After the Goodfellas reference in Episode 8, the show gets more ambitious by directly quoting The Godfather, and in a context that is all but majestic on top of that. And yet, as usual, the result is a masterpiece in televised storytelling.
The person who makes that remark is the soccer coach who has been training the girls' team for years. As many of the Italians have their daughters in the team (Tony, Artie and Silvio among them), they are not very happy to learn he is leaving. Their feelings do change quite quickly, however, the moment they hear he might have abused some of the girls. Meanwhile, Carmela becomes aware of an embarrassing detail in Uncle Junior's sex life and can't resist the urge to tell her husband, who naturally starts mocking Junior right away. Too bad the old fella ain't in the mood for jokes, especially after hearing from Livia that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist.
This is one of the finest hours of The Sopranos, as it juggles an uncomfortable storyline and twisted humor with a precision that's mainly unseen in mainstream TV shows. Rape and child abuse have never been a problem for HBO (the former was featured often on Oz), but this time the incriminating act is not depicted on screen: Meadow's harrowing recollections and her father's gut-induced reaction are more than enough. On the flip-side, the serial's acerbic, adult humor emerges at its most perverse in a conversation between Carmela, Uncle Junior and Tony: "Uncle Jun', how was Boca?" the Soprano boss asks about his uncle's most recent vacation. "Lovely! I don't go down enough." is the answer. "That's not what I heard." Carm comments sarcastically (just to enhance the irony: "boca" means "mouth" in Spanish). Even for a network that made its name with Sex and the City, such a double entendre must have been quite edgy when the episode first aired in 1999; that it works, and instills dread as well as laughter is all due to the careful acting (Dominic Chianese's above all), and the scene stands out as a masterclass in great writing, also for its foreboding aspect (I mean, Junior can't let this kind of insult pass by unnoticed).
Overall, an excellent episode and, ironically given The Sopranos is the best drama series ever produced, a really good laugh.
The person who makes that remark is the soccer coach who has been training the girls' team for years. As many of the Italians have their daughters in the team (Tony, Artie and Silvio among them), they are not very happy to learn he is leaving. Their feelings do change quite quickly, however, the moment they hear he might have abused some of the girls. Meanwhile, Carmela becomes aware of an embarrassing detail in Uncle Junior's sex life and can't resist the urge to tell her husband, who naturally starts mocking Junior right away. Too bad the old fella ain't in the mood for jokes, especially after hearing from Livia that Tony is seeing a psychiatrist.
This is one of the finest hours of The Sopranos, as it juggles an uncomfortable storyline and twisted humor with a precision that's mainly unseen in mainstream TV shows. Rape and child abuse have never been a problem for HBO (the former was featured often on Oz), but this time the incriminating act is not depicted on screen: Meadow's harrowing recollections and her father's gut-induced reaction are more than enough. On the flip-side, the serial's acerbic, adult humor emerges at its most perverse in a conversation between Carmela, Uncle Junior and Tony: "Uncle Jun', how was Boca?" the Soprano boss asks about his uncle's most recent vacation. "Lovely! I don't go down enough." is the answer. "That's not what I heard." Carm comments sarcastically (just to enhance the irony: "boca" means "mouth" in Spanish). Even for a network that made its name with Sex and the City, such a double entendre must have been quite edgy when the episode first aired in 1999; that it works, and instills dread as well as laughter is all due to the careful acting (Dominic Chianese's above all), and the scene stands out as a masterclass in great writing, also for its foreboding aspect (I mean, Junior can't let this kind of insult pass by unnoticed).
Overall, an excellent episode and, ironically given The Sopranos is the best drama series ever produced, a really good laugh.