Another Toothpick (25 Mar. 2001)

Tony and Carmela try a therapy session together, which ends in an angry dispute. Artie, meanwhile, tries to move in on Adriana.

Director:

Jack Bender

Writers:

David Chase (creator), Terence Winter

Stars:

James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
James Gandolfini	...	Tony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco	...	Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli	...	Christopher Moltisanti
Dominic Chianese	...	Junior Soprano
Tony Sirico	...	Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri
Robert Iler	...	A.J. Soprano
Jamie-Lynn Sigler	...	Meadow Soprano
Drea de Matteo	...	Adriana La Cerva
Steve Schirripa	...	Bobby 'Bacala' Baccalieri (as Steven R. Schirripa)
Aida Turturro	...	Janice Soprano
Federico Castelluccio	...	Furio Giunta
John Ventimiglia	...	Artie Bucco
Kathrine Narducci	...	Charmaine Bucco (as Katherine Narducci)
Joe Pantoliano	...	Ralph Cifaretto

Storyline

As Tony requested, Carmela goes with him to one of his sessions with Dr. Melfi. It starts off okay, but suddenly Carmela feels she's the one on the hot seat and it quickly degenerates into name calling and anger.On the way home Tony gets speeding ticket from a no-nonsense policeman who isn't at all impressed that he stopped Tony Soprano. Tony approaches his crooked Assemblyman, Ronald Zellman, to get the ticket fixed but there are unexpected consequences. When one of the Spatafores is beaten by Mustang Sally, who is having a argument with his girlfriend, Gigi Cestone gets the green light from Tony to take action. Tony clears it with Mustang Sally's godfather, Bobby Bacala Senior, who is visiting from Miami. He's not well and Bobby Junior is worried when he hears that it's his Dad who will make the hit. Uncle Junior gets Johnny Sack to talk to Tony but his intervention is not welcome. Now that he's a made man, Christopher insists that Adriana quit her job at Artie Buco's restaurant. It...

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Plot Keywords:

gangster

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2001 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Silvercup Studios - 4222 22nd Street, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brad Grey Television, Chase Films

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Mustang Sally is at the kitchen sink to pour Bobby Baccalieri's father a glass of water, two pot holders can be seen hanging from either side of the cupboards. When Baccallieri's father rises to approach Mustang Sally, the right pot holder is absent, only to reappear in position a moment later.

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Quotes

[Tony and Carmela are arguing during their joint therapy session]
Dr. Jennifer Melfi: You're both very angry.
Tony Soprano: Yeah, you must have been at the top of your fuckin' class.

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Connections

Features Sally Jessy Raphael (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Breathless"
(uncredited)
Written by The Corrs and Robert John Lange
Sung by Jamie-Lynn Sigler

User Reviews

A pause for breathing

After the emotionally loaded Employee of the Month, the series calms down a little, with a simple, lean episode that contains nothing really exceptional, apart from the birth of two new subplots. However, the show is so great even the "irrelevant" moments are unmissable.

The overall darkness of the previous chapter is graciously compensated by the opening sequence, with Tony and Carmela trying a therapy session together and the whole thing ending in the least friendly of ways. To top everything, Tony receives a speeding ticket from a rigorous cop (Charles S. Dutton) and discovers Uncle Junior has stomach cancer. Meanwhile, Artie Bucco is heartbroken after learning Adriana is quitting her job at his restaurant, and makes a few bad decisions that result in his wife filing for divorce.

Normally, a show like this would be sub-par compared to the rest of the season, given the really important stuff occupies less than half of the running time. But hey, this is The Sopranos, which means the writers know how to exploit every plot thread, no matter how thin, to the best possible effect. So while Dominic Chianese's swearing is as show-stealing as ever, and John Ventimiglia gets a chance to bring back the dramatic stamina he showed in the Season One finale, efficiently backed up by on-screen spouse Kathrine Narducci, the best scenes in Another Toothpick belong to the conflict between Tony and the policeman, all thanks to the great chemistry that Gandolfini shares with Dutton. HBO aficionados might recognize him from Oz (he was Emmy-nominated for his appearance in the Season Two premiere) and therefore expect more of the same, only this time the actor tones down the anger, adding a layer of subtlety to the already high tension. His work qualifies as a superior guest spot: the one where it's the character that matters, not the guy playing him (although a famous face can help occasionally).