The fifth season of the Sopranos commenced a week after the concluding episode of the fourth in which Tony separates from his wife Carmela. It has been coming for sometime under pressure from Catholic priests to move away from living off the proceeds of crime and in the knowledge that her husband used the women he employed as well as prolonged flings with other women she had snapped when the simmering infatuation with Tony’s hard man factotum, Furio, disappeared back to Italy after deciding that he could not face the implications of making a move on the wife of his boss.
In Two Tonys, two years after the separation, Tony has come to realise realises that he needs the anchor of playing the family man and he also misses the sparring with Dr Melfi. Carmela has established a new life and formed a cinema club using the home cinema Tony created in beach house. There are mixed reactions to a viewing of Citizen Kane which starts with the warning about copying and illegal showing of films. Afterwards they talk about their relationships and Janice discloses that her new husband Bobby Bacala has not yet found her Rosebud. Tony then spoils the party by arranging to remove the projection and sound mechanism when he finds that she is beginning to cope without him.
It also a film, The Prince of Tides which re-ignites Tony’s interest in Dr Melfi. This is the film where the son of a dysfunctional family travels to New York to help his suicide tendency twin sister and establishes a relationship with her psychiatrist played by Barbara Streisand.
Tony sends a giant bouquet of flowers and calls at her office to invite to dinner. Dr Melfi is in a dilemma understanding that this may be Tony’s way of wanting her help again although also aware that his interest is potentially dangerous and tries to let him down without rejection but in the end is forced to do so and he storms out of the office swearing at her.
When son AJ discovers a bear has entered the grounds he is terrified. Carmela calls the authorities who explain their difficulty in taking action with the bear having attacked someone or caused significant damage. When Tony hears about the problem he arranges 24/7 security as and takes a shift as a means of regaining a foothold back in the family setting. Carmela has learned that Tony has been ringing around Italy to locate the whereabouts of Furio having learned about his wife’s infatuation from Meadow. He openly admits to putting out a contract if he can find where his former employee is located. AJ and Meadow do not play significant roles in the first episodes.
His sister Janice has married Widow Bobby Bacala and become the step mother of his two children and is expected to provide Sunday lunch for Tony his son and daughter as well as Uncle Junior and the other sister and her husband who live in New York. On one of these events the news announces that a number of local associates imprisoned in the 1980’s are to be released including a cousin of Tony also called Tony Blundetto who had grown up with him as a brother and then Michele Feech La Manna the former Capo of the defunct La Manna crew.
At his coming out party after 20 years inside Feech explains how he survived by picking on the man who looked toughest when he arrived and beating him up. While he has a bakery to run as his day job he announces that he wants to be back in the rackets and the first he chooses is to provide environmental services through a relative selecting an area which is not already controlled.
The symbolic victim is Sal Vitro who he advises is no longer required in an area where fortunately for him he cuts the lawn and is kind to the aunt of Pauli Walnuts. She intercedes when Sal is beaten up and has his arm broken by Feech. Fortunately Tony’s Cousin prevents more damage as they are both on parole. Pauli now intervenes and visits Feech at the bakery to say that he is not entitled to anything because he has been to prison. Feech points out that what is Pauli’s is Pauli’s but anything else is open. Pauli returns to site and hits relative of Feech on the head with a spade causing the other guy to fall from a height from a tree. He takes cash which they have in hand and the lawn mower until they meet all the hospital bills of Sal and also agree to pay him a percentage for taking over his territory. Pauli and Feech have a sit down with Tony and agree that the Sal and the nephew should have half the disputed area. Sal is effectively no longer free and is part of the mobster’s empire.
There is also Phil Leotardo a captain in the Lupertazzi Family, and Angelo Garepe who was the Consigliere for the family. Tony has a celebratory lunch with Garepe, his boss Carmine and New Jersey resident under boss Johnny Sachs when Carmine has a heart attack and later dies. Tony contacts his son Little Carmine who he visited last season in Miami which brokered the peace deal the and brought to a halt the Carmine execution which Johnny Sacks had encouraged and which Christopher arranged but then had to kill the assassins when the deal was made
At the Funeral there are heated words between Little Carmine and Johnny Sacks over his decision to place an Opus Dei rosary in the hands of his father as the son regards these as representing a fundamentalist cult which his father would have not been involved with.
