The Sopranos 1.13

I Dream of Jeanie Cusamano

Lots of things come to a head. Some plot lines are wrapped up and others roll on in the final episode of the first season.

Tony decides that something has to be done about Jimmy Altieri. Uncle Junior agrees and gives his blessing. Silvio and Chris are tasked with dealing with Jimmy. They lure him to a hotel room with the help of a hooker and kill him, execution-style.

Artie Bucco finds out from Livia that Tony is the one responsible for the fire that destroyed his restaurant. This happens just as Artie and Charmaine are opening their new restaurant, in large part due to the insurance payout. Artie loses it and confronts Tony, with a hunting rifle. Tony talks him down by lying to him, telling him that he had nothing to do with the fire and that his mother is going senile. Artie doesn't know what to do. He tries talking to Father Intintola, who recommends that he tell Charmaine and go to the police.

FBI agents bring Tony in and have him listen to a recording of his mother and his uncle talking about him. They are talking about the fact that he is seeing a psychiatrist. What isn't stated explicitly but is implied is that he will have to be killed. Tony is smart enough to read between the lines. The FBI agents want him to cut a deal with them but he refuses once again. He leaves and starts to plot against his uncle.

Tony visits Dr. Melfi's office a couple times during the episode. During the first visit he gets enraged when she suggests that his mother is the one behind the recent attempt on his life. That occurs before his meeting with the FBI agents. After he finds out that Dr. Melfi was right he goes back to see her. She locks the door and threatens to call 911. She is scared after what he did the day before. He promises not to harm her. She accepts his promise. They talk. He explains as much as he can to her and encourages her to get out of town. He is worried that her life may be in danger because she is his psychiatrist. She balks at the idea of leaving town at the drop of a hat but by the end of the episode she takes his advice.

Christopher and Paulie are sent after Mikey Palmice. Then catch up to him while he is jogging. They chase him through the woods. He's fast but eventually he trips and falls in a creek. He begs but they aren't about to show him any mercy. Paulie is pissed off because he ran through poison ivy while they were chasing him and Christopher still holds a grudge against him for killing Brendan in 1.03 (Denial, Anger, Acceptance).

Uncle Junior is next on the hit list but before Tony can get to him the FBI does. Junior and a bunch of other mafioso get arrested and indicted. The district attorney in charge of the prosecution wants Junior to testify that Tony is the real head of the Soprano family but Junior isn't willing to play ball.

Tony levels with Silvio, Paulie, and Christopher about seeing a psychiatrist. They aren't sure how to take it. Tony insists they tell him how they feel about it. Paulie admits to having seen a psychiatrist himself a year or two before, to help him with anger issues.

Carmella finds out that Father Phil Intintola has also been talking to Rosalie Aprile. Carmella feels like a fool for thinking that she had something special with Father Phil. She confronts him about it when he invites himself over one night. He tries to bluff his way past her anger but it rings a little too true. Father Phil doesn't stay for dinner.

Tony confronts his mother at the nursing home near the end of the episode. She continues to act senile. I've got to say that I find the act to be very convincing. Maybe it is just an act but there's no real hint (other than Tony's insistence that she's faking it) that she might not actually be losing her marbles.

This season didn't end the way I thought it did. I remembered something else, which must happen in the second season. I recalled the death of Mikey Palmice but the rest was for the most part like watching it for the first time. It was an excellent episode. It sets things and resets things nicely for the next season. It makes me hungry for more but I think that I will wait a while before I take a swing at watching season two.

The Sopranos 1.12

Isabella

Tony sinks into a deep, dark mood. He stays at home and sleeps. Pussy has gone missing. Tony isn't as certain that Jimmy Altieri is the snitch. Tony doesn't know what to do. He only goes out to see Dr. Melfi. He hangs around the house all day in a bathrobe.

