"I told you many times, Anthony, you were special. You had smarts, personality, leadership potential. All the prerequisites to lead young men onto the field of sport. And now look at the stress you live with."
— Coach Molinaro
Tony S is becoming bored with Valentina. They argue, which results in Valentina getting the long sleeves of her nylon kimono too close to a gas burner while she's trying to cook eggs. She ends up getting burnt badly and survives only because Tony smothers the fire with a blanket.
Angelo and his son visit Tony B in the casino. He provides Tony B the rest of the payment for taking out Joey Peeps, as well as a sign that reads: "Because I'm The Boss...That's Why!" Tony B, enamored with the gift, hangs it up "in a place of honor" in the casino kitchen.
The Leotardo brothers force a car crash on Angelo as he's driving home. They then throttle him and beat him before stuffing him in the back of their car where they shoot him.
The next morning Tony S goes to visit Valentina in a hospital burn unit, ensuring her that he will take care of all her medical bills, but Valentina is delirious from the painkillers she is on and is unable to hold a coherent conversation with him. Afterward, he goes to visit Tony B, lamenting the rotten luck of Valentina getting injured and disfigured just as he was about to break up with her, knowing that splitting with her now will unquestionably make him look like a bad guy. During the visit, Tony notices that his cousin is behaving rather erratically, but he cannot figure out why.
Tony S goes on a business trip to central New York and checks himself into a luxury suite at the Plaza Hotel. Getting bored, he sees an ad for an escort agency and makes a call for an Asian girl. As she waits for her to arrive, he gets a phone call from Silvio, who tells him news of Angelo's assassination. He quickly puts two and two together, and realizes that Tony B was behaving weird because he knew what had happened to Angelo and is now likely to seek revenge against the Leotardo brothers. He desperately tries to contact his cousin, but is unable to get a hold of him. He then frantically calls everyone he can think of who would have a idea where Tony B is, but he has no luck there either, so he tells them to keep an eye out for him. The escort arrives and, at some point, Tony falls into an uneasy sleep.
As he sleeps, Tony S has an extended series of nightmares involving numerous people that he knew, most of them dead by now. The dreams themselves either reflect his guilt over his past crimes or portend worse things yet to come, especially centering around Tony B taking reckless revenge on Phil Leotardo, as well as his troubled relationship with Carmela. At the end of the dream, he walks into his high school's locker room where he confronts Mr. Molinaro, his old football coach, who calls him out on his lifestyle and points out that he didn't have to be a criminal and live with all the stress that comes with being one. Upset, Tony S pulls a gun on Molinaro and attempts to shoot him, but his weapon malfunctions, and the bullets seemingly melt in his hands; all the while, the coach continues to taunt him about showing up unprepared.
Tony S wakes with a start. He looks outside his hotel window to see a central New York still sleeping in the small hours of the morning. The hotel's night manager calls his room's phone and informs him that Christopher has shown up at the hotel to speak with him. Chris breaks the news that Tony B made an attempt to kill both Leotardo brothers during the night, but only managed to kill Billy. Phil survived with minor wounds and is now in the hospital. Tony is now very worried about the repercussions that the New York family may try to inflict on the New Jersey family.
Tony S goes back to bed and, though it is not dawn yet, calls Carmela, explaining to her that, "I had one of my Coach Molinaro dreams." She is half asleep and the two of them have a gentle, slow conversation, suggesting that they may end up back together.
Tropes:
- Actor Allusion:
- Annette Bening also says about Tony, "There's something Bugsy about him." This is a reference to Bugsy Siegel, who was portrayed by Bening's husband Warren Beatty in Bugsy; she co-starred in the film as Bugsy's lover.
- Phil Leotardo shoots Angelo Garepe in the trunk of his car, which is a bit of an in-joke to Frank Vincent's own demise as Billy Batts in Goodfellas.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Angelo pleads with Phil to spare him on the basis of We Used to Be Friends. It doesn't work.
- Anxiety Dreams: Tony S experiences several in succession.
