No-Show (4.02)

Chris is bumped up to “acting Capo” while Paulie is away.
Adriana learns the truth about “Danielle.”
Meadow contemplates going to Europe but returns to
Columbia U after a heated argument with her parents.

Episode 47 – Originally aired Sept 21 2002
Written by Terence Winter and David Chase
Directed by John Patterson

___________________________________

Underwear. That’s what “No-Show” starts out with. But surprisingly, the peepshow doesn’t come courtesy of some scantily clad Bada Bing dancers:

Daniella and Adriana

I think Chase may have a couple of reason for shooting these two characters in their undies, but a desire to gratuitously display actresses Lola Glaudini and Drea de Matteo is not one of them. He may be using the scene to make some subtle commentary about the similarity between an FBI agent and a mob girlfriend—you know, something like “underneath it all, everybody is basically the same.” But I think, slightly less abstractly, Chase connects the two with costuming in order to underscore the burgeoning connection between Danielle and Adriana. Of course, each woman gives significance to their burgeoning relationship for different reasons: for Danielle, it is a professional responsibility, while Adriana believes she has found a true-blue friend. Adriana feels such a strong link that she is willing to tell Danielle about her abortion and possible infertility (subjects that even Chris and her own mother don’t know about). Maurice Yacowar notes that as Adriana shares her secrets at the Crazy Horse, the artwork hanging on the walls of the club point to the success of the FBI mole:

Eyes on Crazy horse

Danielle functions as the FBI’s “eyes” in the club, as well as in Chris’ apartment, and even—for a moment—in Tony Soprano’s home. Danielle’s penetration into Moltisanti’s affairs couldn’t have come at a better time. Tony has just bumped Chris up to acting-capo of Paulie Walnuts’ crew while Paulie awaits trial in Ohio. Christopher’s ascendency ruffles a few feathers. Patsy Parisi, understandably, is unhappy with the new pecking order. Things get heated between the two. Chris misremembers Patsy as the guy who sniffed Adriana’s panties last year. Violence is avoided when Chris holsters his gun and Patsy puts away his iron pipe (but not before bashing a bystander who had threatened to call the police). Christopher’s rise may be a part of the plan that Tony expressed in the previous episode—to eventually hand control of day-to-day operations to Chris. Christopher believes he’s well on his way up. He buys Adriana a Harry Winston bracelet, telling her, “Carmela ain’t gonna be first lady forever.” (It was Harry Winston jewelry, we remember, that Tony also gave to his wife last season.) Maurice Yacower observes that Chris mimics Tony’s leadership by recycling some of the phrases that the boss spits out at him: “Think!” “Use your head!” “The big picture.” Chris is moving up in his world, and so it looks their “Danielle” strategy is going to be a mother lode for the FBI. But their strategy falls apart very suddenly.

And this brings us to the most obvious reading of the hour’s opening scene. By shooting the two women in their underthings, Chase foreshadows the reason why the FBI plant eventually fails: the women are obviously very beautiful and Chris finds them both attractive. When he tries to precipitate a threesome, Adriana is revolted and ends her friendship with Danielle. The problem, Agent Harris tells Agent Cubitoso, is that Danielle “gave Moltisanti a hard-on.” With the FBI’s original strategy now limp, they try a new tack. The Feds bring Adriana in and threaten to charge her with felony drug possession and intent to distribute—unless she cooperates. They provide a very convincing list of reasons of why she should comply with their plan, not the least of which is Tony’s probable reaction when he learns that she brought a Federal agent into his home. Agent Deborah Ciccerone maintains an extremely icy demeanor throughout the meeting, possibly as part of the effort to amp up the pressure on Adriana. It works. In her anxiety, Adriana spews out the full contents of her stomach. Deborah looks at the Harry Winston bracelet on Adriana’s wrist, its luster now diminished:

Adriana LaCerva - it ain't pretty

All that glitters is not gold in SopranoWorld. Chris may not have paid the full retail price for the beautiful jewelry, but its cost is nevertheless immense. Adriana is going to pay a huge price for the lifestyle that she has enjoyed till now.

___________________________________

Our introduction to Meadow in this hour comes via a close-up of her flip-flops. Down here in Miami, where I live, flip-flops are common footwear. I wore them to a wedding once. (Ok, the wedding was on the beach.) But up north, flip-flops have a different connotation. They represent Meadow’s loss of direction and ambition. She’s vegging out at home by the pool, gossiping with her friends, wasting time on genre fiction, and totally sponging off her parents. She counters all of her parents’ criticisms with excuses and intellectual terminology. She is, almost certainly, engaging in some bratty manipulation, but it’s also probable that she is genuinely depressed. She constantly cites Jackie’s death as the reason for her malaise, and while Jackie’s murder could definitely have had a profound impact on her, her cries of “Jackie” here function more as a euphemism for the confusion and unhappiness she feels as the daughter of a mob boss. She (literally) ran from the mob community after Jackie’s funeral last year, and she is looking to distance herself even further now: she wants to ditch school for a year and head to Europe instead. Alarmed, Tony and Carmela send her to see Dr. Wendi Kobler, a psychiatrist that Melfi has recommended.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Dr. Kobler. She seemed sort of unprofessional to me, but I thought perhaps her laid-back, congenial demeanor was a tactic to gain Meadow’s trust. But several real-life psychiatrists found Kobler’s method to be questionable, including Dr. Joel Whitebook, who criticizes her on Slate.com: “Totally devoid of therapeutic skepticism and humility, she postures as if she has all the answers. Kobler immediately tells Meadow what to do about Columbia and Europe, despite the fact she hardly knows her.” Carmela knows that Dr. Kobler is “an educational consultant” and thus might convince Meadow to stay at Columbia, but Kobler clarifies her qualifications to Meadow: “I could write you a letter to the University of Barcelona…I’m on a consultancy there.” Bolstered by Kobler’s words, Meadow is more set than ever to make the Euro-trip. Outraged to find her daughter in an unchanged frame-of-mind after visiting the therapist, Carmela calls Tony into Meadow’s bedroom. The ensuing sequence is one of the most powerful in the entire series…

[One night, probably in 2008, I was watching The Wire on DVD. Gripped by David Simon’s gritty Baltimore drama, an almost blasphemous thought ran through my mind: “Hey, this thing might be better than The Sopranos.” The Wire was so unlike anything we had ever seen on TV: uncompromising in its depiction of inner-city Baltimore, with complex, interweaving storylines and a brilliant cast whose size kept expanding each season. The series never won a major award, but that may have only added to its appeal—The Wire was too busy keepin’ it real to win some bullshit Emmy. When I shut off the DVD player that night, years ago, my television just happened to be tuned to HBO which was airing a repeat of “No-Show. I watched it until the end, and the episode—particularly because of this scene in Meadow’s bedroom—simply flattened me with its raw power, just as it did the first time I saw it in 2002. My apostasy was short-lived. I quickly remembered why, for me personally, The Sopranos is the greatest TV show ever. As phenomenal as The Wire is, it just does not have the same ability to move me.]

