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It happens outside with nobody else around, so there's no reason they'd assume that whoever killed the waiter was inside the place. It could've just been a random mugger waiting for someone to walk by. Only way it could be traced back to them is if there were cameras out there and I guess there weren't.
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Jul 29, 2019 13:54
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Don't these assholes have medicine they can take?
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Jul 30, 2019 01:02
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Still goin this rear end in a top hat!! 
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Jul 30, 2019 02:31
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That was crazy, someone could have gotten hurt!
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Jul 30, 2019 02:32
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I know why Paulie is Paulie “Walnuts” (hijacked a truck but it was full of walnuts rather than expensive electronics) but is this story ever relayed in the actual show? It seems like worldbuilding from like the HBO website character bio because I do not recall it ever coming up in an episode. Tony refers to him obliquely as such but that’s all I can place right now.
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Jul 30, 2019 15:31
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I don't remember a single time anyone even called him that, lol.
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Jul 30, 2019 17:10
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DarkCrawler posted:I don't remember a single time anyone even called him that, lol. "Fuckin' Walnuts don't lie as good as you!" - Chrissy, 'D Girl' I'm pretty sure Richie calls him that, too, at one point. It's not an affectionate nickname like Pussy. Dawgstar fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Jul 30, 2019 |
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Jul 30, 2019 20:59
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Yeah, first time we see Richie and he's trying to extort Beansie he mentions Paulie Walnuts, and I legit didn't realize at first he meant Paulie.
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Jul 31, 2019 03:32
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Season 4, Episode 6 - Everybody HurtsArtie Bucco posted:Qu'est-ce que c'est, man? Message machine broken? Christopher and Adriana have discovered a mutual hobby they can enjoy as a couple. Seated on the couch in their apartment, a documentary on the pyramids airing on the television, they're closer than they have been in recent times.... physically. Because they're also completely blasted out of their minds, both on heroin, Adriana basically comatose while her dog Cosette eats the food forgotten in her lap and Christopher can barely even blink let along put down the needle he injected himself with. Chris is just an addict, while Adriana is attempting to escape the horror-show that her life has secretly become, but both find comfort in having the other there enabling them, which really isn't much different to the entire rest of their relationship to date. Christopher's phone rings and he's cognizant enough to pick it up and answer, and on the other Tony brusquely tells him to meet him at the Webendorfer Factory Parking Lot in 20 minutes and then hangs up. Christopher is left dazed, in no state to drive let alone hold a conversation... but the Boss has called, he has to go. Younger, less pathetic but just as idiotic, AJ and his new buddies are hanging out in a friend's den drinking and smoking like the rebellious teens they are. With the knowing arrogance of youth, they're holding forth on topics with great assurance in spite of knowing nothing about them. Jason and Matt are playing table tennis, while Patrick explains that George W. Bush is gonna bring back the draft for the war in Afghanistan (The Sopranos is 20 years old and the Afghanistan War is still going, by the way). AJ, who had his only brief near-thing with the military at the end of last season, is utterly determined that he's not joining the army, and Jason jokes that Tony will put a horse's head in a Senator's bed to keep it from happening. The girl curled up on the couch with AJ - Devin - isn't happy about Jason's lack of tact but AJ doesn't care, even seeming to welcome the others' interest in his Mafia background, though of course the reality is far from the movies: he doesn't have attack dogs... they had a dog, but she got hit by a car! They all discuss how Tony has gone "mostly legit" as if they have any idea what they're talking about, even AJ clearly knows next to nothing about his father apart from the fact he's in "recycling", though he admits he is part-owner of a strip club. The others want to go visit, Patrick excitedly declaring that even if they can't get in... they can watch the strippers go in and out! Christopher has made it to Webendorfer in one piece, but he's nodding off in the car as he waits for Tony's arrival, too tired to even light the cigarette dangling out of his mouth. He slaps himself awake when he sees Tony's car arrive, driven by Furio, and Tony gets out to meet him. They take a walk, the night air probably doing a good amount to wake Christopher up, and Tony delivers some surprisingly mundane instructions about what to do with a recent truck hijack. Even Tony can't help but notice there's something a little off about the way Christopher is moving and talking, and half-amused asks if he has been drinking. Christopher admits he and Adriana opened a bottle of wine, a far tamer and more socially acceptable version of what they were really up to. Both admit they have something they've been wanting to say to the other, and Tony goes first. For the first time, he lays out to Christopher his plans to insulate himself behind a firewall, and that Chris is going to be that firewall. Not Sil, not Paulie. As close as they are, they aren't his blood, and Tony knows Christopher is the only one he can trust. So most of his orders are going to start coming through Christopher to the rest of the Family from this point forward, and eventually ALL of his orders will come through Christopher. Sil will remain his consigliere, but Tony, burnt by Pussy, knows that only blood can be relied on. Christopher is REALLY sobered up by this, assuring Tony he will accept the charge to lead them into the 21st Century (he actually correctly points out to Tony they're already IN the 21st Century before quickly moving on), that he would follow Tony into the gates of Hell after what he did for him regarding the guy who killed his father. Tony nods a little brusquely at this, like it's something he's rather not talk about, but he appreciates the sentiment and a brief embrace later they're ready to go their separate ways. Tony must be relieved, finally he's in a position where he'll only be exposing himself to his blood-related cousin/nephew..... his heroin-addicted blood-related cousin/nephew whose fiance is currently working as an informant for the FBI!   