- Tony S has a dream whereby the prostitute's voice in the bed next to him gives way to seeing Carmine Lupertazzi Sr. in the bed next to him. The dream plays out like an Afterlife Antechamber where Carmine Sr. reveals that an afterlife without his beloved wife and cut off from "the man upstairs" is enough to amount to Hell without the need for fire and brimstone and the like. He then answers a phone at Carmine Sr.'s urging. A voice on the other end of the line tells Tony: "Our friend. He's gotta go."
- The next is where he's describing his dream about Carmine Sr. to what at first is assumed to be Dr. Melfi, but is actually Gloria Trillo sitting in Dr. Melfi's chair. Tony asks Gloria what she saw in him, but she turns it around on him and insists that the important question is what Tony saw in her. He ends up likening his therapy sessions as a
Catharsis Factor, although he crudely terms it as "taking a shit". Gloria prefers a giving birth reference. Gloria relates that she never had children as she was Driven to Suicide, partly on account of Her Ticking Biological Clock. She points Tony to a TV screen, leading to... - The next dream. He's in the back seat of the car, with Tony's father, Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano driving in the front seat. The other seats are occupied at different points in the dream by different characters that Tony feels guilt over having hurt (Artie) or killed (Ralph, Big Pussy, and Mikey Palmice).
- The car brings him back to his house. He gets into an argument with Carmela about not being properly dressed and being late for a meeting with Finn's parents, while the TV alternates between movies like Scrooge (1951) and shots of Carmela and Tony himself. The Scrooge reference in particular proposes a Heel–Face Revolving Door for Tony. Tony at one point pulls out a bloody tooth.
- The next dream is with Carmela in the Vesuvio as Charmaine leads them to a table. His hero, Gary Cooper is on the television. He and Carmela now actually do meet meet Finn's parents. Finn's father looks an awful lot like Detective Vin Makazian. Tony shows them his bloody tooth, and another one pops out. He also takes in Charmaine's cleavage. Finn's father sings 'Three Times a Lady', which could be taken as a sarcastic summary of how Makazian felt about Tony's treatment of him.
- Annette Bening is Finn's mother as a Real-Person Cameo. Tony warns her of a realization that something terrible is about to happen.
- Artie motions Tony to the washroom. Tony tries to find a gun above the toilet but can't find one, in an obvious Shout-Out to The Godfather. Tony and Finn's father then take care of business at side-by-side urinals. Tony passes on a copy of The Valachi Papers, regarding it as homework. It doubles as a Continuity Nod to when Big Pussy turned rat, and Foreshadows that Tony is hardly done with FBI rats. Tony remarks that he couldn't find the gun because it's "Real Life". Gunfire outside cues a Gilligan Cut to ...
- Tony B is shooting multiple times at Phil. Phil struggles out of his car, and Tony B seemingly finishes him off with a couple of Finger Guns. Tony S asks Tony B, "Do you know what you just did?" Tony B's reply suggests that he does indeed have lingering resentments over the robbery where he got jailed but Tony S didn't. It turns out that Phil is Not Quite Dead, and asks questions of Gloria, who's holding a mic to him as though she were a journalist. Bystanders at various points ask Tony S why he didn't stop Tony B. The disapproving crowd closes in on Tony S, forcing him to run in the opposite direction. The crowd pursues him in what becomes an Escalating Chase led by Carmela. There's even a Cold Sniper who takes a shot at him but misses. But Artie is waiting for him to provide him with an escape ride. The car ride itself becomes a Gilligan Cut to...
- Artie continues to drive Tony S away. Tony S briefly notices Richie and Gigi sitting in the back. The next scene is of Tony S shagging Charmaine in the hotel room, with Artie right next to them and providing encouragement. Artie tells Tony S that: "She likes it when you rub her muzzle", which itself becomes a Gilligan Cut to...
- Tony S sitting on Pie-Oh-My and petting her. He then gets into an argument that Foreshadows to the possibility of Tony and Carmela reconciling, but where Carmela insists that the horse can't stay in the house. It suggests that Tony showed more love and affection to a racehorse than his own wife, and how his continuous sexual affairs strained their relationship (note the similarity between "whores" and "horse"). Tony also shows Carmela his hidden gun as an assurance that he'll be safe before he goes off to work, which suggests that he'll always be Married to the Job.
