We meet “Mustang Sally” for the first (and last) time.
A couple of SopranoWorld characters get diagnosed with cancer.
Meadow returns to college with a lamp from the basement.
Episode 31 – Originally Aired March 25, 2001
Written by Terence Winter
Directed by Jack Bender
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The episode begins with camerawork that is very typical of The Sopranos: a motionless camera records Tony and Dr. Melfi sitting quietly in her office. But then a surprising thing happens—the camera actually starts to pan across the room. This camera movement is so surprising because we have become accustomed to very static shots in the therapy sessions, a cinematic policy that Chase established as early as the Pilot episode. But there is a reason for the deviation from custom now: the camera pans around to reveal that Carmela—surprise!—is also here.
Early in the previous episode, Melfi was reaching the end of her rope with Tony. She suggested that he bring Carmela to their sessions, perhaps as a way to shake things up a bit. Tony dismissed the idea, insisting that “That’s not in the future.” However, when Melfi inadvertently reignited Carm’s jealousy by making a phone call to the Soprano home, Tony invited Carmela to therapy in an attempt to abate her jealousy-fueled resentment.
Psychiatrist Glen Gabbard, in his book The Psychology of The Sopranos, describes Melfi’s endeavor to bring Carm into therapy as “ill-advised.” Melfi should have known that Carmela would feel like she is being teamed up against. Of course, it’s possible that Melfi made the suggestion hoping that it would in fact drive Tony away from her treatment, as she was growing very frustrated with his lack of effort at that point. In any case, Carmela does indeed begin to feel that Melfi is unfairly taking Tony’s side. This is not the first time Carmela has felt threatened by Dr. Melfi. In “College” (1.05), Carmela felt profoundly jealous of Melfi’s relationship with Tony. And in that same episode, Tony felt equally uncomfortable with Carmela’s relationship with Father Phil (who had just spent the night at the house). Each spouse felt that an unwanted third-party was adding a triangular dimension to their marriage. Now, Carmela and Tony experience that same feeling of triangularity again in the current episode:
Their jealousies are not really justifiable, as Melfi and Father Phil have never truly crossed their professional boundaries. The marriage of Artie and Charmaine Bucco, however, is more legitimately in danger of becoming a triangle. Artie has developed a serious crush on Adriana. He makes a (pathetic) move on her and tries to pick a fight with her boyfriend Chris. But Adriana has no romantic interest in Artie, so I’m not suggesting that she that would create the triangle. It would be Tony Soprano. Tony has approached the chef with an opportunity to create products under the name of “Satriale Foods.” Charmaine (probably accurately) sees it as an opportunity “to be a front for a mobster.” If Artie pursues this business venture, Charmaine warns, then her husband would be choosing Tony over her and she would not hesitate to divorce him.
This episode and the previous episode together provide three examples of characters who are able to hold to their sense of morality in the face of temptation. Charmaine Bucco—as usual—demonstrates that she is a voice of conscience on the series. A second example is Jennifer Melfi who made the difficult choice last week not to use Tony to get vengeance on her attacker. And in the current hour, Officer Leon Wilmore provides an example of solid integrity. Tony, frustrated and angry after the therapy session with Carmela, recklessly races through the streets in his wife’s Mercedes. We see now what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object: the unstoppable force gets pulled over. Officer Wilmore stops Tony and is not moved by his status as a mobster, nor by his friendship with the police chief, nor by a bribe—he writes Tony a speeding ticket.
In the previous episode, many of us hoped to see Tony get the opportunity to operate outside of the law and avenge Melfi’s rape. Here, we see how petty and despicable Tony’s extra-legal manipulations can be. He pulls strings to get revenge on Wilmore. When he learns that the officer has to supplement his income with an entry-level job at Fountains of Wayne, Tony feels a pang of guilt. But an argument with Meadow about African-Americans reignites Tony’s anger toward the black policeman. “Fuck him,” Tony tells Assemblyman Zellman.
We are all products of our upbringing and our environment. Tony’s racism has been ingrained in him since childhood. But one gets a sense that his racism is not as deep-rooted as he wants others (and himself) to believe. His bigoted words and actions are largely gestures of habit. In the episode’s final scene, Tony offers $200 to the officer at his second job. Tony may be trying to help Officer Wilmore with the handout, though his primary purpose surely is to buy back his own peace of mind. But Wilmore (as his name suggests) is a man of great will. He walks away without taking the money. (Charles Dutton, well-known for playing the title character in Fox’s TV series Roc, is excellent in his portrayal here of a man whose integrity is solid as a rock.) Wilmore walks away, leaving Tony among the solid, unbending statues and fountains. Tony’s power and livelihood depend upon the existence of those—like corrupt Assemblyman Zellman—whose morality is, shall we say, flexible. Tony is left powerless by the concrete ethics of people like Dr. Melfi, Charmaine Bucco and Officer Wilmore.