…Carmela and Tony cannot believe that Dr. Kobler approved of Meadow’s plan to go to Europe. They grow more concerned upon learning that Kobler recommended Prozac for their daughter. (Manipulative Meadow surely understands that she can abate some of her parents’ anger by mentioning Prozac.) The frustration level in Meadow’s room reaches an all-time high. In her exasperation, Meadow purposefully crosses a line that she has never previously crossed, referring to her dad as “Mr. Mob Boss.” The next moment is staged with ballet-like precision: Tony closes in on his daughter while snapping at Carmela—“Shut up”—who is caught off-guard by his sudden anger. Terence Winter and David Chase, the two writers who get credit for this episode, breathe life into the scene. Winter has always excelled at capturing the subtle dynamics between people, while Chase understands the torments that afflict an unhappy family. For two minutes, our eyes are glued to the three family members as they experience misinterpretations, misunderstandings, innuendo, accusations, imagined accusations, damage, pain, guilt, love, sadness, insight, concern. Tony goes into a rage while Meadow becomes hysterical, but Carmela stands mute—she understands too well that this is what her complicity has wrought. Dr. Krakower’s advice from last season must be weighing heavily upon her: “Take only the children, what’s left of them, and go.” If Meadow were to direct one word of blame at her mother right now, Carmela would shatter into a thousand pieces.

dynamic Tonydynamic Meadowdynamic Carmela

Meadow disappears. Her parents suspect that she has gone to Europe. When Silvio arrives to discuss business, a haggard Carmela comes out of the bedroom for a moment before re-burrowing herself. Tony is also distraught, but he must turn his attention to a business issue. Jack Massarone (who we remember from 2.02 “Do Not Resuscitate”) has informed Tony that tiles were stolen from the Esplanade project—and this is after Tony had given his men instructions not to loot the construction site. Silvio shows more managerial savvy in this episode then we perhaps have ever seen from him. He gave the ok to Patsy to steal the tiles (effectively appeasing Patsy, who had a legitimate beef), and he now takes responsibility in a cunning way that deflects blame from himself or Patsy. Tony asserts his strength but does not punish Silvio. Perhaps the fight with Meadow has sapped him of some of his usual ire.

The Soprano parents need not worry—Meadow hasn’t gone to Europe. (Wikipedia notes that  “No Show” is airline-code for a passenger who never checks in for their flight.) Instead, Meadow has returned to Columbia University. She registers for “Morality, Self and Society,” and a close-up of her signature affirms her commitment to find a way to live with herself and with society, even as a Mafia daughter.

In the episode’s final scene, Tony and Carmela manifest the exhaustion and silence that often settle upon family members after a ferocious clash. The wide, tableau shot displays some of the signifiers of Carmela’s deal with the devil: a spacious bathroom, many lavish accessories—and an unbridgeable distance between her and her husband.

Sopranos tableau

Their conversation here only proves the distance between them. Tony doesn’t understand that Carmela is hounded by deep feelings of guilt:

Tony:  I’ve been thinking, and if you want, we can talk to your cousin Brian about the estate planning.
Carmela:  Listen to him now.  What, do you feel guilty?  You have nothing to feel guilty about.  It’s me she blames.
Tony:  What for?
Carmela:  (Sighs)

The credits start to roll as Radiohead’s “Kid A” plays. Kid A, of course, is a term that refers to the first-born child—in this case, Meadow. Chase uses a section of the song that is devoid of vocals, effectively allowing Carmela’s sigh to be the last “word” of the hour. Carmela cannot tell Tony that she has failed her children by remaining in this marriage. She can’t even say it to herself. It is a thing that must remain unspoken.

___________________________________

ADDITIONAL POINTS:

  • The tension between Ralph and Paulie is bleeding over from last season. Paulie is outraged, absolutely outraged, to hear that Ralph made a fat-joke about Ginny Sacrimoni (but we’ve heard Paulie himself make such jokes about Ginny).
  • Meadow’s friend Misty mentions Furio’s arrival at the house, then greets Carmela: “Hi Mrs. Sope’.”  Carmela fixes herself up in the powder room before opening the door for Furio. Maurice Yacowar notes Misty’s casual greeting puns on the “soap”-like drama that is developing between Carm and Furio.
  • Linda Lavin, who I think was pretty much out of the public consciousness when this episode aired, is great as Dr. Wendi Kobler.
  • We see Silvio try to fix some little trinket in the backroom of the Bing, as we often see him do. (We can all relate to his frustration with dried-out Crazy Glue.) But in this episode, there is an added dimension to his handiness: he is able to “fix” the problem with Patsy before it mushrooms into something unmanageable.
  • Agent Deborah’s husband (played by Will Arnett) is also an agent and mentions the “reorganization of the Bureau,” which is almost certainly a reference to the post-9/11 shakeup of the agency. (G.O.B. was once F.B.I.?! Come on!)
  • Tony warns Janice about embarking on a relationship with Ralph but she obviously ignores his advice. We should note that she is reading The Origin of Satan while Ralph clips his toenails in bed because this is neither the first nor last time that he is associated with the Devil.
  • Christopher mocks the No-Work guys by singing “If I Were A Carpenter” as he arrives at the Esplanade construction site. Chase uses this song to great effect in Season 5’s “Unidentified Black Males.”
  • Simmer down, Wire fans: I think it’s apples-and-hammers comparing The Wire with The Sopranos—they are two completely different creatures. The Wire has a more activist stance that reflects David Simon’s progressive politics. (Simon, a former newspaperman, is impassioned and articulate when speaking about issues close to his heart; he is a veritable professor of history and civics.) The Sopranos, on the other hand, reflects the priorities of David Chase’s cinephile aesthetic: character-driven, rather than plot-driven; realism over activism; artistic truth over social justice. I will go deeper into a Wire/Sopranos comparison in later write-ups, when it is more warranted (i.e. when Chase gets more political and enlists his series to fight in the “culture war” of the period).


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84 responses to “No-Show (4.02)”

  1. Lisa | February 14, 2015 at 9:10 pm | Reply

    Chris remembers Patsy as the one who sniffed Ade’s panties, but wasn’t it actually Paulie?

    Like

    • Ron | February 15, 2015 at 11:54 am | Reply

      Yup, it was Paulie that snuck a sniff.