- The next dream is of him walking through the hallways of his old high school. He makes his way to the varsity trophy case, pulls out his gun, and puts a silencer on it, as though to destroy a painful reminder that he was Formerly Fit. The halls go dark, and Tony makes his way to the office of his former football coach. The coach is aware of him, and even makes a joke about Tony's gun being bigger than his manhood. They get into an argument that also has shades of a Class Reunion. Coach Molinaro saw himself as being a Sink or Swim Mentor who tried to get Tony away from bad influences and realize his potential, although he's surprised that Artie is doing well as a Supreme Chef. Tony himself plays the Blame Game, pinning his issues on the Coach and his Abusive Parents. The Coach in turn accuses Tony of "taking the easy way out". Tony attempts to kill Coach Molinaro with a shot to the head, but his cartridge falls out just as he pulls the trigger. He struggles to reload the gun, but the bullets melt into poop in his hands as he picks them up. The dreams finally end with Coach Molinaro telling him, "You'll never shut me up!"
- Bearer of Bad News: Chris brings Tony S the news of Tony B's attempt at a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
- Big Brother Bully: Phil frequently belittles and bosses Billy around.
- Blatant Lies: Phil to Angelo: "Johnny wants to see you."
- Call-Back:
- Tony S could smell the burnt hair from Valentina, and it reminds him of when Carmine Sr. said he was smelling burnt hair shortly before his Hollywood Heart Attack. Rule of Symbolism may suggest that Tony S is himself living on borrowed time.
- When Tony picks up the bullets he dropped when he tries to kill Coach Molinaro, the bullets turn into feces in his hands as evidenced by his retching and the bullets going from brass yellow to brown. This is a call back to when he laments to Dr. Melfi that "everything he touches turns to shit".
- Celebrity Paradox: The song that Angelo is listening to on his car radio before he is murdered is "Peanuts" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Frankie Valli's character Rusty Millio is the one that gets Angelo involved in the feud with Johnny Sack that leads him to be killed.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Angelo really lets loose after the Surprise Car Crash.
- Comically Small Bribe: The Guatemalan Old Maid tries to alleviate her situation with Tony S by bringing him Enchiladas. But Tony S isn't impressed, as he just passes them on to Tony B.
- Continuity Nod:
- Tony previously dreamed about being in his father's Cadillac (including the blurry background) in "Calling All Cars".
- When Tony is having sex (in the dream) with Charmaine, she mentions it being better than the sex they had in high school. In "Denial, Anger, Acceptance", Charmaine reveals to Carmela that she had sex with Tony, and asserts it wasn't to her liking.
- When Tony wakes up in bed next to Carmine and the phone rings, Carmine says to Tony, "answer the fucking thing," which is what Carmine says to Johnny Sack in "Fortunate Son" when Johnny's cell phone rings.
- The dream-sequence conversation between Tony and Gloria Trillo refers to events that were revealed in earlier episodes: Tony once hit and choked Gloria, Gloria dies without having had children, and Tony's mother once threatened to poke out her son's eye with a fork.
- The chase scene, in which some men are wearing lederhosen, evokes the angry mob scene in Frankenstein (1931) in which a few men are similarly dressed, and recalls "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" in which Shlomo Teittleman likened Tony to a golem or a Frankenstein; in that same episode, Tony tells Dr. Melfi that the analogy bothered him.
- Creator Cameo: The voice on the other end of the phone in the dream sequence is that of Sopranos creator David Chase.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Angelo gets throttled from behind by Billy, stuffed into the back of Phil's car, beaten mercilessly by Bill, then shot twice in the head by Phil.
- Cuckold: One of Tony's dreams frames Artie as this as he's encouraging Tony while Tony's having sex with his wife Charmaine.
- Distracted by the Sexy: A rather more indirect example. Valentina desperately wants to hold onto Tony the Kavorka Man. She's so absorbed in her argument with him that she fails to notice that her long-sleeved robe is too close to the gas burners of the stove.
