What happenend to the 20s something bodyguard?

I don't mind the storylines either. They're all part of the whole. But some of them are hard to figure out - their relevance and all. For example, the money that Hesh loaned him. What was that all about?

Do you think that the low-grade lumber Carmela used in her spec house will come "crashing down"? What about Tony getting aggressive with Carmela? That hasn't happened in a long time. And did Dr. Melfi look a little plumper to you? And no Janice this episode. Thank God. Oh, oh. What about Tony referring to his capos as murderers?

And last, but not least: does the V on Tony's head stand for Vendetta?

The episode was very slow. Vito's son is an ass especially after he pooped in the shower. I guess Carm gave Tony the money to pay off his gambling debt. Was that woman Hesh's wife or girlfriend? A.J is still an idiot even though he wants to get married and have a family. Blanca must have seen that and decided he wasn't for her.

It was a solid episode, you can see the tension beginning to mount with New York and New Jersey. Phil had a couple of lines that made me laugh...
"Well I guess the turd doesn't fall far from the fa***t's ass."
"You look like a Puerto Rican whore!"
It was good to see some of the other guys again like Carlo, Benny, and Patsy. Tony still has that inner douche in him. Like SC said, I actually felt bad for AJ who is slowly turning his life around and this might begin another downward spiral. Where's Meadow? Haven't seen her in awhile. How about Vito Jr. pooping in the :x...didn't need to see that! Look's like Paulie and Christopher are going at it again in the next episode..that's always good!

What a bastard. How he treated Carmella was disgusting. That was some scene between them. Such chemistry between Falco and Gandolfini.

Now with Vito's wife and kid, I got the opposite feeling. I thought again, that Tony was being a self centered selfish prick. Here he was going around all episode long telling his crew how Vito was his best earner, the money maker, etc. Then Vito's wife asks him for a measly $100,000 to change her life and help her kid, the kid of the guy who was Tony's best earner, and Tony squirmed, twisted, and took every avenue he could NOT to give her that money. So instead, he takes the cheap way out and for $18,000 has the kid taken out of his house like a dog, to one of these camps. SC, I saw how he handled the Spatafore situation much differently. He was a cheap and cold hearted prick for the way that he threw Marie and the kid to the dogs by taking the cheap way out. It was horrible how they came and dragged that kid out the way that they did.

The Mosque scene may be a pre-lude to something to come with the 2 middle easterners that were hanging out at the Bing. Someone in the car makes reference to them during that scene.

I too felt sorry for A.J. I think that the kid was sincere and felt that he finally had some direction in his life and she just crushed him.

Anyone else get the feeling that Chase is paralleling John Gotti scenerios this season? The hit on Doc last week, the way that Johnny Sac dies, and how Tony has become this degenerate gambler and is getting very leary of those that he once trusted.


Question: Does the Puerto Rican day parade take place during Football season?

I too liked the scene with Tony & Carm. However, are we to assume that it was Carm's money Tony used to payback the debt? I know that's what he was trying to do, but they never actually showed an agreement.

Also, this debt to Hesh, that was never shown in previous seasons was it?

As far as Vito's son, the shower seen was disturbing and I could have done without seeing it. I took Tony's help in that regard as kind of taking the cheap way out as well.

As far as the lumber for the house Carm sold goes, yea, I wonder too if that'll come back to haunt her.

With AJ, I was surprised that Bianca first accepted his proposal, because the last couple times we see them, she didn't seem particularly happy. I think it's because of AJ's "family".


TIS

Patsy pisses in the pool, Vito's son shits in the shower. Is someone gonna drink out of the toilet bowl next?

TIS. If you re-watch some of the earlier episodes of this season, you can clearly see that Bianca is "disturbed" by Tony in several scenes. Just by the way that she looks at him. Then again, she could also have been giving him those looks and then thinking to herself that AJ is a loser and will never be the man that his father is. She may have thought that she hit paydirt when she fiorst met AJ and then saw that he was never going to be anything like his father.

Could be interpreted either way.

Is it possible that the Feds would get to Bianca? Could she be the one who does him in? Although, I don't know that she'd really know enough to turn him in no? But she did suddenly change her mind about marrying AJ.


