I know that this has been addressed to some extent in the general comments thread but I thought we could analyses this a little bit more. I found this to be huge! I have been wondering all season what happened to these guys. I also can not help but wonder if this has something to do with why the feds are starting to follow Christopher so closely. I see this as a future major story line. I would even go so far as to predict that this will have something to do with Tony’s down fall. Please let me know all of your thoughts on the Muslims. I would also like to know everyone’s thoughts on why Christopher is being followed so closely. I have never known to many of the other characters to be followed this closely. I would be willing to bet this is all tied together.

Christopher sold them guns, illegally I assume, in part one. This could potentially be an instance of funding terrorism.

Christopher has always been followed closely because the Feds view him as the weak link. They thought Ade was an even weaker link that would give them access to Chrissy. After Ade was killed, or disappeared, they assumed that Christopher did it.

So they are watching Chrissy as a link to Ade's death to get him into a position so that they can manipulate him, if they can tie Chrissy to her disappearance and possible murder.

They were on to Christopher before, because of his association with Tony, and his drug problem made him an easy target.

Now they leave him out there because of all of the above but an even more important issue has come up. They want to know his connections to the potential terrorists organizations and how the mafia could be aiding them.

(Please excuse any first post jitters that make their way into this post. Thanks )

I'm starting to think that Chase is presenting the Muslims more and more as a way out for Tony. In this episode Tony drives by our Islamic friends and is obviously thinking hard about something. Granted, it could be a number of things (Meadow's safety, Chrissy getting him in trouble with the feds) else but I take it as Tony realizing he may very well have a way out of this life he is beginning to despise at an exponential rate.

I see a great bit of conflict brewing: will Tony seize this oppertunity (granted they actually are terrorists, which has not yet been shown explicitly) to change his life or will his continued inaction be his downfall?

I'm on pins and needles.

Butting in briefly to welcome TonysOriginalNJAccent to the forum. Great name!

I tend to have the same thoughts as TonysOriginalNJAccent. Since the Muslim characters first appeared their presence has signalled "change" in many ways for this show. On the surface, they are just one more illustration of the drastic changes that Tony's old neighborhood is going through. They also seem to be providing a "change" in Tony's thinking about his relationship to Agent Harris and the Feds. Of course Tony is not delusional. He knows that he is a criminal and that the Feds are after him. If they can convict him on a RICO complaint, he knows they will. But it sems that he does not object to their role of seeking to protect people (including he and his family) frm potential terrorism. And, he seems to be thinking about whether or not the criminal activities of his "family" may be directly or indirectly funding terrorist activities.

So, if the Feds bring a RICO case against Tony, using the knowledge of potential terrorists to his bargaining advantage might not be so far fetched. I doubt that the Feds would simply cease their prosecution of Tony, even if he did provide valuable information to defeat a terrorist cell and they are not going to pin any hero medals on him for doing so, but at least he may be able to avoid Johnny Sac's fate and allow Carmella to retain some assets. In essence Tony won't have to snitch on LCN, but can still have a bargaining chip to obtain a reduced sentence.

While all this may be true (and I did consider this angle when watching it) - I also got a feeling that part of Tony might actually be considering working with these guys. After all, he was just discussing his disappointment with the guys already working for him and he certainly needs some earners right now.

Either way, I actually hope that Tony is not planning on following either path and that Chase is simply presenting these characters as a ruse or some such. I truly hope that the last few episodes focus on Tony and Melfi. Not that the above plot might take away from that, but it seems a bit much to try and set up both an extended Melfi/Tony series of sessions AND a potential out for Tony working with the Feds against terrorism. As well, I tend to think this avenue would not suite Chase as a writer.

I mentioned elsewhere, that I thought part of the reason for showing them was to perhaps signal a change in the neighborhood (much like the Jamba Juice sequence.) The up and comers are the close-knit Mulsim groups and that is pushing the Italian heritage and perhaps "power" from the life Tony has always known.

I am certainly curious to find out, one way or the other.

i said 1-2 episode ago he might fabricate something with the muslims to get a key for the ewp.
if you think about it...if he does it *before* there is a rico against him he might get ewp and be able to sell his assets, saying ewp+a few millions.

Thank you for the warm welcome Fly! DetectiveHunt, I agree that it seems a little too late in the game to make a full fledged plotline based around the Muslims now. The series coming full circle would be Tony and Melfi...and I certainly hope that's what happens.

There are so many loose ends that I feel are not going to be tied up, but I'm realistic enough to understand this, I'm sure Chase will do the best he can in the home stretch!

Detective Hunt wrote: I truly hope that the last few episodes focus on Tony and Melfi. Not that the above plot might take away from that, but it seems a bit much to try and set up both an extended Melfi/Tony series of sessions AND a potential out for Tony working with the Feds against terrorism.

All due respect, De'c'unt, but an extended therapy session would be anticlimactic and a letdown to all the viewers. Tony has ventured too far from Kevin Finnerty already and not even Melfi can set him straight.

If Chase isn't setting up the Muslims as a red hering in all of this, then they are going to play somehow in the eventual plot. Now in this latest episode, in their scene we see them re-connect with their spiritality and their people, and more importantly away from the Bing (aka materialism, American culture, consumerism). This stands in stark contrast to everything going on in Tony's life.

The "Made in America" theme to this last stretch makes me think that the Muslims will play a major part in the outcome.