- Do Wrong, Right: Played With but also averted. Chris starts off by telling Tony S that Tony B killed Billy Leotardo. Tony asks if Chris meant Phil, hoping for a correction. But Chris insists that it was Billy, while Phil only got "winged". The fact that Tony asks for Phil as a correction, and the look on his face when Chris maintains that only Billy died and Phil survived, says it all. If Tony B really had to go on his Roaring Rampage of Revenge, then Tony S truly would have preferred that it be Phil, first and foremost, to die. Phil surviving (as the powerful Dragon of the New York family) means that he will now move heaven and hell itself to get Revenge for Billy, who in the grand scheme of things had been a low-ranking thug. But the trope itself is averted in that Tony S never has the opportunity to contact Tony B before he goes through with things.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: How Finn's parents speak about their son in one of Tony S' Anxiety Dreams can amount to an almost perfectly abridged version of Carmela and Tony S' issues with their own son, A.J..
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Both Tony S and Carmela comment that whenever he has a dream about Coach Molinaro, it means Tony S was "unprepared".
- Epic Fail: The fact that Tony B killed Billy Leotardo but left Phil the The Dragon alive cannot be considered as anything other than monumental failure.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Tony S can't think of Tony B's attempt to avenge Angelo as anything other than a deep betrayal by his own cousin.
- Facial Horror: Valentina's face is badly burnt following her accident.
- Foreshadowing:
- Tony S to Valentina, "You're not gonna cook, are ya?"
- Angelo delivers payment to Tony B for killing Joey Peeps. The scene also makes a point of emphasizing how close Tony B and Angelo are as Best Friends.
- Tony S calls Carmela towards the end of the episode, and the call itself suggests that they may end up getting back together.
- Carmela comments to Tony S over the phone that Artie's "veal was dry". Artie's reputation as the Supreme Chef will soon come into question.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Paulie, Patsy, and Bobby's son can be found in the crowd witnessing Tony B's faux-execution of Phil.
- From Bad to Worse: Tony was already stressed out as it was over the strained relationship between the New Jersey and New York families. Now Tony B's attempt at a Roaring Rampage of Revenge is bound to make things worse. As Tony S himself puts it: "We're all fucked."
- Harassing Phone Call: Tony has been calling Charmaine's phone regularly without saying a word.
- Instant Waking Skills: Subverted, for the sake of Truth in Television when it comes to the realities of waking up. Tony S is visibly shaken and exhausted after waking from his extended sequence of Anxiety Dreams, and struggles to rouse himself out of bed.
- It's All About Me: Tony is more worried about looking like the bad guy if he breaks up with Valentina too soon after the accident, than about the fact that Valentina is still in agony after suffering horrible burns. He's also oblivious when it's obvious that Tony B is really struggling with issues of his own.Tony S: How the fuck does this shit always happen to me?
- It's Personal: Tony B goes after the Leotardo brothers to avenge his father figure's murder at their hands. On a lighter note, of all the shades of the deceased Tony encounters in his dreamscape, the only one he's outright hostile toward is his old enemy Mikey Palmice.
- Killed Offscreen: Billy Leotardo is murdered offscreen by Tony Blundetto to avenge the death of Angelo Garepe.
- Male Gaze: Tony S really soaks in the sight of a prostitute's butt and visible panties when she's bending over to get a drink. She's probably just teasing him before they get busy.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Angelo nods thoughtfully after Phil insists that Johnny Sack needs to see him right away. He does his best to get out of the situation by trying to get back into his car with the intention of eluding the Leotardo brothers, although it's ultimately in vain.
- Tony S, when Silvio informs him that the Leotardo brothers took out Angelo. Tony S knows that Tony B is likely to try a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, which will only screw up the already delicate situation with the New York family.
- Tony S becomes a Nervous Wreck when he hears the news of Tony B's attempt at a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the Leotardo brothers and that Phil survived.
- Old Maid: Tony S really dislikes the new maid. And since we've known for ages that Tony S is a Politically Incorrect Villain, we also know that her being Guatemalan doesn't help either.