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BLOODLUST
In her essay, “Bloodlust for the Common Man,” Jessica Baldanzi looks at how this episode and the previous one work in conjunction with each other:
While “Employee of the Month” whips up viewers’ bloodlust, “Another Toothpick” talks us down and makes us somewhat ashamed of ourselves, of our role in feeding the violence surrounding representations of the mob…The irony is painfully obvious: if a cop like Wilmore who “plays by the rules” had been assigned to Melfi’s case, perhaps the procedures would have been followed more carefully, and Rossi would not have been released on a technicality. The audience is once again chastised: how could you root for a guy like Tony Soprano, someone who pulls the strings to perpetuate the flaws of the legal system—all for the sake of getting out of a speeding ticket?
These back-to-back episodes have a brutality about them. A savagely realistic rape was at the heart of “Employee of the Month,” and “Another Toothpick” features some ferocious bloodletting: Mustang Sally cracks Bryan Spatafore’s head open with a golf club, and is then murdered (along with his Puerto Rican friend) in a vicious gun battle. The hitman, Bobby Sr., practically coughs up a lung during his escape before smashing his car into a pole. Even the episode title expresses a kind of brutal callousness towards death: Janice, channeling her mother, refers to cancer-ridden Bobby Sr. (and later, cancer-diagnosed Corrado) as “another toothpick.”
I don’t think the brutality is gratuitous. It serves to up the ante. Chase seems to be showing more and more that the actions and attitudes of characters on the series have serious consequences. SopranoWorld is becoming a truly dark and disturbing place. And this makes the uprightness of characters like Melfi, Charmaine and Wilmore all the more admirable. They are lights shining in the darkness. (The next episode upped the ante even more, causing some viewers to fold their hand; some viewers cancelled their HBO subscription after Ralph’s upcoming violence in “University.”)
THREE
For some fans of the show, the number “three” acquired a mythological status on The Sopranos. The legend mostly started in “From Where to Eternity” when Chris had a dream/vision/visit-to-the-underworld in which “3:00” seemed to be loaded with meaning. The number “three” takes on great significance now for Corrado, who believes the old myth that people die in threes. By his count, Boss Jackie and Uncle Febby were the first two cancer victims, and he himself could be the third—unless Bobby Sr. was the third. So, it becomes very important for him to learn the precise cause of Bobby Sr’s death: was it cancer or his car accident? We never learn what the exact cause of death was—it’s left uncertain. Janice, now a recommitted Christian, connects Corrado’s belief to her own; “3” has become a significant number to her because of the Holy Trinity. We see that in SopranoWorld (just as in the real world), when someone becomes certain that something has significance, they often try to insist that significance upon others. Janice broaches the subject of Pussy Bonpiensero’s disappearance and then asks Tony to pray with her. Tony, unmoved by religion, finds comfort in a glass of wine instead. It was in 2.09 that Carmela similarly tried to bring Chris to religion, and he sought comfort with the morphine drip instead:
Faith takes many forms in SopranoWorld. Characters invest their belief into God, the Holy Trinity, urban myths, drugs, alcohol, even the possible significance of three o’clock. One of David Chase’s main interests within the series seems to be in exploring how and why we cling to our various beliefs (and how and why we may stray from them).
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JOHNNY IN NEW JERSEY
In the first scene of the episode, the camera panned across Melfi’s office to reveal Carmela’s presence. Later in the hour, at Vesuvio, the camera similarly swings around to again reveal an unexpected face:
John Sacrimoni insisted in the last episode that he would keep out of New Jersey business but he is already making his presence felt. He aggravates Tony by expressing his opinion that old-man Bobby Sr. should not be making the hit on Mustang Sally. Johnny Sac will become a major player on the series, taking on various roles within the narrative: agitator, mediator, friend, rival, confidante. Right now, he’s just adding some more tension to Tony’s life. The threats and tensions in Tony’s life are in a state of constant flux. Johnny Sac adds to Tony’s general stress level, as does Ralph Cifaretto with his out-of-control behavior; on the other hand, Meadow has taken the FBI’s bugged lamp back to Columbia, unknowingly neutralizing a major threat against her father. Thus continues the surging and receding ebb-and-flow of stressors that make up Tony’s existence…
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ADDITIONAL POINTS:
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Real-life store Fountains of Wayne, where Tony runs into Wilmore, has gone out of business. (The store was referenced last season when Corrado learned that Bobbi Sanfilipo was seen buying a statue there.) Another toothpick: Fortunoff’s (where Carmela says she is going shopping) filed for bankruptcy soon after the worldwide crash of 2008 tanked retail sales.
