History Recap / TheSopranosS4E7WatchingTooMuchTelevision

** Paulie in turn feels the same way about Tony never having visited him during the stint in jail.

* CallBack: The sound of "Nancy the Laughing Face" by Music/FrankSinatra causes Paulie to remember the execution of [[Recap/TheSopranosS2E13Funhouse Big Pussy]], as a different Sinatra tune [[MeaningfulEcho had been playing then]].

* The HUD scam itself is such on multiple levels. First, it involves enriching guys like [[TheMafia Tony the Mafiaso]], Zelman the CorruptPolitician, and Tiffen the SellOut with government funds that are meant to improve impoverished Black neighborhoods, not exploit them further. Tiffen also heads a youth program that's meant to get Black youth out of youth gangs, not encourage them to sink even further into the lifestyle. And yet he does the latter, albeit with some coercion, because Tony really wants that extra $7,000 for the piping in the houses.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The HUD scam itself is such on multiple levels.
** It involves enriching guys like [[TheMafia Tony the Mafiaso]], Zelman the CorruptPolitician, and Tiffen the SellOut with government funds that are meant to improve impoverished Black neighborhoods, not exploit them further.
** Tiffen also heads a youth program that's meant to get Black youth out of youth gangs, not encourage them to sink even further into the lifestyle. And yet he does the latter, albeit with some coercion, because Tony really wants that extra $7,000 for the piping in the houses.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: A Black kid in Newark asks [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]], "Is there going to be a nice house here now?" Not a word in reply emerges from Zelman's mouth.

** Tony gave Paulie a big wad of cash and threw a welcome back party for him. So it's a given Tony has a negative reaction when Paulie brings up his financial grievances right away.

* PetTheDog:
** Tony gives Chris some surprisingly tender advice about his love life and convinces him to forgive Adriana.
** Silvio joins Tony in defending Ade to Christopher.

** Tony also physically assaults Zellman for daring to date his old flame Irina, not because he wants to get her back, but because Tony can't stand seeing someone enjoying something that was once "his".

* HesBack: The welcome home party for Paulie.

As Furio waits in the car while Tony meets with Zellman and Tiffen, he looks through an envelope of photographs left in the car, focusing on pictures of Carmela. He calls her under the pretense of asking if he left a pair of sunglasses at the house, and takes the opportunity to compliment her appearance in the photographs. Both quickly back away from this more overt flirtation, with Carmela quickly steering the phone call in a more formal direction. Fearing he has crossed a line, Furio refuses to go inside the Soprano home for coffee the next time he picks Tony up, leaving Carmela disappointed.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Once Furio recognizes his feelings for Carmela, he becomes uncomfortable with the repercussions, especially should Tony find out. He begins distancing himself from her, staying out in the car instead of coming to the house.

* {{Greed}}: A defining attribute for many of the main characters in the series, especially Tony. But it takes center stage and UpToEleven in this episode. The HUD scam itself amounts to taking selfish advantage of funds that are meant to ameliorate the impoverished conditions of Black urban communities. But even that isn't good enough for Tony. He wants to maximize value by pillaging the houses for their piping, even if it means having Tiffen send youth gangsters armed with guns to roust out the squatters.

As Adriana tries on wedding dresses with a bridesmaid, she casually references the law against compelling spouses to testify against each other. The bridesmaid is skeptical, claiming this is an urban myth. Adriana consults with a lawyer, learning the stipulations of the law in question and given the short answer that she can probably be compelled even after marrying Christopher. The FBI, meanwhile, is optimistic about the upcoming marriage, seeing it not as a roadblock but an opportunity to get their informant closer to the organization. In light of this discouraging news, Adriana has trouble putting on a happy face at her own bridal shower.

* CaughtInTheBadPartOfTown: A downplayed example. The locals in the rundown Black ghetto make themselves clear to Tony and A.J. that they aren't welcome if they aren't there to buy drugs. Despite one of the locals drawing a gun, and Tony TemptingFate by being a DeadpanSnarker, they're allowed to drive out without further incident.

* GoldenAge: Tony relates to A.J. that Newark was once a great Italian-American neighborhood, and the equivalent of Ellis Island for immigrants come to New Jersey. He bemoans that it has since become a dilapidated Black ghetto.
* {{Greed}}: A defining attribute for many of the main characters in the series, especially Tony. But it takes center stage and UpToEleven in this episode. The HUD scam itself amounts to taking selfish advantage of funds that are meant to ameloriate the impoverished conditions of Black urban communities. But even that isn't good enough for Tony. He wants to maximize value by pillaging the houses for their piping, even if it means having Tiffen send youth gangsters armed with guns to roust out the squatters.

* InsultBackfire: Paulie tries to hold out his single-status as a more enjoyable life than being shackled in a marriage. Silvio and Tony end up turning the joke around on Paulie.

* LawOfInverseFertility: Chris and Adriana want children together. Problem is, Adriana had her uterus damaged by a previous abortion.

