TV Series: The Sopranos Season 1 (Part 4)

Tony's not looking well. As we find out, he's reacting badly to one of the medications he's taking, Lithium. But this makes the twelfth episode one of the worst episodes in the whole series. I only say "one of the worst", not the worst overall, because the episode does have some redeeming qualities. There are two stories running in parallel, one good, one bad.

I mentioned before that I dislike dream sequences in films and television series, but the dreams in "The Sopranos" usually make sense. This is an example where they don't. Tony meets Isabella, an Italian medical student living with the Cusamanos, on three separate occasions. At the end of the episode we find out that she didn't exist. It was all a dream brought on by his feverish state after taking Lithium. Is that at all possible? I could just about believe a single vision, but three on the same day? Nonsense!

The other story in the episode involves Tony's uncle Junior Soprano finding out that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist. This is totally inacceptable for anyone in the Mafia. Despite the ethics of doctor-patient confidentiality, it's not tolerated that anyone should talk about their business. Junior finds out while visiting Tony's mother Livia in the Green Grove retirement home. She's already angry about Tony visiting a psychiatrist. She accuses him of seeing a psychiatrist to talk about his mother. That's actually correct. When Junior suggests killing Tony, Livia encourages him. Later in the episode the assassination attempt goes wrong, leaving the hired assailants dead and Tony only lightly injured.

The incident is described as a car-jacking, but Tony knows otherwise, and so does the FBI. Livia's room in the retirement home has been bugged. (Is that even legal?) Tony is played the tape of Livia and Junior conspiring to kill him, in order to encourage him to give evidence against his uncle. Tony would never take a deal like this. He's old school and would never talk to the police, not even if his associates have been trying to kill him.

Tony orders his men to kill Junior and the capos (captains) loyal to him. This is partially successful. Junior's main hit-man, Mikey Palmice, is shot by Paulie and Christopher in the woods. It's an example of Paulie's psychopathic traits that he's more concerned about being stung by poison ivy than killing someone. Junior is arrested by the FBI before he can be executed.

After the failed assassination attempt, Livia is faking dementia so that she can't be put on trial or requested to give evidence. Tony visits Green Grove, intending to smother her with a pillow, but she's just had a stroke (supposedly), so the doctors take her away.

There are two consequences of the events that close the first season. Firstly, with Junior in prison there's nothing to stop Tony becoming the next boss. Secondly, Tony advises Jennifer Melfi to leave town to avoid being killed.

There's so much that happens in the last three episodes of the first season, much more than I've written. Please visit "Sopranos Autopsy" for more details. The whole series is excellent, even if I have to criticise the dream sequence(s) in the twelfth episode.

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