Two things bring him out of this mood. The first is a beautiful exchange student from Italy who is staying with his next door neighbors, the Cusamanos. Tony has two encounters with her. The first occurs when he sees her in the yard next door and goes over to introduce himself. Her name is Isabella. Their second encounter occurs when he is on his way back from an appointment with Dr. Melfi. He runs into Isabella in town and takes her to lunch. She tells him all about the town his family is from in Italy. Tony starts daydreaming about her holding a baby, named Tony. When Carmella catches Tony looking out their bedroom window at Isabella the next day she flips.

The other thing that brings Tony out of his dark mood is an attempt on his life. He doesn't know the two assailants but he manages to fight them off. A minute later he crashes his SUV and winds up in the hospital. The attackers were hired by Mikey Palmice who did it on orders from Uncle Junior.

Talking to Isabella helped Tony in one way. Fighting off the two hoods energized him in another way. FBI agent Harris comes to see Tony in the hospital. He offers him full immunity and a spot in the witness relocation program for him and his family in return for testimony. Tony refuses to talk. Carmella is there and feels differently but she ultimately stands by his side.

Uncle Junior doesn't know what to do when he finds out that Tony survived the hit. He was feeling sick to his stomach before he found out that Tony had survived. In the end he and Livia go to see Tony once he has returned home.

The episode ends with the reveal that Isabella was never there. She was a figment of Tony's imagination. Cusamano doesn't know what he's talking about when he asks him about the beautiful exchange student. Carmella doesn't remember seeing Isabella or any part of the conversation they had at the time. Tony doesn't know what to make of it all but he's happy to be alive and no longer in a dark mood.

One interesting thing that is finally shown is the route Tony takes to get to Dr. Melfi's office. He goes into a coffee shop, but then exits through the rear of the shop and enters the doctor's office through what looks like the rear of that building.

While Tony is in the hospital his family comes to see him. Meadow and AJ are shooed out of the room where Tony is staying and wind up sitting on a bench in a hallway. Behind the bench is an ad for the Red Cross which reads, "Safe Families. Everyone Needs One." How very appropriate considering the nature of this show.

Not perfect but this was a damn good episode. It is a very Tony-centric episode in the sense that it is really all about him and not his relationship with any of the other regulars on the show.

The Sopranos 1.11

Nobody Knows Anything

Tony gets word from Detective Makazian that Pussy has cut a deal with the Feds. Makazian is convinced but Tony needs more than just the detective's word. He questions Pussy. He talks to Silvio and Paulie about Makazian's reveal. He goes to visit Pussy at home. Pussy's been having back problems. According to Paulie (who heard it from Pussy's doctor) the man doesn't have anything wrong with his back. Tony gives Pussy a chance to come clean but he claims that he isn't hiding anything, he's just stressed out.

Tony becomes convinced that Pussy is talking to the Feds. Paulie offers to "take care" of Pussy but Tony insists that he has to see the wire on his body before he does him. Paulie tries taking Pussy to get a steam bath. Pussy won't get undressed. He says his doctor told him that heat isn't good for his back.

Uncle Junior finds out that Tony has been meeting with other mobsters at the home where Livia lives. He gets nervous and starts to plan something. He's worried that Tony is planning to have him killed. He wants to make a move before Tony gets a chance to whack him.

Makazian gets busted at a bordello that he frequents, along with a bunch of other men. He loses his cool, after he gets out of jail and commits suicide. This leaves Tony in a lurch. He still isn't sure who's talking to the Feds. He never got the confirmation he needed from Makazian to satisfy him that Pussy is wearing a wire. Jimmy Altieri comes to talk to Tony as soon as he gets out of jail. He and Pussy were both arrested during a bust earlier in the episode. Pussy got out first. Jimmy tells Tony about how they were giving him the third degree. He suspects that the Feds know something.

Tony starts thinking that Jimmy is the one working with the Feds. The episode ends with Tony still unsure if Pussy or Jimmy or someone else has cut a deal with Feds.

This marks the beginning of the final act of the season. I thought this was an excellent episode. I really enjoyed watching Tony sweat it out as he tried to figure out whom to believe. He even tried asking Dr. Melfi for advice. I recall the big outcomes of the season but I don't remember all the details. I am looking forward to the last two episodes and watching exactly how they play out.