** [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]] develops one after being on the receiving end of the ArmorPiercingQuestion from the kid in Newark noted above. Even Tiffen notices that he's unusually quiet afterwards.

* SellOut: [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]] and Tiffen admit to each other that they've become sell outs, and a far cry from the younger idealists they once were.

** Tony gave Paulie a big wad of cash, and threw a welcome back party for him. So it's a given Tony has a negative reaction when Paulie brings up his financial grievances right away.
** Paulie in turns feels the same way about Tony never having visited him during the stint in jail.

'''Season 4, Episode 07'''
!Watching Too Much Television

Tony draws Carmela's civilian cousin Brian further into his circle, inviting him to the welcome home party for recently-released Paulie Walnuts at the Bada Bing. The next morning, Brian, Tony and Ralph are the only partygoers left. Going out for breakfast, the conversation turns to real estate and Brian offhandedly mentions a HUD scam he heard about in college. Despite insisting they are just talking as friends, Tony and Ralph are impressed enough to carry out the scam for themselves. Tony brings the plan to Assemblyman Zellman and his associate Maurice Tiffen, who runs a non-profit low-income housing organization which can be used as a front to buy up derelict properties. After Tony and Ralph meet with Zellman and Tiffen, they agree to the plan. After the meeting, Zellman confesses to Tony that he is now dating Irina, Tony's former goomah. Tony doesn't seem to mind.

After watching an episode of ''[[Series/MurderOne Murder One]]'' on television, Adriana gets the idea that a wife cannot be called to testify against her husband, and quickly jumps on the opportunity, asking Christopher to set a wedding date. Christopher is receptive, but when the topic of children comes up, Adriana confesses the secret that she may be unable to conceive. Christopher quickly storms out in anger and shoots up heroin in his car. He later consults Tony, Silvio and others, who all recommend he marry Adriana despite her possible infertility. Lifelong bachelor Paulie is the exception, insisting that marriage and the mob don't mix, but nobody takes his input very seriously. As the wedding plan is set, Adriana tells the other mob wives - Carmela in particular is elated to hear the news.

Tony drives AJ around Newark, first showing him a church and commenting on the integrity of the structure, attributing it to the dedication and craftsmanship of Italian-American stonemasons like Tony's grandfather. AJ is mostly disinterested in Tony's history lesson. Later they stop by the properties Tony plans to flip, and Tony has a confrontation with some of the crackheads who live there, a brother and sister who tell him to leave their block while he and AJ make fun of them. When the brother shows Tony a gun, he relents and leaves, not wanting to start trouble in front of his son. AJ is much more interested in this encounter. At a session with Dr. Melfi, Tony complains about his son's {{skewed priorities}}, but Melfi changes the subject to Tony's temper problem, referencing his recent outburst in her office after learning about Gloria Trillo's death, as well as other incidents in which he was physically intimidating towards her. Tony references his de-escalation of the situation with the crackheads as an instance of improvement with his temper problem. Dr Melfi asks Tony to have the same patience with her he'd have with a crackhead.

As Adriana tries on wedding dresses with a bridesmaid, she casually references the law against compelling spouses to testify against each other. The bridesmaid is skeptical, claiming this is an urban myth. Adriana consults with a lawyer, learning the stipulations of the law in question and givien the short answer that she can probably be compelled even after marrying Christopher. The FBI, meanwhile, are optimistic about the upcoming marriage, seeing it not as a roadblock but an opportunity to get their informant closer to the organization. In light of this discouraging news, Adriana has trouble putting on a happy face at her own bridal shower.

Paulie meets with Johnny Sack in person, continuing to feed him information. This time, he tells Johnny about the HUD scam. Johnny is bothered by this lucrative real estate deal Tony is running without cutting him in, and the fire is further stoked when Paulie mentions that the scam is mainly a collaboration between Tony and Ralph, who Johnny still despises. Meanwhile, Tony makes an unexpected visit to Zellman's house. After briefly encountering Irina, which unsettles Tony, he gets down to business, telling Zellman that the crackheads squatting in the HUD properties need to be cleared out so that $7,000 worth of piping can be stripped from the houses to maximize profits off the scam. Zellman is reluctant, and assigns responsibility to Tiffen, suggesting he send black kids from his after-school program to do the task, as white men violently clearing the properties would draw too much attention. Tiffen is reluctant to carry this out, but ultimately none of the men want to lose the $7,000. A group of kids roll up to the block and open fire into the crackhouses. Among the squatters forced out are the brother and sister Tony had confronted earlier, as well as the woman's young daughter. During the shootout the brother catches a ricocheted bullet in the groin, while the child witnesses everything.

* HopeSpot: Adriana hopes she can force herself out of her MortonsFork by getting married to Chris, thereby protecting herself against any legal compulsion to testify. However, RealityEnsues ...

** The [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]] itself relies on a corrupt property appraiser artificially inflating the value of the Garside Street houses through a false appraisal, with Tony and his partners pocketing the windfall.

