You’re right. In fact, when he was talking about banking goodwill, I thought, “Ah, that’s like an insurance policy for a mob boss. When, not if, he goes down, he wants the landing to be a bit softer.”
Anybody else think that Chrissy may have done something else crazy before he got home?
I looked for Paulie in the preview of next week and didn’t see him.
I was going to mention that I did see him, but his hair looked compleatly grey. (It might not have been him)
Can you blame J.T. for being stand-offish. It seems every time Chris comes over, he’s getting his ass kicked, and then he gets no credit for the movie. J.T. wanted out from under Christopher, and I guess he got what he wanted.
Tony and Carmella are such bad parents, it is comical. A.J. has needed a kick in the butt since day one. Once again, he’s entering the family business. That won’t end well.
Paulie’s comments were over the line, but that’s normal for Paulie. Christopher is in a group where one needs a thick skin to survive, and his is paper-thin. He sees it as everyone against him, but he doesn’t realize that had anyone else been taking center-stage like that, Paulie would have been doing the same thing. Paulie offered the olive branch when he ordered Chris the club soda. Chris is right; they don’t respect his not drinking, but taking the drink was the wrong decision all the way.
I loved Tony walking down the stairs singing Comfortably Numb.
I always enjoy it when the characters repeat their failures because they don’t understand them. Here, we had Chris complaining about giving Adriana up for the mob- and then giving up his sobriety for the mob.
I think Chris is going to flip. Here’s why:
Years ago, I read an article about the Sopranos that quoted a Fed who said something to the effect that the writers obviously had inside information on the mob. The things on the show were just too accurate. They must have someone acting at the very least as a “consultant” who had mob ties. I immediately thought of Chris and his writing aspirations. I just sort of assumed that there was a mob guy working with the writers, and that the character of Chris was based on him.
If that is true (and it is only wild speculation on my part, to be sure), then I could see Chris flipping and using his insider’s knowledge as a way to earn in the “straight” world.
He says that, but does he really mean it? I think he’d rather see AJ as a successful civilian, but he’d rather see him mobbed up than a loser who won’t move out of his house. I think there’s a part of him that would rather see him in the family business than anything, especially since Chrissy has flaked out.
I think AJ’s future is a lot more short-term than that. AJ in the real world (especially the criminal underground) is like a house cat dropped in the middle of the jungle–he just doesn’t have any semblance of the skills he needs to survive.
You have to love Christopher’s harping about how no one respects him, and how he’s done so much and gotten so little in return. How many times now has Chris done something that should have sent him to the meat saw at Satriale’s, only to be saved by Tony’s soft spot for him? There were plenty of shenanigans early on, his drug problems, his various relapses, and his freakout when he thought Tony and Adriana had gotten it on, to name a few. I’m sure a lot of lesser guys wouldn’t have lasted long after letting their girlfriends be FBI informants for a few years, even if they didn’t know anything about it.
It doesn’t excuse the way everybody has been an asshole about his recovery. Still, he’s the last person in the world who needs to be whining about not getting what he deserves. He’s damn lucky Tony hasn’t given him what he deserves.
Prediction, from nowhere–the FBI acts on Tony’s information and picks up the Middle Eastern guys, and it gets back to Chris. That would have to hurt. It also might put Chris in contact with the FBI, and given his impulsiveness he’d probably sign up for WPP on the spot.
I love the way Paulie’s nephew has a little white wing in his hair.
I know that the guy who plays Paulie was once associated with the mob way back in the day. I don’t know if any of the other actors or writers have had connections.
You can read more here:
There was so much in last night’s episode, so be patient with me since I’m still wired. I’ll go slowly as I get my teeth wet trying to flout my knowledge about what was inferred by last night’s episode and all that that entrailed. 
- There were a lot of money envelopes changing hands last night. Seems like the family is making a lot a money and even Tony seems to be back on an even keel (no mention of the gambling problem).
