Our prayers and thoughts go out to Denise and her family.

The full story can be found on the MyCentralJersey.com website at this link.

If you haven’t heard by now, Lady Gaga’s rumored appearance on The Soprano’s has been identified. She appeared during the third season in the episode, “The Telltale Moozadell”. It’s a brief appearance at AJ’s high school where AJ and some friends trash the school to impress some girls sitting on the bleachers, one of which was a 15 year old Lady Gaga. Below is a video of the clip.

Full Leather Jacket

Christopher Moltisanti teaches Matt Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte the ropes

Towards the end of the dinner scene, Tony Soprano instructs AJ to “crack the books”, as we transition to a stocking store where Chrstiopher Moltisanti, Sean Gismonte & Matt Bevilaqua are crackin’ a safe open. Thanks to the disturbing scene of Sean taking a dump (courtesy of an adrenaline rush), their conversation turns to recognition when Christopher mentions that Big Pussy used to do the same thing. Sean & Matt are surprised that Big Pussy started off chippin’ safes and Christopher reminds them that they’ll need to “step up when your time comes”. Christopher sets into motion Sean & Matt’s longing for some status with Tony Soprano and the crew, a theme that will guide these character’s decisions throughout the rest of the episode. Note that Big Pussy doesn’t make a single appearance in this episode.

Sean Gismonte seals his own fate

Thanks to their own ignorance, as well as a brief conversation with Richie Aprile, by the end of the episode Sean & Matt will attempt to kill Christopher Moltisanti; ending up with Chris wounded in the hospital, Sean Gismonte shot dead in the head and Matt Bevilaqua on the run. Much like Brendan Filone’s attempts at gaining recognition in season one, Sean & Matt fall flat on their face. The latest generation of wiseguys just can’t catch a break with The Soprano crew.

I wonder who Jean Cusamano dreams about?

Sandra Santiago becomes the first actress to play more than one charater on The Sopranos, as she reprises her role as Jean Cusamano and her new role as Jean’s sister, Joan O’Connell. For trivia sake, I’ll note that she’s not the only character in season two who will play two different characters; Dan Grimaldi played Phillip “Philly Spoons” Parisi in the season premiere and he returns as Patsy Parisi in the season finale, Funhouse.

Carmela's got a list of demands, written on the palm of her hand

I found the storyline of Carmela hiding Meadow’s college mail and pleading with Joan O’Connell for a letter of recommendation to Georgetown to be a bit lame, in an otherwise entertaining episode. However it was amusing to hear Joan mixup Meadow’s name as “Fielder” and watching Carmela tell Joan, “I want you to write that letter.” I enjoy the little moments when Carmela Soprano threatens people, we can see how her husband has rubbed off on her.

Old friends reunited

During a brief exchange in the hospital, Richie Aprile & Beansie Gaeta are reunited for the first time since Beansie’s accident back in episode 16, Toodle-Fucking-Oo. Constantly throughout the episode Paulie & Silvio are riding Richie to build a ramp for Beansie’s house so he has wheelchair access. This is another indirect action from Tony Soprano that pisses Richie off.

Like mother like daughter? I think not.

We’re briefly introduced to Adriana la Cerva’s mother, Liz la Cerva. Liz is played by Patty McCormack. The great irony of Liz is that she’s a total bitch, almost the complete opposite of her daughter, Adriana. Although Liz is a bit annoying, her warnings about Christopher will ring true by the time season five of The Sopranos rolls out. This is the only episode Liz will appear in during season two and she won’t appear in The Sopranos again until season four.

Christopher Moltisanti's Proposal

In perfect Christopher Moltisanti fashion, Christopher proposes to Adriana la Cerva with the words, “I wanna marry you. I mean it Adriana, I love you. I wanna marry you. Got you a ring and everything.” Much like Carmela Soprano, the ring puts a smile on Adriana’s face and she quickly forgets how she was treated like shit. Like a typical made man, Christopher proposes to his girlfriend, where only a few weeks prior he was having an affair with his own cousin’s fiancée. Not only are these people lying to each other, but they are constantly lying to themselves. Notice that Christopher doesn’t even place the ring on Adriana’s finger, he just hands her the box.

Richie spots "the jackkketttttttt"

Perhaps the breaking point in their already fragile relationship, Tony Soprano gives away Rocco DiMeo’s leather jacket that Richie Aprile bestowed upon him. Richie catches a glimpse of Tony’s housekeeper’s husband wearing the jacket and nearly loses his cool in front of Carmela. This move by Tony sets off Richie unlike any other. The jacket itself really showcases Richie Aprile’s old school taste; he takes a lot of pride in the jacket as well. Tony Soprano shows no respect to Richie, nor the jacket. Much like Junior’s beef with Tony Soprano in season one, Tony overlooks a very minor thing that sets Richie over the edge.

