OTH: The Sopranos- "Pie O My" / "Everybody Hurts"
"Why are you so quick to blame yourself?"
Season 4, Episode 5
Aired October 13, 2002
Directed by Henry J. Bronchtein
Written by Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess
Synopsis: Despite early trepidations about his new race horse, Ralphie puts a lot of effort into Pie-O-My’s chances, and this shows up when she wins the Belmont Stakes. Ralph considers Tony the horse’s good luck charm and gives him a cut of the profits, while Tony grows a fondness to Pie-O-My, one Ralphie lacks. She eventually gets sick and needs care, but the racetrack’s veterinarian won’t work on her until he’s paid. Ralphie’s housekeeper (who Pie-O-My belongs to in name) calls him for money, which he shuts down and gives her Tony’s number instead. An aggravated, albeit concerned Tony heads to the track and hands the vet over the money needed as he keeps her company.
Adriana has cold feet about her duty as an FBI informant, to the point that she starts having hallucinations when Tony and Silvio surprise her at the club. This becomes a problem as the club becomes a hot spot for Tony and the crew. While Adriana has tried to play dumb with the informants, this strategy is only biting her back as they grow weary of her inability to help; meanwhile, Christopher shows little interest in a life outside of crime when Ade brings it up. Weighing her options, Adriana eventually reveals to her new agent, Robyn Sanseverino, just why Patsy Parisi frequently makes trips over to Philadelphia.
Janice continues to warm herself up to Bobby by “cooking” for him and picking his children up from school. She’s going as far as to help Bobby out with his holding at work when she discovers from her uncle that Bobby forgot to deal with an important task, but Bobby remains too depressed to go back to his duties. Janice reminds him that as a parent, Bobby doesn’t have the luxury to turn back on his work and that Junior depends on him. This works and Bobby is back in Junior’s good graces, which he needs as his trial is not looking promising.
It makes sense that we’d return to Adriana’s story this week, as we more or less put a pin on her FBI informant duties after “No Show”. This is a consequential storyline, and one that will by all means shake the status quo of The Sopranos.
Or will it? Ade is being noticeably tight-lipped. It’s not surprising that she knows to keep her mouth shut, as even before her engagement to Christopher, this is a life she knows well, being a part of the Aprile family. Adriana knows the risks, and it’s not like Chris is giving his all anymore, as he’s almost always loaded on horse.
Still, part of the appeal of Adriana’s character is her romantic nature. She still thinks she and Christopher can escape the dreary Jersey mob life and find happiness elsewhere. It’s a nice thought, but basically moot- Chris has made it clear that this is the life he wants. His Hollywood ambitions have seemingly subsided as the thought of California isn’t as appealing to him as being Tony’s yes man.
It’s easy to feel for Adriana, who clearly aspires to be more than a mob boss wife. She’s taking the Crazy Horse seriously, making deals with the local radio stations and booking promising new bands to play, and resents it being used for mob activity. This has always read as a contrast to the other mob boss wives, who are happy being homemakers while their husbands make the dough, but I understand why Adriana wants more. It’s not just that she likes the idea of a way out (although all signs point to her struggling to consider a future without Christopher) or even that she’s more independent than the other ladies, but this is more of a generational divide. Ade is younger than Carmela and the other wives, squarely Gen X, and was raised by a single mother. She comes from a background and generational expectation to pull her own weight.
Of course, Adriana, like her fellow boss wives, is no innocent victim. She knows fully well how Christopher and his gang make their money and profits off of violence, drug-pushing and illegal book keeping- if she said no to the FBI, they’d book her for "(easily provable) intent to sell cocaine. The Sopranos is proud to find humanity in terrible people, but is just as easily not afraid to remind us that they’re still terrible. We may have never seen Adriana kill someone like Tony has, but if there’s a hell, she’ll probably still be going there.
But enough about that story, let’s talk about horses. I recall being told that you can tell someone’s empathy skills by how they treat animals, and if we need any more proof that Ralphie is scum, his indifference to Pie-O-My should seal it. He loves her when she wins races with handsome wagers, but when it’s time for maintenance or healthcare, he sings a different tune. It’s clear that if she starts costing even half as much to keep active and healthy as she makes, Ralph will be ready to wash his hands of the horse. As we see at the end of the episode, he basically is.
Not to call Tony Soprano a saint or any sort of good person, but his genuine warmth over the horse shows more integrity than Ralphie ever does. It shouldn’t be a surprise, given Tony’s ties to his family, as opposed to the few familial bonds we’ve seen from Ralphie, but that appears to be what Chase wants us to see in both characters; Tony Soprano a (deeply) flawed man who has at least one foot on the ground, Ralph Cifaretto a shill who would let his mother drown for some pussy or extra cash.
Tony doesn’t always get his way, nor does he easily forget. Leaving Pie-O-My to possibly die is a mistake Ralphie will pay for.
Season 4, Episode 6
Aired October 20, 2002
Directed by Steve Buscemi
Written by Michael Imperioli
Synopsis: Carmela learns that the nice Mercedes saleswoman she met a while ago, Gloria Trillo, has committed suicide, which upsets her. Tony tries to keeps a mute reaction, but we see that he’s heartbroken; he heads to the dealership the next day and tries to find answers but comes out empty beyond finding out that she hung herself. Tony eventually gets Dr. Melfi to talk about Gloria’s passing, even as she does her best to keep Gloria’s personal history confidential. Tony is enraged that Dr. Melfi wasn’t able to do anything to keep Gloria alive, going so far as to insinuate that she’s a bad psychiatrist, which offends her, stating that she gives her patients everything she has; while he doesn’t apologize, Tony admits that he feels guilt, himself. Tony later has a dream where he envisions himself sharing another passionate night with Gloria, sharing the vodka Artie is shelling down below, but focuses on her neck before waking back up.