In Where’s Johnny it is Phil Leotardo who attempts to move on two loan sharks who pay dues to Little Carmine in Florida. They pull a gun on Lorraine Calluzo and shoot her but placing a phone directory over her chest to absorb the bullet. Lorraine takes her concerns to Tony who tries to act as a peacemaker. Lorraine feels she is being pulled three ways as in addition to Leotardo and Little Carmine she believes Johnny Sachs wants her to fund him exclusively. Tony suggests that Johnny and Little Carmine be recognised as territory bosses together with Angelo and divide the business tribute accordingly. Angelo says he is in semi retirement and wants to enjoy his grandchildren. Tony tries to resolve the situation at a meet with Christopher at his side who he has told not to intervene but Christopher cannot keep quiet and afterwards Tony tells him off perhaps signalling a new rift between the two.
The rivalry between Christopher and Pauli heats up when Pauli not only makes Christopher pay for special dinners but makes a point of over ordering and giving away drinks to strangers with the consequence that Christopher finds himself with $1000 dollar bills The situation comes to a head when forced to cover another night out Christopher only gives $16 dollars to round up the bill to $1200 instead of the usual 10%-15%, The waiter comes out after Christopher to protest and calls them fucking arseholes. Christopher throws a brick and wounds the waiter and Pauli shoot him to shut his potential mouth up, They two men realise things have gone too far and split the tab as a means of burying the hatchet.
Christopher’s woman Adriana continues to report overheard talk or disclosures from Christopher to the FBI but she is not alone. One evening the contractor for the recent apartment development calls with a farewell present for Tony, a contemporary painting of the Rat Pack which is the title of episode 54. Unbeknown to Tony he has been “persuaded” by the FBI task force to wear a wire in his baseball cap and quiz Tony about his contact with corrupt officials pretending to be interested in another important job tender coming up which he would like to undertake in another deal with Tony.
Tony is alerted to the possibility that the contractor is another in the line of FBI spies when Patsi Parisi comments that their earlier meeting was under surveillance. Tony arranges a meeting with Prime Suspect Massarone giving him a frisk during a warm embrace unaware that the device is in the cap. He therefore is uncertain and his comments to his associates are ambiguous. The man is found in the trunk of his car although who killed him is not disclosed. Meanwhile Adriana is becoming more concerned about her position and nearly spills the beans to the wives at the next film society met when they are forced to talk because Tony has disabled the system. Mention is made of the husband of Angie Bonespiero who they believe is in witness protection.
Adriana has developed a relationship with FBI agent Sansevrino who explains what happened to her sister who was killed by a bullet from one of the hand guns made by her criminal boyfriend. Adriana is shocked to learn she could be asked to continue her present role for as long as ten years. She uses this relationship to rat on Tina Francesco, previously her best friend, after she had noted the woman makings eyes at Christopher and talking dirty innuendo. She reveals the woman has been fixing the books from her boss at the clothing store providing her with a second income.
Tony has been looking forward to the release of his namesake from prison for a crime which Tony was to have been directly involved, On release Tony (uncle Al) as he was known to identify him from Tony (Uncle Johnny), declares that he is not interested in getting directly involved in crime again and has been training to become a masseurs and that in the meantime he wants to take a regular job, which understandably bugs his cousin. Tony nevertheless gets him a job collecting laundry. The owner of laundry advises Tony that he is not satisfied with the work and proposes to dismiss his cousin and Tony agrees but is angry at being put in the situation.
In fact Tony is becoming angry with everyone, his wife, Dr Melfi, Christopher and the New York interests. He also become angry with Uncle Junior who at a Sunday gathering appears to ignore what Tony tells him. Tony goes off angry. However Junior is showing all the signs of paranoia dementia. He watches TV thinks he is on screen and is being mocked. He slips out one evening, in bathrobe and slippers, takes his car and goes to his old neighbourhood to the house where is brother lived. Finding him not there he visits a building where he once had slot machine to find it is a church with a youth group. He forgets where he has his car.
He sits on a bench and a homeless woman sit with him appearing to know who he was and offers him sex but Junior goes off in search of his car. He is picked up by police officers who disbelieved that he is Corridor Soprano but they get him to his house where Janice shows his driving licence. Janice and Bobby recognise that Junior is developing Alzheimer’s. They visit Tony who is staying at Livia’s old house now that Janice is married and living with Bobby. Tony says Junior is dead to him.
He reminds of her record of trying to help people in the past, her drug habit and life on the road. There is a brawl as Tony gets angrier and Janice goes off in distress with Tony telling Bobby to control his wife!