Can you smell that smell?

One last note on the jacket, I love how Tony catches a wiff from it after he tries it on for Richie. By the look on his face, he seemed quite disgusted. That scene gives me a chuckle every time (you’ll find the video of this scene at the bottom of this blog post).

Bryan & Vito Spatafore on the job

Vito Spatafore’s brother Byran Spatafore makes his first appearance in this episode, as the two of them attempt to build a ramp for Beansie. Bryan is another minor character in the show who will appear in and out of seasons. His biggest moment will arrive in the season three episode, Another Toothpick. There’s really not much to say about this guy; the writers kept his character to a minimum.

Donny K. shows up

Donald Kafranza aka Donny K. makes his first appearance  in this episode as well. Donny introduces Matt & Sean to Richie Aprile. During the introduction, Richie starts cracking jokes and talking trash on Christopher Moltisanti, leading Matt & Sean to believe that Richie doesn’t like him. This also leads into the attempt on Christopher by the two, who think they’ll gain some clout with Richie, but again they are sorely mistaken. Seems that the old school and the new school’s outlook are completely different.

These guys have a man crush on Tony Soprano

Prior to becoming ‘dead & wanted’, it’s kind of funny to see Sean & Matt sweating Tony Soprano when he walks into the Bada Bing. For a moment they sound like they are in love with Tony, asking each other, “How do I look?” and using mouth spray before following him into the men’s room, just to say “hello”. Little do they know how much less Tony could give a shit about them.

Furio's demands

Furio’s appearance in this episode is great. He shows up to collect Tony’s share of money from Matt & Sean and he ends up demanding an extra $1,000 – because he can. Again this adds to Matt & Sean feeling like the low men on the totem pole. Furio tell’s his friend in Italian, “These two suck each other’s cocks.” What would you think if you walked in after a minute of knocking on the door and two guys were both dressed in nothing but their underwear? A very amusing scene.

Sean should've skipped the seatbelt that day

During Tony’s session with Dr. Melfi, Tony explicitly mentions that it’s “Tuesday at 3:00.” Immediately following the therapy scene, Christopher is seen leaving The New Skyway Diner and is shot by Sean Gismonte & Matt Bevilaqua. I know I already mentioned the shooting, but the 3:00 mention defines the time of the incident, which will also play a major role in the next episode. One last note on the shooting, it seems Matt forgot to put the car in park and it keeps edging forward as Sean sits dead in the front seat, strapped in by his seat belt. When someone gets whacked in a car on The Sopranos, always look for the car to keep on moving.

A Sopranos cliffhanger ending

During the final brief hospital scene, Tony Soprano looks on at Christopher Moltisanti devastated. After you’ve seen the complete series and you come back to watch these early seasons, you’re reminded that there was a time that Tony truly cared for Christopher and was really molding him to be his successor. It won’t be until around season five where their relationship takes a couple of bad turns. The credits role at the end of the episode, sans music. We’re left with the sound of Christopher Moltisanti’s hospital room, waiting in suspense to know if he’ll survive the hit. One final note, this episode is the shortest running episode of The Sopranos. It clocks in at 42 minutes and 48 seconds.

However recently it came to my attention that the deleted scenes had been posted to YouTube by a user with the name jcracker. I’ve been sharing these deleted scenes here and there on our Facebook & Twitter accounts, but I figured I’d also put up this post for those of you who haven’t seen The Sopranos deleted scenes yet.

So here they are, the 12 Sopranos deleted scenes that come with the complete series gift set. I don’t know about you, but I can never get enough of The Sopranos, so here’s just a little bit more…

Just when we thought Christopher Moltisanti was done with Hollywood, they pull him back in; Christopher & Adriana join Chris’s cousin Gregory Moltisanti and his fiancée Amy Safir for some drinks in the city. Amy works for Jon Favreau (who plays himself in this episode) and they are both interested in reading Christopher’s movie script. A few episodes prior, the writers had us thinking that Christopher was through with big screen distractions, however he now wants to dive back in. The Sopranos writers were always great at delivering diversions like that.

Amy & Gregory both make their first & last appearance in this episode.

When this episode first aired in 2000 this fact didn’t exist, but if you watch this episode in the year 2010, you keen eyed observers will notice that Christopher’s cousin Greg Moltisanti is played by Dominic Fumusa who is currently acting in Nurse Jackie as the love interest of Edie Falco. Edie, of course, played the one & only Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos. It’s a small world after all.

As Christopher & Amy start to lose themselves, a shot of fruit enters the shot, but not just any fruit, "forbidden fruit".

