"The Sopranos" For All Debts Public and Private (2002)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Allen Coulter

Writers:

David Chase (creator)
David Chase (written by)

TV Series:

"The Sopranos" (1999)

Original Air Date:

15 September 2002 (Season 4, Episode 1)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Chris puts a ghost from his past to rest, while Carmela grows uneasy about her future.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Mafia | Psychiatrist | New Jersey | Racial Slur

Cast

James Gandolfini	...	Tony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco	...	Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli	...	Christopher Moltisanti
Dominic Chianese	...	Corrado 'Junior' Soprano
Steve Van Zandt	...	Silvio Dante (as Steven Van Zandt)
Tony Sirico	...	Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri
Robert Iler	...	Anthony 'A.J.' Soprano, Jr.
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
Vincent Curatola	...	Johnny 'Sack' Sacrimoni
Joe Pantoliano	...	Ralph Cifaretto

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Brad Grey Television

Trivia:

Carmine Lupertazzi remarks to Tony, "A don doesn't wears shorts." This was actual advice given to David Chase by someone connected with the Mafia, commenting about an earlier barbecue scene in the series. After Carmine Lupertazzi dies, Tony goes back to wearing shorts, most notably in episode #5.8 "Marco Polo".

Goofs:

Continuity: A close-up of Adrianna and Danielle hug at the end of their first scene has Ade's head above Danielle's left shoulder, but the jump-cut which follows has Ade's head above Danielle's right shoulder with no interruption in their hug.

Quotes:

Carmine Lupertazzi: One other thing though. John told me he went to a cookout at your house.
Tony Soprano: Yeah.
Carmine Lupertazzi: A don doesn't wears shorts.

Movie Connections:

Features Rio Bravo (1959)

Soundtrack:

Something, Something

New season, new trouble

It begins with Carmela having an argument with her son. Nothing new. The following scene is the familiar sight of Tony picking up the paper in his underwear. Still nothing new. Does this mean Season Four will be business as usual? Hell, no. Sure, it's still violent, complex, riveting and casually sweary, but with half the series nearly over it's time for some major changes that will define the last years of the show.

First of all, the situation between Tony and Uncle Junior reverts to sour when it turns out the old man doesn't have enough money to pay his medical procedures and the upcoming trial. Unfortunately, Tony can't help him out since the cash flow has diminished significantly, a fact that upsets Carmela as well. And yet the bigger problem has yet to manifest itself, and it involves Chris and Adriana: the former still has trust issues with Tony, although the chance to finish an unresolved matter from his past seems to put a damper on that, and gets more hooked on heroin as each day passes; the latter has made friends with a woman named Danielle, not knowing that she is in fact an undercover FBI agent.

As a season starter, For All Debts Public and Private is quite calm: it doesn't have the strongly foreboding tension of Season Two's opener or the playfulness of the first Season Three episode (apart perhaps from the casting of comedian Will Arnett in the serious part of Danielle's husband - he does a good job, actually). That it maintains the exceptional level of the rest of the series is entirely due to smart writing and even better acting. The Tony-Junior conversation, in particular, is a cracker, in what promises to be the first of another 13 excellent stories.