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Torty's shrink
Last s""": T')Iln9 to-,onvinee Tony he should stick
\'lith his therapy.
"~I):~tz~l 1~j~~1iI The ~COQP: It's not easy helping a killer feel better
,.. aDl)uthimse lf; ~ Dr, Melfi is qulckl~ .learning. Her
Last seen: Checking into a hotel after CaJ'mela
kicked him out of the house. Tony also called off
a hit on fellow mob boss Carmine at the last
moment and treed to placate f.!ew York crew
cOilsig}iere, iohnny Sack·about ·reneging on it
The scoop: Tony was very busy last season -he
chopped up capo Ralphie (Joe Pantoliano) into
little pieces, felt a little guilty when a former
girlfriend, Gloria Trillo, committed suicide,
pOlitely convinced his heir-apparent Christopher
Moltisanti to go into rehab ("Anybody else
would've ilad thelr .. .Interventlon right through
the back of their head," barked Tony), and told
Dr. Melfi he'd had enough of the tal]cing cure. He
even bought carmela a beach house. "It's for the
family," he tells her.
Tony's uncie and Soprano lamlly boss
Lasl$een: On ttl;!1 filr participating In onganized crime, but getting
off when the judge woefully declared, "I hiIYE no cholce.butto
declare a'mlstrlal." Stili under house arrest and crankily trying to
reassert his authority in the family.
The scoop: Uncle Junlor's'trlaJ was Mtgoing well, and when he
was hit on the head by a boom ml~e ·and took a tumi)le down the
court steps, his lawyer tried to plead diminished capacity. No dice,
But Bobby fin~ lIy got around to strong'armlng aJury member and
the Whole mess was reluctantly declared a mistrial by the judge. sessions with Tony hal/C driven her to self'medicate,
otten with a bottle of vodka. She also is still dealing
with the repercussions of being brutally raped,
confessing tc her therapist that it made her feel
better knowing that Tony would "squash" hN
1!:!I.~~"j /l';JI attacker "like a bu!;)" If she wanted it. Hmmm.
TOlly's slster
Last seen: Serving tearful widower Bobby Ba~la,
another one of Tony's foot soldiers. a prate of baked
zill -the final reminder ot.hfs la~e wife who died last
season in a Cilr accidenlAlso gave, Bobby agood kick
In tile pants to get back tc work helping Uncle Junior
get his case dismissed.
TIle scoop: JanIce has to t!a~e a man in her life -even
tHough the men In her life lend norto stay alive for
very long: So when lumpy Bobby was widowed. Janice
swooped in, headed off all the competition from other
women, badgered and cajoled him inta sucking It UP
and moving On. It's been almost 15 months since that
wall-shaking, Emmy-winning Season 4
finale of "The Sopranos" -where Tony
(James GandolfinD and Carmela (Edie
Falco) almost came to blows i.n one of
the most dramatic wall-punching
domestic disputes on TV. And even
devoted viewers could use a reminder
of where we left off.
Fifteen months haven't passed on the
show -it's probably more like six -
but some things haven't changed: the
season debut tonight at 9 on HBO
makes clear what's important: family.
Tony's personal family is splintering
apart. He and Carmela have fallen into a
routine of bickering unease, Tony is liv
ing in bachelor·pad squalor -but still
drops in on Carmela to leave a monthly
allowance and to fight over money.
Tony wants to work out a separation
arrangement without the help of
lawyers, but apparently Carmela has
already spoken with an attorney.
While Tony's married life is falling
apart -his sister Janice (Aida Turtur
ro) has jumped right back into wedded
bliss, marrying the just-widowed Bobby
Bacala (Steve Schirripa).
But just as one family is getting small
er, Tony's business "family" is growing
uncomfortably large. And it's his mob
family that looks to be the source of
even more heartburn for the lumbering
crime boss.
Tony is seen watching the local news,
where reporters and news pundits
mouth off on the release of Mafia fig
ures who've been in jail for decades -
otherwise known as "the class of 2004."
They happily predict it could mark
heightened tensions and internal vio
lence for the mob.
Among the parolees are Robert Log
gia as the violent Feech; Joe Santos
(Detective Becker of "The Rockford
Files"); and wisecracking Steve Busce
mi as Tony's cousin and childhood best
friend who wants to go straight and
become a licensed massage therapist ,
If all these problems are bugging
Tony, they're not half as troublesome as
the "bugs" he barely suspects, The feds
are all over the place. listening in on
conversations, turning weak underlings
into informants and building up a case
of massive circumstantial evidence that
they hope will bring his entire world
crashing down;
The new season brings back old
themes -Christopher (Michael Imperi
oli) whines about not getting respect,
Paulie (Tony Sirico) seems increasingly
unhappy and Uncle Junior (Dominic Chi
anese) increasingly unstable. Adriana
starts to crack under the intense pressure
over her status as a stool pigeon.
