History Recap / TheSopranosS6E4TheFleshyPartOfTheThigh

* RebuiltPedestal: Paulie initially [[BrokenPedestal disowned]] Nucci after learning both her and Dottie [[MaintainTheLie maintained the charade]] that [[LukeIAmYourFather Nucci was his mother instead of Dottie]]. But then Paulie comes to remember that Nucci did care for him and looked out for him for years. So he goes back to making sure Nucci stays in Green Grove, even if he has to give Jason Barone [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse An Offer He Can't Refuse]] and a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.

* PainToTheAss: Bobby shoots Marvin in the ass, although Marvin had a different body part in mind.

* JustDoingMyJob: The defense that the Paramedic pleads, but Tony doesn't accept it.

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Tony starts to soak in all the [[AnAesop Aesops]] he's been hit over the head with at an {{Anvilicious}} rate. And it starts to show when he has PetTheDog moments like promising Barone's widow that no harm will come to Jason, and not insisting on collecting the $2,000 from the Paramedic. It's up to him whether he'll make it stick and turn it into a genuine HeelFaceTurn.

* ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter: Carmela, perhaps surprisingly, correctly identifies Vito as TheStarscream.

* DrJerk: The insurance company representative is motivated solely by minimizing the costs of Tony's care for the insurance company, and doesn't even remotely make an effort to hide the callousness.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse:
** Tony and Chris make themselves explicit to the paramedic that he can't get out of paying $2,000.
** Paulie gives Jason a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown with a pipe to the legs, forcing Jason to pay him the $4,000 each month for keeping Nucci in Green Grove. He also emphasizes that Jason will surely come to worse harm should he ever tell Tony about the beating.

Tony begins to ponder the meaning of the Ojibwe saying pinned to his hospital billboard. He initially suspects Janice of putting it there, but she denies it. He is then visited by Aaron Arkway and Bob Brewster, who take it upon themselves to try to redeem Tony to a Protestant view of Christianity. Tony finds himself unable to tolerate the self-righteous duo, and starts an argument with Brewster over why his beliefs forbid abortion and birth control, but not Viagra. Brewster shows up a second time, trying to convert Tony to Christian redemption and abandoning his old ways.

** Tony and Chris makes themselves explicit to the paramedic that he can't get out of paying $2,000.

* DeathbedConfession: Aunt Dottie tells Paulie that she's his real mother after getting knocked up by an unidentified soldier during the second World War.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Tony is appalled at seeing a little girl in the hospital with third degree burns. He even calls Paulie out for complaining about his problems in front of her.

** Both Da Lux and Marvin are shown to be [[MeanCharacterNiceActor fairly nice guys]], in stark contrast to the [[IJustWantToBeBadass bad ass images and reputations]] they feel they need to stay relevant in the world of rap music.

* {{Irony}}: Combined with a deliberate deconstruction of racism. Tony the PoliticallyIncorrectVillain has spent the past several days being treated by doctors and nurses of Asian, Black, Indian and Middle Eastern descent. He expresses relief that a white doctor has finally come to provide relief from the "United Colors of Bennetton". His relief quickly plummets to horror and loathing when it's obvious the doctor, actually an insurance rep, is a totally callous DrJerk who's motivated solely by cutting costs for the insurance company no matter the well-being of Tony. It's not clear if it ever sinks in for Tony that the colored doctors and nurses showed him more care and compassion and regard for his well-being as a patient than the white insurance rep he ends up dismissing out of his room.

* JustDoingMyJob: The defence that the Paramedic pleads, but Tony doesn't accept it.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Tony is reluctant to sell Barone Sanitation, because it has for years enabled him to file tax returns and claim health insurance in order to minimize government scrutiny. But he's ultimately forced to [[KnowWhenToFoldEm relent]] when it's [[BullyingADragon Johnny Sack]] who emerges as the interested buyer. And Sack is set on the purchase in order to alleviate the financial situation of his family.

* PetTheDog: Tony decides to let Jason of the hook after hearing desperate pleading from his mother not to hurt him. He also lets the paramedic off from paying the $2,000.

* ShameIfSomethingHappened: Paulie and Patsy show up Jason Barone's dock and imply he'll permanently lose the ability to teach skiing classes or go kayaking if he won't conclude the sale on terms that are favorable to [[TheDon Tony]].