Christopher’s distractions will land him in bed with his cousin’s fiancée Amy. I can’t help but think forward to the fifth season of the Sopranos, episode 57, Irregular Around the Margins. It’s in that episode where Christopher accuses Tony Soprano of fooling around with his fiancée Adriana la Cerva. Christopher goes ballistic and almost shoots his own boss and cousin, Tony Soprano. The irony being that Tony & Adriana never even layed a kiss on each other. Jumping back to this episode, I can’t help but think of how much of a hypocrite this makes Christopher Moltisanti, who has sex with Amy several times throughout the episode. Chris’s cousin Greg never does find out about these indiscretions (as far as we know), but who knows what would’ve happened between the two of them if he ever did.

What does Amy see in Christopher? Is it money? Power? Some movie script ideas?

I can’t help but always wonder what Christopher whispered to that guy in the bar. Obviously it scared the shit out of him, resulting in Amy being impressed by Christopher’s power & authority. Christopher jokes about that moment later in the episode, but never truly comes clean about what was spoken. Any guesses?

AJ Soprano waxes philosophical.

“Death just shows the ultimate absurdity of life.” Signs of teenage angst are surfacing in AJ Soprano. Tony & Carmela begin to feel confused as hell about AJ’s new outlook on life. The seeds of AJ’s future are being set, and it appears that he shares The Soprano depression gene that Tony is so anxious to shake.

Tony Soprano wants to blame himself.

Dr. Melfi touches upon Tony’s mentions of his mother, “she’s dead to me”, and wonders whether the way that Tony treats his own mother, AJ’s grandmother, is having a negative effect on AJ. Tony shrugs  it off and is leaning more towards his own genes being the cause of AJ’s newfound thoughts on life.

Who would ever want to live so close to a cemetery?

This leads Tony to turn to one of his best friends, Big Pussy, for help with AJ. The storyline works perfect, as Pussy’s character is well underway working with the feds, he’s now asked to put aside business and help his supposed “best friend”. Lucky for Tony & AJ, Pussy still has something of a heart left in him. Notice the scenery behind Pussy as he meets with Agent Skip Lipari outside of his own house; the cemetery in the background looks like it could just swallow Big Pussy right up. The allusion to death is right next to door the rat.

"Let that one, call that one, 'buchiach'." - Christopher Moltisanti

“D-Girl” features three celebrities who play themselves, namely Jon Favreau, Sandra Bernhard & Janeane Garofalo. Jon Favreau takes the biggest beating in the episode from Christopher who constantly rags on the movie Swingers throughout their meetings, which makes for some great comedic relief.

A meeting of the minds.

Notice when Christopher & Jon Favreau discuss Christopher’s lead character from his script, Frankie, Favreau describes Frankie as a contradictory character that is also complex. I couldn’t help but think of the character of Tony Soprano when this scene plays. Jumping ahead to the final season of The Sopranos, in episode 79, Stage 5, Christopher’s movie Cleaver premieres wherein one of the characters (the boss in the movie) draws a major comparison to Tony Soprano. Seems Christopher’s ideas for his script didn’t stray too far from real life at all, with Tony Soprano being his main inspiration.

"Fuckin' d-girl!"

Much like the ‘medigons’ did to Tony Soprano in the season 1 episode, A Hit is a Hit, both Jon Favreau & Amy Safir both use Christopher in this episode. They both seem more interested in hearing Christopher’s mafia stories than really divulging into his script. After Jon ends up stealing Christopher’s story and using it in his own script, this becomes apparent. Finally this leads to Christopher breaking his ties and losing his temper, with both Jon & Amy. Christopher calls Amy a “D-Girl” – short for development girl. He downgrades her career. The origin of the episode title is revealed.

Tony Soprano trying to keep his 'cool'.

During an amusing scene regarding marriage and fresh produce, Adriana la Cerva reveals to Tony Soprano that Christopher has been working on his screenplay (again). Much like the story that was hinted to us in the pilot episode of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano realizes that Christopher is again facing major Hollywood distractions and he doesn’t like it. I should also mention that Christopher’s first mentions of his cousin Gregory were also made in the pilot episode when he started discussing Hollywood and movie scripts with Tony (shortly before Tony lost his temper).

Who's sponsoring who?

Big Pussy’s work for the feds is coming to an impasse, as they insist he wear a wire to AJ Soprano’s confirmation party at The Soprano’s house. The feds aren’t happy at all with the information that Pussy has been feeding them as it’s getting them nowhere closer to a RICO case against Tony Soprano. I really love this scene in particular, the way that it was shot at night with the sounds of helicopters overhead. It’s very short, yet very effective because we can really feel the pressure that’s being put on Big Pussy by Agent Skip Lipari and the FBI. This scene also features another one of the recurring FBI agent characters, Agent Frank Grasso.

True blood.

The stress of “leading a double life” is getting the best of Big Pussy at home as well. While trying to shave his chest (in order to strap on a wire), Angie Bonpensiero insists Pussy let her into the bathroom. Soon a fight breaks out and luckily their son, Matt Bonpensiero, intervenes and stops the fight. One has to wonder whether Pussy might’ve killed his own wife in that moment if their son wasn’t at home. The blood on Pussy’s chest is a wonderful touch to this scene; it’s as if Big Pussy’s true colors are starting to “shine through”.