And is that Tony watching scenes
from Barbra Streisand's "The Prince of
Tides" and quoting Dr. Phil? Something
is rotten in Jersey and it's starting to
take its toll. 13
:J '" -0 o
~ n o
3
12
E o u .;
V1 o
Co >c:
capo in the Soprano crew
Last seen: Ripping .off an old woman at the
old age home where his mother lives and
killing her by smothering her with a pillow
-then handing the wad of cash to Tony to
curry favOr.
The scoop: Paulle's philosophy is simple:
get everyone to kick money to him, so thal •
he cim in tum kick money back to Tony: But
unhappy wi th a considerab le drop in
earnings -thanks to some necent mOlles
by Tony -he's thinking about bolting the
tamlly. He may regnet those choices.
Consigliere of New York crew
last seen: Going ballistic when Tony
called off the hit on Johnny's boss at
the last minute. "I still consider you a
dear, dear friend," Tony tells the fuming
schemer, who's more vulnerable than
ever and knows it.
The scoop: Johnny Sack played a
dangerous game by urging Tony to
knock off his boss. When Tony backed
off at the last moment, Johnny was
furious and more exposed than ever.
Foolishly, he let Tony know that. But
Johnny remained determined to get his
revenge on just about everyone. Tony's college-aged daughter
Last seen: Having her annual tea with Carmela at The Plaza and
mocking Mom's complaints that she's become uppity since
attending Columbia University .
The scoop: When her parents sepatated, Meadow was as distressed
as any child would be. But she's resilient, e~cellirg in school and
volunteering at a South BronK law cenler. But Meadow's
relationship with her parents has been strained lately. And they
didn't like her boyfriend, Jackie Aprile Jr., the son of another
gangster. When Jackie was found shot to death, MeaQow was
inconsolabl e, placing the blame on the "fMnll\lllfe."
TonY's troubled teenage son
Last seen: Moping around
the house playing yldeo
games. Brhifly cjated a
girl who was interesled In AJ
only because hrs dad Is a
gangster.
The scoop: AJ causes his
father more anxiety than the
feds. He's an uninspired high
school student, a video-
\ game· addict who pushed his :' I parents· buttons. Some . 1 highlights: he crashed
. Carmela's car without a
license: got caught smoking
, pot; V{ent to gym class drunk
on stolen Communion wine:
and was expelled for
cheating on a geometry t~t.
He was sent off to military
school, but after suffering
anxiety attacks, came home. Tony's estranged wife
Last seen: Ripping into Tony after one too
many of his floozies called the house. "You've
made a fool of me for years with these
whores," she screams. ''And now it's come
into our home?'" Also found time to invest
some ofTony's stash of hidden loot that he
kept tucked away in the backyard.
. The scoop: Carmela was ready for an affair
{"< with Tony's ponytalled foot·soldler Furio
1~;l' (FedericQ Castellucc io). but Ile wised up and
~J bolted to his native Italy. It caused herto
..... wonder what her life might be like if she were
, no longer married to Tony. So she did
something almost unheard of in her sOG/al
circle: asked for a divorCe.
Tony's nephew, a capo in his crew and his heir apparent
Last seen: Taking a phone call from Tony calling off a hit
on New York crime boss Carmine. Christopher's fiill1c~ alld an FBI snilch
The scoop: Christopher 's devotion is vital to Tony, as he's
decided to use his nephew to help protect him from the
feds. Instead of issuing commands himself, Tony makes
them through Christopher. But his loyalty has come into
question one too many times. His heroin addiction made
him a serious liability to Tony -but Tony, rather than "put
him out of his misery" as Junior advised, sent him to
rehab. Now he's ready to get back to work. Last seen: Popping the question to Christopher. Adriana saw some
salvation in legal advice gleaned from a TV show about crime -she
lhoughithat if she married Christopher, she wouldn't have .to testify
against him If he g:otpinciled by the feds. She was convinced it meant
the end of her career asasnitch, but an FBI agent informed her that
the law doesn·t work that way and her upset stomach continues.
The scoop: Adriana and Christopher make a good couple, She loves
designer clothes -and he loves buying them for her. They've also
supported each other in the past -she encouraged his interest in
film and he bought her a nightclub. .