      Like

      • paatossa | January 1, 2018 at 6:49 am | Reply

        I’m surprised by Chris’s bad memory in this episode. First he sees Paulie sniffing panties, then complains to Tony, then has not very pleasant conversation with Paulie about breaking subordination (at one moment he even reaches to gun thinking Paulie could kill him). This is kinda memorable sequence for any person. I have two possible understandings of this – he deliberately says that to make beef with Patsy more thick, or may be heroin usage causes memory lapse.

        Liked by 3 people

  2. Peter | February 26, 2015 at 11:52 pm | Reply

    Watching the series again from scratch, we can feel that the events of this episode herald the start of the end for Adriana. And in the same way that we start to feel her impending doom, so too do we feel a loss coming of our own … looking at the site nav reveals that there are only 2 more episodes before the S.A. commentary runs out. (As of Feb 2015). After that, S.A. will be as silent as the moment after that final sharp cut to black after “Don’t Stop.”

    S.A. has been a great friend watching the series again from scratch. Brilliant commentary on a brilliant series. I notice so much more after reading these posts, and I feel like I “get it” a whole lot more. Thank you for writing these.

    I hope that more come soon … otherwise I’m going to have a choice in two episodes: stop watching and wait, or go on watching, but do so as alone as Ade was scrambling through those woods.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. RTF | April 19, 2015 at 12:41 am | Reply

    Well, according to the Coen brothers, flip flops are slacker gear in LA, too. Wasn’t The Lebowski wearing them? lol

    I too had forgotten how powerful the scene in Meadow’s room was. It was well written. Instead of taking the bait on the mob boss stuff, Tony gets right to Jackie Jr., and how Meadow blames him for it. Meadow appears to break down at this point. Meadow in fact uses the same tactic to avoid the mobster accusation at Jackie Junior’s wake when Jackie’s sister invokes it in front of a mob outsider relative during a fit of rage. In each respective instance, Tony and Meadow never confirm nor deny the existence of the organization. They instead put it on the victim and how they asked for their own demise, and it sells, because it’s partly true.

    You have to wonder if “Mrs. Sope” is one of the writers protesting the rather un-Soprano like Furio/Carmela plot line. Maybe HBO pressured Chase to add something steamy between Tony’s wife and one of the mobsters. I’ve always felt this way about Bobby Junior saying to Tony Blundetto at his coming home party, “Who are you? How come I never heard of you?”. Is he speaking for the viewers, or what? lol. I think there may be a few scenes throughout the series where characters are acting as representatives for dissatisfied fans. Then, of course, there’s AJ’s epic rant in Made in America, where he rips American tv audiences for caring more about their “stupid shows” than the frightening global conditions threatening all of civilization. Is that you, David Chase?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | April 19, 2015 at 11:59 am | Reply

      I agree, I think Chase often anticipates how viewers are going to respond to certain things and beats them to the punch by putting those responses right on the show. That Bobby Junior line that you reference is a perfect example. And “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti” is basically another hour-long example, anticipating the response that many Italian-Americans were bound to have towards The Sopranos.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Kimble | August 15, 2015 at 10:30 pm | Reply

    I always wondered something about this episode. The ‘educational consultant’ seems almost intent on discovering that Meadow had been molested by her father. The first time asked, Meadow unequivocally says no but the second time she says “I dont think so” and then when asked about her mother she says “God no!”

    Ambiguity I guess? But I would think something like this would be a flat NO. (I never got that impression about Tony ever in any episode from him or Meadow. So why that little slice of ambiguity? Any thoughts?)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | August 16, 2015 at 9:55 am | Reply

      To me, it seemed to underscore Meadow’s intellectual honesty – she’s smart and honest enough to recognize that it’s possible that some sort of molestation occurred that pre-dates her memories, despite the fact that Tony has never seemed like the type of man that would hurt her—or anyone—in that way. I don’t know if it’s standard procedure for a therapist to ask such questions so soon after meeting a new client, and if it isn’t, it may point to Dr. Kobler’s amateurishness as a counselor.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Guido | October 12, 2015 at 9:42 pm | Reply

        It isn’t! And it sounded like a really absurd question, in my opinion. I lost respect for her as soon as she asked that. What the hell gave her that idea??

        Liked by 4 people

        • Vice | April 4, 2016 at 3:36 pm | Reply

          It helps to underscore how off-the-mark she is as one supposed to be a neutral counselor, and inadequate as a responsible adult figure. It’s also written comedically. Lots of things in this scene contribute to these characterizations:

          *Calling Jackie “Jack,” and Meadow’s eventual protestation, shows how clueless Kobler is. She lacks real empathy for, and understanding of Meadow, her concerns, and what the solution might be.
          *Telling Meadow it is “ok” to angrily storm out of a family gathering, drinking, and smoking marijuana, but “not ok” to deliberately purge, shows hypocrisy and partiality in moral concerns. Meadow picks up on how lacking she is of true responsibility as an adult figure with her subsequent look.
          *Her eventual stab at what the mystery of Meadow’s parents might be, being completely off-base, despite her probing, investigative questions, and Meadow’s all-but admission of the truth, shows how utterly clueless she is, so she can’t be of real help to Meadow.

          Meadow doesn’t take any of Kobler’s advice.

          Additional thought for Ron: Meadow channels Caitlin at 28:00 when she complains of seeing “images” of Jackie laying “in a pool of his own blood.”

          Liked by 3 people

          • R.K. | August 7, 2019 at 7:44 am | Reply

            Did your father ever molest you? There are already some good comments about this, but I’d also suggest that the writers were being satirical. There was a period when some therapists were too eager to discover sexual abuse. Some patients were induced to invent stories.

            Liked by 2 people

            • Pat MacS | August 16, 2023 at 4:03 am | Reply

              It does seem like the writers are poking fun at or commenting on some of these therapy tropes. In this very first session with the counselor Meadow is more or less recommended Prozac, which was another thing psychiatry was known for being heavy handed with for a period of time.

              Liked by 1 person

        • Notemma Goldman | March 5, 2021 at 12:18 pm | Reply

          There’s something going on there with the show’s ambiguous attitude toward therapy in general. Are we supposed to take that the whole profession is a sham or just that it is better targeted at people with certain kinds of problems (e.g. surviving sexual abuse) and not equipped to take the place of a sense of morality by trying to treat people like Tony?
          It’s not accurate to say that Tony would never do that. He would never sexually abuse *his own children.* But in a bigger sense, a major part of Tony’s income comes from the Bing and other businesses where his underlings are essentially luring in girls as “dancers” and then trafficking them as indentured prostitutes. One form of sexual abuse is hardly that different from another. Just as on some level Tony knows that what was done to Tracee (and the 50 other Tracees who still work for Silvio) is wrong and has to constantly redirect that feeling to justify himself, Meadow knows that the only reason she’s exempt from being another one-night stand or income source for her father is because she happens to be his blood relative, unlike every other 19 year old girl in New Jersey who is a potential target.
          Asking about sexual abuse and the other questions that Kobler pursued is perfectly sensible if she’s actually treating a patient who can be honest with her and needs therapy. Meadow can’t be honest and doesn’t need therapy, she needs relocation and a new family.