- Actress Marie Donato appears at Uncle Febby’s funeral just as she appeared at Livia’s funeral earlier in the season, playing a character credited only as “2 to 5 / 7 to 9.”
- Avi Santo notes in his essay “Fat fuck!” that in the inverted value system of the Sopranos’ mobsters, being overweight is a sign of health and vivacity. Contrary to accepted medical wisdom, thinness may be seen as a sign of disease and death. There may be nothing worse in SopranoWorld than just being “another toothpick.”
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Sopranos Autopsy 
“We see that in SopranoWorld (just as in the real world), when someone becomes certain that something has significance, they often try to insist that significance upon others.”
Are you familiar with the master of sopranos guy? Is that a sly little dig at him?
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I’m not going to answer that without my attorney present.
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Agh….. Thanks for that. It makes more sense now that I can blame inept cops for the release of Mr Rossi and tell myself if only the rules were followed justice might have been done in a moral manner.
I love how cringeworthy artie is in this episode ( unhappy relationships seem to be a theme) and the therapy session is well done, one of the disadvantages of melfis stoic silence is it leads a lot of room for ( I sound arrogant I confess) the less intelligent to infer incorrectly and take things personally. I can’t help but feel ( perhaps incorrectly) that if she took more of the burden of responsibility to make herself understood Carmela might have gotten something out of the sessions.
Also the sight of a man with lung cancer ( caused by smoking) covered in blood yet joyfully lighting up after a hit is darkly humorous and inks death, addiction and self destructiveness in such a great way. I think it’s a great scene.
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Carmela has a lot of issues with her feelings about herself and her marriage. The relationship between Tony and Melfi is intimate in a way that she and Tony are not. She’s the outsider. Melfi’s remark about their dialoging aggravates her because it implies that she is part of the problem. Family therapy is fraught with pot holes and if you are defensive about your choices it can be very upsetting. I think Carmela is intelligent, if she wasn’t she wouldn’t be so upset about the choices she made. They both may sound ignorant and uneducated, but they are smart enough to know that their lives are off kilter. Going to therapy is like poking a hornets nest. If you remember, Carmela does seek therapy, and ultimately decides to live with her choices. She wasn’t ready to own her part in the dysfunction of the marriage. She is pragmatic intimately and comes to terms with her life and tries to “do her own little thing” (real estate) so that when he goes to jail or dies, she is ok. It’s just a matter of time.
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*Ultimately
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Another connection to the future – Mustang Sally’s girlfriend looks familiar. I have not verified the credits, but I am fairly certain that she is the same woman who befriends Adraina later on, seen at the Crazy Horse flirting with Christopher (Wearing Fox).
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Yup, that’s her in “Rat Pack,” episode 5.02. “She’s my fox in a box.” “Let’s see her box, or maybe her socks.” (Chris and Lil Paulie high five.)
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Vanessa Ferlito, she was great in Deathproof:
https://youtu.be/TIP0eokPc5c
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Matt – You’re absolutely correct! Vanessa Ferlito first played Mustang Sally’s girlfriend, Tina, and later played a different Tina as Adriana’s friend, with whom Christopher flirts. Talk about recycling people!
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I think it’s the same character.
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More on the food. Even in my mid twenties when this episode first aired, when I was watching the show merely for the Goodfellas lore and tittytainment, I saw the obvious analogy when Vito and the boys start digging into the Whitman’s chocolates at Bryan Spatafore’s bed side. The Sopranos and food.
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That’s the same girl from season 5? It is funny when Adrianna snitches on her dad’s scheme in retaliation for her flirting with Chris.
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One of my favourite episodes with Bobby Snr stealing the show. His ribbing of Junior at Febby’s funeral while at the same time respecting Tony’s decision with regard to Mustang Sally & acknowledging his treatment of Bobby Jnr, showing he knows who’s boss & is one of the few displays of true ‘respect for the ring’ toward Tony, in stark contrast for example to another of old school in Richie Aprile.