Speaking of idiotic members of Tony Soprano's family, his son AJ is attempting to provide directions as he and his friends - piled into their car - drive about trying to find The Bada-Bing. Eventually he leads them directly to... Satriale's! They're confused as hell (is it a "gay strip club?" one asks) until one of them decides this is a front like the Genco Olive Oil company in The Godfather, and AJ - who knows NOTHING about his dad's business - is quick to agree. Bored of looking for the strip club, they try to figure out what else to do. Back at the Soprano home, Tony is going into the fridge when Carmela comes down in nightgown and robe complaining about AJ being out past curfew... and is pleased but shocked to see Furio is also there, almost walking into him. Quickly pulling her robe closed, she's all smiles as he explains he was using the bathroom and then heads out. Watching him go, she can't help but get a thrill at having been so close to him wearing so little. She and Tony head up to bed, where she raises the subject of Furio with Tony in what is probably a mixture of desire to remove temptation AND to head off any suspicion her utterly clueless husband might have about him. Furio is single, so she wants to play matchmaker between him and a dental hygienist, while Tony wants her to stay out of Furio's love-life. Not in an aggressive way, he just probably thinks Furio is happier being single and doesn't want Carmela making waves for him. If anything, he seems to find her desire to play cupid cute, tickling her and gently mocking her. But his humor quickly fades and he turns away affecting disinterest when Carmela innocently brings up something a lot darker. Her Mercedes has been making noise lately so she took it down to Globe Motors, and she has something to tell him about that "nice saleswoman" Gloria Trillo she learned from Jerry in the Service Department. Tony, fearing that Gloria might have taken this opportunity to crack her way back into his life, is on guard until Carmela tells him the last thing he expected to hear: she committed suicide, she hung herself from a chandelier.  At Vesuvio's, the new hostess Elodie has the happy news - for the restaurant, not the customer on the phone - that they're simply too busy to take any more reservations. Artie is clearing feeling the confidence that comes with a full house too, standing behind the bar chatting happily with Elodie's brother Jean-Philippe. They are French, charmingly so, Jean-Philippe regaling Artie with stories about his efforts to get a business opportunity off the ground here in America. He's just hunting up the last of the financing he requires, and has actually come to see Artie in particular because of something that Elodie has told him: he knows people who lend money? The problem for Jean-Philippe is time: he only has till the end of the week to secure the money but going through the bank for a 50k loan is going to take too long. In desperation, he is willing to borrow from loansharks at exorbitant interest, safe in the knowledge that a quick return will make him his money back and then some. Artie is a little put out that Elodie would tell him this, but he also clearly has a thing for her (oh Artie) and affectionately tugs at her ear (watch how she initially recoils but quickly controls herself and puts on a charmed smile... oh Artie). Jean-Philippe gives him more info: he's trying to get the North American rights to distribute Armagnac for a group in France that is purchasing Domaine Vezelay, one of the oldest producers of what will be the "next Vodka". Jean-Philippe has already pumped $100,000 of his own cash into it, he just needs the extra 50k, then the deal can be completed, the ten million advertising budget gets released to him and he'll have more than enough cash to pay back his loan. Artie considers this, and with the same air of authority that AJ's friends discussed Tony's business with, he explains that as the people he "knows" don't know Jean-Philippe, the loan would have to go to him first and from him to Jean-Philippe... essentially, HE would be loaning the money to him. As a result, he wants to get paid too, he wants 10k (he hides his mouth behind his hand so Charmaine doesn't see!). Jean-Philippe offers 5 and they settle on 7.5k, and to Elodie's delight the two shake on it. Oh Artie. Charmaine, no fool, comes over and sends Elodie off to clear a table then returns to the kitchen where she asks Artie what was going on between the three of them at the bar. Artie, who takes savage delight in not being bound by her restrictions anymore, explains smugly it was just a little "venture-capital" thing. Charmaine complains that if he wants to bring money in he should get Tony to pay his tab, which is close to $6000 now. He complains that he could have an empire and it wouldn't be enough for her (where the hell did he ever get that impression? She's the one who constantly stopped him from his stupid get-rich quick schemes!) and she retorts that they can work on the empire once they'd paid the 10k of orthodontic work their daughter will need this year. Suddenly the 10k that Artie demanded makes sense, like dumb old Davey Scatino he thinks he can make a big gamble and clear all his financial woes in one fell swoop. The only difference between now and the past is that Charmaine no longer has the level of control she once had to stop him from making these terrible decisions. Tony makes an unusually timid approach to Globe Motors, uneasily entering the showroom and walking around until he catches the eye of a salesman who offers to take him for a test-drive. Tony, a little slower than usual, takes a moment to compose himself before putting on the charm and saying he'd like to give the business to Gloria Trillo, the saleswoman who was so helpful last year. The salesman gets uneasy and says she doesn't work there anymore, and Tony's charm fades and his despair comes to the fore as the act slips and he goes from asking reasonable questions to all but demanding the salesman explain WHY she committed suicide. Somewhat perturbed, the salesman offers that he didn't know Gloria too well but understood she wasn't lucky with men, a line that hits the narcissistic Tony hard since of course as far as he is concerned this must have happened because of him. He asks if she left a note, his belated attempts to explain why he's asking these personal questions probably only working because of the salesman's training to do anything to keep a potential customer. She left no note, the police found one but it was simply copy for a classified ad, her reasons died with her.   At Ralphie's "office", he's reading a magazine when Vito lets Artie in to see him. Ralphie greets him and makes some "restaurant humor" which largely involves making fun of Vito's weight. Vito again doesn't bother to even fake a smile, he's learned by this point that Ralphie isn't paying any attention to him, he's just a prop to him. Left alone, Artie explains to Ralphie he wants to borrow 50k to upgrade the kitchen and he'll be able to pay it back in a couple weeks, belatedly having to come up with a bullshit reason about an insurance check for the latter when Ralphie asks what happened in two weeks. Ralphie considers and finally, against his better judgement, decides to decline even after Artie tells him he has no problem with being charged 2 points interest. When Artie asks why, Ralphie is for once entirely honest: because of Artie's friendship with Tony, if he can't pay, Ralphie won't be able to hurt him. Tony attends a therapy session with Melfi, where he sweetly asks her nothing questions about how things are going, is anything going on questions and she answers in kind with generic but polite responses. But when he outright asks how Gloria is doing, it's clear to her that he already knows the answer, so she just frowns and agrees it is a terrible thing. Tony immediately flies into a rage, batting her box of tissues across the room and lunging forward to loom over her, roaring that she knew and said nothing, let him sit and talk without telling him.... what? Tell him what? What loving right does he have to anything about Gloria or from Melfi? But of course he's not thinking straight and he's looking for a target for his rage and guilt. She knows it, and she's seen this kind of reaction from him before, though