Wearing a wire in God's house.

Throughout the season, Pussy has had a lot of questions for Tony Soprano, however in the scene during AJ’s confirmation party at home, we know that this time Pussy is definitely wearing a wire. Pussy has truly betrayed Tony Soprano and the whole gang and sold out to the feds. Tony still feeds him nothing and laughs off his questions. I’ve got to figure that Tony Soprano’s friendship with Pussy through the years is the only thing keeping him from accepting the truth about his friend. The signs are all there for Tony. Vin Makazian confirmed it in season 1. Yet it seems as if Tony Soprano is still in denial.

Pussy's Guidance

In direct contrast to his betrayal, Pussy soon crosses back to the path of being a friend as he talks to AJ, who just got caught smoking marijuana in the garage by Tony & Carmela. Pussy assures AJ that his father is a “stand-up guy” and that he’d “take a bullet for you.” It’s in this moment that Pussy seems to realize that what he’s doing to his friends is wrong, no matter how convoluted his lifestyle has become. Pussy’s advice to AJ is to enjoy everything he’s got, “while it’s in his hands”. Pussy feels out of control and his advice is the total opposite of how he is treating his own family. He breaks down alone in the bathroom as everyone else celebrates. Whether it’s with the mob crew, his family or the feds, he feels alone and he’s got no one to turn to now.

"A Tony Soprano Ultimatum" : coming soon to a theater near you.

Tony wants Christopher to be loyal and to stay focused on his “job”, yet Christopher’s passion for movies has distracted him once again. Tony delivers a final ultimatum to Christopher, either walk away and never show himself to Tony again, or put all distractions aside and show his loyalty to Tony Soprano 100% of the time. Christopher chooses Tony Soprano. We all know that Christopher should just go off and finish his script and follow that lifestyle he desires, yet at the same time, we know that he won’t leave Tony. Tony & Christopher’s relationship is on shaky ground, but Tony manages to reel Chris back in. The tragedy that is Christopher Moltisanti’s life is in the making.

All Hope Is Gone

The themes of loyalty and betrayal are all over the place in this episode. Big Pussy moves a step further towards betrayal and Christopher is trying to catch up a few steps up the loyalty ladder. Tony Soprano deals with Christopher after his distractions are revealed to him. It’s going to take another type of revelation for Tony Soprano to realize what Big Pussy has done.

My favorite scene from this episode was a brief exchange between Tony & AJ Soprano, driving through New Jersey and discussing God.

Tony Soprano Loves Hanging Out With Old High School Friends

I really like find the storyline interesting of how Tony sets the precedent that he’s not the little kid on the school bus anymore to David, who still thinks of Tony as an old high school friend, instead of the man that he has become. We’re shown the business side of Tony Soprano, who will step over anyone or anything to provide for his family and get what is owed to him. Although it’s not exactly cold blooded murder, Tony see’s an opportunity with David, lends him the money and then starts to collect after the man screws up. Tony Soprano doesn’t look back.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The David Scatino storyline also leads us into Tony Soprano choosing a ‘civilian’ over Richie Aprile, yet again. Again this gives Richie reason to get pissed at Tony and perhaps Tony isn’t right in doing so, however Tony really wants Richie to respect him. I have to side with Tony Soprano on this. When Richie spots David at Tony’s card game, attempts to strangle him, and demands his money, I think Tony has every right to defend David. Tony knows that Richie is old school and that he expects to be right back in the life he defended while serving in prison for 10 years, however Tony has to lay down the law. Tony is the acting street boss and he’s not getting the respect from Richie that he expects and deserves.

How Could Tony Want To Smash Her Face In?

Tony & Melfi’s first therapy scene this episode really let’s us in on the feelings of anger he’s been showing in the first half of the second season. The episode’s title is referenced in this scene when Tony mentions ‘the happy wanderer’, whom he can not stand. Tony resents Melfi for making him feel like a victim. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t want to go back to therapy for a while?

Am I The Only One That Finds It Ironic That Vito Spatafore Is Sucking On The Cigar Like That During His First Appearance As A Mobster?

During a scene at Richie Aprile’s hangout, we’re officially introduced to Vito Spatafore (played by Joseph R. Gannascoli). Joseph played a character in the season one episode, The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti, however in that episode he wasn’t formally introduced to us and he was not a mobster.

Perhaps Junior Is A Little More Well Thought Out Than We'd Thought

Junior Soprano reveals to Tony Soprano that he had a second uncle, Ercoli (named “Eckley”) who was retarded and put up for adoption. To me, this seems like a storyline that never really lead anywhere, but don’t get me wrong, it’s interesting to know more about The Soprano’s past. Perhaps Junior told this story to Tony shortly before negotiating his payment for the ‘executive game’ to throw Tony off of his game?

