Irregular Around the Margins (4 Apr. 2004)

A car crash puts Tony and Adriana in a compromising position, and Cousin Tony must try to keep Chris from getting bent out of shape.

Director:

Allen Coulter

Writers:

David Chase (creator), Robin Green,

Stars:

James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco

Cast

Episode credited cast:
James Gandolfini	...	Tony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco	...	Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli	...	Christopher Moltisanti
Dominic Chianese	...	Junior Soprano
Steven Van Zandt	...	Silvio Dante
Tony Sirico	...	Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri
Robert Iler	...	A.J. Soprano
Jamie-Lynn Sigler	...	Meadow Soprano (as Jamie-Lynn DiScala)
Drea de Matteo	...	Adriana La Cerva
Aida Turturro	...	Janice Soprano (credit only)
John Ventimiglia	...	Artie Bucco
Kathrine Narducci	...	Charmaine Bucco (as Katherine Narducci)
Steve Buscemi	...	Tony Blundetto
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jerry Adler	...	Hesh

Storyline

Tony has a medical procedure to remove a cancerous lesion on his forehead. Adrianna is having to run to the bathroom all of the time and her doctor says it may be stress related. They have a moment together after sharing a few lines of coke. He feels quite guilty about it all, sending him back to see Dr. Melfi after a long break. After the club's closing early one morning they set off together to find Adriana's coke dealer. They have an accident when Tony swerves to avoid an animal on the road. They're not seriously injured but it doesn't take long for rumors to surface, all to the effect that they were having sex in his car. When Christopher returns from an out of town business trip and hears what's happened, he goes berserk, forcing Tony to take a drastic and near-fatal step. It's Tony Blundetto who comes up with the evidence needed to convince Christopher that everything is above board. Carmela meanwhile is now sleeping with AJ's school guidance counselor.

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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:

4 April 2004 (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 Christopher is telling Adriana about his toothache, he opens the door to his truck. In the truck mirror, for a split second, you can see a crew member wearing a gray hat, and another crew member standing next to him in a black hat.

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Quotes

Christopher: What do you got to be stressed about? That bar?
Adriana La Cerva: War, Christopher? The Middle East?
Christopher: You don't listen to the president? We're gonna mop the floor with the whole fuckin' world; the whole world's gonna be under our control, so what are worked up about?

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Connections

References The Flintstones (1960)

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Soundtracks

"MYSTERY TRIP"
by The Chesterfield Kings

User Reviews

Splendid

Aside from Steve Buscemi, the key player of the fifth season is Drea de Matteo, her scarred turn as Adriana La Cerva having become meatier from the beginning of the previous series. She deservedly won the Emmy as Oustanding Supporting Actress, and this episode, along with the penultimate show of the season, explains why.

With the Feech problem solved, Tony starts hanging out at Adriana's club. There the two get to know each other better, and soon she is confessing her worries to him and even offering him drugs. The downside of their friendship is that everyone else thinks they're having an affair, an idea that is reinforced when they have a car accident in Tony's SUV and rumors begin to spread about what they were doing when it happened. Naturally, the hot-tempered Chris takes the news very badly, hitting Ade and threatening Tony with a gun while drunk. In the end, the only thing that can save him from getting whacked for his excessive behavior is Cousin Tony, who uses his medical knowledge (he is planning to open a massage parlor) to prove nothing of what has been said could have taken place.

Irregular Around the Margins is arguably the best episode of the fifth series, except for the upcoming Long Term Parking, and it's all in the careful writing and soulful acting: in Gandolfini and de Matteo's hands, the complex bond that forms between Tony and Adriana becomes one of the most endearing relationships depicted on the show, and Imperioli (another Emmy-winner, and justly so) delivers some of his best scenes with his traditional yet gripping take on the "jealous lover" type, ably supported by Buscemi's final solution.

And for those who like the show's occasionally sick sense of humor (and who doesn't?), this episode contains a moment of foul-mouthed comedy genius: a montage where Paulie, Silvio and the rest of the gang exchange phone calls on what they think was going on in Tony's car. It's so good it could have been used in a Kevin Smith film, and that's a genuine compliment.