not for some time. Maintaining her calm with some degree of difficulty, she insists he sit down, noting from the smell of him that he's been drinking. He doesn't back down though, demanding to know why she didn't help Gloria, refusing to accept that sometimes you can't, and only takes umbrage when he declares she didn't have any problem taking Gloria's money despite that. Now she is the angry one, though far more controlled than Tony, warning him that she gives her patients everything she has and is devastated whenever one dies... a line that perhaps reminds Tony that another of her patients committed suicide because she couldn't be there for her due to Tony's actions putting her in danger. Or maybe just being reminded that other people exist in the world and knew Gloria as well or better than he did punctures his rage. Or maybe he just needed to vent? In any case, he sits down after collecting the case of tissues and putting it back, looking now like the world's biggest sullen toddler. He sits down and now come his excuses, he told Gloria he was married, he gave her no illusions about what he wanted from her. Melfi reminds him she can't give any specifics on Gloria's treatment, confidentiality exists even after death, but she is at pains to explain that there is never ONE cause of a suicide. She can clearly see Tony is blaming himself, and he makes no bones about it himself, noting that she did it after they broke up (months after, but for Tony he can't comprehend her moving on to somebody else after him), and Melfi asks him the pertinent question: why is he so eager to blame himself? Tony, looking like he's been doing some more drinking, pops around to Artie's current house, where he is still clearly in the process of unpacking after the breakup with Charmaine. Artie is pleased to see him, but Tony is concerned and mildly offended... why did he go to Ralph for a loan instead of coming to him? Artie isn't happy that Ralph told Tony, but his answer is a good one that most people would appreciate: he didn't go to Tony BECAUSE they're friends. Sure if his daughter had a tumor then he'd come running, but for just some business venture? No, he values their friendship more than that. Tony should be touched but in his current state of mind it's just further "proof" to him that people don't think of him as somebody they can go to for help. He prods Artie for more info, getting the whole pitch about Armagnac and the product introduction etc, and agrees to front the cash at only 1.5 points which is a better deal than Ralph would have given him. Artie again tries to beg off taking money from his friend, and Tony lets rip with an angry protest, what, is he a toxic person or something? Artie is taken aback and finds himself in the unusual position of having money foisted onto him by a loanshark, as Tony peels 3k from his own billfold and promises him somebody will be around later with the other 47k. Artie, his resistance gone and no Charmaine around to slap him on the head for being an idiot, thanks him and they hug tightly, before Tony leaves and takes the sample bottle of Armagnac with him without a word, in pursuit of something to fill the gaping hole inside of him as he continues to blame himself for Gloria's death. Outside, he drinks directly from the bottle, gulping down the entire contents of the neck easily, trying to bury the sick feeling deep inside of him.   Tony dreams of Gloria. The Armagnac remains in his hand, he drinks even now from the bottle as he enters Gloria's home and she greets him warmly like she did when things were good between them. She's prepared dinner, but without moving they're suddenly making out at the dinner table, him seated and her worshiping and warm and most of all still alive until she's distracted by the sound of the oven. As she walks away, her scarf trails around his shoulder and trails along behind her, the material wrapped around her neck, hiding the scar he even now knows is there. The sound of the baster as she checks on dinner is loud, squelching, disturbing. The Armagnac ripples, disturbed by falling material from the roof, when he looks up he pointedly does NOT see the chandelier, instead he focuses on the cracks and buckles in the roof where the weight that was added to it by her body pulled down on it. Gloria returns, sliding her dress up her thighs and gesturing to her crotch to ask if he wants to see that... before gesturing to the scarf and asking if he wants to see that instead? Slowly she winds it from around her throat, and Tony jerks awake in his bed with a fright, scared into consciousness by what he imagined but could not bring himself to see. In the bathroom, he gulps down prozac and stares deadeyed in the mirror, unsettled by the dream and the still present sick sensation/belief that he is to blame for Gloria's death. Carmela calls up that cousin Brian has arrived, shouting twice to get his attention. Putting on the biggest, faked smile he can, Tony calls cheerfully that he'll be right down. Dressed, he heads downstairs and shakes Brian's hand with forced good cheer, as a not-quite-believing it but delighted Carmela asks if it is true he called Brian last night and asked him to hurry over this morning with paperwork for a Living Trust after all? Tony, still forcing a smile, jokes that now when he dies it will be Carmela's problem and quickly signs the forms, yet another gesture like the loan to Artie that is designed to make him feel like he isn't a terrible person who would cause a beautiful, intelligent woman to commit suicide. Now that she has gotten what she wanted, she is apologetic for being so obnoxious about it, but Tony is quick to assure her she did the right thing... after all, in his head he is the one who is a piece of poo poo who needs to do nice things to make up for it. He's mildly alarmed by the ding of the oven which sends Carmela to check on her baking, reminded of the nightmare with Gloria, but as she goes she asks Brian if he and Janelle will still be attending the Billy Joel concert with them next week, then notes to Tony that if he'd been able to get 8 tickets they could have taken Furio and Jessica (the hygienist). Tony keeps his smile but now it is more obviously forced, he just gave her a Living Trust and she's already asking for something more? Hesh's guy could only get six, and she doesn't push it. Once she's gone, Brian says his goodbyes to Tony, but as he is going Tony points out that he's wearing a nice suit and Brian agrees they are his only vice. Quietly, Tony removes a business card and tells him to call that number and ask for Patsy, and let him know Tony said to take care of him. Brian is thrilled, telling Tony what a great guy he is. He leaves, and Tony - who is on Prozac, who has made his wife very happy, whose financial planner has just called him a great guy - is left standing alone still feeling utterly miserable.   