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: "The Three Bells" by The Browns is playing while Jason Barone is kayaking, implying that he's truly a FishOutOfWater with the Barone Sanitation thing. And sure enough, no sooner does he dock his kayak then Paulie and Patsy show up to imply he'll permanently lose certain physical capabilities if he won't make things more favorable for [[TheDon Tony]].

'''Season 6, Episode 4'''
!The Fleshy Part of the Thigh

Marvin agrees to pay Bobby $8,000 to give him a non-fatal gunshot in the "fleshy part of the thigh". Marvin's hope is to gain "street cred" that will enable his rise and fame as a rap artist. However, he pays Bobby $7,000 instead of the agreed upon $8,000, to which Bobby accepts reluctantly. Later, Bobby [[PainToTheAss shoots him in the ass]] instead of the thigh.

Dick Barone has passed away. His son, Jason, wants to sell the company and is unaware that it's a front for the [=DiMeo=] crime family. Jason can't back out because Johnny Sack takes an interest in buying the company to alleviate the financial situation of his own family. Tony is reluctant, because the company allows him to file tax returns and claim health insurance as a cover for money earned from his illegal operations. They end up negotiating with each other through a series of offers and counteroffers delivered through their representatives, Phil and Paulie.

Jason wants to renegotiate the sales contract when the Jersey mobsters make it clear that he'll have to compensate Tony himself should Tony not get what he needs. The owner of the Cinelli company won't let Jason back out of the signed deal. Matters escalate when Cinelli workers ambush a Barone driver and beat him nearly to death with lead pipes. Tony castigates Jason for not consulting him prior to the sale, and letting matters get as far as the attack on the driver.

Paulie receives a shocking revelation from Dottie, a nun whom he always thought was his Aunt. It turns out that Dottie is actually his mother, and conceived Paulie with a soldier named Russ during World War 2. Paulie becomes terrified of having his status in the mob deteriorate should it come out that he's not fully Italian. He refuses to attend Dottie's funeral, and disowns Nucci for maintaining the charade of being his mother for years. Tony calls him out on being a hypocrite, pointing out all the times that Nucci looked out for him. Jason's mother arrives, and pleads with Tony to spare Jason from any harm. Paulie leaves on the verge of tears, as the scene reminds him of all the times Nucci cared for him.

** Tony is on his hospital bed watching an episode of ''Series/KungFu''. The show itself still has some controversy owing to its lead actor, Creator/DavidCarradine of primarily Irish descent, playing a half-Asian practitioner of martial arts. And cue Paulie, now suffering from fears of HalfBreedDiscrimination after learning from Nucci and Dottie that Dottie is actually his mother through an unknown father, walking in on Tony.

* PetTheDog: Tony decides to let Jason of the hook after hearing [[AdultFear desperate pleading from his mother]] not to hurt him. He also lets the paramedic off from paying the $2,000.

Dick Barone has passed away. His son, Jason, wants to sell the company and is unaware that it's a front for the DiMeo crime family. Jason can't back out because Johnny Sack takes an interest in buying the company to alleviate the financial situation of his own family. Tony is reluctant, because the company allows him to file tax returns and claim health insurance as a cover for money earned from his illegal operations. They end up negotiating with each other through a series of offers and counteroffers delivered through their representatives, Phil and Paulie.

* AdultFear: Dick Baron's widow, and Jason's mother, shows up at the hospital to beg Tony not to do any harm to Jason on account of the whole situation with the sanitation company.

* StrawCharacter: Almost nothing is safe from condemnation by the HolierThanThou Bob Brewster, including Tony having been RaisedCatholic. So Tony decides to give Bob [[HoistByHisOwnPetard some of his own medicine]] by starting an argument over why Bob's beliefs forbid abortion and birth control pills, but not Viagra, which can increase sexual {{Lust}}. Bob remains blithely unaware of the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Strawman Fallacy]] that Tony points out.

* LukeIAmYourFather: Aunt Dottie reveals to Paulie, on her death bed, that she's actually Paulie's father after getting knocked up by an unknown soldier during World War II.

* StrawCharacter: Almost nothing is safe from condemnation by the HolierThanThou Bob Brewster, including Tony having been RaisedCatholic. So Tony decides to give Bob [[HoistByHisOwnPetard some of his own medicine]] by starting an argument over why Bob's beliefs forbid abortion and birth control pills, but not Viagra, which can increase sexual {{Lust}}. Bob remains blithely unaware of the StrawmanFallacy that Tony points out.