Frank Sinatra Jr. Starring As...Frank Sinatra Jr.

This episode features a celebrity who plays themself, aka Frank Sinatra Jr. We’re also first introduced to Sunshine & Dr. Ira Fried during one of the executive game scenes. The scene of Silvio Dante flipping out on Matthew Bevilaqua over sweeping the cheese is my favorite scene from this episode. You’ll find the video clip of it at the bottom of this post.

Paulie Whips It Out For The Cop

This episode touches on the mafia / police officer relationship for one of the first times on The Sopranos. We see Paulie get pulled over by a cop, pull a gun on him and then realize that Paulie is paying off the cop in order for some peace and quiet during the executive game. I can never get enough of Paulie’s scenes. It’s interesting to see the kind of pull that the mobsters have in NJ, as they are bribing the police to get what they want. They are on a whole other level.

Meadow Is Looking Quite Chipper In This Scene, No?

I really need to start touching on the music used in episodes of The Sopranos in these blog posts. I have a huge Sopranos playlist on my iPhone that gets regular play. I’m constantly searching down more tracks to add to it. It was cool to hear Stone Temple Pilot’s Down playing when Meadow’s friend Eric Scatino picks her up for school. Kind of dates the episode unlike other music used in the show, but cool none the less. Later a poster from the band Hole is season in Meadow’s bedroom (from the album “Celebrity Skin”).

Just The Site Of His Mother, Sister & Richie Aprile Sets Tony Soprano Off

During the funeral of Tom Giglione Sr., Tony & Carmela come face to face with Livia Soprano for the first time this season, since season 1. After Tony takes a look at Richie, Janice & Livia, he’s ready to leave the funeral. I can’t help but laugh at Tony’s annoyance with the three of them. Each of them gets on his nerves in their own way and seeing them together has got to annoy the hell out of Tony.

Livia Soprano's Eyes Are Talking To Tony

I love the scene where Tony returns back into the funeral and Livia stares at Tony. No words are spoken however a thousand thoughts are conveyed between the two characters. Tony can’t stand the site of his mother as she is “dead to him”. Livia looks at Tony as if she wants him to forgive her, although she would never admit that to anyone. The both of them are beyond stubborn. As of this point, Tony has yet to confront his mother or speak a single word to her since he tried to attack her with a pillow in s01e13 I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano.

Janice Gives Richie A Piece Of Her Mind

Much like Livia pulled Junior’s strings in season 1, Janice starts getting into Richie’s ear while driving home from the funeral, remarking, “$50,000 – mailmen make more than that,” in reference to how much money Tony gave Richie to get back on the street. It becomes more and more apparent with each episode of season 2 that Richie Aprile isn’t going to settle for the ranking that Tony Soprano has given him. Richie Aprile wants more.

Meadow Soprano Realizes That Something Is Rotten In Denmark

David Scatino offers Tony Soprano his son’s car as partial payment for some of the money he owes. Tony wants to give the car to Meadow, who in return blows up in his face. Again we’re left to decide who’s right and who’s wrong when Tony & Meadow go head to head, arguing about Tony’s present to Meadow. Again I side with Tony, if Tony sold the car and gave Meadow the money, bought her food, or bought her a different present, how is that any different? Tony Soprano provides for his family with any means possible.

The Show Must Go On

Tony Soprano shows no remorse during Meadow’s school show, when learning that Eric Scatino will not perform, probably knowing that Eric quit because of his father giving his car away. Meadow Soprano is performing in the show and that’s all that matters. The Soprano family prevails another day.

Every time my phone would ring, I’d be reminded of Tony’s signature ringtone. I had it set as my ringtone for a couple of years and I’m sad to say that probably only 1 or 2 people ever recognized it from The Sopranos.

The ringtone premiered sometime during season 4 and would be heard mostly throughout season 5 and a few times in the final season 6 whenever Tony would receive a call on his cell phone.

I’d like to share this ringtone with my fellow Sopranos fans. If you do download and use it, please let me know if anyone recognizes it. The link to download the mp3 ringtone is below. Enjoy!

Update 6/9/10 – Added an iPhone version of the Tony Soprano ringtone. Download either the iPhone or MP3 version below. (Both files are zipped)

Download MP3 format -> Tony Soprano Ringtone (MP3 Version)
Download iPhone format -> Tony Soprano Ringtone (iPhone Version)

Furio Arrives In New Jersey

Seems that one of the themes of this episode has to do with the shortcomings of some of Tony Soprano’s main men, namely Christopher & Big Pussy. On the other end of that spectrum, Furio Giunta arrives on the scene in New Jersey and he’s one hell of a soldier. Later in the episode, Tony will have Furio do the same job that Christopher started (or tried to start).