* GilliganCut: Tiffen getting the HUD application approved cuts to Tony and Brian entering Tony's basement. The sequence conveys the {{Irony}} that Tony's basement doesn't look that different from the rundown houses that are the subject of the [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]].

* LooseLips: Paulie leaks information about the [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]] to Johnny Sack.

** Brian has this reaction when he realizes that Tony took his [[ChekhovsClassroom explanation]] of how a [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]] works and put it into motion.

* RealEstateScam: The HUD scam.
* RealityEnsues: Had Adriana been correct in her assumption that marrying Chris would have shielded her from testifying against him, it would have been an example of ArtisticLicenseLaw. Instead, both her friend and a lawyer she seeks advice from [[TruthInTelevision give it to her straight]]. There's numerous exceptions in American law on spousal privilege, communications before the marriage, communications in the presence of a third party, and communications in furtherance of a crime. Anyone who's been watching the show will realize she qualifies for all three. Getting more accurate information on the scope of the law crushes her HopeSpot and sends her full on into a DespairEventHorizon.

* LoopholeAbuse: Adriana watches an episode of ''Series/MurderOne'' and gets the idea that getting legally married to Chris can shield her from testifying, thereby giving her a different kind of [[TakeTheThirdOption Third Option]] out of the MortonsFork she's been placed in. However, RealityEnsues ...

* GuiltComplex: [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]] develops one after being on the receiving end of the ArmorPiercingQuestion from the kid in Newark noted above. Even Tiffen notices that he's unusually quiet afterwards.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Brian has this reaction when he realizes that Tony took his [[ChekhovsClassroom explanation]] of how a [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]] works and put it into motion.

Tony drives AJ around Newark, first showing him a church and commenting on the integrity of the structure, attributing it to the dedication and craftsmanship of Italian-American stonemasons like Tony's grandfather. AJ is mostly disinterested in Tony's history lesson. Later they stop by the properties Tony plans to flip, and Tony has a confrontation with some of the crackheads who live there, a brother and sister who tell him to leave their block while he and AJ make fun of them. When the brother shows Tony a gun, he relents and leaves, not wanting to start trouble in front of his son. AJ is much more interested in this encounter. At a session with Dr. Melfi, Tony complains about his son's skewed priorities, but Melfi changes the subject to Tony's temper problem, referencing his recent outburst in her office after learning about Gloria Trillo's death, as well as other incidents in which he was physically intimidating towards her. Tony references his de-escalation of the situation with the crackheads as an instance of improvement with his temper problem. Dr Melfi asks Tony to have the same patience with her he'd have with a crackhead.

** Also, Johnny saying he's hurt that Paulie even asked whether his [[LooseLips information leak]] will be kept confidential.
* CallBack: The sound of "Nancy the Laughing Face" by ''Music/FrankSinatra'' causes Paulie to remember the execution of [[Recap/TheSopranosS2E13Funhouse Big Pussy]], as a different Sinatra tune [[MeaningfulEcho had been playing then]].

* ConfirmedBachelor: Paulie.

* DontYouLikeIt: Brian is very reluctant to accept the gift of an expensive new watch from Tony, as it ties in with his reaction (noted below) of MyGodWhatHaveIDone

* {{Greed}}: A defining attribute for many of the main characters in the series, especially Tony. But it takes center stage and UpToEleven in this episode. The [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]] itself amounts to taking selfish advantage of funds that are meant to ameloriate the impoverished conditions of Black urban communities. But even that isn't good enough for Tony. He wants to maximize value by pillaging the houses for their piping, even if it means having Tiffen send youth gangsters armed with guns to roust out the squatters.

* GuiltComplex: [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]] develops one after being on the receiving end of the ArmorPiercingQuestion from the kid in Newark noted above. Even [[SellOut Tiffen]] notices that he's unusually quiet afterwards.
* HeroismWontPayTheBills: One of the reasons Tiffen involves himself in the [[RealEstateScam HUD scum]] is that he's undergoing an expensive divorce.

** Tiffen also heads a youth program that's meant to get Black youth out of youth gangs, not encourage them to sink even further into the lifestyle. And yet he does the latter, albeit with some coercion, because Tony [[{{Greed}} really wants that extra $7,000 for the piping in the houses]].

* MaintainTheLie: Brian takes the power drill up with him, to maintain Tony's [[BlatantLies Blatant Lie]] to Carmela that they were discussing tools in the basement instead of the [[RealEstateScam HUD scam]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Johnny Sack continues to stroke Paulie's ego for [[LooseLips information]].

* SellOut: [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]] and Tiffen admit to each other that they've become sell outs, and a [[TookALevelInCynic far cry from the younger idealists they once were]].

* TheDreaded: Tiffen is initially reluctant to send Black youths armed with guns to rout out the squatters. All it takes is for [[CorruptPolitician Zelman]] to indicate that guys like Tony [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse are not to be crossed]] to bring him in line.
* TookALevelInCynic: Both [[CorruptPolitician Assemblyman Zelman]] and Tiffen admit to each other, years after having started out as young idealists and getting nowhere with it, that they've become [[SellOut Sell Outs]].