Well Tony was going on about how well built Janice was in her younger days, it wasn't completely out of left field to suggest what Melfi did.

 

 

I have a feeling Vito will come back, Phil will cap him, Tony will get pissed at Phil for killing Vito and leaving his parents fatherless and just when it looks like a war is going to break out, either Junior or Johnny Sack rolls over on everyone and the "additional episodes" will be the trial and fall out from the whole situation.

 

 

I think you're on to something, except that it will be someone else who flips. They can't use anything Junior tells them since he's not competent and I think having Johnny Sack flip would be way too far off of his character as we know it. I wouldn't be suprised if turns out Christopher would end up flipping after getting set up by Ade's mom (maybe with drugs, since it's what got Ade to flip as well).

Well Tony was going on about how well built Janice was in her younger days, it wasn't completely out of left field to suggest what Melfi did.

 

 

 

I have a feeling Vito will come back, Phil will cap him, Tony will get pissed at Phil for killing Vito and leaving his parents fatherless and just when it looks like a war is going to break out, either Junior or Johnny Sack rolls over on everyone and the "additional episodes" will be the trial and fall out from the whole situation.

 

 

I think you're on to something, except that it will be someone else who flips. They can't use anything Junior tells them since he's not competent and I think having Johnny Sack flip would be way too far off of his character as we know it. I wouldn't be suprised if turns out Christopher would end up flipping after getting set up by Ade's mom (maybe with drugs, since it's what got Ade to flip as well).

The reason I thought Johnny Sack might flip is he's already been worn down in the can and lost the respect of others at the wedding.

 

Another possibility I can see happening is Chris intervening and capping Vito without authorisation, angering both Tony for disobeying him and Phil for robbing him of the chance, Chris rolls over to save himself and so he can see his child. Chris's constant but repressed hate for Tony has gone on for a long time now and if Adriana's mum is becoming suspicious they might offer Chris rehab, immunity and relocation for snitching. Then he could get back to his writing... heh.

 

I'm actually very interested in how they plan to tie up this series but realistically it can only end with one of two things: either the incarceration or death of Tony. However at this point Furio, Johnny Sack (in return for Phil and Tony cutting him out of the business this episode), Chris and even Vito could cause the downfall of the dynasty.

Phil staked his claim to the most badass villian on HBO tonight. Him striding out of the closet (subtle, no?) with the ultimate "NOW WHAT, BITCH?" look on his face had me marking the fuck out.

 

Syl and Carlo channelling Jules and Vincent after shooting Marvin in Pulp Fiction was awesome as well. I half expected Tony to tell Syl he was going to call in the Wolf to clean up their mess.

 

The Carm-and-Ro-in-Paris stuff was worth it for Ro finally calling Carm on being a cunt who always has to say the one thing to depress other people. It's like she's one of those GameKillers in those Axe Commercials.

 

If Tony would have hit AJ with that football helmet instead of using it to break his winshield, it would have been the greatest episode of any show ever.

Vito getting Fish'd... nasty.

 

I guess it's gonna come down to Phil and Tony over who has the right to stop/order who about what since Sack's in the can. Phil could claim Tony was taking his time handling the matter so he had to do what he had to do because Tone wasn't (he could cite the time he let Tony kill his own at the end of season 5. Vito was his in law... he has the right to kill his own). Of course then Tony could retort he WAS arranging it and would have done it in a less messy way... cue huge argument about "action" and "intent" or something similar.

 

Could we see Phil make an aggressive move for the top spot in the aftermath of this?

 

Also, apparently Syl's scene was a nod to Goodfellas, right down to giving Frank Vincent a role in it.

Yeah, it was pretty similar in the "ballbusting leading to brutal murder" aspect.

 

This should be pretty interesting since both sides have a valid point (at least how mob decorum dictates). It was Tony's job to do since Vito was part of his crew, but Phil had to defend his family's honor and couldn't wait any longer for Tony to shit or get off the pot. Adding in the wrinkle of one of Phil's guys getting whacked in what will certainly be seen as retaliation makes for some interesting TV.

Yeah, it was pretty similar in the "ballbusting leading to brutal murder" aspect.

I meant in particular the baseball bat placement. I believe that's how Albert Fish got polished off too.

Hm.

 

Remember Chris capped one of the guys on the Vipers/wine job?

 

I wonder if the other guy that didn't get capped remembers him.

 

I wonder if they'll spot Chris and cap him only for word to get back to Tony, who isn't thinking about the Vipers but is thinking about how Phil, the same Phil who's brother was shot by Tony'c cousin and the same Phil who offed one of his capos before he could even though he told Phil he'd deal with it...

