OTH: The Sopranos- "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" / "Boca"
Season 1, Episode 8
Aired February 28, 1999
Directed by Tim Van Patten
Written by David Chase, Frank Renzulli
Synopsis: Christopher has a strange dream that becomes prophetic when he sees Emil Kolar, the man he killed in the pilot, asking for mercy. He wakes up in a sweat, just in time to get ready for the wedding of Larry Boy Barese’s daughter, one of the DiMeo family’s capos. At the reception, he warns the rest of his fellow capos that, according to a source of his, the FBI is planning a raid, so Larry Boy implores everyone to head home early and do some “spring cleaning”. While Tony and the rest of his crew go digging through their houses and destroy anything incriminating, Chris is back at his apartment, struggling to work on his mafia script. The words are supposed to come pouring out, but nothing’s happening. He feels further displeased when the raid becomes evening news and he isn’t named among some of his fellow mobsters, but before he can sulk, Tony asks his nephew to come to the Bada Bing with pastries. Chris waits in line to order a dozen, but when a regular takes his place, he snaps and sends that person away so he can pull out a gun and threatens the bakery boy to serve him now. As a reminder to fear him, Christopher shoots him in the foot, and later causes his crew to show concern for him when he arrives late and angrily throws the pastries onto the pool table. Tony intends to check on Chris, but he has other plans first- he asks Carmela to take Livia out for the afternoon so he can hide some of his guns, cash, and jewelry in her nursing room. That evening, Paulie stops by Christopher’s apartment and tells him that he heard about the incident at the bakery and asks what’s up. When Chris attempts to pour his heart out to Paulie, about the screenplay he’s struggling to write and the guilt he feels for Kolar, he’s not that interested. Pussy, meanwhile, is more willing to listen and helps Chris relocate the body. Chris later picks up Tony, who is furious to hear about the bakery incident and demands to know why he acted out. When Christopher tries to explain his feelings, the conversation doesn’t go anywhere. Before he heads to his next appointment with Dr. Melfi, Tony’s house is raided and has his family’s computers taken from them. Not much else is taken, but Tony later notes how one of the officers was Italian, as he and Carmela spend their dinner reminding the kids of some of the great inventions brought to life by Italians. We end the episode with Livia telling Junior that Tony sees a psychiatrist, but implores him that there be no repercussions, and an ecstatic Christopher seeing his name in the Star -Ledger, causing him to buy a stackful of newspapers.
Dr. Melfi has dinner with her family and alludes to having a mobster for a patient, but won’t reveal who as she realizes that she broke HIPPA. Still, her proud Italian parents and son, Jason, consider them to all be bad influences and suggest that she should stop seeing whoever this is. She starts feeling the same way when she next sees Tony, as he states that he may be going on a vacation, and won’t confirm or deny if this timing is due to the recently-announced FBI raids. Jennifer hears the same thing from her parents when she meets with her ex-husband, Richard, and the thought lingers on her mind. It returns once more when she has to remind Tony that she will charge him for missing their previous appointment, as that was when he was raided. This causes Tony to snap, as he angrily throws a wad of cash at her and compares her to a call girl. She’ll meet her family psychiatrist with Jason and Richard, where she’ll discuss their last meeting and is once again encouraged to drop him.
The moment that tends to stick to fans the most in “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti” (the title takes its name as a combination of Christopher’s name and Adriana’s calling him her “little Tennessee William(s)”) is Chris and Paulie’s discussion. I see Paulie’s bit of advice that “nothing good has ever happened to [him], so what” shows up as regular quotation from people who I’m not sure have seen the series, but it does a goo job of establishing arguably the least-defined member of Tony’s immediate crew while having him deal with his most developed member’s bullshit.
This helps to start an interesting dynamic between the two, one that we’ll see expand. Paulie is the only bachelor in Tony’s crew besides Chris, no wife or children to his name, and while he respects Christopher to an extent, he doesn’t see the youngest member as the son-like figure Tony does, and is often frustrated by his outbursts and irrational behavior. Still, there’s enough respect between the two for Paulie to appear in the first place and offer some words, even if they aren’t what Chris wants to hear.
While most of The Sopranos’ first season has involved expanding Tony’s world, Christopher remains a vital part of the show, partly as a fish out of water to familiarize the audience into the DiMeo family’s world, but also to possibly reflect Tony’s earlier days as a soldier. Chris remains conflicted over his first hit, happy to take one for the team, but the thought of Kolar’s decaying body remaining haunts him. While, like Tony, the mafia lifestyle has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember, Chris may not be cut out for this world, and that’s why he’s trying his best to branch out into screenwriting, a way out. The problem, however, is that he doesn’t seem to be very good at it. He also may not be that great as a mobster, is the other thing. You don’t shoot an innocent person in the foot unprovoked, especially when you’ve already made your mission clear.