T’s giving any information to the Feds came out of left field, but I think it was only there to show how vulnerable he still feels, given everything (and everybody) around him seems to be falling apart. And I think T does still have it in his mind that A.J. might go to college. Note his comment to Carmela that going to the titty bar (natch) might be the way back, to normalcy and to college.
- Overall, the episode left a lot of characters in a more sympathethic light.
(a) Tony, good decisions and bad, seems to truly be troubled by how his genes and parental guidance have affected A.J. His anguish was quite palpable in the Melfi scene, and his question “Is that all there is,” echoed how A.J. felt about there being nothing more that mattered.
(b) A.J., fuck-up or not, genuine or not, seemed to truly have cared about Blanca and was trying to build a life and do what he had to do (the pizza shop job) to make it happen. When it fell apart, he truly felt lost.
Additionally, it’s interesting that the 2 times Tony has told A.J. the he has to do something, “no debate,” it has led to a result Tony didn’t/wouldn’t necessarily like and something that didn’t/may not turn out too well:
(i) Tony forced A.J. to go work at the construction site, which is where he met Blanca, and we now know how tragically that turned out; and
(ii) Again, forced out of the house, A.J. ends up being part of “beat-down” and gets turned on to “violence” as a “drug” – similar to Tony. (That yellow SUV being part of the crime may portend trouble later if the victim talks.)
(c) Christopher, repeat fuck-up that he is, actually won my heart last night. He seems devoted to his wife, daughter and father-in-law and went to bat for the FIL when Paulie crossed the line (who knew there was another line you could cross when it comes to crime).
To me, if he wasn’t a lifelong mobster with probably no other choices (ahem), he would be just your average working class shlub, tying to make it in this world, with his ups and downs, dreams, aspirations, failures and foibles and family loyalties, just like the rest of us. Last night shows he’s really trying and, as dumb as he is, that counts for a lot. I really felt for him when he comes home, straightens up the tree, and then goes inside to his family.
And if he hasn’t now done something mean to Paulie (as has been suggested), I think he actually saved himself by killing a Joe Citizen, instead of a made man, like he probably wanted to. He was carefully not to touch anything on his way out of J.T.'s apartment and, unless his fingerprints are still on the Humanitas writing award, he may get away with it (T and Co. would definitely figure it out though).
And the moment of “normalcy” with the family around the table at the end was priceless.
There’s no way that Chrissy will survive to even do that.
Chris is dumb enough to go to the feds that Tony sees at Satriale’s. That won’t be a secret very long, and he has burned bridges with everybody. The only reason that Chris is even alive is because of Tony, as DoctorJ noted upthread. The Adriana thing was completely his fault - he was careless and drugged up the entire time. And now he’s wreaking havoc within the family. As fucked up as what Paulie’s nephew was doing with the boosted power tools, he totally overreacted. As Tony pointed out, he needed to have a sit down and dealt with it that way instead.
The JT murder is pretty significant. He wasn’t a nobody. He was a moderately successful writer, is clearly linked to Chris professionally and personally, and the girlfriend knows that he’s kicked his ass before. They’re coming after him, and Tony is pretty good at reading Chris. He knows that he would love to get out of the life, and he knows that he has dirt on all of the family. So he’ll have to take him out, either directly or indirectly, and that will make Tony want to leave in some way… but I don’t think he can, either. Tony would never flip. His ego is too huge, and he cares too much about the Soprano name. He knows that exposing AJ to the thug-lite college boys will probably lead him down the path, but his ego couldn’t accept that his son was acting like a wuss.
The last scene of the episode was awesome. Because that will be the last peaceful scene in the Soprano family, methinks. If something happens to Christopher, Carmela is going to freak the fuck out, and she’s gonna know that Tony was connected (just like how she is fighting on a daily basis to find a way to believe that Adriana “ran away.”). AJ’s becoming a small-time hood. Meadow will get selectively preachy, while ignoring the fact that all she has is because of her dad’s illegal activities. The other family, of course, is going to explode starting now.
