The Telltale Moozadell

"The Telltale Moozadell"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 35
Directed by	Dan Attias
Written by	Michael Imperioli
Production code	309
Original air date	April 22, 2001 (HBO)
Guest stars
see below
Episode chronology
← Previous "He Is Risen" Next → "…To Save Us All from Satan's Power"
Episode chronology

"The Telltale Moozadell" is the thirty-fifth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the ninth of the show's third season. It was written by Michael Imperioli, directed by Dan Attias and originally aired on April 22, 2001.

Guest starring roles

• Jerry Adler as Hesh Rabkin
• Tom Aldredge as Hugh De Angelis
• Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
• Max Casella as Benny Fazio
• Jason Cerbone as Jackie Aprile, Jr.
• Louis Crugnali as Carlo Renzi
• Andrew Davoli as Dino Zerilli
• Will McCormack as Jason LaPenna
• Turk Pipkin as Aaron Arkaway
• Annabella Sciorra as Gloria Trillo
• Suzanne Shepherd as Mary De Angelis
• Nick Tarabay as Matush

15-year-old Stefani Germanotta, who would later become famous as Lady Gaga, makes an uncredited appearance as a classmate of A.J.'s. She is seated on the swimming pool bleachers.

Episode recap

On Carmela's birthday, each member of the Soprano family presents her with a gift, each of varying value/importance to Carmela: Tony, a very large and expensive sapphire ring, A.J. purchases The Matrix DVD for his mother (which he almost certainly bought for himself, as Tony comments sarcastically that it's "right up her alley"), and Meadow gives her mother a gift certificate to a day spa, which she put on her mother's credit card and purchased one for herself as well. At Carmela's birthday party, Jackie Aprile, Jr. arrives late, just as they are about to sing "Happy Birthday" and apologizes for his tardiness. Afterward, A.J. is invited to a friend's house to spend the night and Meadow and Jackie go out to a movie. In bed, Carmela asks Tony why he did not buy the Mercedes SL that he had been considering. Tony replies that driving that car would "make him look like a douche" and Carmela tells Tony that Jeanne Cusamano had called them (sports cars) "mid-life crisis mobiles".

Instead, Tony continues his affair with the Mercedes saleswoman, Gloria Trillo, who —- according to Dr. Melfi and unbeknownst to Tony —- has a suicidal past as well as an unhealthy relationship streak. They visit the Bronx Zoo on their next date. As they watch a gorilla, they passionately kiss and eventually end up in the deserted reptile house, where they have sex with their clothes on. On their next outing, they caress on a couch where Gloria finds Tony's gun, which fascinates her. At her therapy session, Gloria is taken aback by Dr. Melfi's questioning -— in particular, the psychiatrist's inviting her to expand on the male voice that was heard during their last phone conversation. At his own session with Melfi, Tony tells her that he has had a very successful week and gives her a bonus on top of the week's remittance. Melfi senses that Tony is being dishonest in part, and tries to refuse the extra money, but Tony insists on leaving the cash. Melfi then answers her son's phone call. She confesses that she "hates all them" (referring to her patients) for lying to her. Her stress over the situation has clearly elevated. Her son tells her that he needs to buy some expensive books for school, in a slightly apologetic and quiet manner. Dr. Melfi naturally looks down at the extra cash Tony left in her hands as a solution, but physically makes an expression revealing her moral uncertainty.

On the night of Carmela's birthday, A.J. and some of his friends break into their high school and swim in the pool. When they are finished swimming, a few people begin to throw things from the gym teacher's room in the pool, which escalates to garbage cans, a teacher's desk, and trophies obtained when one of A.J.'s friends smashes the trophy case. The situation becomes out of control and they are all forced to leave before getting caught. At the crime scene, the police find a pizza whose box has a recognizable logo. They question the owner of the pizza parlor, who says it looks like a special order. Upon being threatened with legal action, the owner reveals the customer. A.J. is sent home due to his involvement in the vandalism, and his parents attend a parent conference with the school principal. The principal expels A.J., but, due to his importance on the football team (and purportedly, his academic record), suspended his sentence and opted to put A.J. on probation instead. Not feeling that the school's punishment was harsh enough, Tony and Carmela ground A.J. for a month with no television, DVDs, computer or Nintendo, and force A.J. to clean out the rain gutters. Tony and Carmela are slightly appalled when A.J. doesn't even know what a rain gutter is.

