Tony has trouble on two fronts: his relationships with women and his business relationship with Uncle Junior. His problems with women stem in part from the medication he is taking. He can't get it up when he used to be able to. Maybe it isn't the medication that's causing the problem but that's what he suspects. It impacts his relationship with Irina, his goomah or girlfriend. When he can't get it up when they are in bed together they get into an argument. Then he starts having erotic dreams about Dr. Melfi.
It also impacts his relationship with Carmella. She wants to get a room at the Plaza on the night of their anniversary but he isn't interested. Part of the problem there is the issue of him withholding the fact that Dr. Melfi is a woman. Over the course of the episode and after talking it over with Fr. Intintola she finds some internal peace. She tells Tony that she was jealous. Everything seems better between them but she does mention that she was talking to Fr. Intintola about their situation. Tony doesn't react and that surprised me. I thought that he would have a problem with her sharing his secret with the priest. Maybe Tony assumes it was during confession, but it wasn't.
Tony tells Dr. Melfi about how he feels about her. Clearly it is infatuation, not love, but that's how he interprets his dreams. He tries kissing her but she backs off and ends the session. She gets angry when he does things for her like have her car stolen and fixed in the middle of the night. Tony seems to accept her reasoning but is that it? Will there be anymore follow up?
Uncle Junior is acting too heavy handed. He taxes Hesh heavily. Hesh complains to Tony, Tony calls in a favor and has Johnny Sack intercede on Hesh's behalf. He gets Junior to cut the tax in half. There's a lot of back and forth to get to this point. Additionally, Junior has Mikey Palmice kill a drug dealer who sold drugs to the his tailor's grandson, just before the boy killed himself. This also causes problems for one of Tony's friends who counted on the income that the dealer provided. The episode ends with a dinner in Junior's honor. One of the waiters is secretly wearing a camera and the FBI gets pictures of everyone involved. They now know who is running things.
I liked both aspects of this episode. The character moments with Dr. Melfi, Irina, and Carmella help to make Tony seem real and not like a caricature. I don't think that has been a problem up to this point but it is good to see him continue to evolve. I also enjoyed the politics of the family business.
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