Artie gets a tip from his new, attractive hostess’ brother for a French vodka line, promising him a profit if Artie can put $50,000 down. He goes to Ralphie in hopes for the money, which he rejects after realizing that Tony would never allow him to retaliate if Artie can’t pay him back. Instead, Tony finds out and offended, offers Artie the money himself. After a couple of weeks, Artie hasn’t received his money back and comes to Tony for advice, who suggests that he goes over and demands his money back. Artie does so, but gets his ass kicked, even getting his earring forcibly removed. A depressed, heavily medicated Artie later calls Tony, which he takes as a suicide warning. Tony calls 911 and races to the hospital, where Artie apologizes for losing the money; Tony decides that Artie can cancel his tab- which is only about six grand- and forget the rest. Artie is grateful, but instantly gets on Tony’s bad side by insinuating that he had the ability to see the deal go bad “20 steps ahead”. An enraged Tony tries to stop himself from getting violent and demands that Artie makes up a story about being mugged. We later see Furio arrive at the person’s door.
Oh, and there’s stuff about AJ and his new girlfriend and Carmela playing matchmaker to Furio. These are things that happen.
It’s interesting how the theme of “Everybody Hurts” is focused on empathy, when two of the characters who express the most empathy in the series are largely absent aside from one noteworthy scene. Christopher gets a good moment when Tony confides in him that he intends to gradually give Chris a bigger role in the family as Tony will ease his way into having Chris deal for him; meanwhile, Adriana continues to distance herself from the family by reluctantly meeting with Carmela at the gym to call off their Billy Joel tickets. I get that she doesn’t like the responsibility of being a mole, but this is Billy Joel we’re talking about, just go, Ade!
Instead of continuing to make this about Christopher and his girl, however, we get to spend a little more time with Artie Bucco, which I always appreciate. I’ve talked before about how Artie may be Tony’s closest link to the outside world beyond his family, and why this is a good thing for him. I can’t think of anyone else, again, short of his family, he would be so willing to forgive a debt from like he did with Artie. But this friendship only goes so far, as we see when Tony becomes infuriated when Artie dares to suggest that Tony could foresee the deal go bad, and what this could mean. Gandolfini was famous in his performance for finding the right balance between relatability and monstrosity for Tony, and here is another example, where he wants to get his anger out, but at the same time clearly considers his friendship with Artie too valuable to disrupt.
But there’s always something to talk about with Tony, this time I’m a little more interested in delving into Artie’s character. While he wants to keep Charmaine happy and stay out of the darkness of the family, he’s still attracted to it and tries to get sucked into it whether he realizes it or not. He’s getting closer to Tony’s circle, like teaming up with them to preserve Columbus Day and going to Ralphie for the business venture rather than Tony, although neither work out for him. We’ve also seen him try to court a mistress behind Charmaine’s back, like his attempt to have Adriana stay at Nuovo Vesuvio, or his little cat and mouse game with Élodie, although again, neither of those worked out in his favor, as the latter is clearly trying to cover up for her brother. I don’t think he’s very good at this, although I’m sure Artie can cook up a delicious veal parmigiana.
Still, failure allows for an interesting character; if someone wins every time, what’s the fun in that? Even Tony has his share of losses to make up for his wins. At the end of the day, Artie has his family and business to keep him grounded, in both their love and their woes, like his daughter’s orthodontic bills. His friendship with Tony is real, but anything else is just grandeur, and he should appreciate what he has.
Although back to Tony’s losses, Gloria’s death is one he clearly wasn’t expecting, although it sounds like ignorance to suggest. The signs were there, but while it’s never just one thing, he wasn’t wrong to think that he was at least partially responsible for her passing. Tony knew what he was getting into when the two started hooking up, and he pursued long enough for her to get attached.
It’s telling that Dr. Melfi was able to keep Gloria’s suicide to herself, however. Doctor-patient confidentiality is one of her hallmarks, something Melfi keeps to her chest even after Gloria’s passing, but she isn’t afraid to let Tony know when he’s responsible for a patient’s loss- she did so at the beginning of the second season, when her temporary relocation at his insistence led to a suicidal patient taking their life. Tony only appears to be another in a long line of unsuccessful flings for Gloria, however, and despite obvious guilt from Tony, both ultimately agree to forgo blame on her account.
Still, the dream Tony has, of a Gloria who never was- a loving, attentive partner who serves a good meal rather than tossing it- suggests that Tony will never forget her. Their lingering romance may be a distant memory, but the possibility will always remain. All Tony can have is that thought in the back of his head.
And that (probably) shitty Italian vodka.
Dr. Melfi’s Notebook:
If they weren’t sure by now, the FBI should know front and center that Pussy and Richie Aprile were whacked off, as there’s no evidence of either entering witness protection.
Tony says that $150 football cleats would be about $50 “in his day”. In 2024, it’s looking like they’d be over $250.
“You should play Skynyrd!”
It’s funny that Christopher states that Adriana’s club isn’t bugged yet, only for us to learn that yes, it probably already is. Oops.
AJ talks about The Godfather a lot with his friends and girlfriend, Devin. The first film would have just turned 30 by this point in time, while I feel like today’s high schoolers wouldn’t use a movie that old as a reference point today. Pulp Fiction, maybe (that recently turned 30)?
We see much more of AJ this week than Meadow, who only appears in the latter episode at her internship downtown, disgusted at the idea of AJ using her dorm room to hook up with his gf. Can you blame her?
Tony’s mistress is indeed very right, Iceland is known for its volcanos.
Next Time: Paulie gets out of jail just in time for Christopher and Adriana’s engagement, while Furio has a revelation.