* StealingFromTheTill: Tony suspects that the Parademic pocketed $2,000 from his as part of the "wallet biopsy".

* RebuiltPedestal: Paulie initially [[BrokenPedestal disowned]] Nucci after learning both her and Dottie [[MaintainTheLie maintained the charade]] that [[LukeIAmYourFather Dottie was his mother instead of Dottie]]. But then Paulie comes to remember that Nucci did care for him and looked out for him for years. So he goes back to making sure Nucci stays in Green Grove, even if he has to give Jason Barone [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse An Offer He Can't Refuse]] and a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.

* FishOutOfWater: Jason Barone insists on selling Barone Sanitation, even though it has served [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub important purposes]] for a mobster like Tony, and despite more than one warning that he shouldn't and having the hint dropped to him that there are Mob interests involved. But he stubbornly persists in the [[DidntThinkThisThrough delusion]] that he can rake in the cash by selling a Mob-fronted business and walk away clean without any repercussions. And sure enough, RealityEnsues...

** Then there's the deal between Bobby and Marvin, whereby Bobby will give Marvin a non-fatal shot so that Marvin can rise to rap fame. But then an EpicFail ensues when Bobby shoots Marvin [[PainToTheAss in the ass]] instead of the "fleshy part of the thigh".

* PetTheDog:
** Tony decides to let Jason of the hook after hearing [[AdultFear desperate pleading from his mother]] not to hurt him.
** He also lets the paramedic off from paying the $2,000.

* ScyllaAndCharybdis: Jason Barone finds himself between a rock and a hard place. If Jason goes ahead with the original deal and fulfills Tony's demands, he'll lose money. If he doesn't give Tony what he wants, well...Paulie and Patsy have already spelled out the implications for him]]. And then the purchaser, Mr. Chinelli, [[ReadTheFinePrint won't let him back out of the signed contract]].

* HolierThanThou: Bob Brewster, despite his cheery demeanor, comes across as insufferably self-righteous to the point that he's obviously constructed as a StrawCharacter.

* FishOutOfWater: Jason Barone insists on selling Barone Sanitation, even though it has served [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub important purposes]] for a mobster like Tony, and despite more than one warning that he shouldn't and having the hint dropped to him that there are Mob interests involved. But he stubbornly persists in the [[DidntThinkThisThrough delusion]] that he can rake in the cash by selling a Mob-fronted business and walk away clean without any repercussions. And sure enough, RealityEnsues ...

* ScyllaAndCharybdis: Jason Barone finds himself between a rock and a hard place. If Jason goes ahead with the original deal and fulfills Tony's demands, he'll lose money. If he doesn't give Tony what he wants, well ... [[ShameIfSomethingHappened Paulie and Patsy have already spelled out the implications for him]]. And then the purchaser, Mr. Chinelli, [[ReadTheFinePrint won't let him back out of the signed contract]].

* ThousandYardStare: Paulie is distracted by his fears of HalfBreedDiscrimination and his shattered images of both Dottie and Nucci and in the middle of a sensitive negotiation between Tony and Phil.

* {{Anvilicious}}:
** The Ojibwe message on the hospital billboard that reads: "Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky". Tony begins to earnestly ponder what [[AnAesop Aesop]] to take away from it.
** John Schwinn draws out one of the [[AnAesop Aesops]] that much more explicitly with his ChekhovsLecture on ''UsefulNotes/QuantumPhysics'' theories of how there is no such thing as truly separate entities in the universe, and everything is interconnected together as part of the [[SentientCosmicForce same grand energy pattern]]. Tony is particularly thoughtful when Schwinn describes two tornadoes as being connected together as different patterns of the same "wind".
** And in a hospital room where Black people, Italian Americans, and a WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant are enjoying a boxing match together, there's no mistaking what at least one the intended [[AnAesop Aesops]] is. Everyone is [[TheFourLoves equal and connected together as part of the human race]].
** Tony seeing a little girl being treated for third degree burns all over her body moves him to reach another [[AnAesop Aesop]].
** [[TheFundamentalist Bob Brewster]] pays Tony another visit, and tells Tony [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor recovering from his coma is God giving him another chance to change his ways and save his soul]].
** That John Schwinn is dying of [[TheTopicOfCancer Laryngeal Cancer]] becomes a scary reminder to Tony that, even with his second chance, his [[WeAllDieSomeday remaining time on earth is still limited]].
** Tony progressively internalizes the [[AnAesop Aesops]] as well. Like when he tells Paulie that they're all part of a greater whole. He even tells Janice near the end of the episode, "From now on, every day is a gift". He's started to step through a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

* CloseToHome: Paulie seeing Dick Baron's widow [[AdultFear beg Tony for Jason's life]] reminds him of the numerous times Nucci looked out for him. He leaves on the verge of tears.