The Sopranos 1.10

A Hit Is a Hit

Tony tries getting to know his neighbors a little better. He and Carmella visit with their neighbors, the Cusamanos, who are having a barbecue. Everything seems to go well enough. Later, Tony plays golf with Cusamano and a couple of his friends. They ask Tony an inordinate number of questions about gangsters, real and imaginary. Tony gets more and more irate but he holds it in and answers their questions.

Christopher gets into the music business. He meets a big star in the R&B world, Massive Genius (Bokeem Woodbine), who approaches him after he learns that Chris is connected to Tony Soprano. Massive wants to talk to Hesh who owns the rights to a couple hit singles that his uncle wrote and sang decades ago. Hesh isn't receptive to Massive's requests for reparations. 

Adriana wants to get into the music business. She pushes the idea on Christopher and talks him into bankrolling some studio time for her ex-boyfriend's band. Massive will represent them. Massive seems more interested in Adriana than the music and Christopher can see that but Adriana can't. They get the band in the studio but when the recording session isn't going so hot Christopher loses his cool. He doesn't seem to have the right temperament for this line of work.

Tony gets back at Cusamano by giving him a package filled with sand and asking him to hold on to it for him. Cusamano doesn't know what's in the box. Cusamano's wife is played by Saundra Santiago who was a regular member of the cast of Miami Vice. I thought she looked familiar but it wasn't until I checked IMDB that I was able to figure out where I knew her from.

This episode is a big improvement over the last episode and feels like a return to form. It doesn't advance any of the season's arcs but helps to add some depth to a number of characters like Tony, Christopher, Hesh, and Adriana.

The Sopranos 1.09

Boca

Tony finds out something about Uncle Junior, that he like to perform oral sex on his girlfriend. When he starts needling his uncle about his sexual practices (using double entendres) his uncle needles back with the same sort of comments about Tony's mental health issues.

Meadow's soccer team is doing really well but the coach has plans to move on to a better, higher paying job. Tony and his friends, including Artie Bucco, aren't too happy to hear about the coach's plans to leave. First they try nicely to persuade him to stay. They try to bribe him with women and gifts but he turns down those offers. Artie is a straight shooter and tries telling Tony to stop with the heavy hand.

One of Meadow's teammates attempts suicide. Tony gets concerned that it has something to do with playing soccer. It turns out that Meadow's friend is suicidal because she's distraught over her relationship with the coach which includes an intimate physical component. Meadow tells her parents in the middle of an argument. This changes the whole color of the situation but it was telegraphed early in the episode and did not come as a great surprise to me.

Artie can't believe the news about the coach but at first he thinks the guy deserves to die. Tony is close to giving Silvio the order to kill the coach but get talked out of it by Artie who has a change of heart and manages to get through to Tony, even though Tony won't admit it.

Uncle Junior tells Mikey Palmice, in a moment of frustration, that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist. Mikey was already thinking that it is time to kill Tony, whom he suspected was the one who named names to the DA. This is one loose thread that doesn't get resolved in this episode and will get picked up and resolved later on.

This episode felt a bit forced. There were a lot of moments that lacked nuance. I'm not sure exactly why that is the case or who is to blame. The performances were good enough but the way it was edited together just felt a little too on the money and below the standards set by earlier episodes in this season.

The Sopranos 1.08

The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti

Tony and his business associates are forced to scramble when they find out that they are about to get indicted. Tony and Carmella clean out all their hidden loot from the house and stash it in Livia's apartment, without telling her.

Christopher is freaking out. The episode opens with him having a weird, horrific dream about someone he killed a few episodes back. It bothers him for a good portion of this episode. He want to write a movie script and tries using the dream as inspiration but he can't seem to get his ideas out of his head and into the script. He seems to conflate reality and fiction. He sees what is happening as a movie but he gets agitated because he can't see his part in it. He worries about what his arc is. He tries telling Paulie about what's bothering but Paulie doesn't understand.