On the golf course the neurologist treating Junior explains what is happening may be due the mini strokes and that it is important Junior takes his medication. Tony visits Junior to make peace and Junior advises that Feech is angry that Tony ruled against him in relation to Sal Vitro. Tony is upset that Feech went to Junior but Junior reminds that he is officially head of the family. Tony wants to know why Junior is always saying bad things about him and they both sit quietly getting upset.
In Two Tonys, two years after the separation, Tony has come to realise realises that he needs the anchor of playing the family man and he also misses the sparring with Dr Melfi. Carmela has established a new life and formed a cinema club using the home cinema Tony created in beach house. There are mixed reactions to a viewing of Citizen Kane which starts with the warning about copying and illegal showing of films. Afterwards they talk about their relationships and Janice discloses that her new husband Bobby Bacala has not yet found her Rosebud. Tony then spoils the party by arranging to remove the projection and sound mechanism when he finds that she is beginning to cope without him.
It also a film, The Prince of Tides which re-ignites Tony’s interest in Dr Melfi. This is the film where the son of a dysfunctional family travels to New York to help his suicide tendency twin sister and establishes a relationship with her psychiatrist played by Barbara Streisand.
Tony sends a giant bouquet of flowers and calls at her office to invite to dinner. Dr Melfi is in a dilemma understanding that this may be Tony’s way of wanting her help again although also aware that his interest is potentially dangerous and tries to let him down without rejection but in the end is forced to do so and he storms out of the office swearing at her.
When son AJ discovers a bear has entered the grounds he is terrified. Carmela calls the authorities who explain their difficulty in taking action with the bear having attacked someone or caused significant damage. When Tony hears about the problem he arranges 24/7 security as and takes a shift as a means of regaining a foothold back in the family setting. Carmela has learned that Tony has been ringing around Italy to locate the whereabouts of Furio having learned about his wife’s infatuation from Meadow. He openly admits to putting out a contract if he can find where his former employee is located. AJ and Meadow do not play significant roles in the first episodes.
His sister Janice has married Widow Bobby Bacala and become the step mother of his two children and is expected to provide Sunday lunch for Tony his son and daughter as well as Uncle Junior and the other sister and her husband who live in New York. On one of these events the news announces that a number of local associates imprisoned in the 1980’s are to be released including a cousin of Tony also called Tony Blundetto who had grown up with him as a brother and then Michele Feech La Manna the former Capo of the defunct La Manna crew.
At his coming out party after 20 years inside Feech explains how he survived by picking on the man who looked toughest when he arrived and beating him up. While he has a bakery to run as his day job he announces that he wants to be back in the rackets and the first he chooses is to provide environmental services through a relative selecting an area which is not already controlled.
The symbolic victim is Sal Vitro who he advises is no longer required in an area where fortunately for him he cuts the lawn and is kind to the aunt of Pauli Walnuts. She intercedes when Sal is beaten up and has his arm broken by Feech. Fortunately Tony’s Cousin prevents more damage as they are both on parole. Pauli now intervenes and visits Feech at the bakery to say that he is not entitled to anything because he has been to prison. Feech points out that what is Pauli’s is Pauli’s but anything else is open. Pauli returns to site and hits relative of Feech on the head with a spade causing the other guy to fall from a height from a tree. He takes cash which they have in hand and the lawn mower until they meet all the hospital bills of Sal and also agree to pay him a percentage for taking over his territory. Pauli and Feech have a sit down with Tony and agree that the Sal and the nephew should have half the disputed area. Sal is effectively no longer free and is part of the mobster’s empire.
There is also Phil Leotardo a captain in the Lupertazzi Family, and Angelo Garepe who was the Consigliere for the family. Tony has a celebratory lunch with Garepe, his boss Carmine and New Jersey resident under boss Johnny Sachs when Carmine has a heart attack and later dies. Tony contacts his son Little Carmine who he visited last season in Miami which brokered the peace deal the and brought to a halt the Carmine execution which Johnny Sacks had encouraged and which Christopher arranged but then had to kill the assassins when the deal was made
At the Funeral there are heated words between Little Carmine and Johnny Sacks over his decision to place an Opus Dei rosary in the hands of his father as the son regards these as representing a fundamentalist cult which his father would have not been involved with.
In Where’s Johnny it is Phil Leotardo who attempts to move on two loan sharks who pay dues to Little Carmine in Florida. They pull a gun on Lorraine Calluzo and shoot her but placing a phone directory over her chest to absorb the bullet. Lorraine takes her concerns to Tony who tries to act as a peacemaker. Lorraine feels she is being pulled three ways as in addition to Leotardo and Little Carmine she believes Johnny Sachs wants her to fund him exclusively. Tony suggests that Johnny and Little Carmine be recognised as territory bosses together with Angelo and divide the business tribute accordingly. Angelo says he is in semi retirement and wants to enjoy his grandchildren. Tony tries to resolve the situation at a meet with Christopher at his side who he has told not to intervene but Christopher cannot keep quiet and afterwards Tony tells him off perhaps signalling a new rift between the two.