TIS

I don't think so. She really has nothing substantial to give the feds regarding Tony. The only thing that she could possibly provide them with is inside information regarding the construction company itself.

Its called "tough love". That kid NEEDED it!!

Tony tried talking to the kid in a fatherly way. The little snot wanted none of it.

You wanna jump on someone for NOT helping anymore than he did? Jump on Phil Leotardo. For two or three episodes he ranted and raved about how much Vito did his family a dishonor with his behavior and here was a chance to do something for his family and the Shah of Iran ( ) just turned his back on the kid.

The money that Tony had lost, and its effect on Tony was shown by how much of a prick he became... he picked on Carmella, he "turned against" an old friend (Hesh), he lost sight of a responsibility (to Marie Spatafore). Once Tony "realized" this he corrected it... he apologized to Carmella (and I thought it was a heartfelt apology), he paid Hesh back in full, and he did what he thought was right with Vito's kid (by intervening on his behalf).

For all that I applaud Tony.

Yes, Phil was a hypocrite in all of this, no question. But I can't agree with you about Tony in regards to Marie Spat and the kid. He took the cheap way out. Tough love? Maybe. Was Tony being sincere talking with the kid? Ahh ahh. He was more concerned with finding an angle so that he wouldn't have to dish out that kind of money and save face at the same time. In his talking with that kid he was hoping that the kid would listen to him so that he could save the money. Once he saw that the kid didn't listen to him, he went to plan B. Almost as if he said to himself " f**k this kid now! He's going to cost me $100 grand, now screw him." So he saves his money and saves face with his crew at the same time. Chase showed us last nihgt what cold hearted, cheap son of a bitch Tony really is.

I don't see that at all.

Ok. Then WHY did Chase show us such a disturbing scene with the kid being taken away like he was?

If you have to question Chase's reasons for showing such scenes you're missing the point.

BUT, to use your "argument", do you really think that if the Spatafores simply moved to Maine their troubles (and Vito. Jr.'s) would simply disappear?

Little Turd Boy is over-reacting out of anger (about his father). Tony, in his home-spun philosophical way hit it on the head when he said that a geographical answer was not the solution to this issue. He (Vito, Jr.) HAD to be made to face what was REALLY bothering him.

I agree that moving to Maine was not the answer. But I do believe that Tony succumbed to that theory more out of selfishness/cheapness than for the kid's sake.

And it is my feeling that Chase wanted us to feel the horror of how the kid was taken away to show us that Tony took the cheap and heartless way out.

The fact that each of us interprets these scenes differently is what makes this show so interesting.

Tony is a cheap, heartless f**k when it comes to money!

I, for one, will never again tell a moody teenager to go take a shit.

I don't think AJ is going to handle this breakup very well. I mentioned last week that I thought that AJ could slip into depression under this scenario because he has suffered anxiety attacks in the past. There's alot of dark stuff going on this year and suicide has been prevalent in the past. I wouldn't be shocked to see the kid attempt to kill himself.

Who knew that Heshy had a hot young black wife ? Wasn't it enough that he stole the royalties from the black singers in season one. Now their women, too ?

Seriously, I felt bad for Hesh. He has treated Tony better than most of his Italian associates. I know it's human nature to resent people who help you too much but Tony was sooooo wrong here. However, like SC, I do give him credit for doing the right thing in the end.

I think I see some friction again developing between Chris and Paulie in the preview for next week. Paulie picking on Christopher's inability to handle a glass of wine is pretty petty. Obviously, Paulie doesn't come from the "12 step" generation. With or without peer pressure, I can't see Christopher getting through the whole season without using. I think it might play a major part in the final episodes.

Tony telling Carmela that her cheaply built spec house would fall on the mother of an unborn child was really a terrible thing to say. Certainly something that his own mother might have said. Ah the Sopranos, such nurturing parents. Again, I think this might foreshadow something happening to one of Tony's children.

Did Vito Jr. really have to step in the shit ? Overkill.

Best line of the episode: Phil on Vito Jr.

Phil: "The turd doesn't fall far from the fa***t's asshole."

I watched the episode with my pop who is at least the same age as Phil. He laughed till the 10 o'clock news came on.

