If I could, I would gold-plate this episode and mount it on my mantelpiece or put it in a time capsule or something coz it was absolutely stunning from start to finish.
After
moaning in my recap last week that the episode
'Chasing it' lacked real spark, the crew have more than made up with a staggering display - perfectly setting things up for a thrilling denouement to this series over the next four weeks.
AJ gets the blues - bad
After his fiance Blanca broke off their engagement in last week's episode, poor AJ has sunk into a dark well of depression, moping around the house all day and spontaneously breaking out into sobbing fits. This worries Tony and Carmela whose attempts to talk him out of it fail.
AJ really is in a bad way, and quits his manager's job at the pizza place. And it appears he's probably lost even more weight after shedding his baby fat. He's looking quite gaunt and boyish these days, even with his questionable facial hair. Meadow becomes alarmed when AJ hints at suicide. His parents then decide the best option is to send AJ to therapy, where after a short discussion, the therapist prescribes anti-depressants.
This episode mirrored quite clearly Tony's own battles with depression and his ongoing struggles with therapy and Dr Melfi. After Melfi asked Tony to reconsider their future last week, Tony returns to let her know that he's decided to end their sessions as he's been using their time together as a "huge jerk-off".
But when he tells her of AJ's own difficulties with depression, Tony confesses that its his fault, his genes have passed on a this bleak view of the world into his son's soul like a poison. I was spellbound as Tony made this point - the hurt in his eyes was difficult to watch because he really is doubting his achievements as a father, but feels powerless to do anything constructive about it.
Tony ruins another life
The subject of Tony's impotence at his various roles (husband, father, boss, friend) has been popping up a lot since he recovered from his shooting in episode 601. He really appears to be floundering in every aspect but puts on a strong, authoritative face for everyone, and his therapy has been perhaps the one place where all those facades are left behind and we see just how fragile he is.
However, even his therapy sessions have been subject to his power posturing and I think this has been the deciding factor in Melfi calling it quits. Its must be so exhausting for her.
Tony has failed so many people in his life, but none more than his nephew Christopher, who perhaps needs Tony's love and support the most. Tony had previously revealed to Melfi how hurt he was by Christopher's veiled contempt for him, but after watching last night, I can't understand whey Tony would think he has anyone to blame but himself.
Christopher has been making great strides in his drug and alcohol recovery, and with (it must be said) very very little support from his crew, who continue to ostracize and bully him for not drinking with them in tempting places like Bada Bing. Even the beer fridge at butchery/deli Satriale's is enough to keep Chris away.
Paulie's been the biggest culprit in this regard, and as much as I love him for his sense of humour and unique dress sense, I could just throttle him for being such a complete prick to Chris.
Chris's absence from these drunken gatherings means that he is left out of the loop when many business decisions are made (this so reminded me of that episode of Friends when Rachel decides to take up smoking so she can talk shop with her smoker boss).
Tony scolds Chris for this during a barbecue at Chris's new home, but all Chris wants is some understanding. Chris is mocked for drinking non-alcoholic beer at the party, but Chris makes it clear to Tony - he inherited his addictive disease from his junkie father - a man so loved and deified by Tony.
Chris’s Catch-22
The supply of power tools that the crew has been receiving from the Cubans during Tony and Paulie's trip down to Miami causes major problems after Chris's father-in-law, Al Lombardo, who owns a hardware store and has been selling the power tools for the crew, catches Paulie's nephew, Little Paulie Germani and a friend, stealing from his supplies.
Due to some miscommunication, Chris was uninformed of this arrangement and is angry at Big Paulie for flouting his authority and ripping off his family. He talks to Tony about it who wants no involvement in their skirmish.
At an AA meeting, Chris shares his frustrations with his boss and his lack of support for his recovery. He is angered that Tony still shows so little appreciation for all he has done and sacrificed for the family.
But things only take a turn for the worst when Little Paulie and his smarmy buddy decide to take advantage of Al Lombardo's absence from his store and his aged staff by ripping them off in a con. This enrages Chris further and he attacks Little Paulie, throwing him from what appears to be a 2nd floor window.
Little Paulie survives the fall but suffers 6 broken vertebrae while Chris's wife and baby daughter has to suffer Big Paulie's wrath as he tears through the Maltisanti's front garden with his car, tearing through the lawn and ripping up flowerbeds, ruining "$40 000 worth of landscaping" according to Chris.
Chris decides to maintain the status quo and not get into it with Paulie, which is ok with Tony who does not want to have to deal with anymore fractured internal politics. At a gathering of the crew at Bada Bing, Chris decides to join in and make amends with Paulie. Chris throws caution to the wind (never a good sign) and drinks liquor as he and Paulie toast to cleaning the slate between them.
Later, a drunk Chris enthuses to the crew about the joys of fatherhood, but things turn sour as Paulie makes trademark off-colour jokes about Chris's daughter, Caitlin. In a telling shot from Chris's point of view, we see the laughter on everyone's faces as Chris's baby is ridiculed, but it is the truly demonic grin on Tony's face that upsets Chris and he abruptly leaves the party.
Another innocent victim
Chris makes his way to the apartment of JT Dolan (Tim Daly, Emmy-nominated last week for this guest role) whom Chris met at AA and writer of the Cleaver movie script. In a desperate need to vent his anger, Chris looks for comfort from someone who's also on the programme - JT.
Chris makes reference to all he has done and seen in his life as a mobster and how this knowledge could bring them all down, particularly Adriana's death. This makes JT very nervous and he begs Chris to stop telling him things he has no right knowing. This frustrates Chris even more as he really has no-one else to turn to (his AA sponsor, Eddie, is revealed to be out of town).
JT makes it clear with these words: "Chris, you're in the Mafia". Wow, I think the hairs stood on the back of my neck and an eerie silence followed after he said that. However, those prove to be JT's final words when Chris shoots JT in the head on his way out.
Meanwhile it appears that AJ is doing better after hanging out with frat boys, the Jasons, sons of Tony's associates. Tony encourages AJ to hang with these guys as he believes some drunken adventures and random sex with co-eds will fix him up.
The frat boys run a sport betting business from school and appear to have formed their own mini-Mafia as they gang up on a kid who's unable to pay his debts. They track him down at a party and bundle him off to nearby woods in AJ's car.
AJ watches helplessly as the guys pour sulphuric acid on the boy's feet as punishment. This encounter with the party-hardened frats appears to have done the trick and AJ returns home much lighter and more engaging as he and his family share a late-night snack at the dining table.
Happy ending? I really don't think so. We see Chris stagger home after killing JT and he replants one of the trees Paulie uprooted with his car, but the overwhelming sense is that he can never be part of the crew again - and I must admit that I wouldn't blame him if he did something huge to screw them all over.
I'd actually cheer him on...
all the damn way.