The title of this episode was "The Weight." May as well have been "The Tease." Writer Terence Winter tickles us with not one, but two potential hits, and a scurrilous affair between Carmela and Furio. In the end, we get nothing. Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni cancels his hit on Ralphie Cifareto at the very last moment. Johnny Sack himself comes around on making Ralphie's unfortunate comment about his wife a hit-worthy offense. The episode ends with Johnny informing Tony that he "accepts Cifareto's apology." It's not entirely clear if Tony cancels the hit on Sack. As for Carmela and Furio, she takes great pains to put checks on her lustful ambitions. She brings A.J. along, for example, when she visits Fioro's house, and instructs him to stay close by. The episode ends with an awkward and uncomfortable lovemaking session between Tony and Carmela.
This episode was mostly an effort to subvert public fantasies about mob life. We see Johnny Sack display the kind of chivalry we sort of delude ourselves into thinking exists in the underworld. Yeah, wiseguys gun one another down. Yeah, they take mistresses, deal dope, and embezzle. But the do have a moral code, right? They value loyalty. They may cheat on their wives, but they still love them. They take vows of fidelity to the Family, and they respect other made men. This episode rocks those alleged foundations.
Sack's love and respect for his wife earns him nothing but grief from his fellow mafiosos. Ralphie's crack about the size of her ass was by no means the first time someone's made a joke at Ginny Sack's expense. And when Johnny demands that Ralphie get whacked for the crack, not only does Carmine, the boss he's served most of his life not oblige, but Carmine then turns and orders a hit on his number one guy? Why? Because "there's millions of dollars at stake." Winter's reminding us here that the motivating factor in the underworld isn't loyalty or chivalry or Family, it's money. And not even a lot. Sure, the Newark waterfront project is worth "millions," but it isn't as if Ralphie is the only guy who can manage it. At most, it'd cost a few thousand to reposition a new capo to oversee the operation.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments
1 - Terry
Does anyone know the title and artist of the song that Carmella and Furio dance to at Furio's house-warming party? Thank you very much.
2 - Adam Lounsbery
"Seemed a little farfetched that Meadow and Tony's shrink Melfi's son and Melfi's shrink Elliot's daughter all go the same school."
Actually, they don't. Meadow and Saskia (Elliot's daughter) both attend Columbia, but Melfi's son Jason attends Bard College (David Chase's alma mater).
3 - Boris
The music from that episode, for those who are
interested, was from a band from Naples,
Spaccanapoli. Their only CD, containing those and
other songs is available from Amazon.
4 - MrMOB
The "doddering old fools with bad or no eyesight" were handed a photograph of Johnny Sack & Tony and told that their target was the guy on the left. I suggest there's a chance that when the hit is finally done, they might go for the wrong person: after all, it is the whacko son who'll actually carry out the contract, and he didn't look too bright. And he's being led by senile old fools who can't see. This could lead to a very amusing and confusing set up some time down the track.
5 - Nelson Donley
The Sopranos series supplies what was missing in the Godfather trillogy. I have yet to see a series half as good as The Sopranos. Bravo to Tony Soprano. He's presented as a king; even the clothes he wears are kingly. In stature he resembles Eduard Manet's painting "The Rag Picker" in that he is a common man with royal attributes. Tony Soprano is a very nice, down to earth guy. You'd love him as a neighbor. And just like a king, he's powerful in many ways, yet impotent in many other ways. That's why he sees a shrink.
Nelson Donley
6 - stanley
what date did the season 4 sopranos