"The Sopranos" The Weight (2002)

Director:

Jack Bender

Writers:

David Chase (creator)
Terence Winter (written by)

TV Series:

"The Sopranos" (1999)

Original Air Date:

6 October 2002 (Season 4, Episode 4)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A joke sparks a series of hit contracts, while Carmela finds herself happier than perhaps she should be that Furio will be around for good.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Psychiatrist | Mafia | New Jersey | Gay Character

Cast

James Gandolfini	...	Tony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco	...	Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli	...	Christopher Moltisanti
Dominic Chianese	...	Junior Soprano
Steve Van Zandt	...	Silvio Dante (as Steven Van Zandt)
Tony Sirico	...	Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri (credit only)
Robert Iler	...	A.J. Soprano
Jamie-Lynn Sigler	...	Meadow Soprano
Drea de Matteo	...	Adriana La Cerva
Aida Turturro	...	Janice Soprano (credit only)
Federico Castelluccio	...	Furio Giunta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elena Aaron	...	Bada Bing Bartender
Lisa Altomare	...	Rose
Sharon Angela	...	Rosalie Aprile
Soundis Bardu	...	Rahimah
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Dr. Elliot Kupferberg
Denise Borino	...	Ginny 'Sack' Sacrimoni
Richard Bright	...	Frank Crisci
Carl Capotorto	...	Little Paulie Germani
Stan Carp	...	Alfred
Joseph Castellana	...	Lou 'Dimaggio' Galina
Vincent Curatola	...	Johnny 'Sack' Sacramoni
Matthew Del Negro	...	Brian Cammarata
Ramon Fernandez	...	House Boy
Raymond Franza	...	Donny K.
Robert Funaro	...	Eugene Pontecorvo
Joseph R. Gannascoli	...	Vito Spatafore
Julie Goldman	...	Saskia Kupferberg
Dan Grimaldi	...	Patsy Parisi
Tony Lip	...	Carmine Lupertazzi
Richard Maldone	...	Albert Barese
Anna Mancini	...	Donna Parisi
Joe Maruzzo	...	Joe Peeps
Angelo Massagli	...	Bobby Baccalieri Jr.
Chris Mazzilli	...	Restaurant Bartender
Joe Pantoliano	...	Ralph Cifaretto
Jeff Robins	...	Chris
Stephen Sable	...	Florida Hit Man
Maureen Van Zandt	...	Gabriella Dante

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Brad Grey Television

Quotes:

Christopher Moltisanti: Maybe Vesuvio's is bugged and it's Feds who told Johnny.
Silvio Dante: What, conspiracy theories now?
Christopher Moltisanti: Why not? Play captains against each other, create a little dysentery among the ranks?
Tony Soprano: First of all, the place is swiped for bugs twice a month. Second, there are much more interesting things being said at that place than Ginny Sack's fat ass!

Movie Connections:

References Penny Serenade (1941)

Soundtrack:

Malafemmena

Take it easy, Johnny!

In terms of unfettered, nail-biting tension, The Weight has no equals in the rest of the season: it's a pure exercise in suspenseful storytelling, driven mostly by Vincent Curatola's fearless acting.

Curatola, having been a minor presence thus far, is finally given the opportunity to step in the spotlight, and what an opportunity: his Johnny Sack is rapidly transformed from calm New York liaison into a madly jealous man, triggered by pride and honor. The latter qualities have been metaphorically hammered by Ralph Cifaretto, who famously told a bad-taste joke two episodes back, saying John's wife Ginny was about to have a 95-pound mole removed from her butt. Now, this ain't the first time this has happened (remember the "she's so fat" gags in the previous season), but it's the first time Johnny has been made aware of the embarrassing situation, and his reaction is violent to say the least: after failing to get an authorization from his boss, Carmine Lupertazzi, he sanctions a hit on Ralphie by himself; unfortunately, the man, no matter how unlikable, is Tony's top earner, so it doesn't take long before a retaliatory hit is called on John, raising the stakes to unbearable heights.

There are hardly any laughs in this episode, apart from a few of the usual conversations between foul-mouthed gangsters, and for a good reason: humor would utterly ruin the dramatic impact of the tightly constructed script, as well as dampen the show's ever present study of moral ambiguity, which probably comes close to its peak in these 50 minutes. There's Johnny, an old-school captain who nonetheless decides to override the conventional system when he is denied his revenge; there's Tony, who personally hates Ralphie (and he isn't alone), but has no other choice than to protect him for business's sake. And there's Paulie, who feels compelled to inform John of what happened despite being no stranger to bad jokes himself: it was he who delivered the infamous "She's so fat, she goes campin', the bears have to hide their food" back in Season Three. These people are driven by personal, occasionally irrational impulses, and there are no easy answers waiting around the corner: if there were, the series wouldn't be the milestone it has rightfully become.