At Vesuvio's, the single ring of a phone-call at the bar is the signal that Artie and Elodie have been waiting for. Quietly, casually removing the envelope of cash from the bar, he passes by Charmaine and through the kitchen to the back door, where Jean-Philippe is waiting in a back alley to collect the money. It's all very clandestine... for no reason, Jean-Philippe could have walked in the front door and Artie just handed it to him, but this fits with Artie's desire to be seen as a mysterious and connected guy. Even so, he does a mild double-take as he has second-thoughts too late, Jean-Philippe is already gone and Artie is now committed: he just gave 50k to a relative stranger and HE is the one who will be on the hook if he can't deliver the money. Oh Artie. AJ and Devin are making out on the couch when Carmela comes home, though they're able to extricate themselves without being seen by her. Of course the fact that Devin immediately stands up and stares awkwardly at her while unmistakable make-out music is playing on the stereo system probably leave her in no doubt of what was going on. She asks AJ to turn it down and he waddles over, crouched to hide his obvious erection. He rejoins Devin on the couch where they sit ramrod straight, Carmela admonishing AJ to be careful of her Lladró when he plops a can of coke down next to it. Devin admires it and Carmela boasts that she doesn't even want to tell her how expensive it was... and within 5 seconds is happily admitting it was 3k! She leaves the room and Devin moans to AJ that she wanted to be alone with him, but her mother's place is out because her boyfriend is using it as an office, and she won't be staying with her dad till the week after. AJ has an idea though, they can use his sister's dorm room in Columbia! Devin says they can order a car service on her American Express, and AJ quickly puts a call through to Meadow asking if he and a friend can come "hang out". Meadow is delighted, but says she's not on campus so he'll have to come meet her at Brook Avenue and 161st Street. Once AJ hangs up, Devin admits that she foolishly thought his house would be more like Don Corleone's, and he teases her by saying their place in Lake Tahoe looks just like Michael's in Godfather II. She laughs when she realizes he made it up, kissing him and declaring herself to be "like, a gangster dude's girlfriend", getting off on the "danger". A different kind of danger isn't anywhere near as sexy for them though as the car service brings them to Brook Avenue and 161st Street... the South Bronx Law Center, where Meadow now interns. Inside, Devin nervously takes a seat as Meadow greets AJ, her happiness at her brother coming to see her turning into disgust when she realizes he thought she'd let him use her dorm room to gently caress his girlfriend. She's unconsciously echoing Carmela who once was concerned that Meadow was more interested in her boyfriend than the cultural sights and sounds of New York. That argument at least made some impact on Meadow, but for AJ all he can think about is that he really, really, really wants to bang Devin.  He really is just like his father! AJ and Devin get driven about the city as night falls, he follows Devin's lead as she comments about how horrible the life the impoverished people in this area of the city live is. She's sad and empathetic and he - who REALLY wants to bang her - is quick to agree. He chides his own family's wealth, his mother can spend 3k on a dumb statue, they have a housekeeper in three times a week, and all because he was lucky enough to be born into a rich family. He mentions another school friend who wears nice clothes but whose father is a math teacher and "they don't even have a dining room!". She listens intently as he warms to the subject, two rich white kids in the back of a car service talking about how unjust the world is. At Vesuvio's, Elodie is delighted to inform Artie that they've already booked 80 seats for tonight, and he "charms" her by saying they all come to see her. She tosses a mint at him and he "seductively" eats it as she giggles that she's eaten too much of his gnocchi and is getting a belly, helpfully lifting her shirt and running her hands over her flat stomach as he leers appreciatively. But the distraction hasn't quite taken his mind off things as she might have hoped, as he approaches and asks her if Jean-Philippe is okay... he hasn't been in touch or answered the phone. Elodie takes just a moment too long to answer before the smile comes back up and she explains that he works strange hours which is probably why he hasn't called. Hoping to distract Artie further, she grabs up a CD and passes it over to him as a "gift", saying they can play it over the P.A before she heads off to change the flowers in the vases. Charmaine arrives as Elodie leaves, and she rolls her eyes at Artie and asks if there is trouble with the "investment" which it seems he has ended up bragging to her about (but only after the fact, when she couldn't stop him). He's confused as to what makes her think that, and Charmaine - who is REALLY nobody's fool - asks if he finds it strange that this attractive young French woman suddenly is getting all flirty with him whenever he asks about her brother. She leaves too, and Artie is left with the CD, no wife, no hot French hostess and definitely no $50,000, considering only now if maybe he's been conned. Oh Artie. Adriana has gone to the gym, but there will be no getting her mind off of her problems there as she's run into Carmela, who is full of questions about why they hardly ever see her anymore. She "blames" Christopher, saying that it is him who has been suffering the flu. Carmela admits she has noticed his skin doesn't look good (because of the heroin!) and Adriana takes the chance to apologize that between that and problems running the Crazy Horse she doesn't think they will be able to make it to the Billy Joel concert. Carmela is sad, but also secretly thrilled, because she's already thinking about how this frees up Furio and Jessica to come with them. Adriana meanwhile is left racked with guilt about how she is letting down and betraying her close friend who is already excitedly running through scenarios in her head. Tony continues his quest to squash his guilt, this time by taking Janice out to a nice dinner at Vesuvio's. She happily sucks marrow from the bone, asking if he remembers how Livia used to do the same thing. He'd rather not remember that or Livia in general and asks her to change the subject, and instead they talk about how nice it is for the two of them to be able to catch up. Artie comes over with complimentary deserts and suggests they have a bottle of the Armagnac with it. To add to his growing concern, Artie's idea is shot down by Janice who says she tried it in France and doesn't like that it is full of Histamines. Tony tries not to upset his friend by saying he thinks it tastes good, but when Janice excitedly asks if she can have a Nonino Picolit (an expensive Italian wine) instead he quickly changes his mind and asks for one as well. A clearly not happy Artie leaves and Tony asks about her and Bobby Baccala, and her defenses are immediately up, complaining about him forever prying into her personal life. Now Tony is offended though, he was bringing it up to compliment her. Long gone are the days he considered Bobby a useless fat gently caress, now he's a valued and competent member of the Family, a trusted and reliable support for his Uncle AND a genuinely nice guy as opposed to the trash Janice usually pursues. Janice is taken aback by his complaint that she assumes he has to have an agenda and apologizes. When he repeats the same question he asked Artie earlier - is he a toxic person - in her desire to make him feel better assures him he always seems to reach out when it counts. For Janice this is a genuine compliment, after all he was her Knight in White Satin Armor, and Tony seems relieved, seeing this as an opportunity to pry further. Leaning forward he whispers to ask if she ever knew anybody who killed themselves ("I used to live in Seattle!" she replies). She tells him about a good friend who lived upstairs from her who killed himself with a deer rifle. She admits she felt somewhat responsible but partly everybody who knew him did: their last encounter was an argument, so there was a level of guilt that came with knowing his last interaction with her before killing himself was a negative one. Tony's last encounter with Gloria of course was plenty negative, and though he accepted Janice's compliment happily enough, surely some part of him must be thinking that he was NOT there to reach out to Gloria Trillo when it counted.   