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If I recall, didn’t this gory episode air at a time when a lot of Sopranos fans were complaining season 3 wasn’t violent enough? There was a lot of time between seasons 2 and 3, and I think this is where Chase and the other writers start to troll the Soprano fan boys that were totally missing the point of the show. They put everyone to sleep with all of the Meadow college drama, then a blue collar guy, who many of the show’s fans probably resemble, gets his skull cracked for practically no reason.
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Yeah, this episode is part of a really violent run of episodes this season…
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Myself, I don’t think Tony is trying to help Officer Wilmore out by offering him the $200. If he wanted to help him out, he would have accepted Assemblyman Zellman’s offer to make Wilmore’s demotion go away. He wants to humiliate Wilmore by forcing him to accept the $200, much like he feels Wilmore humiliated him by making Tony accept the speeding ticket. So much can ride on the acceptance/rejection of paper. This gesture of humiliating someone by offering them a bribe is continued later in the series when a bear appears outside their home while Tony is estranged from Carmella, and a handsome park ranger shows up to protect Carmella. Tony makes remarks to Carmella trying to undercut the ranger’s masculinity, implying the ranger is gay, and after that offers the ranger a monetary tip, to control and define the ranger to Carmella, which the ranger , again like Wilmore, declines. In both instances, Tony’s motive is spotted, and rebuffed.
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That’s a good way of looking at it too. Tony monetizes everything, including his masculinity… he uses money to assert his superiority to Wilmore and his manliness to the ranger…
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I have a different reading of the situation with the two law enforcement incidents although yours may indeed be Chase’s intention. First, I wondered why Tony S was being so petty as to worry about getting a penny ante (given Tony’s income) speeding ticket fixed. I thought that episode simply showed his appetite for corruption was too great, incautious and so would lead to problems. Pay it and forget it was the wiser course.
In contrast to your presentation, it is perhaps law enforcement officials like Officer Wilmore who are scrupulously honest that results in admitting a mistake in the chain of custody rather than fudging it. I had no recollection that the two detectives last episode were cutting corners. Were they? By being honest about the mistake they allowed a rapist to go free. After all, it’s easy to make mistakes even if you are trying to be meticulous.
But there still can be a lesson that little corruptions have a “humpty dumpty” effect such that when they’re allowed they eventually lead to bigger corruption and eventually the loss of control over systemic integrity. It’s harder to show how following the rules in the long run leads to an overall better outcome. (And it may not even always be true!)
I think it takes shows like The Wire or The Shield to make that point. It’s more difficult to make it here where the show focus is a criminal organization and its capo.
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Good points. The funny thing though…if Tony had gotten the ticket at a different time i.e. when he wasn’t feeling frustrated about the therapy session with his wife (who he didn’t want to bring along anyway), I think he probably would have just accepted the ticket without any brouhaha.
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Anyone else find it slightly unbelievable that no questions were asked about the fact bacala snr was all covered in someone elses blood after his crash.
Would hospital staff just presume its his own blood?
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I found it strange that Tony couldn’t let a small thing such as a speeding ticket go. For all he gets away with I found it odd he’d go this far and screw with Wilmore. Perhaps its the Noah thing… I am a fan of Burt Young’s portrayal of Sr. Excellent job and this guy lived up to his notorious background we have heard about. It definitely was darkly humorous the way he lit up his smoke after the killing. Pretty crazy scene. The “another toothpick” expression is too funny. Livia still makes us laugh even though she isn’t around anymore. One thing I love about this series is Chase’s ability to create some interesting and screwed up characters. Sad to say, but there are quite a few “Mustang Sally’s” in our society. Chase skillfully crafts these characters and incorporates them into this program. I think I hate the Mustang Sally character the most out of this entire series. I was glad when Sr. whacked him. I love the scene in the hospital; Ralph and his “stupid fucking remarks.”
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We have seen how petty Tony is. Plus he does nnot like the idea of black folks standing up for themselves. Recall he tried to get the preacher’s father to kow-tow to him but the old man kinda had his measure and Tony felt wary. Like our current president he only values relationships if they can be turned into money and he is always thinking of his perceived role. Through out the show we see how the mafia and their families define themselves as being in conflict with or the opposite of black folks.
