History Recap / TheSopranosS1E4Meadowlands

* PacManFever: Tony comes in to find A.J. playing ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' and then joins him in the race. We get the correct sounds, there is a cartridge in the ''UsefulNotes/Nintendo64'' and they consistently stay on the same track (Luigi Raceway); A.J. does a bit of button-mashing, but not too egregious. A.J. does mention to Tony that he should "watch out for the ghosts" and, while Boos are one of the weaker items (and a non-avoidable one), they do at least exist in the game. To really nitpick, they complete all three laps of Luigi Raceway in some 20 seconds (though the time shown on the screen shows a more realistic 2 minutes 27 seconds)! All in all a pretty faithful representation of Mario Kart on TV. Oh, and Tony holds the N64 controller one-handed, using the central grip, only moving the analog stick.

* BringMyBrownPants: Discussed. Adriana asks Christopher if he soiled himself in front of a nurse while in the hospital. He dodges the question.

** Chris gives one to Yo-Yo Mendez as well.

* AnxietyDreams: The episode starts with Tony dreaming that everybody finds out that he's seeing a psychiatrist, which at this point in the series is one of his worst fears. The dream ends with Dr. Melfi turning around in her chair, only for her face to be replaced with that of Livia's. That bit provides {{Foreshadowing}} of Tony's ParentalIssues and OedipusComplex with respect to Livia.

** Tony's nightmares where he sees Livia replacing Dr. Melfi in the office will suggest he suffers from a kind of OedipusComplex where he feels drawn to women who share the same qualities as his mother.

* ShesGotLegs: Dr. Melfi wears low-cut skirts during this episode. It gets emphasized during Tony's AnxietyDreams. The point of course is to highlight Tony's growing attraction to her.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Chris has it in his head that going after Uncle Junior and Mikey with bazookas in both arms like Al Montana in ''Film/Scarface1983'' would actually be a good idea.

** Tony (and the rest of the crime family) are arguably even more upset at the demise of Jackie Aprile, Jr.

A.J. gets into a fight with a fellow student, Jeremy, who insults him and rips his shirt at school. After Tony inadvertently runs into Jeremy's father at a garden store and (unknowingly) intimidates him, the latter tells his son to apologize to A.J. and give him the money for a new shirt. A.J. is left confused and bewildered. When he goes to Meadow for advice, she claims that their father is part of the Mafia and his reputation caused Jeremy and his father to back down...

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Jeremy the bully gives A.J. the $40, after being obliged by his father. Jeremy's father previously received [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse An Offer That Can't Be Refused]] from [[TheDreaded Tony]].

* {{Jerkass}}: Makazian Attacks Melfi's date when he really doesn't need to.

* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Jackie Sr. [[{{Foreshadowing}} wants his own son to stay away from the Mafia]], and tells Tony as such.