          Liked by 1 person

      • LK | November 7, 2021 at 11:43 am | Reply

        Ron – I think that Dr. Melfi sent Meadow to see Dr. Koblar in order to obtain potentially damaging information about Tony, such as allegations of sexual and/or physical abuse. From my twisted perspective, either allegation could be used by Melfi in order to send Tony on a downward psychological spiral. At the point of Tony’s ‘mental break’, Melfi could either ‘save’ him (by having him renounce his mob ties) or turn him in to the authorities.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Jordan | September 30, 2020 at 6:44 pm | Reply

      It’s not ambiguity. Meadow is stunned by her question and doesn’t know how to respond exactly. I’ve had this exact same kind of thing happen with therapists trying to lead me down paths that have nothing to do with what I’m talking about.

      Liked by 2 people

  5. sonicbluesea | September 8, 2015 at 10:17 pm | Reply

    I also find it interesting that immediately following the opening scene with Adriana and Danielle talking on the phone in their underthings, the very next shot is of Meadow. It starts with a closeup of her “flip flop” shoes, then pans up to show us that she is dressed in revealing swimwear. She also uses a telephone in the scene. With a lot of Meadow’s storyline in this episode focused on her regression, it’s almost as if Chase is underlining that this is not the Meadow we’re used to seeing (literally, in a revealing outfit and figuratively, in her regressive behavior), and that she’s at something of a crossroads… she could go either way (flip flop) – ending up like either Adriana or Danielle depending on what path she takes from here. By the end of the hour, we get our answer, as she’s signing up for “Morality, Self and Society.”

    Liked by 5 people

  6. Ralph Robert (Rob) Moore | December 27, 2015 at 5:27 pm | Reply

    “I think it’s apples-and-hammers comparing The Wire with The Sopranos”. Or maybe even apples and bowling balls?

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Fisk | August 23, 2016 at 1:37 pm | Reply

    Perhaps the abnormal psychology book clearly visible behind Meadow actually refers to Dr. Kobler’s unprofessional style.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Matt | November 29, 2016 at 10:13 am | Reply

    i still don’t understand why silvio directly disobeyed tony’s order

    Liked by 2 people

    • joni | January 10, 2017 at 2:32 am | Reply

      I figured it was because Sil was unhappy about bone-headed Christopher taking his pal Paulie’s place. Wanted to cause some intentional beef between him and Patsy?

      Like

    • EW | June 6, 2017 at 2:07 pm | Reply

      I think Silvio saw that there was potential beef between Tony and Patsy. Silvio told Tony that Patsy felt “marginalized”, and after all, Tony did order the murder of Patsy’s twin brother, which led to Patsy almost shooting at Tony from his swimming pool (though only Patsy and the feds know that).
      So in order to try to prevent tensions from getting worse, Silvio lets Patsy steal it, takes the blame himself, but defuses it in a way (miscommunication, bad timeline)

      Liked by 3 people

      • Ron | March 4, 2018 at 12:13 am | Reply

        That’s my take on it too…

        Like

        • matteobrasi | May 30, 2019 at 2:19 am | Reply

          Curious though what is your take on Sil trying unsuccessfully to fix the golf trophy? I see the whole thing as Sil being the one who is most concerned about Chris’s ascension. Maybe Patsy is too, but Sil seems genuinely put off several times. First when he delivers the news to Patsy, he is careful to say something about “this is how certain people want it”, like he wants to be clear he doesn’t buy into it:
          Then there’s the trophy scene. Like Sil’s recognition is broken.
          Silvio also seems to be, or at least could be, telling Tony it is HE who feels marginalized. After all, Tony is setting Chris up to be the #2, when Sil is more qualified in every way for that kind of responsibility. Sil may not be fully keyed in on Tony’s plan, but he is savvy enough to figure out something is going on.
          Also, when Silvio gives Patsy the ok to steal the tiles, he seems to me to have a serious intent in his tone. Not like he is trying to appease Patsy, but more like he wants to send a message to Tony. After all, why would Patsy really need to be appeased? If the order to not take anything else actually came from Chris, sure. But they all know it comes from Tony, and Patsy gives us no reason to think he doesnMt respect Tony’s authority.
          And then finally the last scene, where Sil and Tony discuss the violation. Hard for me to explain it, but that scene plays to me as Sil saying “yeah I did it, and now do you get the fucking message?”
          I just don’t see where any of this is really about Patsy. It all seems to be about Sil.

          Liked by 3 people

          • Ron | May 30, 2019 at 12:48 pm | Reply

            Never looked at it like that but that’s interesting

            Like

            • matteobrasi | May 31, 2019 at 6:45 pm | Reply

              As an aside, I wonder if Tony Sirico had been more available at the time, would Paulie have been in either Sil’s or Patsy’s place, or maybe as an amalgam of both. I’m convinced Sil was put off most here, but the whole situation does seem almost tailor made to further the Chris/Paulie relationship. With some minor plot changes of course, since Chris wouldn’t be acting Capo.

              Liked by 2 people

        • bobsaccamanno | January 29, 2022 at 10:42 am | Reply

          Right, but when you say “Tony asserts his strength but does not punish Silvio. Perhaps the fight with Meadow has sapped him of some of his usual ire.” wouldn’t that depend on what “the rest” means in this dialogue.

          TONY SOPRANO: Truckload of floor tiles. You should be lookin’ at what, uh, 30 grand?
          SILVIO (hands money from wallet): Should be, uh, about two grand there. I’ll have the rest for ya later.
          TONY: I know you will.

          If by “the rest” Silvio means the usual share then what you’re saying is true. But if he’s giving it all then that is punishment, no?

          Liked by 1 person

  9. James M | March 17, 2018 at 7:07 am | Reply

    No doubt this is accidental, but I feel like it’s at least somewhat notable that this is the 2nd episode of the 4th season of The Sopranos, and “Kid A” is the 2nd track on Radiohead’s 4th album. You telling me you never pondered that?

    Like

    • Ron | March 17, 2018 at 10:40 am | Reply

      haha that’s beautiful

      Like

      • James Schultz | September 1, 2021 at 4:35 pm | Reply

        From an article on Kid A:
        “”According to Thom Yorke, “Kid A” is his vision of the first cloned baby. The song is about technology – both the possibilities and dangers. Much of the Kid A album, questions what it means to be a human being in the context in which every relationship is mediated by technology and technical rationality.””