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I’m hoping someone can explain something related to this episode. At the church, Tony speaks with Bobby Sr about Mustang Sally’s transgression. Bobby Sr seems, to me, to give Tony his blessings to handle Sally however Tony sees fit. I never got the idea that Tony was assigning the hit to Sr to *do.*. Later Bobby Junior is crying to Uncle Junior that his father is too old and sick to do the hit— and then Bobby Sr does the hit. I felt like a scene was missing. How/when did Tony ask Bobby Sr to do the hit? Did everyone infer that from the church scene? I feel like I missed something. Thanks in advance
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Was it one of those situations where Tony “asks” for something without really asking for it?
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I guess that’s an explanation, but I think I’m pretty good at picking up on that . We rewound (or whatever the word would be when there’s no tape) and watched a few times and I just didn’t get that sense. I swore I had missed a scene, it felt so odd.
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I think it was something that was hinted that it happened off screen another time
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During the doctor’s office scene, Tony explains the rationale for Bobby Sr. carrying out the hit (he’s close to Mustang, so he’ll be trusted, Mustang will let his guard down). It’s clear from this that Tony had already understood (before the funeral scene) that Bobby Sr. wanted to do the deed—his reasoning had somehow already been communicated to Tony.
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It’s been a while since I watched this episode but that sounds right…
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Ron – I’m watching this episode now. Yes, it was Tony’s idea that Baccalieri Sr. do the hit. Ralph offered to do the hit, but Tony turned him down. Bobby Jr. begged Junior to change Tony’s mind, but Tony wouldn’t budge. He was right – Mustang Sally would never be suspicious of Sr.’s visit. So, Tony essentially killed two birds with one stone – Bryan’s death was avenged and Sr. no longer had to suffer from cancer.
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PS. I was (gulp) wrong 🤡 (I just watched this episode again)! It WAS Gigi’s idea that Bobby Sr do the hit, and Tony approved it. Sigh.
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Tony said that it was the guy who is the captain of the April’s crew( can’t remember his name) who thought of it and he wasn’t going to over ride him.
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They all knew that someone had to whack Mustang Sally because he had beaten an associate of the mob into a coma, and that couldn’t be tolerated. Bobby Sr. at the church was saying that he agreed (“do what you gotta do” or however he put it). The decision to have Bobby Sr. do the hit was made off-screen, but what we know from various people’s explanations in different scenes is that Gigi decided on Bobby Sr. as the hitman after Mustang Sally reached out to Bobby Sr. as his godfather. It’s Gig’s decision because Bryan Spatafore was connected to Gigi’s crew (formerly Richie Aprile’s crew). Tony (as the boss) gave his approval to having Bobby Sr. do the hit. Bobby Jr. asked Junior to intervene. Junior appealed to Tony, as the boss. Tony turned him down. Junior had Bobby Sr. come over so Junior could tell him that he had to do the hit, but when he saw how sick Bobby Sr. was, Junior was inclined to let him off the hook until Bobby Sr. said he wanted to do it. Meanwhile, Johnny Sack stuck his beak in, supposedly at Junior’s request, pissing Tony off because he had already told Junior no and it wasn’t Johnny Sack’s business. Also, Tony had to back Gigi up, especially because he was the one who put Gigi in as head of the crew and he needed to bolster Gigi’s leadership, which Ralphie was undermining every chance he got, an having all these people trying to reverse Gigi’s decision didn’t look good. So here’s the simple version: Gigi chose Bobby Sr. as the hitman, Tony approved his choice. Other people got involved in trying to reverse the decision, but Tony as boss prevailed. It wasn’t that Tony was the one who picked Bobby Sr. to do it, though I wonder whether he put the idea in Gigi’s head. No way to know, as far as I could tell.
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I think Gigi asked him to do it.
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Correct. And Tony doesn’t wanna “cut his nuts off” by stepping in and putting the kibosh on it
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I can only assume that was it but, never got that sense even after reviewing the scene a few time. I swore I had actually missed a scene.
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The request of Bobby Sr happens in between scenes. It is explained that Sally reached out to Bobby Sr (his Godfather) and therefore he can get close to Sally. It does not happen on screen.
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This episode features another example of Meadow as Tony’s “guardian angel,” as she unwittingly neutralizes the FBI threat against him.
Funny coincidence: The actor who plays Mustang Sally, Brian Tarantina, also has a small role in the film Uncle Buck. In his one scene, he tries to impress a teenage girl by flipping a toothpick vertically in his mouth, and it ends up getting stuck. Another toothpick. 🙂
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Lol
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You’re half wrong about Tarantina in Uncle Buck. He told Buck about a horse race and was a buddy of Buck’s.
The guy with the toothpick was “Pal” played by Dennis Cockrum. He had a new Ford Bronco he was trying to impress Tia with.