The rivalry between Christopher and Pauli heats up when Pauli not only makes Christopher pay for special dinners but makes a point of over ordering and giving away drinks to strangers with the consequence that Christopher finds himself with $1000 dollar bills The situation comes to a head when forced to cover another night out Christopher only gives $16 dollars to round up the bill to $1200 instead of the usual 10%-15%, The waiter comes out after Christopher to protest and calls them fucking arseholes. Christopher throws a brick and wounds the waiter and Pauli shoot him to shut his potential mouth up, They two men realise things have gone too far and split the tab as a means of burying the hatchet.
Christopher’s woman Adriana continues to report overheard talk or disclosures from Christopher to the FBI but she is not alone. One evening the contractor for the recent apartment development calls with a farewell present for Tony, a contemporary painting of the Rat Pack which is the title of episode 54. Unbeknown to Tony he has been “persuaded” by the FBI task force to wear a wire in his baseball cap and quiz Tony about his contact with corrupt officials pretending to be interested in another important job tender coming up which he would like to undertake in another deal with Tony.
Tony is alerted to the possibility that the contractor is another in the line of FBI spies when Patsi Parisi comments that their earlier meeting was under surveillance. Tony arranges a meeting with Prime Suspect Massarone giving him a frisk during a warm embrace unaware that the device is in the cap. He therefore is uncertain and his comments to his associates are ambiguous. The man is found in the trunk of his car although who killed him is not disclosed. Meanwhile Adriana is becoming more concerned about her position and nearly spills the beans to the wives at the next film society met when they are forced to talk because Tony has disabled the system. Mention is made of the husband of Angie Bonespiero who they believe is in witness protection.
Adriana has developed a relationship with FBI agent Sansevrino who explains what happened to her sister who was killed by a bullet from one of the hand guns made by her criminal boyfriend. Adriana is shocked to learn she could be asked to continue her present role for as long as ten years. She uses this relationship to rat on Tina Francesco, previously her best friend, after she had noted the woman makings eyes at Christopher and talking dirty innuendo. She reveals the woman has been fixing the books from her boss at the clothing store providing her with a second income.
Tony has been looking forward to the release of his namesake from prison for a crime which Tony was to have been directly involved, On release Tony (uncle Al) as he was known to identify him from Tony (Uncle Johnny), declares that he is not interested in getting directly involved in crime again and has been training to become a masseurs and that in the meantime he wants to take a regular job, which understandably bugs his cousin. Tony nevertheless gets him a job collecting laundry. The owner of laundry advises Tony that he is not satisfied with the work and proposes to dismiss his cousin and Tony agrees but is angry at being put in the situation.
In fact Tony is becoming angry with everyone, his wife, Dr Melfi, Christopher and the New York interests. He also become angry with Uncle Junior who at a Sunday gathering appears to ignore what Tony tells him. Tony goes off angry. However Junior is showing all the signs of paranoia dementia. He watches TV thinks he is on screen and is being mocked. He slips out one evening, in bathrobe and slippers, takes his car and goes to his old neighbourhood to the house where is brother lived. Finding him not there he visits a building where he once had slot machine to find it is a church with a youth group. He forgets where he has his car.
He sits on a bench and a homeless woman sit with him appearing to know who he was and offers him sex but Junior goes off in search of his car. He is picked up by police officers who disbelieved that he is Corridor Soprano but they get him to his house where Janice shows his driving licence. Janice and Bobby recognise that Junior is developing Alzheimer’s. They visit Tony who is staying at Livia’s old house now that Janice is married and living with Bobby. Tony says Junior is dead to him.
He reminds of her record of trying to help people in the past, her drug habit and life on the road. There is a brawl as Tony gets angrier and Janice goes off in distress with Tony telling Bobby to control his wife!
On the golf course the neurologist treating Junior explains what is happening may be due the mini strokes and that it is important Junior takes his medication. Tony visits Junior to make peace and Junior advises that Feech is angry that Tony ruled against him in relation to Sal Vitro. Tony is upset that Feech went to Junior but Junior reminds that he is officially head of the family. Tony wants to know why Junior is always saying bad things about him and they both sit quietly getting upset.
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