The Chase Lounge

Please post all "Holy $hit", "WOW!", and general or abbreviated comments about the episode here. Use individual threads for longer or more substantive thoughts/discussion points.

This thread will be opened immediately before the episode airs on the east coast HBO feed.

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Can someone post an entire review of this episode saying what happened - pretty much tonight's storyline. I missed the episode entirely and would like to know what happened. Thanks in advance.

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Again let me say I enjoyed the episode as a whole but I have to admit I am relieved because it looks like the gay brokeback love story will not continue that was awful but I did like the scenes with Sal Vitro and Tony that was good, and the other scenes were good it's just enough of this gay love story it's ridiculous.

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Wow! What a great episode.

For the first time this season, it felt like a real Sopranos episode to me.

I'm going to watch it again before making any posts but I just loved this one.

One of my problems was seeing Janice happy. It just didn't fit.

And one thing I didn't understand is why Tony would punish Carm by stiffing her with the building inspector. What did Carm do that was deserving of that?



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A terrific, terrific episode. Loved the Johnny Sac stuff, loved the therapy scenes, the Janice/Tony stuff, and the Tony/Carm stuff.

Tony is absolutely all over the map right now. He seems to be regressing terribly and then he suddenly does an about face that takes you totally by surprise.

Next week looks absolutely fabulous.

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Good episode. Many of the "dangling" story lines are starting to move toward conclusion (Vito, Carm's Spec House, Johnny Sac's trial fate). And in moving forward other plot points are starting to take more tangible shape. Vito's return to NJ along with Tony's taking advantage of Johnny Sac (to get Janice the house for 1/2 price) is making a showdown between the Soprano family and the Lupertazzi family (especailly Phil) more likely.

Some newer story lines are also lurking in the background. I am especially anxious to find out if Tony's crew is going to hold together after he badmouthed Bobby for getting jacked (Carlo didn't appear to agree with Tony's attitude toward Bobby) and after Paulie's cancer diagnosis. I'm not sure how far Tony is going to trust him to keep his mind on business with that news. It could further strain the crew's loyalty to Tony.




</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p098.ezboard.com/bthechaselounge ... ac72261</A> at: 5/15/06 5:39 am

I'll need to watch this one again, but I'll throw out that it seemed like an undercurrent was honest labor vs. entitlement. But that's been an undercurrent the whole series, so I'm probably stating the obvious.

Since Tony was shot and then his recovery, I always look for signs that he might be redeemed, or be making progress. I wasn't sure what to make of this one -- but has he essentially renounced violence? He took crap from Moe (or Joe), didn't take steps to retaliate for Bobby and let Carmela's inspector go unscathed. He may have had ulterior motives, but I wonder if as a whole this says something about his state these days.

Is he like Vito at the construction site, figuring it's all too much work?

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p098.ezboard.com/bthechaselounge ... LaJimbo</A> at: 5/14/06 8:37 pm

count me as another one who breathed big sigh of relief when Vito left Mr. Johnny Cakes ... I was getting worried that we were about to be treated to an 11 episode-subplot of vitro's new life ....

I definitely need to rewatch. it was one of those seemingly slow episodes where actually, by the end, you realize a ton has happened.

noted with interest:

Tony flipping to an 'orange glo' commerical

Vito killing the roadside guy: looked like a two-in-one shoutout to Jackie Jr. killing and pine barrens

shot of Vito driving into town ... cut to shot of .... Finn !!

angie b. is beyond annoying and i really need someone to tell me why she went from being ostracized to totally tolerated, queen bee attitude and all

I was intrigued by Tony telling Melfi that part of his tacit agreement when getting back together with Carm was in part that Carm wouldn't question his work??? I never picked up on that before. I thought the agreement had 100% to do with Carm not questioning Tony's extramarital activities, so long as they didn't 'intrude' on her. Is Tony adding the 'work' thing in retrospect? or did I just miss this the first time around?

Tony's identification with Bobby Jr. got me thinking about how perhaps his anger at Bobby is because Bobby in some ways (maybe many ways?) represents his dad.
The Janice=Livia is obvious, as is Tony's lingering childhood anger toward Janice. Bobby being a recipient of this anger makes sense given his 'janice by association' status.
But until the Bobby Jr. scene I never actually put Bobby/Johnny Boy together. (and i could be way off base) but it is interesting to think of Tony symbolically trying to weaken (or 'shit on,' as he told Melfi) his father.



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p098.ezboard.com/bthechaselounge ... daMaria</A> at: 5/14/06 8:35 pm

Did any one else notice that they are turning Janice into Livia?

First she is screaming at Tony in a mental rage, demanding from him. Then she is crying in his arms. Just like Livia.

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<blockquote>Quote:<hr>I was intrigued by Tony telling Melfi that part of his tacit agreement when getting back together with Carm was in part that Carm wouldn't question his work??? <hr></blockquote>

It may be untrue. But that would hardlly be the first time Tony has lied to Melfi.

Or it may be something that wasn't shown and we are being asked to accept as true. I think I'd go with Tony lying.

Either way, how brilliant were Tony's tactics in punishing Carmella? His power over her in this area is total. He just played her like a fiddle. What's she gonna do? Ask Tony to threaten the building inspector with whacking his kids?

She just has to sit there and eat this shit sandwich. Too bad for Carm. I still don't understand why though. What did Carm do to deserve this treatment?


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