* DeathbedConfession: Aunt Dottie tells Paulie that she's his [[LukeIAmYourFather real mother]] after getting knocked up by an unidentified soldier during the second World War.

** However conflicted Paulie might feel about the [[LukeIAmYourFather revelation as to his parentage]], he is still deeply saddened by the news of Dottie passing away.

* {{Irony}}: Combined with a deliberate deconstruction of racism. Tony the PoliticallyIncorrectVillain has spent the past several days being treated by doctors and nurses of Asian, Black, Indian and Middle Eastern descent. He expresses relief that a white doctor has finally come to provide relief from the "United Colors of Bennetton". His relief quickly plummets to horror and loathing when it's obvious the doctor, actually an insurance rep, is a totally callous DrJerk who's motivated solely by cutting costs for the insurance company no matter the well-being of Tony. It's not clear if it ever sinks in for Tony that the colored doctors and nurses showed him more care and compassion and regard for his well-being as a patient than the white insurance rep he ends up [[CountryMatters dismissing out of his room]].

* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Tony is reluctant to sell Barone Sanitation, because it has for years enabled him to file tax returns and claim health insurance in order to minimize government scrutiny. But he's ultimately forced to [[KnowWhenToFoldEm relent]] when it's [[BullyingADragon Johnny Sack]] who emerges as the interested buyer. And Sack is set on the purchase in order to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes alleviate the financial situation of his family]].
* LukeIAmYourFather: Aunt Dottie reveals to Paulie, [[DeathbedConfession on her death bed]], that she's actually Paulie's father after getting knocked up by an unknown soldier during World War II.

** Tony is on his hospital bed watching an episode of ''Series/KungFu''. The show itself still has some controversy owing to its lead actor, ''Creator/DavidCarradine'' of primarily Irish descent, playing a half-Asian practitioner of martial arts. And cue Paulie, now suffering from fears of HalfBreedDiscrimination after learning from Nucci and Dottie that Dottie is [[LukeIAmYourFather actually his mother through an unknown father]], walking in on Tony.
** Tony reads a book on dinosaurs, remembering that he used to read such books as a kid. And it turns out, so do the kids of [[TheFundamentalist Bob Brewster]]. It helps Tony appreciate the [[AnAesop Aesop]] that any lifeform, no matter how powerful or on top of the world it had been in its prime, [[WeAllDieSomeday will inevitably die someday]].

* SentientCosmicForce: How John Schwinn sees the universe, informed by his background in ''UsefulNotes/QuantumPhysics''.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: "The Three Bells" by The Browns is playing while Jason Barone is kayaking, implying that he's truly a FishOutOfWater with the Barone Sanitation thing. And sure enough, no sooner does he dock his kayak then Paulie and Patsy show up to [[ShameIfSomethingHappened imply he'll permanently lose certain physical capabilities]] if he won't make things more favorable for [[TheDon Tony]].

* ThousandYardStare: Paulie is distracted by his fears of HalfBreedDiscrimination and his [[BrokenPedestal shattered images of both Dottie and Nucci]], and in the middle of a [[DoYouWantToHaggle sensitive negotiation]] between Tony and Phil.

** Paulie temporarily [[BrokenPedestal disowns]] Nucci, feeling that Nucci was ungrateful for [[MaintainTheLie maintaining the charade]] of [[LukeIAmYourFather his parentage]] while he supported her over the years.

** He also lays into Jason Barone for letting the sale situation go far enough to result in a Barone driver getting [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beaten half to death]].

** And in a hospital room where Black people, Italian Americans, and a WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant are enjoying a boxing match together, there's no mistaking what at least one the intended [[AnAesop Aesops]] is. Everyone is [[LoveYouAndEverybody equal and connected together as part of the human race]].