page torn from Departures

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In re-watching, it seems impossible for Melfi to have seen that Tony tore out the page from the Departures magazine. Tony has already torn and folded the page, closed the magazine and put it aside, and is placing the recipe within his sportcoat when we hear the squeeking of the waiting room door as Melfi opens it to call Tony to her office. Unless she was observing the waiting room through video-surviellence, it seems impossible for her to know what Tony's hand was shoving into a pocket.

Re: page torn from Departures

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Maybe she had opened the door carefully, just a crack at first (a flashback to the first season when she stood on Cusamono's toilet and spied on his house) and then opened it up with no pretense after she saw him tear the page. She was already looking for any provocation or reason to dump him, a way to blame it on him, and so I can see her approaching the door on that occasion in a deliberate fashion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he was a bit restless because she was a few minutes late letting him in, which could have been another act on her part to get him on edge so that she could absolve herself of responsibility for the ambush she was about to launch and make it look like it all suddenly came from him.

In any case, that's the sort of detail I tend to be quite forgiving on. I think we're just supposed to accept that she had an instant to see what he was doing before Tony (or we) were able to know she did.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: page torn from Departures

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It appears that we will just have to overlook and forgive a mistake on this detail. I reviewed the scene again and Melfi's footsteps are clearly audible just before the opening door squeaking so the theory that she had opened it slightly in hesitation or to observe Tony doesn't hold up.
While seeking perfection may not be realistic, there's just something about simplistic mistakes that are slightly irritating to me when we are applauding and analyzing an intricately crafted work which demands close scrutiny and study to understand the creator's intent.

Re: page torn from Departures

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Billyv wrote:While seeking perfection may not be realistic, there's just something about simplistic mistakes that are slightly irritating to me when we are applauding and analyzing an intricately crafted work which demands close scrutiny and study to understand the creator's intent.
Believe me, I'm sympathetic to perfectionist sensibilities. I've been virtually paralyzed by perfectionism for much of my life, and knowing where and how to draw the line so that the obsession with detail and getting it "right" doesn't actually keep you from doing anything at all or meeting deadlines is something I have wrestled with a great deal, especially in the last few years as I've delved to discover the reasons why I'm so obsessed with perfection in the first place. Maybe it's a good sign for my progress that I'm more tolerant of things like this than I might have been a few years ago.:icon_biggrin:
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"
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