Episode 60: “Debugging Those Rats”Running Time: 1 hour
Boris and his friend meet with Svetlana to collect their wage. She speaks in Russian, and the subtitles read: “I still don’t trust this Soprano. Visit him again.” They take their leave and the scene ends with Svetlana smoking nervously on a cigarette.
Junior is visited by Tony. Tony informs his uncle that Bacala is attending his kid’s karate presentation evening so won’t be able to make it tonight. Tony has to look after Junior instead. They share thoughts on past times, and Tony gets round to asking advice on Larry Boy. Junior thinks he’s being saturated with questions on stuff that no longer concerns him. Tony thinks otherwise. Junior assures that the Barese crew, despite being the largest of the Family, is the least loyal to Larry Boy. Tony tells him Larry and Frankie Moresco have been frequently meeting Johnny Sac. Junior puts two and two together and figures what may be on the cards. “You got my back,” Junior assures his nephew.
Vito and Pat Parisi call by Adriana’s club for a drink. Pat Parisi tries to get into her FBI girl friend but the latter is having none of it.
Carmela dines at the Vesuvio with Gabriella Dante and Rosalie Aprile. They are both pleased with Carmela for taking Tony back. “It was the best thing, for everybody,” Gabriella suggests, and Rosalie corroborates.
Tony returns home from the hospital and notices AJ has not played on his X-Box games for a while; in fact, Tony doesn’t even know if AJ has ever played on them. When he confronts his son about it, AJ tells him the games don’t work. Tony is furious.
Boris calls by the Bing to find that Tony is not available. Christopher asks him who the fuck he is, and if he can put a message forward to Tony. Boris leaves the club with the promise he’ll be back.
The next day Bobby calls by the hospital. Junior tells him of Barese and Sac’s meetings. Bobby should keep an eye out for Tony. Bobby agrees.
Pat Parisi follows the FBI chick from her home into town. He wants to get laid, and he’s going to. That is, until he follows her to a public park and sees Adriana there, passing over a tape. Pat doesn’t think anything of it, until he sees Agent Harris watching from a distance too, unaware of Parisi’s presence. Pat is one big fucking hurry, and crashes his car in the process when he steers out of control.
Tony calls by his apartment to collect the rent from the habitant. On his way out, Boris emerges from a car and suggests—with a gun to Tony’s waist—that Tony should get in. Tony reluctantly gets in and they drive to an old abandoned house. Tony is given the third degree about the death of Irina. He is patient, but not for long, and is soon telling the Russian pricks to go fuck their mothers. Boris tells Tony that he would be dead if it wasn’t for Svetlana’s specific orders to let him live. Tony doesn’t give a fuck about orders: “Oh, lucky fuckin’ me!” They let him leave, and he has to find his own way back into town.
Back at headquarters, the FBI analyses Adriana’s tapes of AJ’s return home. They are disappointed with the content.
Tony returns to the Bing and is enraged by his adventures with Boris the Russian. He is cursing “that fucking gimp of a fuckin whore.” To add to his worries, Silvio tells him that Pat Parisi has crashed his car and is in hospital. Tony visits Pat with Silvio and Paulie while Bobby Bacala continues to follow Larry Boy (and Mickey Gallardo is tailing every step of Frankie Moresco). On their way to the hospital, Tony gives Christopher’s cell phone a call. He starts to tell him about the Russian. Christopher tells him he’ll handle it. Tony hangs up and curses himself: “Should have fuckin’ clipped the pricks that night when they called by the Bing.” Silvio tells him not to worry about it.
Boris visits Svetlana. She is not buying any of Tony’s answers, and tells Boris to make sure Tony doesn’t get the chance to answer any more. Boris leaves a grand richer.
At the hospital, the boys visit Pat Parisi. He brushes the crash over with excuses, and when the guys are about to leave, he asks Tony for a private word.
“Adriana is wired.” Pat tells Tony. “Get the fuck outta here!” Tony replies. Pat tells him about everything, the tape being passed over, Agent Harris being there as a watcher, and he also made four Fed cars at the scene too. Tony listens with his ears wide open, before kicking up frenzy and almost toppling Pat’s bed over. Grabbing Parisi’s face with one hand, Tony tells him he’s a fuckin’ wacko. Pat insists that he is telling the truth. Tony leaves without saying another word and bites at Paulie when Walnuts observes that Tony seems quiet on the drive back. Tony insists that Silvio drive back to the hospital. While Paulie complains that he has work to do, Silvio doesn’t say a word and drives back. Tony this time visits Uncle Jun with Sil and Paulie waiting in the car. Tony tells Junior what Pat Parisi has just told him. Junior is shocked, and only buys half of it. Tony wants Junior to back his thoughts up, but Junior suggests that Pat would have no reason to lie.
Meanwhile, outside in the parking lot, a warden walks up to the car and tells Silvio that he must leave the ambulance way clear or he will be arrested. Silvio is about to pull away when Paulie gets out and threatens the warden shitless with a verbal onslaught. The warden calls cops on the scene and Silvio and Paulie are taken away in a cop car. By this time, even Sil is telling the cops to go fuck themselves. Tony exits the hospital to find that the car is gone. He is furious.