Christopher gets so worked up that he loses his cool and shoots the guy working the counter at a bakery. The moment was all about Christopher but I couldn't help but notice that one of the other customers in the bakery was played by the actor who also plays Vito Spatafore in future episodes of the show. At first I thought that maybe this was supposed to be Vito but from what I can find online it is not. It is just a case of one actor playing a different character in his first appearance on the show.

Tony gets angry when Dr. Melfi doesn't cut him any slack after he misses one of their sessions. He warned her that it might happen. He didn't cancel the session in advance so she charges him for it. He loses his cool when she insists that he pay for the missed session. She is going through her own little crisis in this episode as her ex-husband tries to talk her out of keeping Tony as a patient. Her ex doesn't know exactly who her patient is, just that he is connected.

Tony gives Christopher a hard time about the shooting at the bakery when he finds out about it. He tries slapping some sense into Christopher but that doesn't seem to work. It isn't until the end of the episode when Christopher sees his name in a newspaper article about the indictments of member of the Soprano crime family that he comes out of his funk.

Uncle Junior finds out that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist, from Livia. I believe she found out from AJ, who accidentally spilled the beans when he was visiting her in 1.07 (Down Neck).

Overall a very good episode. It didn't blow me with the level of quality but I was totally engrossed in  what was going on. I didn't think once about pausing the show or taking a break like I do with some hour-long shows.

The Sopranos 1.07

Down Neck

Tony flashes back to his youth several times as he tries to figure out what to do about AJ, his son. He is concerned that one day he will have to talk to him about what he does for a living. He tries to get Dr. Melfi to tell him what to do but she just keeps turning it around on him and asks him more questions.

AJ and a couple of his friends were caught with wine stolen from the church. The school psychiatrist suggests that he may have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and encourages Tony and Carmela to have him tested. This is the incident that seems to set off Tony's concerns. As he mulls it over he starts to have the flashbacks. He remembers the first time he saw his father (and Uncle Junior) beat someone up and the first time he saw them get arrested. He remembers watching his parents argue and how verbally forceful his mother could be to his father and also to him.

There's one scene that takes place at the Ba-Da Bing but for the most part this is a family-centric episode. Just about all the gangster related stuff that goes on happens in the flashbacks.

Another solid episode. This show really worked and works on a number of levels. Ultimately all these different levels are manifestations of Tony's life but they each have their own flavor. The fact that they all work and still taste good to me is a testament to the quality of the show.

The Sopranos 1.06

Pax Soprana

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.

The Sopranos 1.05

College

Tony takes Meadow on a trip to visit universities in Maine. She starts asking questions about being in the mafia. He denies it at first and then says that some of their money comes from illegal gambling. He can't come out and own up to it to his daughter but she knows. The looks she gives him when he lies to her, she knows.

Tony spots someone (while they are on this trip) that he thinks he knows. Someone who used to be in the mafia and became a witness for the government. He tracks him down and confirms that it is the guy he thought it was. The guy gets wise to Tony before Tony finds him. In the end Tony gets the drop on the guy and kills him. This leads to more lying to Meadow about how he hurt his hand and got mud on his shoes. Things seem to come back to where they were at the beginning of the episode.

Carmella is home sick, while her husband and daughter are out visiting schools. Father Intintola, a young priest, comes to visit. She feeds him. They watch a movie together: Remains of the Day. He spends the night. Nothing happens but for a second it looks like it might and the next morning he admits to being physically attracted to her. He is worried that Tony will learn that he was there that night because his car was parked out front all night.

Carmella tells Tony about the priest. He jokes about it and doesn't understand. Then she tells him that Dr. Melfi called. He lied to her in an earlier episode and told her that the psychiatrist was a man. She was very hurt and was rude to Dr. Melfi on the phone. Tony loses his cool and doesn't know what to say. He begs for Carmella's forgiveness. She's got him over a barrel but I've got a feeling that he is going to do something to intimidate Father Intintola, if not in the next episode then before the end of the season.