Wow. I think I hate Christopher more than ever now. He treated Adriana like shit when she was alive, and basically pushed her into the Feds’ arms. But his ego is so huge, he leaked some much stuff to her to hang the family with. Adriana’s cooperation is probably going to come into play here at some point. He puts the family at risk for his own ego (Cleaver) and pisses off the people who cover his ass. And I don’t buy the new family bit at all. Granted, we haven’t seen much of Kelly and the kid, but I think he just walked into a relationship because it was needed for appearances. Hell, he had been with Adriana for years, and after basically killing her, he’s with another chick less than a year or so later? His anger, IMO, was more about the disrespect to him than the disrespect and concern for his father-in-law, wife, etc.
The JT murder was actually much worse, IMO, than if he had killed Little Paulie. If it was in the family, it could be easily contained. Not that it would be pretty, but I don’t think law enforcement would go all out trying to solve that murder. JT lives in an apartment/condo… I’m sure others heard the argument. I’ll have to watch again, but he might have left evidence in the apartment. We heard him knocking, but did he touch the door? Fibers from the carpet, shoeprints. He also kept the gun… and I’m betting he’s not smart enough to toss it right away. Chances are that JT’s apartment has cameras and there’s at least some evidence of him coming in or out of there when the murder took place. And because JT wasn’t some vagrant or druggie, the cops are going to really want to solve this murder.
Everything you’ve said in this thread may be 100% correct; my post was just what I implied from the show. 
Oh yeah. I’m pulling this out of my ass as well!
I think there is a point about feeling sorry for Christopher, and if I didn’t know his backstory I suppose I would feel bad for him.
Two things come to mind: first, the name of the show is “The Sopranos.” When I first heard the title I thought it was a show about operas. Soprano is an odd name, jarring, because it is so closely associated with… singing. Sopranos sing. Hmmm.
The other thing was the scene with Christopher straightening up the tree. There’s some kind of foreshadowing going on there. The yard was destroyed by someone in the family. Chris manages to resuscitate one tree, which remains standing, even though the entire yard outside of that tree is wrecked. It speaks to his general attitude about life and might be a clue about how this whole thing ends…
Fortunately for him, Moltisanti doesn’t have to worry about Gary Sinise and the rest of the CSI team. As for Christopher being in the apartment, he’s been there before, plus he has reason to return there and speak with J.T. Moltisanti’s lawyers wouldn’t let this get too far, assuming that they come back to this in the next 4 episodes. I see The Sopranos fans constantly prognosticating as if this were a network drama, and everything ties together and brought up in future episodes. I’d give it about a 75% chance that this killing (and Bobby’s) doesn’t get much more than a mention in the final 4 episodes. This story is much, much more character-driven, and much less event-driven, so much that many events are left to stand on their own by how they affect the character, as opposed to driving the story itself.
FWIW, I also think that killing this guy might turn into something bigger and crucial, instead of being left hanging.
They made a point that the guy was writing on a tight deadline for a big show. This is going to be found out quickly, and be a high profile murder case. And, lots of people know the guy knew a mobster. Yet, if they leave it hanging, I won’t be surprised.
Note, Chris did wipe down at least the doorknob when he left. . .with his sleeve.
One thing is certain though. . .we won’t see Tony singing AND AJ going into the family.
I agree with most of this, which is what led me away from that the murder will be significant to the ending. However, if Chrissie manages to return to the apartment and speak with J.T. after last night’s episode, I really gotta see that one!
Well, JT didn’t let him out…
D_Odds makes some good points. Russian Interior Decorator aside, I do think that Chris doesn’t always get so lucky at leaving his past behind him. I would be shocked if Adriana’s murder doesn’t get brought up some more.
Does anyone think Meadow’s mystery date will turn out to be someone interesting? Didn’t they (briefly) show her cuddling up with someone in the preview?
No, but Chistopher took pains so that his fingerprints would not be on the knob (I’m not sure if he wiped it or used something over it when he left). But, like someone else said, he’s been to the apartment before and I have a feeling that, if J.T.'s murder becomes a significant issue, the writing award Chrissie beaned J.T. with in another episode might have the incriminating fingerprint(s).