Seems That Pussy & Christopher Didn't Get "The Memo" On Furio

Tony Soprano gives both Silvio & Paulie a bump up the ladder thanks to the arrival of Furio. This bump leaves Big Pussy behind and is further proof that Tony still doesn’t trust Pussy since his disappearance.

Who Wears The Purse In This Relationship?

During the first restaurant scene we hear the song Big Girls Don’t Cry playing at Nuovo Vesuvio. The song partially plays into the episode title, but it’s Christopher & Jennifer Melfi who will also “reference” the title through their actions later on.

"She's Your Problem Now"

In an amusing scene, Tony finds Richie Aprile at his mother’s house where Janice Soprano is staying. Notice that Richie offers Tony eggs shortly after he arrives? The eggs could be foreshadowing the death of Richie Aprile that will take place in the same house later in the season. Tony isn’t one bit fond of Richie & Janice’s relationship. Richie is the first in a line of men who annoy the hell out of Tony Soprano that Janice will choose to date. I wonder if she does that on purpose?

Don't Mess With Carmela

Another amusing scene is during Furio’s welcome party at Tony & Carmela’s. Junior & Bobby arrive and Carmela Soprano slams the door in their face. Unlike Tony, Carmela puts most of the blame on the attempt on Tony’s life from season 1 on Junior Soprano. Suffice to say, he’s not welcome in The Soprano house anymore.

Hesh Is Riveted By Tony Soprano's Conversation

A great sub-plot that plays through this episode is Tony Soprano turning to Hesh Rabkin for advice on his recent outbursts. Tony has been out of therapy for so long that he’s starting to long to find someone to open up and talk to. Why not one of his father’s old advisors? However, unlike Jennifer Melfi, Hesh isn’t that great of a listener. There are a couple moments where Tony wants to vent and in return, Hesh starts telling a story. Tony doesn’t want to listen, he wants to talk and he cuts off Hesh. Listen closely and the two men talk over each other during both meetings in this episode. Tony really needs Dr. Melfi back, ‘Dr. Rabkin’ just ain’t cuttin’ it.

Renata's First Appearance

Interesting points to note from Tony’s meetings with Hesh: Hesh reveals to Tony that Johnny Boy Soprano, his father, also had panic attacks, known as ‘a condition’ back in the day. Also Hesh’s girlfriend Renata makes her first appearance. The only other episode where Renata is shown, besides this one, is in Episode 81: Chasing It.

When Tony Soprano's Got You By The Balls, Lookout!

Later, a few ducks make a cameo appearance, and Tony Soprano defends them from his comare Irina who tries to feed them cheese doodles. Seems that Tony & Irina fight quite often when they are trying to share some alone time. A Russian man in the boat next to them interrupts their argument and sets Tony off. This marks the 3rd time that Tony has lost his temper with someone this episode (first with Janice & later with Richie Aprile). The effects of Tony Soprano without therapy are getting to be quite dangerous.

The Tough Guy Stance

Christopher’s acting class starts to show us that the guy has some actual talent and could possibly make it in the outside world from where he’s grown up. However, the tough guy persona is hard to shake for Chris. After bringing himself to tears in an acting scene in front of the whole class, Christopher runs out of the class. It seems that he’s ashamed and embarrassed of crying in public. Christopher doesn’t like being seen as a ‘pussy’ in front of anyone, let alone a bunch of strangers. Next time he returns to class he punches one of the other actors in the face, a sure sign that he’s no pussy, he’s a tough guy.

Johnny Sack Meet Furio Giunta

Johnny Sack makes a brief appearance in an awkward restaurant scene featuring Paulie, Furio & Big Pussy. Paulie asks Pussy to excuse himself from the table. Again we’re reminded how Pussy is no longer trusted by Tony Soprano’s inner circle, no matter how long he’s been around. The contempt towards Pussy begins to push him to lean more towards the feds as he complains about “this thing of ours” to Skip Lipari.

Melfi's Revelations

Driving back to the episode title theme, we find Dr. Jennifer Melfi worrying about her abandonment of Tony Soprano in a therapy session with Dr. Elliot Kupferberg. Her dream from Toodle-Fucking-Oo about Tony crashing because of her abandonment haunts her. Jennifer comes to tears and she admits to having feelings for Tony Soprano. Big girls do cry? Again, the scenes of Melfi going to a therapist work quite well to let us in on her psyche and to let us know how she really feels about Tony.

They Don't Call Him "Furio" For Nothin'

Soon thereafter, Tony Soprano has Furio carrying out a job that Christopher Moltisanti couldn’t finish. While watching this scene I can’t help but remember the previous episode when Furio jumped on Don Vittorio when firecrackers went off in the streets of Italy. It was at that moment that Tony recognized Furio’s dedication and his strengths. Tony is about to put Furio to the test.