- The One That Got Away: Tony S seems to regard Charmaine as this.
- Parental Substitute: Tony B makes it clear he regards Angelo as one.
- Plot Armor: Admit it, there wouldn't nearly be as much drama for the rest of the series if Frank Vincent wasn't there to play Phil as the Big Bad, instead of getting gunned down by Tony B when he had Phil in his sights.
- Precision F-Strike: Valentina gives one to Tony S when he pours on a cheery demeanor while visiting her in the hospital.
- Punk in the Trunk: What the Leotardo brothers do to Angelo, both stuffing him in alive, and then shooting him to death after he was tucked in.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Tony's dream about his high school football coach, Coach Molinaro, shows that the man saw a lot of potential in Tony and tried to steer him away from the bad influences that eventually led to Tony joining the mob. Molinaro in the dream laments that even if Tony never made it as a football player, he could have easily became a coach himself with his great leadership skills and is disappointed that Tony took "the easy way out".
- Real-Person Cameo: Annette Bening appears as herself in one of Tony S' Anxiety Dreams.
- Retirony: Sort of. Angelo wanted to live a quiet retired life after leaving prison. But he got drawn back into the game by the likes of Rusty Millio, Little Carmine, and Tony S on account of the Succession Crisis overtaking the New York family. And his part in Joey Peeps' death leads to his own death in retaliation. Phil to Angelo: "You couldn't fuckin' retire!?"
- It is also perhaps a Riddle for the Ages whether Tony S mentioning Angelo as the originator of the power-sharing plan was a contributing factor to making Johnny Sack and his allies suspicious of Angelo, or whether Angelo's part in Joey Peeps' death was enough by itself.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Tony B tries to take out both Leotardo brothers. He only succeeds in killing Billy, while Phil survives.
- Rule of Symbolism:
- Angelo gifts Tony B with a sign that reads: "Because I'm The Boss...That's Why!" Tony S is going to spend the rest of season 5 having his authority challenged or questioned or undermined multiple times. And just to make the symbolism that much more explicit, the scene makes a Gilligan Cut to Tony S himself.
- Tony S asks Carmela more than once if the sun has yet risen over her house, but she answers no each time. Tony S is desperately hoping that the Darkest Hour has passed and that things will get better, even though all the obvious signs say otherwise.
- Satellite Love Interest: Valentina has clearly become one for Tony S by now. In fact, he was planning to dump her then and there before her robe caught fire.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode also makes a series of references to Jackie Gleason, both as a musician and as Ralph Kramden. When Tony and Gloria are talking in Dr. Melfi's office, they jokingly repeat Gleason's catchphrase from the show: "One of these days, Alice! Pow! Right in the kisser". The line adroitly references Tony's own physical violence towards Trillo and perhaps suggestively indicates Trillo's own ambivalent attitude towards it, as she too repeats Gleason's phrase. This could also be a glimpse into the meaning of the dream (coming to terms with his cousin's actions) as Tony B frequently quotes Gleason.
- The episode makes multiple references to The Godfather. Annette Bening speaks the line, "I don't want my husband coming out of there with just his cock in his hand," referring to an almost-identical line spoken by Sonny Corleone. Afterward, Tony's reaching behind the toilet tank for the non-existent gun is a reference to a similar scene with Michael Corleone. When Tony Blundetto shoots Phil Leotardo in Tony Soprano's dream, he exits the same make and brand car (Lincoln Continental) in a similar fashion to Sonny Corleone, during the famous toll-booth shooting scene.
- Spanner in the Works: Any efforts by Tony S to smooth things over with the New York family are set back immeasurably by Tony B's attempt at a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the Leotardo brothers and Phil surviving.
- Stalker with a Crush: Tony S claims that he almost got it on with Charmaine in ages past, after what Charmaine claims was a brief fling, involving a session of intercourse she didn't even care for. And he takes to occasionally calling her from numbers other than his own (e.g. a hotel phone) but without speaking to her. He doesn't go through with actually speaking to her because he's well aware that Charmine wants nothing to do with guys like Tony S. Tony S briefly seeing Dr. Melfi in the hotel lobby punctuates that Tony S has exhibited similar behavior towards both women.
