Big Pussy, one of Tony’s best friends, turns into Fed informer because of drug rap – Tony eventually suspects him - finds taping equipment in his room, then poor Pussy is taken out on a boat with Tony, Paulie and Sil. They all do a shot of booze together, then Pussy gradually realizes he’s a goner, says something like, “don’t shoot me in the face”. They blast him, toss him overboard.
Adriana’s arc was interesting – it was weird to me that Sil was the one to whack her. Damn, her body was smokin’.
Story arcs aren’t always suppose to end the way you want them to.
I liked the way that Dr. Melfi episode ended because it had serious impact. It was unexpected, the opposite of what everyone wanted, and the right choice. Such range of emotions all packed into one word.
Sure Tony could have dismembered the guy, but then Melfi would be a murder. There are a lot of rapists out there, and you can’t depend on mobsters to kill them all.
Arc Resolved? Well, how about when Tony’s sister Janice takes a smack in the face from her fiance, that scumbag Richie Aprile – she leaves the room for a moment, comes back with a handgun and pumps a couple bullets in his chest. Then she calls Tony to come over and help. The look on Tony’s face when he sees Richie dead on the floor is priceless.
Without a doubt it was Adriana’s arc. But I also enjoyed watching Meadow with all her self-righteous anger…she had the best chance of any character to break free from the family business, but in the end she just couldn’t.
No offense intended, but I still can’t believe anybody ever expected the Russian to come back. From the first moment, that episode screamed ‘one-off,’ which is what made it so much fun. As part of a story arc, Paulie and Christopher getting lost in the woods and waiting for Tony and “The Great Pumpkin” to save them would’ve been a waste of time. Pine Barrens was a little character portrait and a very funny diversion, that was all it was supposed to be.
I missed some good episodes in the middle of the show’s run (so I heard about what happened to Ralphie and Adrianna rather than seeing it), so I think my favorite story arc is the end of Christofuh. The way his life unraveled in his last few episodes was gripping.
The actor who played Vito suggested the gay story line. I guess he figured it would give him more screen time which it did. There was an openly gay Mafia member , not sure what became of him but I know he was not whacked when they found out he was gay.
The payoff to that arc was the way it reverberated years later when Tony took Paulie out fishing while hiding down in Miami, and Paulie imagined that Tony was going to kill him. The tension in that scene could be cut with a knife.
I can’t quote the scene, but I remember Tony’s response when Janice asks him what he did with Richie’s body*. Something like “we buried him in a nice glade overlooking a stream,” and she responded “Really?” Tony’s facial response to that was classic: Christ, look what kind of idiots I’m having to deal with.
*If I remember correctly, they put it through a sausage grinder.
I remember when Tony was talking to Janice about some other boyfried, maybe it was Ralph. Tony said something funny like “I had to haul your last boyfriend out of here in trash bags” Also after she killed Richie Tony told Janice she needed to leave town but she quickly came back the next season.
I never liked Tony’s mom so I didn’t mind when she was gone from the show due to the death of Nancy Marchand. I just thought she was very annoying.
The priest who hung out with Carmela was Phil Intentola.
My favorite moment of that arc was Big Pussy crying in Tony’s house. He was really loyal to Tony and becoming a rat simply tore him apart.
Agent: We’re wiring you for the confirmation.
Big Pussy: You fucking prick. You think I’m wearing a wire in god’s house?
Agent: Actually, yes. We don’t care so much about the service as the party right after at tony’s house.
Big Pussy: You miserable motherfuck, I’m the kid’s sponsor! Who the fuck is sponsoring you, motherfucker?
I thought their ending was perfect, especially Tony’s last line to Melfi–“What you’re doing is immoral.” How many times had Melfi bitten her tongue instead of saying just that to Tony?
It felt out of character since she, in the past, was so hung up on doing the right thing, being ethical. Wrestling with treating Tony while knowing he was doing bad things. It felt strange that the same woman who knew she couldn’t use Tony as her own personal rottweiler to sic on the guy who raped her also thought it was okay to commit an ethical blunder. If she couldn’t she Tony as a patient, she also had an obligation to refer to him to someone else and not just dump him, particularly when he was in a time of crisis (son’s suicide attempt).
What got me was that I thought he was going to at least show a little remorse at having to kill her but he had nothing but contempt as he did it. He was as cold blooded as any of the others when it came to business.
Did she? I don’t remember her referring him to anyone. As a doctor you’re committing an ethical breach if you don’t stay with the patient until they’ve found a replacement. You don’t just throw them out like that. (Yup, I did in fact watch the final episodes with an MD who vehemently protested her actions.)
You just reminded me of the therapist that Carmela sought out on her own. He more or less told her she was as scummy as her husband and then refused to treat her or take her money. That was a great scene.
I really enjoyed the arc with Robert Patrick getting into debt with Tony.
Talk about Hero to Zero. I also like that he showed up a season or 2 later at a school function looking pretty down on his luck drinking a cold cup of coffee. He was still looking for that big win.
Reminded me a lot of the club owner arc in Goodfellas, the way they bankrupted the resteraunt and burnt it down for the insurance money,
Melfi’s actions pale in comparison to what Dr. Elliot Kupferberg did – he blatantly broke doctor/patient confidentiality by revealing Tony Soprano’s identity at a dinner party. That was a bad, bad call – until then, he was one of the few likable characters on the show! The writers never should have gone there.