 

Could we see the mob equivalent of heel miscommunication?

 

What about the significance of the beacon Carmella saw compared to the beacon in the "Kevin Finnety" dream that Tony had?

I think the lesson to be learned from last night's episode was:

 

Never piss off a guy while he's holding a BIG FUCKIN' KNIFE.

 

I still laugh out loud every time I think about Sil jumpin' on that whale's back while Carlo stabbed him about five times. Messy.

 

While my peers continue to complain about this season going nowhere, I had high praise for last night's episode. I'm much more interested in seeing these characters go through their arcs and the realism in them all then who gets shot, stabbed or beaten to death next. The violence is just the proverbial cherry on top, like last night's incident.

 

I most enjoyed Carmella's trip to Paris. But I'm really annoyed with her character. She seems intent on being miserable (or at least pretending to be) for some reason. She knows exactly how her lifestyle is provided. Not every husband can afford to give their wife a brand new Louis purse stuffed with stacks of hundred dollar bills. But she constantly and consistently tries to make herself feel guilty about it when things aren't going her way. When she's getting what she wants out of life, everything's fine. Eating out, the new car, the start-up money for the spec house and even when she received that purse, suddenly her eyes well up with tears and she "loves" Tony again. Not to say that her love for him isn't genuine; it is, as evidenced by how she's stood by him through his infidelity and his coma -- or is it that she's simply just too selfish, too accustomed to her way of living to let her meal ticket go? There's a lot of internal conflict in her and she can't decide whether she wants to be a mob boss' wife all the way or have a life of her own and succeed without Tony. She wants independence but she also likes and can't let go of everything that comes with being the First Lady of New Jersey.

 

She struggles with that. To the point of being annoying and at times, I wish she would just make up her damn mind. She knows that without Tony she's nothing and it kills her to see the women around her, who have less in most cases, be stronger, more independent and self-reliant than she is. It came out when she saw Pussy's widow handling business at the body shop. And it reared its ugly head again last night at dinner with 'Ro and she had the nerve to bring up Jackie and Jackie, Jr. I was glad 'Ro lit into her.

 

I was glad to see Tony get AJ on track and finally put his foot down with that kid. God knows he needed it. I was expecting him to kick his ass in that garage but it just goes to show, you don't always have to get physical with your kids to make your point. My own dad only hit me once in his life. All the other times, I got what AJ got last night but much earlier in life. I knew to fear my dad and not cross him. AJ only felt that fear for the first time last night. Long overdue.

Alright, Soprano's related but still pretty much off-topic. I just watched all of Season One for the first time. Does Tony ever bang his pyschatrist?

1. Does it matter?

 

2. Regardless of the answer, why would you want that information spoiled?

It matters to me. I'm curious and don't have access to season 2.

No he never does, in fact it ends up their own little running gag, which is why the first time he sees her after his coma he cracks "not even a pity fuck?"

Bumping to remind folks the not-season-finale-just-the-last-episode-until-January is on tonight.

Anxiously anticipating...

 

those last 8 episodes.

"Why don't you ever bring her around?"

 

Chris' goomar is black, eh? NO BITCH IT'S JULIANNE MARGUILES! HAHA...Tony's gonna be PISSED!

 

Very cool ep. AJ's new Puerto Rican girlfriend was played by Dania Ramirez, who played Callisto in X3.

Tonight's ep made me more certain that Chris has probably flipped to the feds. So many things stood out to me:

 

Chris's speech to Tony about "keeping things above board" seemed to be about more than him banging Juliana. Also them talking at the restaurant and her asking "Are you breaking up with me?". The way Chris said "No" made it seem that there was something bigger than the two of them going on.

 

The FBI guy letting Tony know that Phil's crew is planning to whack someone in Jersey was a big one to me, why would they risk letting Tony know about how much the feds know about the NYC crew if they weren't trying to protect someone they have working for them?

That's some insight there. I never looked at it that way. It did seem especially generous of that agent to just come in and inform Tony that NYC planned to whack one of his guys.

 

I was enjoying Chris and Juliana's dysfuntional relationship. The scene of them getting high together layered over the image of them just hanging out at the movies...classic. They reminded me of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer, just hangin' out on her couch, trying to justify their new lifestyle and then she crawls across the room ("They shoulda never gave you niggas money!"...I'm sorry, I was just reminded of that when I saw it) and vomitted in that receptacle.