I think it may say where my interest in the show currently lies when I confess that the raid material isn’t my favorite part of “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti”, but rather the personal material. I’ve already discussed Christopher’s story, but Dr. Melfi’s subplot is just as fascinating to me. Bits and pieces about Jennifer’s life have been revealed thus far, but we get to see much more in action, particularly her family. I do think that the writing tends to get a little on-the-nose with her scenes, as they each end with the same kind of finger wagging that you’d expect, but they aren’t wrong, and Tony’s violent breakdown at the end of their session proves that their sessions may be detrimental to her health. Mentally for sure, but also in a physical sense if she doesn’t watch herself. James Gandolfini, who is increasingly finding himself in the role, is terrific with his aggressive response, but Lorraine Bracco proves her worth with some brilliant reaction to his intensity. Just with her eyes, Dr. Melfi’s intention to remain professional while being scared shitless remains apparent.
First-time director Tim Van Patten will become a series regular (and even gets to try his hand at writing once, with inexplicable results) and he already proves to be worth keeping an eye out for the show, handling a nicely lit, if oddly paced episode.
Season 1, Episode 9
Aired March 7, 1999
Directed by Andy Wolk
Written by Jason Cahill, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess
Synopsis: Meadow, along with Silvio and Artie’s daughters, are stars of the high school’s women’s soccer team. After winning a crucial game, Tony and his buddies invites the coach, Don Hauser, to the Bada Bing for drinks, where he rejects a complimentary lap dance. Right then, Tony’s double-agent detective buddy Vin Makazian arrives into the strip club to inform Tony that he’s heard some names in the DiMeo family that the FBI are targeting following their raid. His name is off the list, but Uncle Junior, the recognized boss, is high on there. Meanwhile, Meadow and the girls are celebrating their victory by drinking booze from paper bags, but notice that Ally, one of their friends and a star on the team, is missing. They look around and see Ally slitting her wrists on a swing. While Tony is distraught to hear about this, having recently had Ally as a frequent guest due to her parent’s marital issues, he soon has a big problem when he learns that Don is accepting a coaching position at the University of Road Island. Initially, Tony and co. try to encourage Coach Hauser to stay, first by having Paulie send him a big-screen TV, then by Christopher “returning” his golden retriever. But what Tony doesn’t understand is that the reason Meadow and her crew are upset, why Meadow quits the team, and why Ally is staying at their house so frequently is that Coach Hauser is sleeping with Ally. She’s in love, even though he won’t leave his wife, while the rest of the team, aside from his unaware daughter, hate their coach. Tony plans to change his strategy accordingly and sets a hit on the coach. Or he does, until receiving pushback from Dr. Melfi and Artie, the latter being the first to suggest the idea while the former asks why Tony feels the need to solve every problem. Tony eventually decides to call off the hit and let the law handle Hauser. The episode ends with a blisteringly drunk Tony twisting through the house as Meadow watches, initially in disgust, but she and Carmela are relieved when Tony confesses to not hitting nobody.
After learning that he’s being targeted by the feds, Junior and his longtime girlfriend Bobbi Sanfillipo take a much-needed vacation in Boca Raton. The two have a lovely time down south, where we also learn a secret about Corrado Soprano- he has a gift for cunnilingus. The men he associates with find this to be an emasculating activity, so he asks Bobbi to keep it on the DL. However, what Bobbi doesn’t realize is that she goes to the same hairstylist as Carmela, where one of her friends lets out the secret. The next time Junior has dinner with the family, she makes a wisecrack, and eventually tells Tony the truth when he interrogates her. Tony has fun teasing his uncle at the golf course, but Junior isn’t having this and implies that he, in turn, is aware that his nephew is seeing a psychiatrist. Worried that his nephew may be sharing insider secrets to his psychiatrist, Junior suggests putting a hit on Tony to Mikey Palmice. He then meets with Bobbi and angrily breaks up with her, throwing a lemon merengue pie in her face.
Boca isn’t just the name of a famous vacation spot (one of many) in Florida, but also translates to “mouth” in Spanish, as does “bocca” in Italian. An appropriate title for an episode where multiple people are heavily opening their yaps around town.
I’ll be honest, I recalled “Boca” being the first Sopranos episode to really underwhelm me and one of my least favorites overall, but it’s a little better than my memory served- it does contribute to the show’s themes at large and is entertaining by large. But it’s still an uncomfortable episode, largely by design, but just enough on its own that I still hold some reservations towards it.
The takeaway from this episode that I feel like plenty of people get is that eating pussy makes men weak, and while I’d like to otherwise think that Chase and his crew aren’t so binary, I do find this to be a weird idea for a subplot that doesn’t give Junior enough dignity, if anything agreeing with Tony and his worldview. This also leads into an unnecessary act of violence towards Junior’s longtime girlfriend Bobbi, although noting plenty of the action we’ve seen on the show already and recalling further violence towards women, having a cold pie smashed in the face is pretty light. If anything, his addition of the “c” word might be the more notable act of aggression towards Bobbi, at least to some viewers minds. The show’s attitude towards women is a discussion that we’ll have over the course of its run, and there’s plenty more to delve into beyond this one wild example.