Tony called Hesh about borrowing th emoney last episode.

Yeah, that scene with AJ's girlfriend didn't make much sense.

And how much did Carmela make o the house? She said 6, but is that thousands or 6 figures?

Also, I didn't like the scene where they kidnapped the kid. Again, why that?

Yes, he seems to be having problems (the previews indicate so) with his crew. He did call them murderers.

I think Tony is growing increasingly paranoid as the season wears on. First Paulie, then Hesh - both long time associates, drawing his ire. Now the remark about them being murderers, which by the way was another Godfather nod (We're not murderers in spite of what this undertaker says.)

I guess in that life it could be said that the paranoid survive but I think something else is going on here. I've never, in 8 years - even when his own mother wanted him dead, seen Tony so miserable.

Adding my two cents. I don't think that Tony disturbed AJ's girlfriend as much as Carmella did. I think that her belated refusal of AJ's proposal was because she doesn't want to end up like Carm, especially after AJ tells her that she'll never have to work again, they'll have kids, and so on. I think that she looked at Carm, and saw her future as AJ had it planned.

As for Tony, he is a cheap, heartless bastard. And he always has been. His handling of his crew, the Spatafore problem, his wife, the spec house, all of it just showed that.

I agree mostly with DC. After he lost the last football bet, instead of coughing up the $100K, he goes to plan "B" and sends the kid out to Utah for a fraction of the cost.

And had he won, he would have thought of another excuse to NOT give Marie the money anyway.

There's so much to comment on in the episode.

In the end, Tony is just a guy like many other guys. He's no more prepared to deal with situations than most others. Yes, he really doesn't want to spend all that money on a kid who, to be honest, is not someone who's on his radar screen until someone puts him on that screen. Both Phil and Tony handled him like alot of guys would and like guys tend to handle so many situations - being tough.

Remember, the series started with a guy that needed psychiatric help. Sooooo, he's got "issues" that he has not yet completely eliminated. Can he act nuts from time to time? Yes. Does he have the resolution to all problems? No.

Also, remember in the back yard when they were all eating and the camera lingered on Meadow's face and Carmela's face as Bianca looked at them? Did anyone else catch that? It seemed as if she was saying "white faces".

Ice..I agree with you..I never believed Ade was dead..and I believe there is most definitely a rat or two somewhere..maybe Sil thew money at her and told her to get lost....what ever happened between Meadow and finn..she was supposed to go to CA with him..and also what happened to Artie..hes not around either??

Couple of thoughts...
1. I agree that Tony took the cheap way out of the Vito situation.
2. It was only natural that Tony develop a gambling problem. Like he said, he's been so lucky for so long, that he has to get a little high on himself.
3. WHERE is Artie and Julianna?!?!?
4. Why did Hesh's wife/girl die?? Did Tony order it? It seemed to unnatural and she was very young.

Also, there seems to be the recurring theme of: "Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, when all the while a great wind carries me across the sky."

This has been applied to many characters, but the most applicable is Tony. Which is why, I think, this will be the most prevalent theme of this season. Maybe Tony looks back after he hits the gutter and thinks, "Hey I really didnt have it that bad and I took it for granted."

This week's episode was a good example. "Chasing It" is about throwing good money after bad... in reality its not about the money at all but rather a secret desire to lose. Tony seemed to right that (before the episode ended) and I'd be surprised if we saw more about his gambling this year.

I personally enjoyed this ep. There was a lot of good character interaction and development and it really fit in well. A good show evolves as time goes on (ie Tony turning on Hesh, Tony's gambling problem, the Middle-Easterners filling the neighborhood, etc), as opposed to having the same basic thing happen in every episode. Nice seeing Tony and Carmella back to their old fighting ways. I think that no matter how much they go through together and how many times they reconcile, deep down inside it's just a marriage that cannot ever work. Looks like some (more) turmoil with Paulie and Chris next week, and it might even come to a head. Good times with the 'pranos.

I feel a war a brewin'!

i agree with dc on chase using John gotti references the cancer the gambling and the boss hit. i personally did not like the episode that much but i can see good things happening in the remaining episodes

yes bduff i want war war war lol