OTH: The Sopranos- "Isabella" / "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"
Plus final thoughts on season 1!
Season 1, Episode 12
Aired March 28, 1999
Directed by Allen Coulter
Written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
Synopsis: Tony’s depression, partly caused by Pussy’s disappearance but also offset by his cocktail of lithium and Prozac, has him functioning at an all-time low. He rarely leaves his house, but makes his way over to the Cusamano’s house and sees a beautiful young woman, Isabella, who is staying there while they’re away as she studies for dental school. They exchange pleasantries and later have lunch when he sees her again after an appointment with Dr. Melfi, who ups his Prozac usage. When he tells Carmela about their lunch, she’s furious that he was able to find time with some young floozie while he’s wallowing around with his loved ones and threatens to cut his dick off. Here’s the strange thing, though- when the Cusamanos return, they don’t know what Tony is talking about when he mentions the girl, nor does Carmela when he brings up their argument. He calls Dr. Melfi and she tells Tony to stop taking lithium immediately, but insists that his encounter with Isabella, imagined or not, has meaning.
Depression or not, Junior’s hit on Tony remains, and he has a couple of men watch him when Tony and Christopher step out to get donuts. They fail to do the job when Chris won’t get out of the way. While Junior is starting to get cold feet about the attack, and Livia would rather it not happen, he doesn’t call it off, and the two men try again the next day when he’s at the newsstand, when one shoots at Tony’s glass of orange juice. He runs to the car and is able to hold his own when that hired gun reaches for him through the window, where he accidentally shoots his partner and Tony pulls him off while driving away. Unfortunately, Tony did receive a shot to the ear and crashes his car into another one at high speed, which sends him to the ER with an injured leg. Here, he’s met by an FBI agent who offers Tony a full pardon and witness protection if he testifies against the DiMeo family. He refuses, insisting that this was merely a carjacking, but Carmela listens and contemplates the offer. Tony won’t hear anything about it, but he knows that someone put a hit out on him, possibly due to him seeing a therapist. His crew believes that Junior, who may be aware that Tony is making calls behind his back, is responsible for the hit, but he doesn’t respond. Junior doesn’t act noteworthy when he arrives at his nephew’s house, but something is up with Livia when she doesn’t recognize her granddaughter. Junior comes barging at her place later, noting how convenient it is that her memory has disappeared.
I’ll be honest, Dr. Melfi’s read on Isabella, how she thinks of the woman as a Madonna-esq figure who Tony sees as nourishing, is a little on the nose, trying way too hard to make us see the subtext as context. By this point, I think Sopranos fans deserve to have earned the benefit of the doubt and don’t need the idea spoon-fed to them.
She is right, though, Tony’s desire for some kind of maternal comfort has driven at least part of his arc over the show’s run. Livia continues to remain unsatisfactory as a maternal figure, a position Carmela understandably refuses and Dr. Melfi can only offer to such an extent. The image of an Italian woman close to his family’s neck of the woods is enticing, and the dream he has of her rocking a baby boy clearly recalls the connotation. Tony has consistently had strong men in his life, from his uncle to Richie Aprile to Paulie and Silvio, all enough to balance out a neglectful father figure, but a harmful mother is harder to shake off.
Tony’s continuing suffering of grief, compounded due to a combination of Pussy’s departure, Vin Makazian’s untimely death (not addressed but likely still looming large) and intensive medication results in a miserable time for not just him but his loved ones, and this isn’t made easier by a botched assassination attempt. The fact that it’s called by his uncle, and that Tony’s own mother appears apathetic about it is currently lost on him but shows the danger of his lifestyle, one that despite what he may otherwise claim, Tony clearly loves.
He’s given an easy out with witness protection but refuses it, possibly recalling what Tony did to Febby Petrulio, but also because at the end of the day, he loves being a mobster. It’s what he knows. It’s what he’s meant to be. Rather, this is the logic Tony tells himself whenever he’s given an out, but how true is that? To recall another earlier episode, Johnny Boy Soprano was offered his own chance to leave and go clean, a position he nearly took before Livia shot it in the foot. If anything, the reason Johnny didn’t leave may not be too far removed from why Tony can’t even humor it- leaving Jersey, leaving his mother, despite being her only child who checks in on her is too big of a burden for Tony to even consider. But it may be the right call, even if it’s far from an easy one.
Good episode!