- Surprise Car Crash: How the Leotardo brothers corner Angelo while he's trying to drive home.
- Suspicious Spending: Tony S avoids raising attention over his stay in an expensive New York hotel by using a false name and paying in cash. He has to use a credit card to cover incidentals but is careful enough to avoid any charges.
- Suspiciously Apropos Music: One of Tony S' Anxiety Dreams has Finn's father, who looks an awful lot like the late Detective Makazian, recounting his days in his high school glee club by singing "Three Times a Lady". The lyrics themselves could provide a sarcastically perfect summary of how Makazian felt Tony the Ungrateful Bastard had treated him.
- Suspicious Missed Messages: Tony B doesn't answer Tony S' call, and the reason why is painfully obvious.
- Sweet Tooth: Chris hungrily eyes Tony S' Toblerone chocolate bar, and asks Tony for it. Tony obliges, and Chris snatches it up and devours it without hesitation. It lampshades that Chris is a Recovered Addict.
- Themed Aliases: Tony S and Chris give their last names as Petraglia and Montevani respectively to the New York hotel to avoid leaving any traces of their true identities behind for law enforcement.
- Thwarted Escape: Angelo, once he knew what the Leotardo brothers were up to, made what was likely the best possible attempt for him to get out of the situation. He knew he stood no chance in a direct confrontation with the brothers, especially against the much larger and stronger Billy Leotardo. So he makes as though to return to his own car to follow the brothers to Johnny Sack's residence. It was meant to buy himself the opportunity to try and elude the brothers in his own car. Unfortunately for him, the brothers were onto his plan and Billy throttles him from behind, leading to his Cruel and Unusual Death.
- Tranquil Fury: Tony S visits Tony B in his home, and picks up that Tony B seems agitated and angry. And indeed Tony B blows up at his kids over relatively minor things. Tony S' own Selective Obliviousness causes him to misread that Tony B is in fact quite angry over something else altogether. It isn't until he gets the news of Angelo's death from Silvio that Tony S realizes that Tony B was planning a Roaring Rampage of Revenge even that morning.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Several more members of both the New Jersey and New York families will either end up dead or severely harmed on account of Tony B's attempt to avenge Angelo by the time the series reaches its end.
- Voice Changeling: In the dream in Dr. Melfi's office, Gloria actually speaks in both her own voice and Melfi's on different lines.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Tony's interactions with Coach Molinaro suggest that he was an important mentor to the young Anthony because he was one of the few people who saw real potential in him. While Tony ultimately chose to go into the mob life instead of making something of himself, he clearly still hates himself for letting Molinaro down. His entire dialogue with the Coach consists of Tony trying to justify that choice and to bury his regret with anger.
- Wham Episode: Seasons in this series often follow a certain pattern. The first few episodes provide a first act where things get set up. The middle episodes as a second act represent a quiet lull that focuses on the mundane personal lives of various characters. The last few episodes form the third act where the drama and action get kicked into high gear. It's no different for season 5, where Tony B forcibly ties the Jersey family into grievances held by the New York family.
- Wham Shot: It seems that Tony's stay in the Plaza transitions to a visit to Dr. Melfi as he describes the weird dream he had. Then the shot cuts to reveal Gloria sitting in Melfi's chair. Nope, he's still dreaming.
- Wham Line:
- Silvio's voicemail for Tony S: "Angelo got it, last night. Probably Phil."
- Chris to Tony S: "Tony B took out Billy Leotardo."
- You Are Too Late: Tony S tries desperately several times to contact Tony B to convince him not to go after the Leotardo brothers. Tony B ignores him when Tony S calls him directly. Tony S also has the Jersey mob keep their eyes open for Tony B. But it is All for Nothing. Tony S has his extended sequence of Anxiety Dreams. And he wakes up to Chris giving him the bad news that Tony B did indeed try to take out the Leotardo brothers. Only Billy died, while Phil survived and will live for Revenge.