Arties arrives with the wine and Tony delights Janice further by deciding Artie can leave the bottle, but doesn't really make Artie's day when he tells him just to put it on his tab. Artie of course can't kick up a fuss, he owes the man 50k already so the last thing he wants to do is start demanding money owed. But he does decide to take the chance to let Tony know what is going on, slipping into the men's room after him and sidling uncomfortably up to him at the urinal, startling him for this social faux-pas. He explains he hasn't been able to get hold of Jean-Philippe and is starting to get worried since the money is due in a couple days. Tony is surprised when Artie admits he hasn't actually gone around to his apartment to check on him, and with a sigh he takes it upon himself to - good naturedly, at least - explain the basics of debt collection to him. You can't let them slip away, you can't let them make you feel like they're doing YOU a favor by paying back even a little of the money that THEY borrowed. Artie has to go see Jean-Philippe, he has to lay down the law, he has to get his arms around this before it spills out of his control. It's all very sensible, and Tony does not menace or threaten himself, but the message is clear: this is Artie's problem to solve. At his "bachelor's pad" Artie decides to rehearse for his confrontation. Like a million guys before him he lays out elaborate scenarios in his head of ways he will be super-cool and badass while the other guy is a clumsy coward who reacts in exactly the way he wants and follows the script to a tee. Like a middle-aged Travis Bickle, Artie imagines greeting Jean-Philippe at home, browbeating him, intimidating him, demanding to know if his message machine is broken, making him cry as he sneers and threatens and eventually successfully gets his money back. While Artie is doing his best to strike a menacing pose in the mirror, the man who will take the Soprano Family into the 21st Century is staring fascinated at his own reflection in his apartment's bathroom, another junkie he randomly found somewhere puking into the toilet beside him. High out of his loving mind on heroin, Christopher Moltisanti pulls an eyelid down to get a REALLY good look at his own eyeball.   Artie arrives on Jean-Philippe's floor, ready to put his script into reality, wearing a leather jacket he probably thinks makes him look tough. At first the script plays out as he envisioned, Jean-Philippe is apologetic and downcast while Artie is swaggering and confident... until he demands his money and Jean-Philippe gets irritated, since he already told him he didn't have it and therefore that's the end of the story. Artie crosses his arms, looks down his nose.... and then nervous asks WHEN he is going to get it. It all falls apart pathetically from here, as Jean-Philippe admits the money is probably never coming but that's the risk of a business deal like this. Artie starts freaking out as he explains they haven't been able to figure out how to market Armagnac in North America, and demands his money, becoming more high-strung, finally exploding into obscenities and reaching out and choking Jean-Philippe. They two begin fighting, and to be fair Artie does somewhat hold his own, but it is a pathetic display akin to what you'd see on a playground. They grapple in the loosest sense of the word, struggling to overpower the other, rolling into the table, both getting a couple of untrained punches in before Jean-Philippe finally gets the advantage by getting hold of his ear and tearing his stupid earring out of the lobe. Artie squeals and grabs at his ear, and the now confident Jean-Philippe grabs him by the leather jacket he's so proud of and tosses him out of his apartment, warning him that if he sees him again he'll kill him. The next day, Patrick drives AJ to Devin's father's house as he gives him confident advice born of nothing about how to drive her wild in bed till she's begging him to gently caress her. AJ listens fascinated, taking it all in earnestly as they approach the house, which they're not all that impressed by. It's nice enough but small compared to AJ's... until they pull in to the drive and realize they're looking at the gatehouse. There's security guards, cameras, intercoms and gates, and once they're let through they drive up a long and winding road to a MASSIVE estate and a giant house far more tasteful (though still garish) than AJ's. Devin comes out to greet them, Patrick being directed where to park, while AJ stares bewildered at a house that makes his own look like a regular suburban house. A miserable Artie weeps in his lonely bachelor pad, downing pain-pills to go with his bottle of Armagnac. His ashtray is jammed full of cigarette butts, and he's playing the French CD that Elodie gave him, weeping all the louder as he realizes what a complete idiot he has been, how easily duped he was, and how pathetic his effort to be a "man" and get his money back turned out to be. In his mind he is a complete failure in every way, he lost his wife, he lives alone, he feels trapped in his restaurant, Adriana didn't want him, Elodie exploited him, Jean-Philippe conned him and then beat him up and tossed him out like trash. Tony has apparently gotten tired of running around finding people to be nice to so he doesn't feel like such a monster, and is spending the evening in a hotel with an Icelandic woman (one of the stewardesses from an earlier episode?) discussing volcanoes topless when his phone rings. It's Artie, slurring and drunk and drugged and weeping as he apologizes to Tony for letting him down, apologizes for being a complete and utter failure, insisting he loves him and begging him to look after Charmaine for him. That last line sets Tony's alarm bells ringing and he demands to know what he did, realizing he's taken something when he mumbles that he's going to go to sleep. Freaking out, Tony starts getting dressed when he realizes that he can't just race out the door to Artie's and expect to achieve anything. Sitting down and for once letting cooler heads prevail, he pulls out his phone and dials 911. At Devin's, AJ can't believe that not only are the Pablo Picasso paintings on the wall genuine, but that they're just.... there on the wall and Devin herself seems blase about the fact. Patrick is freaking out, racing about marveling over how expensive everything is, while Devin becomes nervous seeing how silent and glum AJ looks. Finally he admits he feels like an idiot for going on and on about how rich his family was, their comparatively minor wealth looking foolish next to Devin's. She insists that none of that matters to her, she likes HIM (that's admirable, but it is kind of funny that she doesn't care that he's only rich instead of mega-rich!). AJ, who for once is NOT thinking about banging her, can't let this go, asking her why she never said anything if it WASN'T a big deal. She doesn't have an answer, but AJ will probably never really grasp that the only person who thinks this is a big deal is him, and it's a loving stupid thing to be upset about.   