New Parents

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Did anyone get the sneaking suspicion that Blanca might be pregnant? Not only is she irritable at the dinner table, but ravenously hungry at the premier after-party for "Cleaver." If Blanca is pregnant, what does this portend for AJ, who is definitely not ready for fatherhood, and the rest of the casa Soprano?

In the last two episodes we have seen the Sopranos exhibit WASP-like condescension towards moolenan such as Mercedez, Janice’s nanny, and to Blanca herself, Tony’s decision to head off to the Adirondacks follows a disparaging glance at AJ’s Latina paramour. Also, we see an African American taking a crap over Tony’s soldier, as the boss himself sits in the can. It’s a telling visual. It seems that the gentrification of the mob family brings with it middle-American racial condescension.

Erratum: In "Stage 5," Phil Leotardo celebrates the birthday of his deceased brother Billy, who was murdered at age 47; in “Sopranos Home Movies” Tony celebrates his 47th birthday. Given Phil’s lust for revenge, is Tony Soprano destined to be reduced to ashes during this his 47th year, murdered and cremated like Billy?

Re: New Parents

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I think Splishak and some other posters were speculating about her being pregnant. Could be, but I don't think so.

What I definitely sense is that she is either going to dump AJ or shame him into doing something stupid to try to fulfill the expectations she must have had about the kind of guy he was when she saw the name "Soprano" on his withholding forms. The more I think about it, the more I believe the latter would open up an avenue for Tony to discuss, perhaps with Carmela or perhaps with Melfi, the whole notion of what role Carmela's value system, as perceived by Tony, played in shaping his way of life. It's becoming clearer and clearer that her perception of him and the basis for her attachment to him is the ultimate question to be addressed before Tony can meaningfully change who he is.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: New Parents

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Avellino,

When you wrote, "an African American taking a crap over Tony’s soldier", I assume you meant to say, "shoulder"?

It's a pretty funny Freudian slip because it wasn't just a typo, unless you use some kind of voice-activated typing program?
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