Torty's shrink
Last s""": T')Iln9 to-,onvinee Tony he should stick
\'lith his therapy.
"~I):~tz~l 1~j~~1iI The ~COQP: It's not easy helping a killer feel better
,.. aDl)uthimse lf; ~ Dr, Melfi is qulckl~ .learning. Her
Last seen: Checking into a hotel after CaJ'mela
kicked him out of the house. Tony also called off
a hit on fellow mob boss Carmine at the last
moment and treed to placate f.!ew York crew
cOilsig}iere, iohnny Sack·about ·reneging on it
The scoop: Tony was very busy last season -he
chopped up capo Ralphie (Joe Pantoliano) into
little pieces, felt a little guilty when a former
girlfriend, Gloria Trillo, committed suicide,
pOlitely convinced his heir-apparent Christopher
Moltisanti to go into rehab ("Anybody else
would've ilad thelr .. .Interventlon right through
the back of their head," barked Tony), and told
Dr. Melfi he'd had enough of the tal]cing cure. He
even bought carmela a beach house. "It's for the
family," he tells her.
Tony's uncie and Soprano lamlly boss
Lasl$een: On ttl;!1 filr participating In onganized crime, but getting
off when the judge woefully declared, "I hiIYE no cholce.butto
declare a'mlstrlal." Stili under house arrest and crankily trying to
reassert his authority in the family.
The scoop: Uncle Junlor's'trlaJ was Mtgoing well, and when he
was hit on the head by a boom ml~e ·and took a tumi)le down the
court steps, his lawyer tried to plead diminished capacity. No dice,
But Bobby fin~ lIy got around to strong'armlng aJury member and
the Whole mess was reluctantly declared a mistrial by the judge. sessions with Tony hal/C driven her to self'medicate,
otten with a bottle of vodka. She also is still dealing
with the repercussions of being brutally raped,
confessing tc her therapist that it made her feel
better knowing that Tony would "squash" hN
1!:!I.~~"j /l';JI attacker "like a bu!;)" If she wanted it. Hmmm.
TOlly's slster
Last seen: Serving tearful widower Bobby Ba~la,
another one of Tony's foot soldiers. a prate of baked
zill -the final reminder ot.hfs la~e wife who died last
season in a Cilr accidenlAlso gave, Bobby agood kick
In tile pants to get back tc work helping Uncle Junior
get his case dismissed.
TIle scoop: JanIce has to t!a~e a man in her life -even
tHough the men In her life lend norto stay alive for
very long: So when lumpy Bobby was widowed. Janice
swooped in, headed off all the competition from other
women, badgered and cajoled him inta sucking It UP
and moving On. It's been almost 15 months since that
wall-shaking, Emmy-winning Season 4
finale of "The Sopranos" -where Tony
(James GandolfinD and Carmela (Edie
Falco) almost came to blows i.n one of
the most dramatic wall-punching
domestic disputes on TV. And even
devoted viewers could use a reminder
of where we left off.
Fifteen months haven't passed on the
show -it's probably more like six -
but some things haven't changed: the
season debut tonight at 9 on HBO
makes clear what's important: family.
Tony's personal family is splintering
apart. He and Carmela have fallen into a
routine of bickering unease, Tony is liv
ing in bachelor·pad squalor -but still
drops in on Carmela to leave a monthly
allowance and to fight over money.
Tony wants to work out a separation
arrangement without the help of
lawyers, but apparently Carmela has
already spoken with an attorney.
While Tony's married life is falling
apart -his sister Janice (Aida Turtur
ro) has jumped right back into wedded
bliss, marrying the just-widowed Bobby
Bacala (Steve Schirripa).
But just as one family is getting small
er, Tony's business "family" is growing
uncomfortably large. And it's his mob
family that looks to be the source of
even more heartburn for the lumbering
crime boss.
Tony is seen watching the local news,
where reporters and news pundits
mouth off on the release of Mafia fig
ures who've been in jail for decades -
otherwise known as "the class of 2004."
They happily predict it could mark
heightened tensions and internal vio
lence for the mob.
Among the parolees are Robert Log
gia as the violent Feech; Joe Santos
(Detective Becker of "The Rockford
Files"); and wisecracking Steve Busce
mi as Tony's cousin and childhood best
friend who wants to go straight and
become a licensed massage therapist ,
If all these problems are bugging
Tony, they're not half as troublesome as
the "bugs" he barely suspects, The feds
are all over the place. listening in on
conversations, turning weak underlings
into informants and building up a case
of massive circumstantial evidence that
they hope will bring his entire world
crashing down;
The new season brings back old
themes -Christopher (Michael Imperi
oli) whines about not getting respect,
Paulie (Tony Sirico) seems increasingly
unhappy and Uncle Junior (Dominic Chi
anese) increasingly unstable. Adriana
starts to crack under the intense pressure
over her status as a stool pigeon.