Tony arrives at the hospital where Artie has had his stomach pumped and is currently recovering in a room. Still weepy but no longer in an emotional abyss, Artie moans that it all went to poo poo over his stupid belief in "the next vodka", and now he's screwed because the money is gone and he can't pay him back. Tony doesn't care about that though, at first sympathetic but then shouting, asking him to consider somebody else for a change (incredible coming from Tony): what if he hadn't reached him on the phone and Tony had come to his house and found his corpse? Artie starts to sob again, and wails that Tony can take the restaurant, but of course Tony doesn't want that. This isn't a Davey Scatino situation, he isn't looking to bankrupt a happy loving wanderer. He gave Artie the money to feel better about himself, he has spent the whole episode asking if he is a toxic person and now Artie is essentially saying he is by thinking he is going to take his business out from under him. But if he won't take it, how will Artie pay him back? It'd take him a lifetime to pay back 50k (remember, Tony often spends 40k+ on a single impulse purchase or gift for Carmela), not helped by Tony's gentle reminder it's actually 51.5 with the vig AND he already missed a payment. But he can offer a deal, if Artie forgives his tab at the restaurant they can call it even, and Artie weeps in gratitude before stupidly pointing out that the tab - large as it is - is only 6k. Tony isn't concerned, he says he'll assume the debt and collect the 50k himself from Jean-Philippe, and the sheer pathetic gratitude that crosses Artie's face there is like honey to Tony's soul: see, he IS a good and nice person! Except seconds later Artie's face twists to an understanding smirk, and with approving respect he declares the cobwebs are now removed from his mind. Awed, inspired, thrilled, he declares that Tony can see 20 moves down the road, he saw all this coming! He saw Jean-Philippe was a con-man, he knew Artie would get screwed out of the 50k, but he also knew he could assume the debt, get the money back himself AND get his tab cleared at the same time. Worst case scenario he eats for free, best case scenario he makes a lot of money. Artie worshipingly declares his envy, this is the man he dreams of being, in Tony he fantasizes that he sees a true master of his craft and a man in complete control of his destiny.   Tony is enraged, because this of course insinuates if not outright demonstrates that Artie believes he is a toxic person, a monster, somebody who takes advantage, who does nothing good or right unless he gets something out of it. Furious, he sets a shocked Artie to sobbing again as he declares him a disgrace, roaring at him to get his story straight because Tony refuses to let anybody blame HIM for Artie's attempted suicide. So now the story is that Artie got jumped by a street gang, his earring ripped out, his wallet and watch stolen. He was beaten up and crawled inside his house and took pills for the pain while he waited in the emergency room. Artie reminds him his stomach was pumped and they found the booze mixed with the pills, but Tony doesn't give a poo poo about that, the story is he got mugged and that's all there is to it. He takes Artie's watch and wallet for himself to sell the story, and storms out of the hospital bed leaving Artie just as miserable as before but at least very much alive. Tony and Carmela attend the Billy Joel concert and go to dinner, joined by Brian and Janelle as well as Furio and Jessica. The latter two hold hands and are very lovey-dovey already, Furio happily explaining that Jessica is going to clean his teeth. Carmela is pleased but also devastated, seeing Furio happy and loving with a woman that is not her. Tony is charming tonight at least, regaling them all with a frankly beautiful story about a dream he had about his grandparents back when he was dating Carmela, and how it seemed to repeat itself the next night when he had dinner at her parents'. It's romantic and sweet and he says it is when he decided to buy the ring and propose, which the women in particular are thrilled by. But while Carmela smiles, she can't help but notice little things herself that tell a more troubling story. Like the fact her cousin Brian is now wearing suits bought through Patsy via Tony's introduction, dragging himself a little closer to their illegitimate world. She notices as well that Tony himself doesn't seem all that happy when Brian proposes a toast to him for being such a gracious host and friend. Everybody at the table seems appreciative, but for Tony it only serves to reinforce the idea that people only value him insofar as what he can do for them. The fact that he himself forces his "gifts" upon people in a bid to deal with his emotional and psychological issues probably doesn't occur to him. He gifts 50k, he gets somebody cheap suits, he takes people to dinner, out to concerts etc, all in a bid to be a good guy... and then he blames them for accepting all this, as if they are somehow taking advantage of him. Carmela is the person who knows him best, and the only person at the table who can see (this time at least) that the smile only goes surface deep.  Tony returns to therapy where he discusses Artie's failed suicide and the allegation that Tony planned for everything to fall out the way it did. Melfi asks him the most pertinent question before offering any sympathy: did he? Tony admits that he doesn't know, but he's put stock in Artie's suggestion that maybe this is something subconscious he does (NOW he believes in the subconscious!). Now Melfi offers sympathy, or rather empathy as she notes that clearly the accusation bothers Tony whether it is true or not. But she does have a question, he makes a living out of usury, so why go easy on Artie this time? She suggests it is because Artie's attempted suicide came so close to learning about Gloria's successful one, but she runs into the same frustrating roadblock as always. Tony has been exploring his deeper feelings/concerns but her attempts to get him to be constructive with this have failed yet again, because rather than address the underlying causes he has found a simple "solution" and tried to bury his feelings along with the multitude of others he's buried most of his life. He made a donation to the suicide hotline in Gloria's name and now as far as he is concerned, that is the end of the matter. He isn't going to fixate on it any longer, he's just going to... pretend it doesn't bother him, that some grand but simple gesture has put an end to a far more complicated problem. Speaking of simple solutions however, Jean-Philippe answers another knock at the door. Wonderfully, all we get a single shot of Furio staring back that tells us everything we need to know about what comes next, and how different it will be to Artie's confrontation. AJ, Patrick, Jason and Matt are back in the den, the latter two roughhousing as Patrick enthusiastically describes Devin's place. AJ still looks sullen about it, but is caught off-balance when they ask him a question he hadn't considered before himself. How come his father doesn't have that kind of Don Corleone money like they see in the movies? AJ thinks about it and finally admits a truth that further serves to showcase just how insulated he is from his father's business despite growing up in the house. He has no idea why they aren't obscenely rich instead of just rich, and the guy who noted eagerly how unfair it was that others were poor is now clearly upset that he himself isn't rich enough.   Season 4: For All Debts Public and Private | No Show | Christopher | The Weight | Pie-O-My | Everybody Hurts | Watching Too Much Television | Mergers and Acquisitions | Whoever Did This | The Strong, Silent Type | Calling All Cars | Eloise | Whitecaps Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6.1 | Season 6.2 Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 14:14 on Apr 23, 2020 |
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Jul 31, 2019 12:43
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Jerusalem posted:Season 4, Episode 6 - Everybody Hurts I had forgotten about this dream, it is another fantastic one. The sense of dread is amazing, and it walks that line between realism and surrealism that they do so well.
