"The Sopranos" Unidentified Black Males (2004)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Timothy Van Patten

Writers:

David Chase (creator)
Matthew Weiner (written by) ...

TV Series:

"The Sopranos" (1999)

Original Air Date:

2 May 2004 (Season 5, Episode 9)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Tony finds out that his cousin wants a bigger share of responsibilities, while Finn makes an embarrassing discovery about Vito.

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	...	Junior Soprano (credit only)
Steve Van Zandt	...	Silvio Dante (as Steven Van Zandt)
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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ray Abruzzo	...	Little Carmine Lupertazzi
Nick Annunziata	...	Eddie Pietro
Stefanie Bari
Joel Blum	...	Golfer
Denise Borino	...	Ginny Sacrimoni
Steve Buscemi	...	Tony Blundetto
Angel Caban	...	Louie Ramos
Chris Caldovino	...	Billy Leotardo
Carl Capotorto	...	Little Paulie Germani
Max Casella	...	Benny Fazio
Sid Davidoff	...	Lee Nieman
William DeMeo	...	Jason Molinaro
Demo DiMartile	...	Waiter (as Demo Di Martile)
Allison Dunbar	...	Nicole Lupertazzi
Andrew Eisenman	...	Priest
Hilary Flynn	...	Josette
Robert Funaro	...	Eugene Pontecorvo
Joseph R. Gannascoli	...	Vito Spatafore
Paula Garcés	...	Felicia Galan (as Paula Garces)
Dan Grimaldi	...	Patsy Parisi
Will Janowitz	...	Finn DeTrolio
Bruce Kronenberg	...	Todd Herman
Jackson Loo	...	Dale
Jeffrey M. Marchetti	...	Petey
Joe Moretti	...	Security Guard
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Carlo Gervasi (as Arthur Nascarella)
Aleksa Palladino	...	Alex
Joe Santos	...	Angelo Garepe
Tony Siragusa	...	Frankie Cortese
T. Colby Trane	...	Guy
Frankie Valli	...	Rusty Millio
Maureen Van Zandt	...	Gabriella Dante
Frank Vincent	...	Phil Leotardo
Karen Young	...	Agent Robyn Sanseverino

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

Trivia:

The Bobby Darin version of "If I were A Carpenter' is used in the soundtrack rather than the Tim Hardin version because of Darin's Italian pedigree, born Walden Robert Casotto. His name is mentioned in the last show as well.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Paulie is yelling at Finn to clean his tires in the construction yard, Benny and the guy sitting next to him both are seen wearing black shirts in one shot and then white shirts in the very next shot when Finn walks away.

Quotes:

Anthony 'Tony' Soprano Sr.: Turns out somebody got a look at the guy who did Joe Peeps. All they got so far is he's got a bad limp.
Tony Blundetto: Huh. Long John Silver maybe.

Movie Connections:

Features Never Cry Wolf (1983)

Soundtrack:

Choker

Dark secrets

Unidentified Black Males is a twisted little episode that builds up events for the season's climax and simultaneously lays the foundations for future troubles, delving deeper inside the psyche of two supporting characters: Tony Blundetto and Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli).

The real mess has been caused by Tony B., who agreed to clip an important member of Johnny Sack's crew and left the crime scene with a few difficulties. Witnesses described the killer as a guy with a limp, so it isn't too hard for Tony Soprano to figure out his cousin's story about how he hurt his foot is far from true. Nevertheless, he accepts to protect him and offers him a bigger share of responsibility. As for Vito, he manages to get Dawn's boyfriend Finn a job at a construction site. Unfortunately, Finn notices Vito in a very compromising position one day, and starts fearing for his life (somehow, he didn't think dating a mafia boss's daughter was dangerous enough).

Although this episode is pretty much about Tony's complex relationship with his cousin, wonderfully played out by Gandolfini and Buscemi, it is the unforeseen discovery regarding Vito that really sticks in the viewer's head. Previously, Gannascoli had pretty much nothing substantial to do, his "top" moment being Vito and Bobby Baccala getting mocked by Paulie for their weight issues. Hell, his first appearance wasn't even as Vito, but some random guy who showed in the episode where Christopher shoots a man in the foot. However, his role in this story indicates he will have a meatier role in upcoming shows. Of course, since it's The Sopranos we're talking about, "meatier" tends to equal "more tragic".