On the whole a very good episode. I love the moment in the car at the beginning when Meadow starts asking questions. The looks she gives him, priceless. There is also some interesting camera work in this one.

The Sopranos 1.04

Meadowlands

Tony continues to stress over his relationship with his uncle, among other things. Seeing Jackie Aprile's worsening health doesn't help, nor does Christopher's desire to stir things up and settle things once and for all with Uncle Junior and Mikey Palmice.

Tony has another panic attack and a bad dream (which opens the episode) before he finally gets some advice from Dr. Melfi that he follows. Before that he is getting kind of sick of her. He wants to know something about her, not something in particular but something about who she is. He hires a police detective who owes him to look into her. The detective goes a little further than observing. He pulls over Dr. Melfi and a guy whom she recently started dating. When the guy objects the detective beats him up and then arrests him. Dr. Melfi winds up sharing the story with Tony but he doesn't own up to the fact that he was the one who put the police detective on her case.

Things look like they are getting ready to go nuclear between Tony and Uncle Junior. Tony takes a page out of a book that Dr. Mefi gave him and suggests that Junior should be the new boss. By stepping aside and letting his uncle take over he avoids a war. Instead of wondering where Uncle Junior stands now he knows exactly where he stands. He also gets his uncle to cough up some money for supporting him.

AJ gets into a fight at school with Jeremy Piocosta, a classmate who used to be a friend. AJ doesn't tell his father but Jeremy's father hears about it. Tony runs into George Piocosta at a gardening store. Tony is holding an ax in his hand at the time and inadvertently scares George. The next day AJ is supposed to fight Jeremy again but Jeremy backs off. He gives AJ money to cover the cost of the shirt he tore up when they fought the day before. AJ is confused. He tells Meadow about it and she clues him in to their father's real line of business.

Another excellent episode. I couldn't have told you what happened in this episode before watching it this time around but a lot of it felt very familiar as I watched it unfold.

The Sopranos 1.01

Pilot

There's a lot thrown out in this episode. Most, if not all, of the main characters for this season are introduced. Tony Soprano, the main character, has a lot of interactions with a lot of people, some are family, some are business associates. A good chunk of the episode unfolds around a few sessions that Tony has with Dr. Jennifer Melfi, a psychiatrist. He tells her somethings but not everything. She is mostly concerned with what might have caused him to collapse and have a panic attack.

Tony seems to have a lot of people relying on him. At home there is Carmella (his wife) plus Meadow and Anthony, Jr. (his children). Beyond his immediate family there is also his mother and Uncle Junior, his father's brother. On the job there is Christopher (his cousin) plus a number of other associates (Silvio, Hesh, Big Pussy, Paulie).

Uncle Junior wants to whack another mobster, Little Pussy, in Vesuvio's, Tony's favorite restaurant which is owned and run by Artie, Tony's friend and high school classmate. Tony goes to some lengths to try and prevent that from happening. There's a certain amount of resentment on the part of Uncle Junior. He doesn't like it that his nephew runs the family business.

Christopher whacks a Czech mobster who is giving him trouble. Big Pussy gives him some help in getting rid of the body. Christopher has dreams of going to Hollywood but he is loyal to Tony, despite his rhetoric.

One thing that Christopher and Uncle Junior have in common is that they both want to make big dramatic gestures. Uncle Junior wants to murder another man in broad daylight. Christopher wants to dump the Czech mobster's body where it will be easily found by his people. One has his opportunity taken from him. The other is talked out of it by a colleague. I don't recall if this is a recurring theme throughout the first season or the whole series.

I watched the entire series on DVD 10-15 years ago. It was one of the first things I watched on DVD. It feels a bit dated in 2017, a bit more like a period piece. I enjoyed this episode but I was not blown away by it this time around. Most importantly, I was not turned off by it. I want to watch more. It may not strike me as ground-breaking or monumental as it once did but it is still quality television.