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Jul 31, 2019 15:36
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I don't know why but that whole Artie trying to act tough, psyche himself up and getting in that fight is one of my favorite sequences in the show. It's so loving cringe worthy. Then later just that lone shot of Furio standing at the door made me laugh out loud.
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Jul 31, 2019 16:53
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yz8vlXNtUA Took me a few years to realise that Patrick was played by a young Paul Dano.
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Jul 31, 2019 17:01
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BiggerBoat posted:I don't know why but that whole Artie trying to act tough, psyche himself up and getting in that fight is one of my favorite sequences in the show. It's so loving cringe worthy. Its so cringe. And I feel so bad for him when it OBVIOUSLY goes wrong. Vichan posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yz8vlXNtUA Jeeze he looks completely different in that shot. I guess its the hair covering his face.
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Jul 31, 2019 17:16
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Tony’s reaction to Brian’s “wow, you’re a great guy” is shot beautifully- Tony’s eyes and smile and the lighting are completely sinister and the aesthetics allude to what we already know- Tony is not a great guy.
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Jul 31, 2019 17:27
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Ishamael posted:I had forgotten about this dream, it is another fantastic one. The sense of dread is amazing, and it walks that line between realism and surrealism that they do so well. I always forget about it because of Calling All Cars I think, and that final scene of Livia's presence on the stairs, which tends to overshadow it. But it's an incredibly well put together sequence that has this amazing underlying sense of dread/grief/regret. Vichan posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yz8vlXNtUA What the fucccck? Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Aug 1, 2019 |
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Jul 31, 2019 23:08
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I assume everybody knows this one already https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRk5YNAh00
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Jul 31, 2019 23:12
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crazy eyes mustafa posted:I know why Paulie is Paulie “Walnuts” (hijacked a truck but it was full of walnuts rather than expensive electronics) but is this story ever relayed in the actual show? It seems like worldbuilding from like the HBO website character bio because I do not recall it ever coming up in an episode. Yeah I've wondered this too. Where did I hear that  Jerusalem posted:But he does decide to take the chance to let Tony know what is going on, slipping into the men's room after him and sidling uncomfortably up to him at the urinal, startling him for this social faux-pas. He explains he hasn't been able to get hold of Jean-Philippe and is starting to get worried since the money is due in a couple days. Tony is surprised when Artie admits he hasn't actually gone around to his apartment to check on him, and with a sigh he takes it upon himself to - good naturedly, at least - explain the basics of debt collection to him. You can't let them slip away, you can't let them make you feel like they're doing YOU a favor by paying back even a little of the money that THEY borrowed. Artie has to go see Jean-Philippe, he has to lay down the law, he has to get his arms around this before it spills out of his control. It's all very sensible, and Tony does not menace or threaten himself, but the message is clear: this is Artie's problem to solve. Thanks for another killer writeup. This is another great scene- not so subtly, Artie is "beneath" Tony at every point of the shot- the top of Tony's head is consistently above Artie's. When only one of them is in focus, it's Tony- it's a great way of putting us in Artie's shoes, we're waiting for Tony's responses with bated breath. Other thoughts: another Michael Imperioli episode! The episodes he writes always have some quirky undertone but a lot of important stuff happens (see: S403 "Christopher") while remaining somehow pretty encapsulated as "bottle" type episodes. I do lol to myself that Artie can't name a single designer shoe label in his little mirror audition. I know lot of people probably can't but they're also not trying to intimidate as a fake performative gangster (when in doubt, go Bruno Magli!). Also is Jean Philippe in a hotel room or an apartment? I realized rewatching this that Tony is shushing the Icelandic woman in case it's Carmela on the phone. It kind of puts a hole in his attempts to absolve himself of his guilt over Gloria, but hey, we know he's a piece of poo poo... right? This is where most people who lose the plot lose it. They love the notion of being able to do all the things Tony does- things that are either off-limits or impossible for them, and root for him accordingly to live their fantasies of revenge or consequence-free sex vicariously through him. For Tony it's just part of resuming the normal pattern after being legitimately shook by (his undoubted role in) Gloria's suicide. Jerusalem nailed it; ultimately he learned nothing. When he said "that's it" after making the donation, that was it. Zaphod42 posted:I assume everybody knows this one already https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRk5YNAh00 I think so. He had a still from his appearance as his Twitter profile pic recently- it might have been this very thread that I saw that in. Harold Stassen fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Jul 31, 2019 |
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Jul 31, 2019 23:26
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In light of all the great write-ups, I blame them for me being depressed today and the first thing that popped into my head was "A lot of the top guys had dark moods." (I don't drink a quart of brandy before breakfast.)