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Favorite little moments in this episode: (1) The way Father Phil tries to talk to Carmela outside the church and she utterly stonewalls him, and the look on Tony’s face as he catches the awkward interaction. (2) Janice and Tony bonding over wine and their mother’s “another toothpick” remark. Much like his “good” memory of the family laughing when his father fell down the steps at the beach, that family’s shared humor comes in mocking other people. Tony and Janice never seemed more like brother and sister than in that moment. (3) The very obvious pan down the long flight of steps at the front of the house where Mustang Sally is hiding out (poor Bobby Sr.!) followed by the very understated shot of Mustang Sally at the top of yet another set of stairs Bobby Sr. had to climb inside the house after making it up those outside stairs. Poor Bobby Sr.! (4) Leon telling Tony that the pipe he needed was out of stock. I wondered whether that was just Leon fucking with Tony, but Leon is so relentlessly honest, it probably really was out of stock. (5) The final shot of Tony standing by the concrete pagoda thing, which he probably didn’t really even want but was buying as part of his attempt to make things a little bit right with Leon, who then walked away from Tony’s “tip.”
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I thought Father Phil was expecting an envelope from her too, and none was forthcoming.
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Ron, I was reading some about Fountains of Wayne last night, especially their famous tacky Christmas displays upstairs. The place closed ten years ago, but I was wondering whether it was still open when you did your Sopranos tour and whether you went there.
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I’ve never been there. It wasn’t a stop on the tour, it had probably closed by then.
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To me Bacala Sr’s whacking of Mustang Sally is the funniest scene of the entire show. I remember seeing it for the first time in my old apartment and laughing hysterically. My neighbors must have thought I was watching a comedy show or something, certainly not The Sopranos!
Burt Young gets my vote as best minor Sopranos character. He was made to be Bacala Sr.
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Here’s a guy that laughed at 9/11
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I think Tony really feels guilty about the cop. He’s contradictory by nature. He can’t be seen as soft so he gets the guy transferred. But it doesn’t sit well with him. I agree that he’s not as racist as he seems. I totally believe he doesn’t want Meadow with Noah. That’s a prejudice that is bone deep. Burt Young should have gotten an Emmy for that part. Just the coughing alone deserves an Emmy!! I can’t imagine doing multiple takes of all that coughing!! Great job done by all.
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I’m another one who admires the character of Bobby Baccalieri, Sr., a marvellous creation, for me the most memorable of the transient characters.
Even in his prime, he was not a tall man, so perhaps not threatening to meet. Now, he’s a nice-looking old fellow, with his pure white hair. One sympathises with him in his dreadful illness. And yet he is utterly debased. “It will feel good being useful for a change.” His useful act is to kill someone. Driving away, his face smeared with blood, he is elated, humming along with the music on the radio.
– – – –
Products with names beginning with ‘V’ make people think of vagina … Vaseline … So Artie says. I laughed, of course. But then I thought: vagina … Viagra! Anyone can see how similar the two words are!
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You know what I wanted to comment on was Artie’s melancholy drunkenness and threatening Chris with poisoning his food!! Christopher’s facial expression was priceless, and Artie’s massage of his shoulders HAD to be improvised because it was just so great. I love the character of Artie most of the time, and John Ventimiglia’s portrayal doesn’t get enough credit.The pathetic attempt on Adriana….the earring… All his mannerism ‘s are so natural and really in character. I wonder if Adriana realized up til the dinner invitation that he had a crush on her? I think not. “Do you think you can cook with one eye???” So great.
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completely agree about ventimiglia. artie has been such a pleasure to watch this whole time through, and a lot of credit goes to ventimiglia here
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Even mob men find retirement hard I guess. Add the illness and I can see how killing Mustang Sally would be satisfying. Isn’t it interesting that Bobby Jr. is not as ruthless? He felt his killing of the Canadian guy very deeply. It’s interesting that he went into the mob at all. He’s sort of like an Artie Bucco if you think about it.
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Good point about Bobby and Artie! I wonder what Bobby would have done for a living if he hadn’t followed his father into the mob. At least Artie had a passion to cook, which — along with Charmaine — probably saved him from that life.
I agree with you that Adriana didn’t realize he had a crush until then. That’s what makes the scene so especially awkward. I don’t think she’d have gone to dinner with him if she’d known. And I agree with John Ventimiglia’s performance. Artie is such a fully realized character. Later, when Adriana opens the club and Artie is in the audience opening night doing that thing with his hands while he watches the band, I can’t help but cringe for him.
