SC and I were recently discussing this episode. I happened to see it again several weeks ago and noticed something.

Obviously Tony has a soft spot and deep love for animals. But he also has a hidden compassion for people, which can be a big problem when one is trying to run a mob family.

Ralphie killed a stripper, put Paulies mother in a hospital, dissed Johnny Sacs wife, beat the poor guy in the Bada Bing while playing with that roman warrior toy. And Tony refused to do anything to Ralphie and orderd his boys NOT to touch him.

Then the horse dies at the hands of Ralphie. The horse is the final straw for Tony and is the catylyst for Tony killing Ralphie.

But in a scene right before Tony goes to confront Ralphie, I notice Tony looking at pictures on the wall in the Bada Bing of the dancers. And Tony zeros in on the dancer that Ralphie killed.

When Tony is strangling Ralhie, he yells out " Why did you do it, why did you kill her?"

I felt that there was a double message from Tony in that scene, one that went deeper than just the horse. " why did you do it to the horse, why did you kill the stripper." Tony put the two together in his rage.

I think that Ralhie's killing of the stripper was what really bothered him all along, and then the Horse thing was the final straw that brought it out.


Don Cardi