Season 1, Episode 13
Aired April 4, 1999
Directed by John Patterson
Written by David Chase
Synopsis: First order of business- Junior gives permission to whack Jimmy, as he takes Tony’s credible belief that he’s a mole to heart. Chris takes Jimmy to meet with Russian sex workers, but this is actually a ruse to have Silvio come from behind and blow his brains out. That solves one problem for now, but another persists as Livia’s dementia is worsening. She storms over to Tony’s house to rant at her late sister, who she confuses Meadow for. When Tony tells Dr. Melfi about this new encounter, she suggests a theory that his mother is responsible for the hit set out on him, believing that she has borderline personality disorder. Tony lashes out at the idea and breaks her glass table, storming out. He soon realizes that Dr. Melfi was onto something, though, when Tony has a meeting with a couple of FBI agents who reveal that they have his mother’s room tapped, playing him audio of Livia and Junior discussing Tony’s psychiatry and planning his inevitable hit. Tony meets with his crew and they agree to take out Mikey and Chucky, Junior’s top men, believing that they’re in on the hits, while Tony tries to meet with a reluctant Dr. Melfi, promising his word that she will receive no physical harm. He knows that she doesn’t want to see him, but Tony has to set things right, first by telling her that she was right, and by insisting that she leave town for the time being. Even though Tony has never told Dr. Melfi the names of any members, aside from his uncle and mentioning Pussy, she is still in high danger. To ensure that his crew finds out in good faith, Tony tells Chris, Paulie and Silvio about his therapy sessions. The older two members are supportive, but Christopher walks out, although he helps Paulie take out Mikey (Tony and Silvio shoot down Chucky earlier in the episode). Just before Tony could plan his hit on his uncle, though, Junior and a couple of other capos are arrested for racketeering charges. Tony is sparred because he wasn’t involved with this particular crime being investigated. Junior, however, has the chance to escape his sentence if he confesses to Tony being the true brains behind the DiMeo family, but he refuses and takes the time. He still has plans to see Livia, but his intent to kill her is diverted when she has a stroke, but he calls bullshit as he sees a smile on her face as she’s being pushed away.
Oh, and other things that happen in the episode- after hearing about Livia’s recent bouts of “dementia”, Artie stops by to see her, where she inadvertently tells him that Tony was responsible for burning his family’s restaurant down. Even though this was done as a favor, to prevent the restaurant from having a reputation as a place where mob violence occurs, Artie is furious and surprises Tony with a shotgun, as he denies the situation. Artie confesses to Father Phil about his anger and that he’s reluctant to tell Charmaine, but the priest is insistent. He doesn’t, not wanting to jeopardize their new restaurant or upset Charmaine, while they hire a new waitress- Adriana. As for Father Phil, Carmela notices that he’s become close to Rosalie Aprile, even “inheriting” Richie’s watch. She calls him an enabler who takes advantage of vulnerable women and confesses that she thinks his attempts to “redeem” Tony are of no use, to which all he can say is “whoa” like he’s fucking Keanu Reeves. The episode ends with Tony and the family failing to make it to their aunt’s house for dinner on a stormy night and stop at Artie’s restaurant, and he graciously invites them in for a meal. Tony takes this opportunity to remind his family of the good times like this.
By this point in the show’s run, The Sopranos has all but found its voice. The show’s balance between mafia and familial drama hit a sweet spot for many, and I think the season finale’s conclusions feel like the right choices- logical but challenging in a promising way. The status quo is offered the potential for change, but anything can happen from here. This is how you want to end a memorable freshman season.
“I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano” is loaded with memorable moments, from small details like Dr. Melfi letting out an exasperated “what the fuck?!” when Tony tells her that her only option for safety is to go into hiding, to big reveals like Livia’s little smile as she’s being carried away from her son, seemingly fully aware of the danger she’s put her son in. These help to make both women feel further expanded from their roles into Tony’s world- Dr. Melfi rejects the attempts he pushes for motherly guidance from her as she’s too intelligent and dignified to accept his world, while his own mother remains the monster he fights himself from seeing. The show has made it clear that Tony’s own destructive behavior and mentality are his own, regardless of how he was raised, although Livia’s frustrating conflicting nature and Johnny Boy’s tough love are undeniable factors.