        — Certainly a recurring theme of The Sopranos… “Kid A” also refers to Meadow, as the first-borne. Something about the song coming after she signs up for “Morality, Self & Society” seems so perfect, considering the themes of each work.
        We don’t hear the lyrics but being a Radiohead nut, I thought of the line “standing in the shadows at the end of my bed”, which recalled Meadow that episode, standing in Tony’s shadow at the foot of her bed, having called him “Mr. Mob Boss”. As you rightfully point out, that scene is one of the most emotionally devastating of the series.
        I may be reading into it too much, but I’m curious if anyone else connected that song to Meadow…

        Liked by 1 person

  10. David J Noone | April 11, 2018 at 6:51 am | Reply

    Don’t know about you Ron, but I could look at those lovely ladies in their undies all day. The way “Danielle” infiltrated Adrianna was spectacular. It was short and to the point, over the period of three episodes. I’ve never understood the “Carmela isnt going to be the first lady forever” comment. How about that scene with Chris trying to bang both of them…”my bitch, my ho.” LOL. Then Adrianna’s comment “you and those fucking videos!”
    The Meadow storyline I found interesting. The “half assed adolescent shink” was a disaster. I think along with being a mob-daughter and loosing her ex-boyfriend, Chase crafted the Meadow character as we see at this point on the uncertainity of a 20 something post 9/11. I was about the same age and if I think back, I too had a period of little motivation. Perhaps she was going about in pity for herself. Since reading this analysis, I forgot how gripping the scene where Meadow confronts Tony was. She is one of the only characters to catch Tony off guard and call him out throughout the series. As the little things go…I was always very entertained by the scenes and dialog at the No-work scenes. We see hard working guys at a construction site and these flunkys are sitting around bullshitting eating ice cream. Getting paid for sitting on their asses. It’s hilarious. The interesting thing about the no show, no work jobs are the possibilites of being awarded multiple. Money for nothin’!

    Liked by 2 people

    • bobsaccamanno | January 29, 2022 at 10:51 am | Reply

      I had a girlfriend who was ‘into it’ as they said in Seinfeld. I wonder what the FBI lady would have done if that was Adrianna’s attitude? She did duck the cocaine thing which in movies is often a way that wise-guys try to make sure someone isn’t an informant.

      And, I agree, wtf was Christopher meaning by that first lady comment? He’d abide by someone knocking off Tony? He thinks if his sponsor is gone he would move up? Then he’s more deluded than his script writing fantasies.

      Finally, does the FBI really have enough on Adrianna that a good lawyer couldn’t have gotten her out of and thereby put egg on the Feds? I always thought Adrianna did not make the right move here and it cost her and Christopher dearly. The mob definitely needed a training video for girlfriends and family on what to do under questioning. And we, the public, could have had a few more seasons.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. A Blundetto | August 28, 2018 at 1:39 am | Reply

    When Chris tells Ade that Danielle is gay because she doesn’t like Little Paulie, Ade responds by saying Little Paulie isn’t exactly “Jude Law.” Interesting word play to compare Little Paulie to that actor. Also, Jude Law starred in Enemy at the Gates a year before this episode aired.
    What ya think about this?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | August 28, 2018 at 1:54 am | Reply

      Hmm I get a sense of where you’re going with this but I think Jude Law just represented “Young Stud” at the time the way Johnny Depp might have 10 years earlier or Burt Reynolds 20 years earlier…

      Liked by 1 person

      • A Blundetto | August 28, 2018 at 2:13 am | Reply

        Idk, I think there’s too much on the wordplay with Jude Law’s name to not be intentionally input to represent Danielle being law enforcement which either represents the traitor or the fact that she will eventually turn Ade into the traiotor. Nevertheless, appreciate your response.

        Liked by 2 people

  12. dinaps | October 31, 2018 at 7:56 am | Reply

    Tony tells Janice that he feels like her relationship with Ralph IS his business being that he had to haul her last boyfriend out in a hefty bag. This occurs shortly after the discovery of Ralph’s shoe under a chair that is in the exact spot where Janice shot and killed Ritchie Aprile.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Paul | October 31, 2018 at 9:42 am | Reply

    I was taken back when Tony tells Janice he took Richy out of her house in a hefty bag. Again very sloppy on Tony’s part if the room were bugged he would have been finished. He usually talks business in the basement and probably should not have made the comment in the kitchen. Plus anyone else in the family could hear it.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ron | October 31, 2018 at 9:52 am | Reply

      Yeah, the guys could be sloppy… but I think over time, they just started taking for granted that they could get away with anything. It’s how the human brain tends to work, sharp and focused in the early stages of an endeavor but more sloppy and undisciplined as time goes by.

      Liked by 3 people

      • LK | November 13, 2021 at 9:04 am | Reply

        Ron – There’s not a whole lot of online chatter about the FBI’s obvious lack of follow-through or follow-up regarding Sopranos’ illegal behaviors/activities. A Reddit post presented the best explanation: “What you do is give them space, time, the appearance of safety. Let them commit their crimes, insert enough informants … and then build a case that will put the fear of god into them”. Kind of an odd way to nab a bunch of criminals in a not very timely manner. I mean, how much rope (sorry AJ) are you going to give someone before hanging him, so to speak? I’m not so sure that the FBI is really committed in ending the mobs’ rule. Yes, it takes time and money to build a good case, but it also really takes a heck of a lot of effort. And I’m not so sure that the FBI is up to that.

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Diego | January 30, 2019 at 11:58 pm | Reply

    I laughed out loud when Chris insists that Danielle is gay, saying she can’t see the bigger picture, and then says “are you really that blind!?” to ade before they cut to him in dark glasses, making him look like both a cartoon blind man and imho, like an idiot.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Mike | April 16, 2019 at 12:08 pm | Reply

    The pivotal scene with Carmela, Tony and Meadow, begins with Tony putting his socks on, and in the middle of it Carmela calls for him, so he only gets one sock on, and tosses the other one in the air before leaving his bedroom to enter Meadow’s room. It’s interesting how Tony is positioned at the beginning of the discussion. He sits down (after removing a used bowl (ice cream?) from the chair) and the next shot is of Tony sitting, positioned between Meadow (back to the camera) and Carmela. Tony’s feet are shown here- Right foot- wearing a sock pointed towards Carmela. Left foot- no sock pointed towards Meadow. He’s clearly conflicted, and not on solid “footing” in this argument. This is when he is challenged by Meadow after he says “Your mother doesn’t want it.” He starts out as a mediator but is quickly drawn out of this stance by Meadow’s “Mob Boss” comment. It may be reading into it too much, but could the sock, no sock feet have some significance? The foot without a sock is pointed at Meadow. Maybe to show that she is confronting the truth (exposing the bare foot) as opposed to Carmela who is represented by the foot which is covered up by a sock. (she is complicit in the “covering up” of the Mob Boss truth. Thoughts on this theory?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ron | April 16, 2019 at 5:53 pm | Reply

