they're spilling into two posts now. I think season 3 may be my favorite in the show just on the strength of the individual episodes. The lack of an overarching plot didn't ever bother me much. I feel like season 3 is where the show really settled into itself, and it's also the last season of the show where things are mostly going well for the main cast, as opposed to season 4 and onwards where everyone seems to be on a gradual downhill spiral.
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Jul 2, 2019 21:45
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BiggerBoat posted:AJ was banned and definitely had a stupid newbie avatar. I had to quit listening to No Fuckin' Ziti after one of the hosts kept using 'like' literally twice in every other sentence. They have some nice insights but God does it get grating, they also miss some really interesting-to-talk-about stuff in some episodes. Also, obligatory sopranosautopsy: https://sopranosautopsy.com/
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Jul 2, 2019 21:49
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DropsySufferer posted:What I didn't understand about that episode was why Carmela was so resistant to military school. Was it because she didn't want her son to leave her? Personally I think the school might have been good for AJ to have had some discipline and direction in his life. Granted I've never met anyone who went to military school so I'm not sure if those schools are good for curing spoiled, and bad kids or if it is brainwashing? I dunno either, I think AJ is frustrating because he reminds me more than anyone else on the show people I know IRL, and some of them did change for the better. One of them actually did join the marines is doing okay. I think AJ would have benefited from military school and having some structure. He has no drive and faces no consequences in life for stupid actions, being subject to discipline for once would probably help somewhat. Some/Lots of people can self motivate, but on occasion sometimes someone needs someone external to step in. Also for Jackie Jr. He is not particularly smart, but he did seem to have some ~basic~ ability to be a criminal. If he was actually brought into the mob by his dad, he probably could have functioned perfectly fine as a low level associate/crew guy. Just the problem was he was the bosses son and only had a vague hazy idea of the life and outsized reputation to live up too so his ambition outstripped his skills. Like Christopher, Paulie etc. aren't exactly geniuses themselves and function mostly okay in the life. Chris even hosed up too and nearly got killed in season 1 for pulling similar bullshit of tweaking made guys noses (although again he never shot anyone important). Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 2, 2019 21:58
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Jack2142 posted:I think this is an important question based off this episode Dad Capo So What
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Jul 2, 2019 22:02
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Your Gay Uncle posted:Dad Capo So What Lmao
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Jul 2, 2019 22:06
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DropsySufferer posted:What I didn't understand about that episode was why Carmela was so resistant to military school. Was it because she didn't want her son to leave her? Personally I think the school might have been good for AJ to have had some discipline and direction in his life. Granted I've never met anyone who went to military school so I'm not sure if those schools are good for curing spoiled, and bad kids or if it is brainwashing?
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Jul 2, 2019 22:35
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It's also a matter of AJ being her "little boy". Remember how excited she gets to see him again when he comes back after a weekend in DC for a schooltrip? Peppering him with kisses, gasping about how this is the longest they've ever been apart, did he miss her etc? Now all of a sudden her husband is telling her,"I'm sending our precious baby boy to a school far away where people will yell at him and bully him when he's far away from you and you won't be able to protect him, also they're going to turn him into a mindless killing machine." It takes seeing Jackie dead in his coffin that really hammers home to her the fact that this could be AJ if they don't try something extreme. That entire wake/funeral/Kelli and Rosalie etc are like a roadmap staring her in the face screaming,"THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO AJ!"
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Jul 3, 2019 00:46
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