That balance is what allows Tony to remain as fascinating as he is. He is a product of his environment, but at the end of the day, he likes this. He has minimal interest in changing, and why should he? Tony is good at what he does, he knows how to work with his crew and get himself out of danger, and even after indulging in his most violent tendencies, remains charismatic enough to earn another chance more often than not. Therapy has been good for Tony in helping to stop, or at least find an explanation for his panic attacks, and that’s good enough for him. While the show has done much to remind us of how despicable he is as a person, right now he appears to be in a good place, escaping the fate his uncle has received by luck, and why mess with a good thing?
Carmela, meanwhile, remains just as multifaceted as she continues to remain conflicted about her husband’s business… only when it’s convenient for her to. But if anything, she’s honest about using her husband’s position to her advantage, and the lack of transparency is what sets her off about Father Phil. I like how their story ends here as she notices the way he acts with Richie Aprile’s widow is similar to the way he treats Carmela, how he likes the notion of romance added into his life, even if he doesn’t act on it. Her trashing the ziti she made for him outside the church is an obvious symbolic gesture, but it works- she’s washing her hands from a fake man of faith.
And the other character who really excited me this week is Artie Bucco. He’s always known about Tony’s lifestyle, but he doesn’t question it, this is a long-time friend of his and he knows better than to get on his bad side, but everything goes to the wayside when he discovers what Tony did in the pilot. Or it does until he believes Tony’s lie- if he even does? Part of me thinks that this aspect is meant to be up for debate, if Artie is fully aware that Tony is responsible for his family’s restaurant being blown up, but pushing back from taking him out or coming clean about the insurance money to accept the status quo as is. As he and Charmaine note, the new restaurant is a success, while Charmaine would never let him or Tony live down the truth. Artie has remained the most significant tie to the outside world after his family for as long as he can remember, surely he won’t mess with a good thing, right?
The way it’s so easy to talk about these characters like they’re people we’ve known for years, despite only offering one season of television, is a strength of the show thus far, and is what makes “I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano” a hit for a finale. Let’s leave it at that.
Season 1 Overview:
Right from the word go, The Sopranos felt different than most of what you saw on television. Cinematic programming wasn’t necessarily hard to find on the small screen during the 90s, with Twin Peaks, The X-Files, ER, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer offering unique and less-sterile aesthetics and impressive cinematography, while HBO had used its lack of regulations to its advantage for a while at this point, with Oz and Sex and the City being recent highlights in adult content. But even at its earliest stages, David Chase’s world of mobsters and family drama look and felt different. Combining his directing and camera crew with a mixture of television stalwarts and people with genuine theatrical experience, the show looks and feels as close to a lengthy movie as anything else to that point has… aside from Twin Peaks, but I personally greatly prefer The Sopranos to Lynch’s take on twisted suburbia.
If I’m to give another arbitrary but personal rating to the first season of The Sopranos, how does a B+ sound? It’s groundbreaking work that’s still highly entertaining today, but rough in certain places.
The first season remains engrossing today, I know some who prefer the earlier part of the show, but I for one am looking forward to everything else from here. The second season I recall being even better, as it introduces a couple of characters who will impact the show’s run from here.
Dr. Melfi’s Notebook:
Pulp Fiction isn’t usually the kind of crime picture referenced with this show, despite being more of a contemporary than The Godfather or even Scarface, but Tony’s car crash scene does recall Bruce Willis’ in that movie.
AJ’s right about Paulie and Silvio- they do look kind of weird. And of course he says that before they take him to his school’s dance.
The latter episode’s title is indeed a reference to the iconic sitcom and song, but also recalls Tony’s erotic dream about his neighbor. Just don’t discuss the size of Jeannie Cusamano’s ass.
I shouldn’t have been laughing during Mikey’s death scene, but Paulie’s whining about being laced with poison ivy really got to me.
And we can’t say that Tony never laid a finger on his kids, as he slapped AJ after saying his uncle getting indicted was “cool”. I will remember this.
“I wanna fuck Angie Dickinson, let’s see who gets lucky first.”
I didn’t stick to the music tabs at all for this series, have I? Oh well, but I do want to note that possibly my favorite Springsteen song, “State Trooper”, is played during the end credits. If you can only own one album of his, I’d vouch for Nebraska any day of the week.
Next (Two?) Weeks: So if I’m sticking to this plan, I’ll take next week off to focus on my new series and other things, but when we return, the second season starts with the return of Janice, Tony’s older sister, as they set up the next phase of their mother’s life as it becomes apparent that her nursing home is not safe.