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Agree. It is cringe worthy. I see Bobby as a regular working guy, maybe a truck driver or longshoreman.
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LIke Patsy in the beginning of season 3 not all the mafioso are interested in being violent. This is all they know. Think about AJ who could not kill a spider. Even later when his friends beat up an Ethiopian student AJ does not join in. He will porbably be in the criminal enterpise but will not want to participate in violence.
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Its always interesting seeing & analyzing connections from past episodes.
Both “From Where to Eternity” and this episode deal with death or the idea of death. Both episodes also have someone in a coma (chris & vitos brother). We assume the 3:00 is most likely related to death in some fashion. Here, as you pointed out, Juniors mention of “coming in threes”, and Janice’s mention of the Holy Trinity, further makes us associate the 3:00 to death.
Sinatra not only stars in the movie “From Here to Eternity”, but is seen here on Juniors TV. A quick search tells me this movie is titled “The Devil at 4 o’clock”.. now we have not only 3:00 being associated with death, but also 4 o clock.
Therefore death shouldn’t be associated with a specific time or place. It can be anytime, anywhere.
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I noticed that in a scene at Juniors in this episode, the time on the clock behind Bobby Jrs head was 10 minutes to three.
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Does anyone find it interesting that in the scene where Tony & Janice are drinking wine and talking about Uncle Jun’s cancer diagnosis, the couch seems abnormally large? Tony & Janice look like little kids dwarfed by the size of the couch. Was this intentional, or was the couch always this big in Livia’s house?
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Sopranos features a dissonance between the way the mob speaks of black people and how they are actually shown. Sure we see a handful of black criminals throughout the series, but by and large most black people are shown in the sopranos as “happy wanderers”, every day citizens in the background doing honest work as nurses, secretaries, wards, housekeepers, servicemen, and as seen in this episode, cops.
Chase expresses the mobs racism against blacks in a realistic manner, but the show more often than not gives evidence to the contrary. Meadow makes a strong argument on how violence and thievery is an economic issue, not a racial issue. Afterwards, the episode rebuffs Tony’s negative bias towards blacks in the closing segment as the black cop refuses Tony’s bribe, proving himself to have the moral high ground.
And in of course, in the episode where Tony first attacked Noah for his mixed heritage, he shortly afterwards passes out like a member of the three stooges after seeing the Uncle Ben logo on his rice box.
Chase has an excellent power in using a show and tell method throughout the series. As with many themes covered, on the issue of blacks he very often tells us one thing (racist views), and then shows us to the contrary (largely upstanding citizens).
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One last thing about black people as what Tony described to Melfi as happy wanderers (People who are relatively content with their lot in life and stable emotionally).
Back in season 1 Livia complained to Tony about her black housekeeper. Livia launched unfounded accusations of thievery and complained about the housekeepers noise. Tony responds: “She’s singing, she’s happy mom.”
A happy wanderer perhaps?
Tony goes on to say to Melfi in a later episode that part of him wishes he could simply salute happy wanderers for their success, not secretly rage inwardly against them.
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Good points. And the season 5 episode “Unidentified Black Males” really drives home how people in SopranoWorld exploit an ugly stereotype in order to shift blame away from themselves..
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Love the comments, especially Orangeannie, as always. I agree with everyone’s take on Artie. Ventimiglia was just perfect in the role. I love his hand movements whenever he talks. That said, I have to admit. I skip this episode every time. The brutal beating of Spatafore associate with the golf club is as unwatchable as Ralph’s brutal beating ofTracee in University. But the worst Part of the episode for me is listening to/ watching Burt Young cough. It’s totally sickening. Every time he has another coughing fit, I turn the volume off. If nothing else, this episode should be required viewing for anyone trying to quit smoking.
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True, but the funny thing is that seeing Bobby Sr light up during this stressful situation could make a lot of smokers feel sort of “justified” in their habit. Nothing beats a cigarette in a stressful moment…
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Oh Ron! No way! I quit a 45-year cig habit years ago, and have refrained from even being around smokers. Naw, the best thing for a smoker to do in ‘stressful moments’ is to pop a piece of nicotine gum and chew it until the desire ends … 😷
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Contrast the traffic stop the corrupt detective made in season 1 with the traffic stop in season 3.
Two people are talking quietly enjoying each other’s company then they get pulled over when they are driving within the speed limit.