 

And how much of a wuss was AJ for giving those kids his mountain bike? He got laid, though (SERIOUSLY laid) for his trouble but that's besides the point. That ass, from an older chick with a kid, cost him a fuckin' bike. I had my suspicions about her, too, just approaching him in that bar like that.

 

Tony knows Carmella like a fuckin' book, too -- the minute he got her spec house approved, she totally dropped the Adriana investigation.

Also them talking at the restaurant...

Watching it again last night, the main thing Chris talks about at the restaurant is being annoyed with the fact that he took this sacred oath and swore to live by this code that's supposed to mean so much yet no one else ever really lives by it anymore. As much as he loves Tony and knows not to cross him, we've seen Chris grow tired of some of Tony's antics and at times, questioned his judgement. A turn isn't out of the question.

From IMDB:

 

 

Cast members of hit mafia series The Sopranos are demanding higher salaries after the show's bosses secured a string of lucrative rerun rights and staggering DVD sales. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who plays Meadow, Robert Iler, who plays A.J., Steven Schirripa, who plays Bobby Bacala, Steven Van Zandt, who plays Silvio Dante, Lorraine Bracco, who plays Dr. Melfi, and Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie 'Walnuts', are all demanding a substantial rise before signing up for the final season, set to begin next month. They've reportedly threatened to walk out unless their wages more than double. However, network HBO is only offering a fraction of their demands, and may be forced to write characters out of the series if they don't settle. A source tells the New York Post, "It's coming down to the wire. HBO just doesn't want to pay. No one has deals and they're very far apart. (Show creator) David Chase has tried to help the actors, but even his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. The guys want (a new deal) to happen. These are the last eight episodes, and the money is going to be coming in for HBO for years to come. But the actors get no residuals - and they want to be compensated. They're being treated like dog s**t." An HBO spokesman refused to comment on the pay reports.

 

I sense the January run starting with a mass whacking.....

These actors are aware of what their deals were. The Sopranos have been a hit since day one, so it's also not like they suddenly got popular and the people involved are just now realizing it. I understand they should be compensated but maybe that's something they should've worked out beforehand, before the last eight episodes were set to start shooting. Trying to pull a Jeff Jarrett at the zero hour when they've known all along about what they'd get on the backend doesn't sit right with me. Also, I noticed I didn't see James Gandolfini or Edie Falco's names mentioned amongst the hold-outs.

Sorry double post.

Yeah, this kind of shit pisses me off. I mean, come on, AJ is what...like, 20? And he's demanding he gets paid more than twice his salary? Perhaps the reason these people specifically are asking for raises is because they know they probably won't be able to land a gig as good as or better than this one, and after this their careers may go nowhere.

 

As for James Gandolfini, I used to work for a doctor's office and one of the patients was the president of HBO. I remember he was telling me that they had huge issues for a while because he was demanding a SERIOUS pay raise. They tried to keep the extent of it quiet, but I think I remember it getting out. So he's already getting what he wants, I'm sure. And for Edie Falco, she know she can do other things other than the Sopranos. I mean, she was on Oz for a while, I believe while still shooting the Sopranos, and she does theatre work, too, I believe.

The rest of the cast already signed deals for the last eight episodes, and HBO probably broke the bank for them. I know James Gandofini and Edie Falco have already signed deals, I think Michael Imperioli, Frank Vincent (Phil), and Vincent Curatola (Johnny Sack) have as well.

 

Robert Iler has the biggest balls of them all though, he's proven to be by far the weakest regularly appearing character on the show and has the gall to ask for double the money to come back? As if the show's going to have unresolved issues if fucking AJ Soprano doesn't come back.

 

If they stick together, they might have HBO by the short hairs. I really can't imagine (and don't want to) a Sopranos without Sil and Paulie. My world would be an empty place.

Gandolfini Surgery Stalls Final 'Sopranos' Episodes

 

The final season of TV mob drama The Sopranos has been delayed to allow actor James Gandolfini to recover from knee surgery. The actor's "unexpected" surgery comes just weeks after he took a tumble from his scooter after colliding with a taxi in New York City - and insiders claim the operation is related to that incident. And the surgery means Gandolfini won't be recovered in time for the planned debut of the final season in January - so bosses at American network HBO have decided to delay the last episodes for two months. But HBO chairman Chris Albrecht insists the finale will be worth the wait: "I know the story lines for the final eight (shows), and I am absolutely positively certain that when the curtain comes down on The Sopranos, the vast majority of people will say it's one of the greatest things of all time."