Mickey Gallardo meets with his Chinese “business” associate, Michael Lau. Lau is sorry to hear of the faulty games that Tony gave his son. He agrees to mend the problem. Gallardo tells him that they come out of his end. When Lau complains, Gallardo suggests he doesn’t get faulty games in the first place. Lau concedes the point. He’s an intelligent guy.
Boris pulls up at a Russian restaurant with a gumar—probably one of many. He gets out, walks along the path arm and arm with the girl. Out of nowhere, a car screeches round the corner and goes right into Boris. He flies over the bonnet and over the roof of the car. The car makes a tight U-turn and makes sure that Boris has not survived. The gumar watches on in anguish and horror.
At the police station Paulie and Silvio are finally released with Little Paulie coming to collect them. Paulie’s hair is a mess, and he complains about the smell of ink on his fingers—from the fingerprint pads. Silvio is too distraught to say anything: this is big dent to his pride.
The Bing is empty. Tony has let himself in and has drank a few drinks too many. He calls Georgie to come and sweep the place the bugs. Georgie finds bugs all over the place. Tony sinks his head into his hands. Georgie helps Tony to rip the walls apart and stamp all over the bugs. Tony has one more swig of his vodka and calls Christopher to tell him to meet at the Bing. He also orders Chris to bring Adriana.
On the way over to the Bing, Chris and Adriana have a talk about making plans for a second attempt at a wedding. Adriana is delighted and almost causes Chris to crash by hugging him. Chris doesn’t mind.
It’s amazing how quick one sobers up after a severe reality check. Tony has blanked his mind of any thoughts not concerning Adriana. When Chris arrives at the Bing, he is cautious when he finds Tony in a deeply perturbed, melancholy mood. The Bing is silent. It is absent of life. Adriana is happy and urges Chris to tell Tony about the plans. Chris tells Tony, but the latter doesn’t even flinch at the news. Adriana is too joyous to notice, but Chris knows there is something up. “What’s the matter, T?” he asks. Tony doesn’t beat about the bush. He comes straight out with it: “You must think I’m a fuckin’ brainless prick.” Chris tells him to go easy, but Tony retaliates and slaps Christopher hard across the cheek and shouts at him about Adriana being a rat. Chris starts to laugh, thinking it is a joke. The scene is long-winded and extensively elongated, with no music. As the scene develops, Adriana starts to panic and shake and cry. Chris realises that what Tony is telling him is true. Adriana tries to tell Chris she is sorry and that she had no choice. Chris slaps her twice and is about to punch her with a fist when Tony interferes. Tony pushes him away and starts to rant and rave at Adriana, who is now in uncontrollable tears. Christopher storms out. Tony warns Adriana that if he ever sees her face again around Christopher or even in this city then he will murder her. He tells her to get out of Chris’ life. Adriana tries to speak but Tony shouts over her. Outside, Adriana tries to explain to Chris, but he is in a daze and oblivious to the fact that she is even talking to him. Inside, Tony calls Mickey Gallardo to call by the Bing. Tony comes outside and tells Adriana that Gallardo will take her home to get some things and then will drop her off at Newark airport. From there she is to make her own way in life. She is hysterical, but there is no turning back time. Gallardo finally shows up. Adriana tries to talk to Chris but he walks back inside the Bing. Tony helps Adriana into the back of the car and asserts that she will be killed if she is ever seen around her again. She carries on crying.
Tony joins Christopher inside. Tony has recollected his thoughts and tries to calm Christopher down. The only question Chris is asking is “why?” Silvio and Paulie drop by. Tony is furious at them, wondering where they went at the hospital. Paulie tells him (Silvio is in no mood to talk). Tony thinks Paulie is kidding, but he clearly is not Tony is about to scold the two, but looks at Chris and has second thoughts. Paulie asks what the fuck is the matter with Chrissy. Tony tells them of Adriana. Paulie is enraged, as is Silvio. Paulie offers to whack her. Tony tells him that Gallardo is taking her out of town. Paulie offers his condolences to Christopher and Silvio gets the glasses out and bottle of wine. They all make a toast, save for a bewildered and blank Christopher.
Meanwhile, Gallardo pulls over in a deserted street. He pulls his gun around, but Adriana sees it first and makes life difficult. She bites Mickey’s wrist and draws blood, opening the door and trying to run like mad. Gallardo recovers quickly and runs after her. He catches up, floors her (with a major struggle) and finally shoots her thrice in the head. The camera focuses in on Gallardo’s face while he shoots Adriana in the struggle. We follow him as he walks away with unforeseen pain in his face. A car pulls up with Harry Lutrozzo—an associate under Gallardo’s crew—and Mickey gets in, before the car pulls away. The camera drifts into a turn and the episode ends as we see, from a great distance, Gallardo’s abandoned car and the body of Adriana. Fade out.
^That is my personal favourite episode so far.
What's yours?
Mick
PS> Oh, another thing about Vito: his bringing the X-Box games home? This isn't an associate try'na impress Tony, simply a soldier playing delivery boy, as the video game scam is a real operation involving the Chinese Lau and Gallardo.