Two people start shouting and being in turmoil and the driver drives over the speed limit
The first stop happens at night in a deserted place with two people not in uniform, driving an unmarked car
The second happens in broad day light with the officer in uniform.
The first traffic stop the officer is belligerent and attacks the driver.
The second the driver is belligerent and wants to escalate. He ends up attacking the police officer
Nothing happens to the corrupt detective as a result of his assault. His fellow officer is right there providing backup
The honest police officer who acted in broad daylight gets punished and he never had backup or support.
The honest police officer is attacked for his race and the Sopranos use racial slurs on him.
Dr Melfi and her boyfriend do not use any racial slurs.
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I wonder if there’s another example of a Fortunate Son here, or maybe I’m looking for meaning that’s not there!
Bobby Jr offers to kill Mustang Sally instead of his dad but that offer gets turned down because Bobby Sr can get close to Mustang and also because he’s supposedly such a good hitman, or at least he was in his heyday.
So Bobby Jr is fortunate to have a father who is so highly thought of in this regard, and as a result, there’s no need for Bobby Jr to do the deed. Up to this point, I don’t think Bobby Jr has killed anyone and he doesn’t come across as the typical ruthless mob guy who could carry out such an act easily.
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Yes I guess he would be a Fortunate son in that sense..
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i was surprised not to find any mention of the scene where bobby sr visits uncle jun’s place. there’s a part when jun turns on the garbage disposal and finds its grinding against something. he pulls out what appears to be a pit, resembling something of a dilapidated heart or a malignant tumor, right as bobby sr walks in, hacking and coughing. we don’t know at this point in the episodes that jun has cancer, but he had been spending time projecting his health insecurities on bobby sr through various dialogue. i thought the imagery in this quick shot happened to be very striking
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I just thought he was annoyed that Bobby hadn’t fixed the disposal yet!!!
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Something I noticed re: Melfi and Charmaine is their beliefs haven’t yet collapsed at the level of the symbolic like the beliefs of our morally questionable characters have. In Melfi’s session with Elliot last episode, she assures him she won’t have Rossi whacked by citing the “social compact”, which the viewer (probably justifiably, in some sense) scoffs at. To begin this episode, Tony scoffs at Janice’s insistence that Livia’s records hold any value beyond physical, the correct response of the postmodern subject. Similarly, Charmaine holds on to the symbolic of Vesuvio’s (“your grandfather opened up in the 30’s, Arthur”), which Artie rejects, citing marketability. It’s made clear in ‘Employee of the Month’ Melfi has the same impulses as Tony, it’s just her abstract notion of society, civilization, whatever, prevents her from pulling the trigger. I think something similar is going on with Artie and Charmaine.
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Pingback: The Soprano Onceover: #69. “Another Toothpick” (S3E5) | janiojala
R.I.P. Brian Tarantina (Mustang Sally), 2019
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Oh so sad
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That is sad. Multiple drug overdose.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/18/us/marvelous-mrs-maisel-brian-tarantina-cause-of-death/index.html
And it seemed like his career was on the up with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
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The Number 3 (per thechaselounge.net) …
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In the Sopranos chapter in Alan Sepinwall’s new book (‘Woke Up This Morning’, 2021):
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“Chase tells me that one of the other songs he considered in lieu of Journey was Al Green’s ‘Love and Happiness’, particularly for the verse that goes ‘something’s going wrong, someone’s on the phone, three o’clock in the morning’”. Hmm …
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As the camera pans out, we see Carmela and Tony sitting next to each other in Dr. Melfi’s office, and the very loud sound of someone’s stomach rumbling is heard! I wish Melfi had said something about that – a bit of humor would have been nice during this uncomfortable situation. 😁
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Also, there’s an obvious continuity error at Vesuvio. Before Artie’s highly insulting confrontation with Chris, an almost empty bottle of wine is seen on the table, but when Chris leaves the restaurant, the bottle is full! (Very sloppy editing.)
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Overall, this episode was hilarious! The murders of Mustang Sally and the ‘greaseball’ (Bobby Sr.’s slur – not mine), Bobby Sr.’s death, Corrado’s ‘fit’ in his livingroom, and Charmaine’s verbal beat-down of Artie were fantastic! 🤩
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P.S. Bobby Sr.’s airbag didn’t deploy! 🙄
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Artie actually thinks that he had a chance with Adriana? Face it, baldy – you got no money, 3 kids, a ball-bustin’ wife, bills up the ying-yang, and you annoy the heck out of people with your banal (and often inappropriate) ‘chitchat’. Ohh … poor you! 😕
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