Melfi's Softer Side

While Furio is bringing down his…fury in the brothel, Tony waits in his car and at this moment Dr. Melfi calls him. She invites Tony back into therapy. It’s at this point that Jennifer’s guilt has finally gotten the best of her (or maybe it was that glass of wine?), no matter how many warnings Elliot Kupferberg gave her to not pick up therapy with her mobster, she didn’t listen to him. Melfi obviously has a soft side for Tony Soprano, no matter how strongly she disagrees with his morals and his way of life. Tony doesn’t give in while on the phone, but he does show up for the requested scheduled visit. Perhaps it was his conversations with Hesh that changed his mind, because in reality who else can Tony Soprano talk so openly to? At this point Tony knows that he needs the therapy.

Back To Work

The first Tony Soprano / Dr. Jennifer Melfi therapy session of Season 2 takes place. Tony’s main objectives are to stop passing out, to direct his anger towards the people in his life who deserve it & to be in total control. Tony is not by any means a patient man and he really didn’t see any difference in himself by the time that the therapy sessions ended in season 1. He thought he’d had all he could take and that nothing would change. Slowly over the course of the first few episodes of season 2, Tony began to realize that the therapy did make a difference. He realizes now that he’s got to set goals, although he still is not a patient man by any means.

Melfi Stumps Tony At The End Of Their Session

Tony reveals to Melfi where he was when she called him the previous day. The therapy session ends with Tony revealing, “I wished it was me in there.” And Melfi replies, “Giving the beating or taking it?”

Is Christopher Ready To Move On?

The episode ends as Christopher awakes in the middle of the night and throws away the movie scripts that he’s written. It seems he’s ready to move on & accept his fate as a mobster. I don’t think Christopher liked the feelings that acting brought up in him. I question whether Adriana was right or not about the emotions of Christopher losing his father at a young age that were bothering him when acting. Either way, he wasn’t ready to deal those emotions and maybe he never will be. Just as Christopher pushes his feelings away, Tony Soprano returns to therapy in hopes of getting control of his feelings. It’s still quite early in the game, but we can see how each man’s paths are heading in different directions.

I’d like to give a nod to Terence Winter who wrote this episode (this being the first episode of The Sopranos that he ever wrote). He came on as a producer for The Sopranos at the start of season 2 and would remain a producer & writer up until the end. Terence would also finally a direct an episode in the final season (one that he co-wrote with David Chase), Episode 82: Walk Like A Man. Coincidence: that episode and this one are both named after song titles by the Four Seasons. Both episodes also focus greatly on Christopher Moltisanti. I wonder if Terence named them both?

Paulie Does His Godfather Impression For Once

The seriousness of the warning symbolism plays out great with all of the humor going on in the scene, including Paulie referencing his favorite moment from the movie, “It was you Fredo!” (notice that immediately after Paulie name’s Fredo, a man who betrayed Michael Corleone, the scene cuts to Big Pussy who’s questioning Tony Soprano to get as much information as he can).

The Real Angie Bonpensiero Shows Up In Season 2

Actress Toni Kalem makes her first appearance as Angie Bonpensiero. Toni will continue to reprise the role throughout the final season of The Sopranos. There was another actress who played her in the first season, but she was nowhere near as effective at the role as Toni is. This ‘new’ Angie makes mentions of divorce from Pussy, which doesn’t seem too common for the married couples living the mafia lifestyle. The mention of divorce seems to have an effect on Carmela Soprano.

Furio Makes His First Appearance

While in Italy, Tony, Paulie & Christopher are introduced to Furio Giunta (as are we, the viewers). When Tony first sees Furio in action he’s obviously impressed by his dedication to his work, a quality that’s lacking in both Christopher & Paulie to Tony on this trip. While on the subject of Furio, I think he’s one of the few soldiers under Tony Soprano whom Tony should have really taken under his wing. He doesn’t suffer from the downfalls that Christopher Moltisanti does and he’s a dedicated soldier. During this scene a bellhop in the hotel speaks, “Commendatori!”, a line that obviously bodes well with Paulie Walnuts as he uses it over and over while in Italy. This is where this episode’s title comes from.

Christopher Finds Heroin

We’ve seen minor use of Christopher Moltisanti’s drug use up to this point, but this episode marks Christopher’s first real drug binge of using heroin while in Italy. The storyline is setup quite easily as Chris notices the needle marks on Tanno’s arm when they meet in the hotel. We need no further explanation of what’s on Chris’s mind. Although Christopher’s absence adds to some of the humor in the episode when Tony’s losing his patience, it represents a far deeper issue that won’t rear it’s ugly face until season 4; Christopher’s addiction & drug abuse problems. Another great touch is that Christopher doesn’t purchase a present for Adriana until they arrive back in New Jersey at the airport. We the viewers can really see where his priorities are.

