Those platitudes laid the ground for a nice contrast beyween Carmela and Tony, though. She’s going on with this simplistic but apparently sincere “we’ve been blessed” stuff while he has already moved from “every day is a gift” to “I’m using ‘every day is a gift’ to get women into bed.” That was pretty awful.
Just a nit for the ‘Sopranos’ research people.
When Tony and Carmella were tossing out career suggestions to AJ, a cooking school in Poughkeepsie was mentioned.
The Culinary Institute of America is a ways north of Poughkeepsie. It is in the town Of Hyde Park, N.Y. Just south of the birthplace and home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ( also Hyde Park.)
…back to your scheduled programing…
My thoughts while watching that scene: “Why is the Predator there?” (Watch it again and you’ll know what I mean).
Another fan who is tired of the Vito story line. The story isn’t bad, but the actor who plays Vito really can’t carry that much screen time.
All week long I was waiting to see what development would come from Artie’s hand being the meat base for the sauce. I get the whole Johnny Cake’s angle (and yes, a phone card would have saved his life. Though he may have found a tough guy that will try to defend him). I would have preferred the time spent on the love scene to touch on Artie, instead.
I wasn’t real happy about seeing they made 20 episodes at once., showing 13 now and 7 next season with the mention of possibly making more. It just feels like they’re trying to stretch this out.
I like having as many episodes to look forward to as possible. But I’d rather have 2 quality episodes than 3 that give 75%.
Couple quick hits.
When Tony was getting dressed for the real estate meeting and Carmella starting buttoning his shirt, I told my wife this was the time he’d stop himself. I can’t beleive nobody saw that coming. Such obvious foreshadowing would have earned you an F in any decent film class.
AJ’s friends are so blatantly hanging around him to get close to Tony’s money, that even AJ sees it. Watch the episode again and you can just see AJ coming to the realization that he’s riding his dad’s name. When the one guy mentioned sending a prospectus to Tony and AJ was obviously talking like he’d be the one to invest, I knew the attempt on Junior was set. AJ has seen that as a way to gain respect and recognition his whole life.
And Tony knows this. He knows he’s been so wrapped up in the mob life and making his bones that he never tried to make AJ an honest man. Now he sees it, and it appears he may be too late. Now he has to play catch-up with AJ. Part of the redemption the writers appear to want to take, but maybe it’s too late. It feels a little contrived and cheesy to me, and bordering on sappy, but redemption is a great angle in a storyline like this if done right. Just not sure they’re going to do it right.
And AJ’s perceived hit on Junior (still not sure if it was genuine or adolescent posturing) is up in the air concerning it’s genuineness.
AJ idolizes his father, and Tony, for all his faults, seems like a good dad in his heart of hearts. Take in everything Tony grew up with and all he’s seen, and you can easily see how this can look promising, but turn out very, very badly for everyone involved. There is so much potential for this storyline. I just hope it doesn’t become so watered down trying to increase the number of episodes as to turn it into something weaker than a daytime soap.
And I still want to know what is going on with Artie. Will he pay the price for the smackdown delivered on the porch? Or finally get the acceptance to the people he’s been so good to for all these years?
I don’t expect answers this week, but I want to know where this is going as it’s a pretty big deal and not even eluded to in the recent episode.
Rewatching the episode now.
I do think AJ realizes his friends are his friends solely because of his name.
Anyone know what happened to his rich girl friend? Also, why did he have to tip the dwarf in the club?
Vito may have found a “protector” but he’s not going to be much help against a sociopath like Phil Leotardo.
I agree wholeheartedly.
I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. I think cooking the rabbit was the denouement of that story line. Waiting for that seems an awful lot like waiting for that Russian to come walking out of the pine woods. 
In case anyone is concened…
2 bottles of Cristal $1250
1 bottle Grey Goose $325
Service Charge (ie 20% tip) $315
______
Total $1890
Now for those of you following closely, did you notice the the receipt said the time was 2:34pm
The time stamp! Dammit, I knew there was something bugging me about that other than the tip!
Though I can take heart in this much. While it’s a TV show, I have no problem beleiving that in NYC the bill would not only be that high, but the tip would as well. I understand tipping percentage of price, but when you’re talking 3 bottles of liquor, $105 per bottle as a tip seems a bit…much.
And over $300 for Grey Goose? That better have been a trough of vodka. Unless it was a magnum of Stolichnaya served in a GG bottle.
Haven’t you ever had a 20% mandatory tip for a tab larger than a certain amount? 20% is not in any way unusual, nor is overtipping when you want to maintain your rep as the rich bigshot. That was the least surprising part of the bill for me.
Yeah, the prices are incredibly jacked up, but that’s how it is. Think about what just one drink with top shelf would cost in a place like that, then extrapolate to the whole bottle. Highway robbery, something you’d think a Soprano of all people would understand.
AJ is under 21 and drinking in a night club. The tip to the dwarf was so they dont toss his ass out.
A friend of mine manages one of the nicer clubs in Chicago (if that’s your sort of thing) and the reason the bill is so high is because they got “bottle service”. Bottle service means you get a private table away from the crowd. This allows the club to charge a premium for the booze.
Didn’t look to me like they had a private table, not do I think they would have wanted one if they where offered it.
Bottle service basically means you get a table. Not always a private one but a guaranteed table…and overpriced booze.
Was that a mistake?
I had meant to mention that my daughter caught that detail (the pm thing) while the rest of us were discussing the exorbitant (for us) prices of the booze and that outrageous “service charge” thing. Of course we were doing this over a paused TiVoed still, but even so her eye is sharp. (She’s about to finish law school so you criminals had better be wary. Perrette Mason on the prowl soon.)
This is precisely why I’ll never go on the lam- I obviously can’t cover my tracks to save my life.
This, also in todays NY paper.
This is the body builder that Tony punched out in front of the crew.
“In Queens, Louis Gross - who plays bodyguard Perry Annunziata on “The Sopranos” - was charged with criminal mischief after a woman claimed that he broke into her home on April 18. True to his character, the 23-year-old observed omerta (the Mafia’s code of silence) on Monday following his release without bail.”
I missed the coming attractions.
What did they hint at…?