And is that Tony watching scenes
from Barbra Streisand's "The Prince of
Tides" and quoting Dr. Phil? Something
is rotten in Jersey and it's starting to
take its toll. 13
:J '" -0 o
~ n o
3
12
E o u .;
V1 o
Co >c:
capo in the Soprano crew
Last seen: Ripping .off an old woman at the
old age home where his mother lives and
killing her by smothering her with a pillow
-then handing the wad of cash to Tony to
curry favOr.
The scoop: Paulle's philosophy is simple:
get everyone to kick money to him, so thal •
he cim in tum kick money back to Tony: But
unhappy wi th a considerab le drop in
earnings -thanks to some necent mOlles
by Tony -he's thinking about bolting the
tamlly. He may regnet those choices.
Consigliere of New York crew
last seen: Going ballistic when Tony
called off the hit on Johnny's boss at
the last minute. "I still consider you a
dear, dear friend," Tony tells the fuming
schemer, who's more vulnerable than
ever and knows it.
The scoop: Johnny Sack played a
dangerous game by urging Tony to
knock off his boss. When Tony backed
off at the last moment, Johnny was
furious and more exposed than ever.
Foolishly, he let Tony know that. But
Johnny remained determined to get his
revenge on just about everyone. Tony's college-aged daughter
Last seen: Having her annual tea with Carmela at The Plaza and
mocking Mom's complaints that she's become uppity since
attending Columbia University .
The scoop: When her parents sepatated, Meadow was as distressed
as any child would be. But she's resilient, e~cellirg in school and
volunteering at a South BronK law cenler. But Meadow's
relationship with her parents has been strained lately. And they
didn't like her boyfriend, Jackie Aprile Jr., the son of another
gangster. When Jackie was found shot to death, MeaQow was
inconsolabl e, placing the blame on the "fMnll\lllfe."
TonY's troubled teenage son
Last seen: Moping around
the house playing yldeo
games. Brhifly cjated a
girl who was interesled In AJ
only because hrs dad Is a
gangster.
The scoop: AJ causes his
father more anxiety than the
feds. He's an uninspired high
school student, a video-
\ game· addict who pushed his :' I parents· buttons. Some . 1 highlights: he crashed
. Carmela's car without a
license: got caught smoking
, pot; V{ent to gym class drunk
on stolen Communion wine:
and was expelled for
cheating on a geometry t~t.
He was sent off to military
school, but after suffering
anxiety attacks, came home. Tony's estranged wife
Last seen: Ripping into Tony after one too
many of his floozies called the house. "You've
made a fool of me for years with these
whores," she screams. ''And now it's come
into our home?'" Also found time to invest
some ofTony's stash of hidden loot that he
kept tucked away in the backyard.
. The scoop: Carmela was ready for an affair
{"< with Tony's ponytalled foot·soldler Furio
1~;l' (FedericQ Castellucc io). but Ile wised up and
~J bolted to his native Italy. It caused herto
..... wonder what her life might be like if she were
, no longer married to Tony. So she did
something almost unheard of in her sOG/al
circle: asked for a divorCe.
Tony's nephew, a capo in his crew and his heir apparent
Last seen: Taking a phone call from Tony calling off a hit
on New York crime boss Carmine. Christopher's fiill1c~ alld an FBI snilch
The scoop: Christopher 's devotion is vital to Tony, as he's
decided to use his nephew to help protect him from the
feds. Instead of issuing commands himself, Tony makes
them through Christopher. But his loyalty has come into
question one too many times. His heroin addiction made
him a serious liability to Tony -but Tony, rather than "put
him out of his misery" as Junior advised, sent him to
rehab. Now he's ready to get back to work. Last seen: Popping the question to Christopher. Adriana saw some
salvation in legal advice gleaned from a TV show about crime -she
lhoughithat if she married Christopher, she wouldn't have .to testify
against him If he g:otpinciled by the feds. She was convinced it meant
the end of her career asasnitch, but an FBI agent informed her that
the law doesn·t work that way and her upset stomach continues.
The scoop: Adriana and Christopher make a good couple, She loves
designer clothes -and he loves buying them for her. They've also
supported each other in the past -she encouraged his interest in
film and he bought her a nightclub. .