If You Ask Me, Gabriella Looks Older In Her First Scene Than In Any Other Scene She Appears In From Here On Out

Another mafia wife is briefly introduced to us and that is Gabriella Dante, wife of Silvio Dante. Gabriella Dante is played by Maureen Van Zandt, Steven Van Zandt’s real life wife.

Tim Van Patten Directing Edie Falco On The Set Of "Cold Stones" In March 2006

I’d like to make mention of the director of this episode, Tim Van Patten. Commendatori marks the second Sopranos episode that Tim directed. I think Tim’s directing skill and style were a wonderful match for this show. As the season’s progressed I’d be even more excited than usual when I saw Tim’s name mentioned as director in the opening credits. He’d really put a nice touch on each & every episode of The Sopranos that he directed. I should also note that Tim had a partial writing credit in season 3′s infamous episode Pine Barrens.

The Curse For Bosses Who Don't Get Pinched Or Clipped

Looking back on this episode, I like the added touch of the Italian boss Don Vittorio being senile, as it really foreshadowed the fate of Corrado “Junior” Soprano. It’s also interesting to note that his daughter, Annalisa Zucca, has taken over as acting boss. If that were the case for The Soprano family with Junior as the senile boss & if Tony Soprano were to get pinched, Carmela would be acting boss. As Tony tells Annalisa in this episode, that would “never happen in the states, never”. I should also note that Annalisa & Don Vittorio make their first and only appearance in this episode of The Sopranos.

Tony Soprano's Italian Fantasy

Tony Soprano’s dream sequence of having sex with Annalisa Zucca, according to the audio commentary by Tim Van Patten, was shot from just about every angle and for hours on end. Interesting as it only makes it into the episode for about 3 seconds. I’d love to see the outtakes on that one! Judging from this dream, I’m assuming that Tony is quite attracted to Annalisa, however he doesn’t make any moves on her outside of his dream. That brings me to my next thought on their relationship.

The Woman Can Eat Shrimp

During the lunch scene between Tony & Annalisa, a closeup is shown of Annalisa’s mouth as she’s eating. That moment reminded me of the scene from Isabella, when Isabella was eating with Tony Soprano. Although Isabella was a hallucination, Tony did have some sort of weird mother-son relationship going on with her, as he didn’t make any sexual advances on her. Although Tony tells Annalisa that he doesn’t “shit where he eats”, I believe he may have the same kind of relationship going on here with her. For once Tony is able to keep a platonic relationship with a woman and although he states that he doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure, I think there may be other reasons in Tony Soprano’s subconscious.

Paranoid Pussy

Jumping back to the Big Pussy storyline, we begin to realize how paranoid he is, after he runs into an old friend aka Jimmy Bones (an Elvis impersonator) while meeting in public with FBI Agent Skip Lipari. Pussy has nightmares screaming Jimmy’s name and decides that he’s gotta whack Jimmy to keep him from talking, although Pussy did a decent job of playing off Skip as “a friend of ours”, according to Skip. The scenes of Pussy work great in this episode as they  jump between the events in Italy (mostly Tony & Annalisa’s discussions) and back to NJ.

Broken Eggs

This storyline introduced the first time where eggs are used on The Sopranos, much like oranges were used in The Godfather movies. Angie Bonpensiero returns home with her groceries and drops a crate of a dozen eggs on the ground, which break open and make a mess. The eggs foreshadow that death will soon take place.

Big Pussy Is Obviously Not A Fan Of Elvis Presley

A couple of scenes later, Pussy visits Jimmy Bones at his home and beats him to death with a hammer. Notice all of the Elvis paraphernalia around the house and the picture of Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis’ manager) that crashes to the ground as Jimmy meets his end. Also worth noting is that this is the first time we see Big Pussy whack someone.

Christopher Purchases Presents For Adriana After Arriving Back In New Jersey

After arriving back in New Jersey, Tony, Paulie & Christopher’s minds are all in different places.

Tony Contemplate's His Business Moves

Tony has remained focused on business, although he may regret having not slept with Annalisa Zucca at this point. He’s also quite annoyed with Paulie & Christopher. He might as well have gone on the trip alone.

Paulie Loves New Jersey

Paulie is still sticking up for Italy and the experience, but it’s obvious he’s happy to be back home in NJ.

Christopher Thinking About Where He Can Score Some "H" Back In The States

Christopher seems like he’s still in a daze after being high on heroin during the majority of the trip. Not only do these thoughts represent each character’s experience in this episode, but they also reveal each man’s strengths and weaknesses.

Paulie Isn't Impressed By Mr. Chase

One last note, the real Sopranos fans will have noticed that creator David Chase makes a cameo about 32 minutes in to this episode. Paulie Walnuts shares the scene with the uncredited Soprano’s creator. For those of you that missed it, here’s the video clip.