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Aug 1, 2019 01:10
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Napoleon...he was a moody gently caress
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Aug 1, 2019 02:18
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Zaphod42 posted:I assume everybody knows this one already https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrRk5YNAh00 Yeah. Made the internet rounds a couple years ago Anyway, four dollars a pound
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Aug 1, 2019 07:15
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Personally I'm not as much of a fan of the episodes that heavily feature AJ. That's not an insult to the actor playing AJ(interesting that he's like the only main cast member who I can't name), but the character is just such a perfect presentation of mundane bullshit and secondhand embarrassment that I find him hard to watch in most scenes. His eventual suicide attempt is one of the most poignant moments in the whole show so the character is obviously a good one that does pay off as the show goes on.
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Aug 1, 2019 16:43
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AJ is to Tony as Little Carmine is to regular Carmine- absolutely hapless and must be kept out of his fathers business because he’d never make it. Little Carmine at least had the eventual and singular moment of intelligence to realize that- AJ doesn’t ever show a direct interest in being in Tony’s business, but like Chrissy he enjoys the peripheral glamour of being “connected” through his father. Robert Iler has a great and very believable performance as a teen throughout the series. AJ is a very different person than Tony and it’s interesting to see how they react to their shared “condition” (depression, panic attacks)
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Aug 1, 2019 16:56
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mkay0 posted:Yeah. Made the internet rounds a couple years ago And I think we mentioned a very young, pre-fame Lady Gaga was at the swimming pool vandalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrainCFg9BU&t=13s
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Aug 1, 2019 18:06
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Artie’s failed toughness and asswhipping make him loving Benny up later all the more hilarious
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Aug 1, 2019 20:11
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Ishamael posted:And I think we mentioned a very young, pre-fame Lady Gaga was at the swimming pool vandalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxYU6evGoxE Perez Hilton as well!
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Aug 1, 2019 21:07
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I'm watching the show for the first time, and I've reached the beginning of season 5, I'm too scared to read any other posts in this thread in case of spoilers, but I have to admit this show makes me never want to go to New Jersey. Also it's soaked in that 2000s tacky middle class excess, which really enhances the show in my opinion.
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Aug 1, 2019 23:51
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Chuka Umana posted:I'm watching the show for the first time, and I've reached the beginning of season 5, I'm too scared to read any other posts in this thread in case of spoilers, but I have to admit this show makes me never want to go to New Jersey. Uh, the area where Tony lives (N Caldwell) is not middle class. Also Jersey isn't that bad. Definitely not as bad as Long Island.
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Aug 1, 2019 23:56
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Matt Zerella posted:Also Jersey isn't that bad. Don't listen to this man
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Aug 2, 2019 12:09
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BiggerBoat posted:Don't listen to this man All of the things people make fun of NJ for is LI/NY's fault (I'm from LI, I can attest to this). Bad driving? Long Island is wayyyy worse than NJ. BK is even worse. Smell? Staten Island Guidos? Long Island, NJ just copied us. To quote Junior, "gently caress New York" North Jersey has its issues but its a pretty great place to live, I'm currently looking in Fort Lee as a possible landing spot since it's very close to the city and not as ridiculous as Queens (where I currently live) and Brooklyn rent/real estate wise. I'll say one bad thing. NJ Transit is the absolute worst of the 4 commuter rail systems in the tri state are and that's saying a LOT. Even Johnny Sack could see this!
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Aug 2, 2019 15:37
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Matt Zerella posted:Also Jersey isn't that bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRkE_Gv6ALM
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Aug 2, 2019 15:43
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Matt Zerella posted:To quote Junior, "gently caress New York" *pats u on back*
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Aug 2, 2019 15:52
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As a foreigner, Jersey has always fascinated me as a state - it is so densely populated and extremely diverse but doesn't really have large cities since it is kind of a suburb for two huge ones. And it seems that every stamp-sized area is its own county/city/town/whatever. There is a lot of poverty but also some of the most affluent places in the whole of U.S. And it is a bit strange that a state has an inferiority complex of sorts towards a city. I wonder how different Sopranos would be if it was about one of the Five Families.
DarkCrawler fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Aug 2, 2019 |
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Aug 2, 2019 16:29
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DarkCrawler posted:As a foreigner, Jersey has always fascinated me as a state - it is so densely populated and extremely diverse but doesn't really have large cities since it is kind of a suburb for two huge ones. And it seems that every stamp-sized area is its own county/city/town/whatever. There is a lot of poverty but also some of the most affluent places in the whole of U.S. And it is a bit strange that a state has an inferiority complex of sorts towards a city. I wonder how different Sopranos would be if it was about one of the Five Families. Everyone in the tristate area is in NYCs shadow.
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Aug 2, 2019 16:37
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Matt Zerella posted:Also Jersey isn't that bad. Hahahaha I'm dying
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Aug 2, 2019 16:45
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Are there any good analyses into the depiction of food preparation in these wiseguy movies/shows? The Godfather started it off with Clemenza's meatballs. You have the prison cooking scene in Goodfellas. I was watching the episode where Ralph is teaching Jackie Jr how to make his spaghetti and sauce and you could really feel the homage to Clemenza and Michael.
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Aug 2, 2019 17:29
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You put olive oil and sauce on the pasta. Ralph is medigan.
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Aug 2, 2019 17:34
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Halloween Jack posted:You put olive oil and sauce on the pasta. Ralph is medigan. Any food video about making pasta in the last 5 years has yelled that as loud as they could. Salt in the pasta water, no oil.
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Aug 2, 2019 18:42
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People put oil in the pasta water? What?
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Aug 2, 2019 18:47
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Halloween Jack posted:People put oil in the pasta water? What? Yeah. The reason that I heard was that it keeps the pasta from boiling over (it doesn't).
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Aug 2, 2019 19:19
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The secret to any tomato based Italian sauce is throwing half a big chunk of butter into it a few minutes before its done. Boom, I just made all your sauces better. edit: And my personal secret is putting all the basil in there.
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Aug 2, 2019 19:20
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