Monday, May 07, 2007

Sopranos Rewind: Walk Like a Man


Posted by Alan Sepinwall

The Newark Star-Ledger

May 07, 2007 4:05AM



Categories: The Sopranos

WARNING: This column contains major plot spoilers for last night's "Sopranos" episode. "Everything turns to (excrement)," laments Tony.

Funny how often he's the reason for that.

Episode Five, "Walk Like a Man," follows the pattern of the Junior/Paulie episode "Remember When," constructing parallel narratives about Tony's biological son (A.J.) and the person he's always treated like a son (Chris). Where "Remember When" was about the pain of growing old alone, "Walk Like a Man" showed the psychological toll of being related, by blood or by bond, to the Family in general and Tony in particular.

A.J. and Chris have both inherited unfortunate traits from their fathers: Tony's depression and Dickie's substance abuse. (Tony, naturally, goes about in pity for himself about the former and has no interest in hearing about the latter.) Both are dealing with their problems in their own way - A.J. by curling up into a weepy little ball, Chris by avoiding the Bing - but Tony doesn't have patience for any coping mechanism that doesn't involve living up to the episode's title. Chris may have a handle on his problem, but he didn't take the Gary Cooper approach, and Tony dislikes him for it.

(Tony's also, as he was when Janice's anger management therapy was briefly working, jealous to see someone getting better when he never does. Witness his frustration when Chris calls him about Paulie trashing his lawn and verbally closes off any avenue Tony might have to yell at him.)

Tony may have a point about the face-to-face nature of the business they have chosen, but he's also the one who guilted Chris into drinking some of that wine they stole from the bikers last year. And, sure, there are better ways for A.J. to get over Blanca than watching bad James Franco movies, but what does Tony expect when A.J. has been pampered his entire life? He and Carmela (who was happy about the break-up because of "the culture divide") are awful parents, maybe not Livia and Johnny Boy-level, but terrible at meeting A.J.'s needs in good times and bad.

Chris may have his problems with spelling and grammar, but he's not stupid. He can see that Bacala has taken his place in the inner circle - at the barbecue, Tony and Bobby discuss business over two cold ones, naturally - and he knows that his problems with Paulie wouldn't be nearly as bad if the two could go out for steak and a shot.

So he goes off the wagon again and sees the other wiseguys for what they really are: a pack of cackling animals who take pleasure in other people's misery. He goes to his old AA buddy/punching bag J.T. Dolan for comfort, but J.T. wants no part of Chris' revenge fantasies about turning rat, or of Chris wallowing in self-pity. As he says to Chris, with such force that Chris puts a bullet between J.T.'s eyes in response, "You're in the Mafia!" J.T. means that he, as a civilian, shouldn't be hearing about Ralphie and Adriana, but also, what does Chris expect? How can he ever hope to get better living in such a violent, emotionally twisted world?

It's a world that Tony has now pushed A.J. into by forcing him to befriend Patsy and Carlo's sons, a pair of book-making frat boys who are like competent copies of Jackie Jr. Tony has never wanted this life for A.J., but in his impatience for the crying jags to end, he sent his son to hang out with guys who keep a vial of acid handy in case they should run across a deadbeat in need of torturing. Tony can't even plead ignorance, because he knew that the Jasons were running a Family-affiliated sports book. Right now, he and Carm think they've done a wonderful job of helping their son heal, but whatever comes of his new friends is 100 percent on Tony...

...as is whatever happens to Chris. In cutting a deal of nebulous value with Agent Harris about Ahmed and Muhammed, Tony may have sold out Chris - who, after all, was supplying those guys with credit card numbers and guns. And the pressure by Tony and Paulie has Chris drinking again, his resentment over Adriana now doubled with his realization that his "friends" have put him back in the grips of his disease.

And I really do hope something is coming of all this. Since this final season began, I've been warning everyone that Chase and company may not be going for an earth-shattering conclusion, but more of a life-goes-on finish. But the writers have spent so much time over the last five episodes hinting that some apocalypse is coming - whether it's Phil making war with New Jersey, Tony taking out Chris or vice versa, the FBI completing their RICO case, Muhammed and Ahmed up to no good - that if none of that comes to pass, every bit of anger from the fans is going to be justified.

There comes a point when the storytelling stops being daring and unconventional and starts being sloppy and cruel.

The character moments this episode - and this season - have been superb, but if the plot just comes to an abrupt halt at the end of Episode Nine, a lot of viewers are going to be echoing Tony's line to Melfi: "After all the complaining and crying and (expletives deleted) - is this all there is?'

Some other thoughts on "Walk Like a Man':

-Longtime "Sopranos" writer Terence Winter did a fine job in his directorial debut, helping himself by penning the best therapy scene in a long time. When Tony and Melfi are getting along, it's because he doesn't need help and is just shining her on as part of his "oasis." Whenever he's really in trouble, though, he gets hostile with her, and the tension brings out the best in Melfi the therapist - and Gandolfini and Bracco the actors.

-Speaking of that scene, Tony doesn't want Melfi to make a referral for A.J. after the therapist she sent Meadow to in season four almost convinced Meadow to drop out of school. It's a good thing he doesn't know about the referral Melfi gave to Carmela - the elderly shrink who tried to convince Carm to leave Tony and his "blood money" - else their sessions would go beyond hostile and into a very dangerous area.

-Squint-or-you'd-miss-it cameo: in the scene where Tony's hitting on one of the Bing girls, you can just barely see Georgie working behind the bar again (actor Frank Santorelli was also in the closing credits), even though he apparently quit for good after a beating from Tony gave him permanent hearing loss in Season Five's "Cold Cuts."

-Theories from last week that need putting to rest: Hesh's girlfriend Renata died of natural causes (per one of the writers and HBO.com), and Blanca doesn't appear to be pregnant. She's just not that into A.J., or it's like A.J. told his shrink: she was uncomfortable around all of his family's money.

-How many young Jasons has this show featured? Both Patsy and Carlo's kids are named Jason, Little Paulie's sidekick is Jason Molinaro, Melfi's son is Jason La Penna, Lorraine Caluzzo's partner/boytoy was Jason Evanina, one of the Blundetto twins was a Jason, Dick Barone's son was Jason... Is this the 2007 version of that "Goodfellas" joke about all of the kids being named either Peter or Paul?

Alan Sepinwall may be reached at asepinwall@starledger.com

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