      Hmm you just made one of my favorite scenes even more interesting. Of course, it may be reading into it too much, but Chase does seem to be very conscientious about costuming and staging, so who knows…

      Like

  16. matteobrasi | May 30, 2019 at 2:58 am | Reply

    Part of me wants to give Chris a bit of credit for sensing that something was off about Danielle/Deborah. Emphasis on bit.
    I wonder if Tony went to see Janice to actually investigate the whole Ralph thing. He noticed them both missing at his house, then shows up at “Janice’s” house unannounced and I think without any other stated purpose.
    I felt the same way in Mr Ruggerio’s Neighborhood”, the FBI’s tactics here REALLY make me uncomfortable. Ok, Adriana is not entirely innocent. She uses drugs and she knows generally what Chris does. But the FBI knows that just by picking her up they might be signing her death warrant. Then they lie to her about the charges she could be facing (she is a user, but not a distributor). And one of the reasons they give her for her life being in danger is due to them spying on her with an undercover agent. Doing this with a wiseguy is one thing, but doing it with a civilian is dirty pool.
    On a related note, after my first viewing I was convinced that if Adriana had told the FBI to sit and spin and immidiately went to Chris and Tony, she would have been ok. In no danger from Tony. MAYBE a short sentence for drugs, but I doubt that would even stick. In fact I don’t think the FBI would actually even prosecute her. But now I wonder. Given that Adriana had spent so much time with an undercover agent, could Tony REALLY trust that she was not cooperating? And would the fact that Chris didn’t sniff Danielle out count against both Chris and Adriana? I guess we’ll never know. What we do know is her fate was sealed the moment she agreed to cooperate.
    It was interesting to see Danielle nosing about everywhere. The way she picked up the designer luggage Chris brought home, looking for any clues to how/where he got it. And the way she was almost casing Tony’s house.
    The Meadow/Tony confrontation was gold. Meadow does not directly blame Tony for Jackie Jr, but she knows it was related to the same business her father is in. She wants to confront her father about what he does, but he stays focused on Jackie. He gives her an opening to say whatever she wants, but does she REALLY want to pull that bandage? Nope, but she knows she wants out. And then Carmella’s realization that Meadow may not like what her father does, but it is Carmela she blames for keeping both herself and Meadow in the thick of it. Wow. And I probably have still only grasped 10% of what is going on.

    Liked by 4 people

    • LK | February 6, 2022 at 10:50 am | Reply

      matteo – All very good points – I concur!
      ~
      I wonder why the hell the FBI asked Adriana if they could bug her office? They could have done that with OR without her consent! And quite frankly, I’m shocked that they didn’t do that as soon as Chris ‘bought’ her the club! Also, what would Danielle have done if Tony ‘put the make’ on her – or maybe even had her tailed? So many questions and possibilities! 😯

      Liked by 1 person

  17. dinaps | June 2, 2019 at 1:22 am | Reply

    Denmark is mentioned again as a place that some believe adds artistic credibility to their resumè. In “A Hit is A Hit”, Ritchie Santini, while arguing with Christopher after a disastrous session in the sound studio, proudly exclaims, “ I’ve recorded in Denmark!”
    Carmella tells Tony one of the reasons Meadow is planning on foregoing her next semester at Columbia to travel through Europe is “Some friend of Misty’s is making a movie in Denmark.”
    Not sure what Chase was getting at by these references, but it does demonstrate more connectivity that requires multiple rewatches to identify.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Terremotito | June 21, 2019 at 12:16 pm | Reply

    Little-known factor in decline and fall of the Roman Empire: Too many citizens were “wasting time on genre fiction.” 🙂

    And holy cow, Linda Lavin was “Alice”! I knew she looked familiar but I haven’t seen that show since I was a kid. Of course the show was spun off the Scorsese film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” That title sounds like Meadow’s super-objective for the whole series.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Ray Cordiano | January 13, 2020 at 8:54 pm | Reply

    o add to what Mike & Davis J Noone said… Patsys comment, “Pick up those ice cream wrappers”, and the bowl in Meadows room with the spoon stuck to it, which looks to have been used for ice cream.. both scenes depict their laziness & lack of care to pick up after themselves. This might be connected to that “asshole” who slipped on a lime wedge.

    In the previous episode Tony was sitting on his ass eating a bowl of ice cream.. now we see him sit his ass on an ice cream bowl.

    What do you think Ron, how does that sit with your ass?…

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Sophie | March 16, 2020 at 9:19 pm | Reply

    It’s amusing that despite having one of the most unpleasantly violent scenes in the whole show as part of his introduction, Furio is the gangster with the seemingly friendliest and most inviting demeanour. (It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes). I could imagine him starring in some kind of cross between Perfect Strangers and Touched By An Angel.
    Speaking of unpleasant scenes, Ade in the FBI office was thoroughly unpleasant to watch. Will a Twin Peaks-style scepticism towards law enforcement be a theme in future eps?
    The “Mister Mob Boss” (“I’m Mister Mob Boss!”/”You can just say mob boss”) scene, though intense, is something I can’t help but giggle at – specifically Tony doing his best audition for the sound effects guy from Police Academy – “Wa? Owowowowowowo”

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jordan | September 30, 2020 at 6:49 pm | Reply

      Curious, how is Twin Peaks skeptical of law enforcement? All of the most lovable, decent and good characters work at the Twin Peaks sheriff station and the FBI. They are unambiguously the good protagonists and heroes of the story.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Orangeannie | August 8, 2020 at 12:55 pm | Reply

    I think Chris deliberately staged that whole threesome scene in order to get rid of Danielle. Any outsider is dangerous. She (Adriana)might tell something she shouldn’t,. It’s sad that Chris makes a pass at Danielle , and Adriana is the one who ends up apologizing…Chris knows her very well. He just didn’t want her there. Something made him hinky. Simple as that.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Jordan | September 30, 2020 at 1:14 pm | Reply

    “I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Dr. Kobler.”
    This is funny to me, because since reading your blog your political affiliations are crystal clear (to be honest, I agree with most of it I bet), but the joke about
    Dr. Kobler seems to be a parody of lefty feel-good therapy. Upon searching for a clip on youtube, all that comes up is:
    “The Sopranos : Spoiled rotten brat Meadow talks to wacko nut job liberal shrink”
    And I have to say, that’s pretty accurate. Kobler is like the exact opposite of the therapist Carmela sees. He wanted Carmela to take strong stands, do the work, stop making compromises. Kobler wants Meadow to have fun, take a year off school, smoke pot, be rewarded for her connections, etc.
    I wonder if you didn’t quite get the character because it’s a parody of your own side? Not saying this in an accusatory way, but I think it’s interesting how our brains have certain biases and that effects everything.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Katrina | December 19, 2021 at 7:28 pm | Reply