Still, Junior’s sexual activity with his partner gives us the opportunity to see the gossipy nature of the Jersey community he resides in, and further adds to the generational gap he shares with his nephew. Men Corrado’s age were discouraged from openly discuss sexual details (women, however, have always been a different story) and even more discouraged from seeking psychiatric help, largely considering to only be for the mentality unstable. We’ve discussed this in an earlier review, but a new angle is addressed this week with Junior considering the possibility of his nephew becoming a stool pigeon. We the audience know that Tony is just as loyal to the DiMeo family as his uncle (possibly even moreso), but I can admittedly see how Junior can feel otherwise.
The bulk of “Boca” tends to be about Coach Hauser, partly his betrayal to his teammates and their parents, but primarily about Tony’s attempts to send a message out to him, with the message changing as information is revealed. The earlier attempts at bargaining allow Paulie and Christopher, who largely sit the episode out, to have notable moments, Paulie with the flatscreen and Chris with the dog. That’s not a bad way to make sure Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico earn their keep for the week (AJ does something similar in the beginning when he chases a couple of stray dogs while visiting his grandfather’s grave with Livia and Junior), but also helps to remind us of Tony’s uncompromising devotion. When he wants something, he has a way to get it.
And that includes making sure creeps like Hauser never touch teenage girls again. While it ultimately comes down to Tony’s word, I like how the episode makes Artie culpable in the scenario and has him realize that this is a line that he doesn’t need to cross. I’ve mentioned before how I like the character and how he represents what may be Tony’s only true friend outside of his lifestyle, which the episode does its best to remind us of. I’m less charmed by Charmaine thus far, whose scenes almost always refer to her reservation over Artie’s friendship with Tony. It’s like being the person who brings up how quinoa is made every time they see their friends eat it- the point has been made and been noted. You can move on.
Still, she’s right, as is Dr. Melfi in that Tony doesn’t need to personally handle every issue that comes his way. Sometimes there are other, wiser methods to follow. Surprisingly, it’s never brought up that Hauser has a daughter of his own, but the thought of making her an orphan should have come to someone’s mind. Yes, the thought of having a daughter violated by an authority figure is horrifying, but the thought of another losing her father at such a young age should be enough to give pause anyway. This is what would come to mind for me if I was in Tony’s shoes, but I don’t know if he would ever think about it, as he seems aware of his mortality due to his lifestyle.
That’s enough to make “Boca” the messy, uncomfortable episode it is. One-time director Andy Wolk’s work does feel a little stagey and does make the bulk of the episode almost feel like a lesser broadcast drama as a result, so I can see why he didn’t return despite having a strong resume behind him. This isn’t the trainwreck that I recall, but the show can definitely do better, as we’ve seen before and will see again.
Just please, don’t bring up Christopher Columbus.
Dr. Melfi’s Notebook:
We see Pussy and Silvio’s wives in this episode, but they’ll be played by different people in the near future, so I won’t name names.
What does Christopher love about movies? The smell of Blockbuster, “the candy and carpet smell”.
Meadow’s takeaway from the potential FBI raid is that AJ should delete his internet porn. Considering this family, I don’t see this as a top 5 priority, but it’s still good advice.
The movie Christopher namedrops as an example (besides Dr. Kimbell of The Fugitive) of a character arc is Keanu Reeves in The Devil’s Advocate, which I actually haven’t seen. Surprised that Keanu is on his mind versus Pacino.
Can you grow a beard after death? This article delves into that a little, and it’s a worthwhile read. tldr, kind of if you already have before you croaked.
“How can there be two antichrists when there was only one Christ?”
Dr. Reis is played by legend Sam Coppola, who surprisingly has no relation to Francis Ford but left a hell of a legacy.
It’s a shame that Meadow’s team never got to face the Yellowjackets, but Jackie and Shauna wouldn’t have still been a part of the team at this point, even if… well, I’m not covering Yellowjackets, am I?
In case you’re wondering, the video Meadow and Ally were watching is Morphine’s “Buena”.
AJ having an Ulver poster was surprising, but makes some kind of sense. Meadow also having an Ulver poster, right next to Lisa Loeb, that I’m not so sure about. She gives me Lilith Fair vibes.
The pie scene at the end is a reference to the classic James Cagney mob picture The Public Enemy, where Cagney does the same to his partner with a grapefruit. It’s interesting to see a pre-Godfather gangster flick referenced, when the template does tend to be more modern for the series.
Next Week: Adriana starts off her music career and Pussy may have a wire.