      I agree with your perception of the therapist but I don’t really agree with Meadow being labeled as a spoiled brat. Sure, kids do need structure and discipline and running around Europe aimlessly isn’t exactly all it’s cracked up to be. But I feel like she’s not much different than the average 19 year old wanting to rebel, especially coming from a dysfunctional family and having gone through the trauma with Jackie and all (although I think she was using that as an excuse and it was more about her issues with her family in general. But still I can see how she’d be affected by that)

      Liked by 1 person

  23. watched7x | October 12, 2020 at 9:31 pm | Reply

    Who else picked up on the fact that when Dr. Melfi asked Tony if Jackie’s death was related to a drug deal, he said, “Yeah,” and touched his nose? People do that spontaneously when they are lying. And that Melfi then gave Tony a suspicious look and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | January 5, 2021 at 11:41 am | Reply

      That’s interesting. Later in the hour, when Meadow’s therapist asks what her dad does for a living, she touches the side of her nose (the gesture indicating he’s a wiseguy)..

      Like

      • LK | November 6, 2021 at 9:53 am | Reply

        Ron – Actually, Meadow pushes (not touches) her nose to the side of her face. I remember when that (non-verbal) gesture was used to inform someone that the person in question was in the mob or mob-related. I hadn’t seen that gesture since the 1980s! Crude as it is, it was very effective; when we saw it, we knew it was best to keep our mouths shut.

        Liked by 1 person

  24. Nathan | January 4, 2021 at 10:02 pm | Reply

    Is Sil also angry because Chris has passed him over as the next in-line to run the family? He feels marginalized like patsy does?

    First time, long time. Loving the reviews and analysis as I rewatch the series.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | January 5, 2021 at 11:34 am | Reply

      Thanks Nathan. If I remember correctly, Tony hasn’t shared with any of the mobsters that he’s priming Chris to be his #2. But Silvio may indeed realize it subconsciously..

      Like

  25. Little Cossette | March 22, 2021 at 10:14 am | Reply

    Thanks Ron for the incredible analysis! I loved this episode so much that I watched it twice – once before I read your commentary, and then once afterwards.
    When I first watched the show, it was so easy for me to separate the good guys from the bad guys; now that Im on my 3rd watch, I find myself unable to make those types of distinctions. When I first saw this episode, my judgement was clear and simple – Meadow is being a whiny brat and Adriana is being a dumb b*tch. But now that I have spent more time with these characters, I find myself feeling so much pity and compassion for them both.
    First of all, Meadow’s father is a murderer. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would feel and react if I found out my father was a murderer. Just like all of us, Meadow wants to be a good person – but also like us, she grew up loving her parents unconditionally; to think that she can just walk away and “rise above it all” is simple minded. I don’t think I could do that myself. When Carmela sees the therapist, this is essentially what he tells her – “stop the excuses, do the right thing”. But the beauty of the Sopranos is that it is not a fairy tale, with a villain and hero and a happy ending – it is a depiction of real life and real people…. and real life is never simple. If it were me, I don’t think Id have the strength to run away from the people I love (aka go to “Europe”); just like Meadow, I would stay close to home, and like you said, try to make the best of things.
    Then there is Adriana. Personally, if some police officers came to pick me up to inform me that I had introduced an undercover agent to multiple members of the mob, and even bought her to the boss’ house, I would have a panic attack. Every fiber of my body would want to hide under a rock! I would hate the police, but I would also kind of want their help too. I used to see Adriana as ditsy and almost willingly ignorant but now I just see a desperate woman who is in so much pain and terror that she can barely admit the truth of her situation to herself. All that Adriana can experience after this meeting is the feeling of impending doom…. she’s like an animal stuck in a trap. She can try to chew her way out, or, knowing that there is no way out, she can just freeze, and wait for something to happen….
    Even Carmela, whom I’ve always thought of as being such a horrible person, makes me feel compassion. I can’t help but to think that my dislike of Carmela was a little misogynistic. I think that because society expects women to be nurturers and caretakers that we judge mothers more harshly than fathers. Yes Carmela brought up her kids into a world of murder and crime, but so did Tony. Why is Carmela the bad parent, and Tony not? Is it because we kind of expect fathers to be absent and uncaring, so much so that we give it a pass? There is so much that I can say about Carmela, but this post is already too long; to me she is the most compelling character of the show. All I will say is that I appreciate the complexity of her situation…. its not simple.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | March 23, 2021 at 12:06 pm | Reply

      Thanks LC. I think you’ve hit upon the main reason people rewatch The Sopranos so much–the characters are so rich and complex, and we can fully appreciate them only on our second or third or fourth viewing…

      Like

  26. Catherine | April 27, 2021 at 12:55 am | Reply

    Confrontations play one people’s insecurities. I love that Meadow scene for how isolated they are in theit own guilt silos while physically together. I didn’t register that Meadow blames Carmela more than Tony but Carmela own guilt makes her think that way. Tony’s guilt is triggered by Meadow’s reference to his position and what that meant for Jackie. Meadow feels guilt for the behaviour her parents are calling out – she lashes out with truths … but is also is the only one to take definitive action to resolve her guilt.

    Thank you for your write ups from this first time viewer.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Steve Else | August 6, 2021 at 10:22 pm | Reply

    It’s not an accident that there is a toilet and bidet between Carmela and Tony in the final scene. It symbolises the nasty stuff that’s driving them apart.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Ramza | September 19, 2021 at 6:23 pm | Reply

    Firstly, just wanted thank you Ron for this site, your insights as well as providing the people who want an opportunity to share their thoughts on the series to do so as well. This is my second time watching the series, and I remember running into this site back then as well (think it was 7-8 years ago…), with the final 2 seasons reviews “under construction” I think was the sign. So I’m happy to be able to read into that as well, as I progress with the revisiting of the series. And as Little Cossette mentioned, now I have more conflicting thoughts not just about the characters but also on my own opinions from the first watch.. The show is so rich and valuable both as a cultural artifact of the times and a human one, universal one.
    But regarding this episode alone: if 4.01 established the path for many dark endings, Meadow confronting her parents and not going with the line of least resistance by not listening to Wendi (and people calling out her approach tells that she was not just a plot-device made for the show fiction, but has a base in our reality, serving as a sketch-representative of bourgeoise pseud-idividuality culture problem solving-or whatever someone might see it; I want to say she functions and is recognized by the audience as certain -social- authority/voice in the episode) outlines quite possibly the only “positive” character ending of the series. Finding her own self, in a messed up society, growing up in a family on the bad side of morality is her own, conscious choice, praiseworthy in so many aspects.
    And altho I’ve seen some comments regarding Meadows low-key approval of the mafia life for the benefits she gets from it marking her as a “guilty” character I just can’t see her as anything but a positive character. I think the show many times shows not just the ambiguity of situations and our own feelings, but the contingency of life as exampled by the Tracee/Meadow associations in 3.06 and later on (I think?) in the series. Some people get a mobster dad family that provides everything, some people are born poor, get pregnant as teenagers and get dependent on those mobsters (financially, emotionally) hoping for any glimpse of security or a happy life. And not just by age, practical needs (dentist) or parallelism of life troubles I think the show can point on how many of our decisions were not made by us, and that if things went differently, characters would be different, and from our birth before we know it, we have a life and a (social) identity without any tools to resist it..(I think Morphine, the band which was on TV playing in s01, song French fries with pepper wittingly illustrates what I want to say)/////so by making a strong choice on her own, despite being nudged otherwise, I think it points us that intelligence and perceptiveness, as Tony’s traits, and a part of Tony and his actions for that matter, are redeemed by Meadow by the end of series. Because part of the argument between Tony and Carmela is not just that he’s siding with Meadow, but their unspoken truths, and, focusing on Tony, that he believes that Meadow can be saved, can have a normal life only if she’s far away from him.
    Other note, and I think it goes along with the way the series explores the patriarchal order, is the FBI knowingly picking Adriana as the weakest (mentally and socially) link in the mob connection is a great example of the the moral ambiguity of the FBI. Despite her being dumb, which she really is, she is at the point positive, caring, naive and lively presence, this unperceptiveness and faults always made her a really “human” character among everyone else (and, knowing the end of the series, there was something disturbingly sad in naive efforts she and Chrisy made throu s01 and 02). To see her reduced to a tool and knowing that she was opportunistically chosen to be a method to capture the big fish really shows that organized, systemic, utilitarian procedures at times dwell deeply on the bad side of morality, especially if unquestioned.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. HerbOf4 | October 1, 2021 at 10:33 am | Reply

    Chris forgetting that it was Paulie and not Patsi doin the sniffn is pretty unrealistic but, rethinking it, I’ve chalked it up to his increasing heroin use.

    Also, for a while I thought that Ade made a huge mistake by not immediately lawyering up and clamming up when she got arrested. But then I realized that could never work since there’s no way for her to explain to Chris what she needs a lawyer for without tipping him off. MAYBE she could have pulled that off though? Explain it to Chris that she only got pinched on a drug charge? Tell him she kept her mouth shut and asked for an attorney and that they’re trumping up charges? Still, I think eventually the truth about Danielle would come out anyway and Ade was shown to have panicked (puke).

    *NOTE TO EVERYONE: Never talk to cops without a lawyer no matter what. Especially not the FBI*

    Someone mentioned how often these guys get sloppy and leave crime scene evidence a lot. Chris leaving the cigarette in the former cop’s house is a big one. You better freaking believe that, as an ex cop, the police would put a ton of resources into solving that. There are prints all over the house and also DNA on the cigarette butt (DNA was a thing by then -see OJ case).

    Another one that always gets me was after Chris and Paulie bricked that waiter. They were in a small casino adjacent restaurant, clearly seen by several people and were the last people to see the waiter alive. I assumed he also must have bitched to the other servers about being stiffed also so

    So we have a murder here that’s easily connected to known mobsters. At a minimum, I’d expect it’d be enough to bring a few in for questioning and shake them down a little bit. What alibis could they have? It’s probably too early for rampant security cameras in a restaurant but, again, it was a CASINO – so cameras everywhere – and the rest of the crew were going into gamble just after the check was paid AS the murder happened. They didn’t even hide the body so it would have been found before the rest of the crew even left. They paid cash so no credit card tracking BUT…they ran out on their tab! Casinos aren’t big on getting stiffed. I suppose one of the other guys can easily pay it but…NO ONE is asking “hey, what happened to Juan?” or whatever the server’s name was? Surely he had other tables? Maybe not since he was working like a 12 top or whatever but still. The restaurant was busy and management is going to notice a front of house worker being missing pretty quickly.

    I honestly thought this was going to be a loose thread that would be explored later to hang some drama on the crew and a lot tension on Paulie and Chris. I doubt you can lift fingerprints off a brick but..well. I think I summed up my point.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Pingback: The Soprano Onceover: #48. “No Show” (S4E2) | janiojala

  31. LK | January 23, 2022 at 8:35 am | Reply

    In a conversation with Dr. Melfi, Tony talked about his relationship (and frustration) with Meadow. Melfi said, “You are the template for all future relationships she will have”. Wow! She hit the nail with a hammer, didn’t she!

    Liked by 1 person

  32. bobsaccamanno | January 29, 2022 at 11:07 am | Reply

    Am I the only one who caught the reference to that construction foreman who intervened as “Ralph Bunche”? Ralph Bunche was the nobel prize winning negotiator in 1950 so it felt like a rather obscure reference. Is there another Ralph Bunche they might have meant? https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1950/bunche/facts/

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ron | January 29, 2022 at 2:00 pm | Reply

      Thanks for pointing that out, I usually look up references I’m not familiar with but I didn’t do it here for some reason…

      Liked by 1 person

    • LK | February 14, 2022 at 8:58 am | Reply

      bobs – Bunche was also the first African American person to win the Nobel Prize (1950). He was instrumental in trying to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1966. Perhaps his name was mentioned due to all of the conflicts that occurred during this episode? 😏

      Liked by 1 person

  33. LK | February 24, 2022 at 1:38 pm | Reply

    BTW: No one is happy about Christopher’s promotion, especially Silvio, whose facial expression conveyed a whole lot of disgust. Am still trying to figure out why Tony has so much faith in this druggie. Does he really believe that the kid is competent enough to eventually ‘run things’?

    Liked by 1 person

  34. LK | March 29, 2022 at 9:45 am | Reply

    Wait a minute … the Sopranos STILL use dial-up networking? Come on! They live in an upscale neighborhood that doesn’t have fiber optic networks? Chris put the make on Danielle and she didn’t yell at him and immediately leave (and Chris bullies Adriana into believing that the opposite true). Janice compares Tony to Livia “with all your condescension and sabotage”. Yeah, she’s right about that, but she’s as guilty as he is! Interesting that Mikey Palmice’s name is still on the FBI’s blackboard, especially since he’s been dead for years. Meadow lays in bed all day ‘because Jackie Jr died’, with her ear glued to the phone, parties all night, and throws whiny tantrums? I don’t feel bad for her anymore.

    Liked by 1 person

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