The DiMeo Family take over The Lollipop Club, a dance club in Long Branch, New Jersey. Christopher Moltisanti gives the club to Adriana to manage, and she renames it The Crazy Horse. Christopher tells her that she will be the owner-manager and that the previous owner will work for her, as he broke himself financially betting on a football game and had to give up his business as a result. Furio Giunta and Christopher own a percentage as "silent partners"; Christopher also sees the club as an opportunity for the gang to run their business in a safe environment without FBI interference. However, at the opening, a drug dealer named Matush is caught conducting his business in the bathroom and is soon thrown out; Furio warns him to stay off the property. Jackie, Jr. steps in to help his friend, and asks Christopher to let Matush continue his dealing inside the club. Christopher flatly refuses. Not wanting to be embarrassed, Jackie lies to Matush and tells him that Christopher approved Matush's making deals, but only outside the club. Matush does so, and is severely beaten by Christopher's men. While they prepare pasta at Rosalie's house, Jackie asks Ralph Cifaretto for a "piece" and, without much querying from Ralphie, is given a .38 revolver.

Carmela is concerned about Meadow's relationship with Jackie Jr., but Tony assures Carmela that Jackie has his act together and will treat Meadow with respect. Carmela must hide her true feelings to remain friends with Rosalie Aprile, who is ecstatic about the arrangement. Meadow writes Jackie's English assignment, a paper on Edgar Allan Poe, and he receives an "A". After Tony has a heart-to-heart with Jackie, and stresses how, although he has always expected the best out of Jackie, this is different and far more serious now that Meadow is involved. Jackie promises Tony that he will work hard and be faithful to Meadow, maintaining credit for the paper that he lazily left to Meadow to write for him, as he said he was going to do it but didn't even read the paper. Tony warns Jackie that he will be keeping an eye on him, and not to try to deceive Meadow. Tony then runs into Jackie at a local illegal casino, angrily scolding him and telling him to stay away and focus on his school work if he wants to continue seeing Meadow. The next morning at breakfast, Carmela tells Tony that Jackie took Meadow to see Aida, which makes her rethink her original impression of Jackie, as he is clearly on his best behavior around the Soprano residence, and even bonds with A.J., mentoring him in football.

First appearances

• Matush Giamona: Drug-dealer who hangs around the Crazy Horse.

Title reference

• The episode's title is a play on Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart". Moozadell is rough Italian-American slang for mozzarella cheese (which is commonly used on pizza), but can also be used as a derogatory name for an Italian man, according to Michael Imperioli.
• The title also refers to Jackie Aprile, Jr.'s dishonest dealings with Tony and Matush.
• The title also refers to Jackie's essay on Edgar Allen Poe, which Meadow wrote for him.
• The title also refers to A.J.'s custom made pizza with extra mozzarella cheese — leaving the pizza at the high school led to the police to determine that A.J. and his friends were responsible for the vandalism.

Media references

• When Jackie Aprile hears the petition of Tony and Matush, he strikes a pose apparently modeled on that of Marlon Brando in the opening scene of The Godfather.
• When Meadow is at home asking her parents for a car, the NPR show Car Talk can be heard in the background.

References to prior episodes

In a scene where Jackie visits the Soprano home, Aaron asks, "Have you heard the Good News?" Jackie responds, "We met at Thanksgiving." This was in reference to the prior episode, "He Is Risen", where Aaron asks him the same question.

Production

• Michael Imperioli mentions that series creator, David Chase, is an avid W.C. Fields fan, and in one scene in this episode, Tony is watching It's a Gift. Also in the season 1 episode "46 Long", Tony performs an impression of Fields from The Bank Dick.
• In real life, The Lollipop Club was once owned by Vincent Pastore, who played Big Pussy Bonpensiero in the series.
• A.J.'s birthday present to Carmela is a copy of The Matrix (1999), which features Joe Pantoliano (who plays Ralph Cifaretto) as Cypher.
• Beginning in this episode, Iler and Sigler are listed separately in the opening credits, instead of simultaneously.
• A young Lady Gaga makes an appearance as an extra, playing one of AJ's school friends.

Music

• Con te partirò ("With you I will leave" or sung in English as "Time to Say Goodbye"), by Andrea Bocelli, is heard during the dinner after the singing of "Happy Birthday" to Carmela. It is a recurring song throughout the early seasons of The Sopranos.

• The Miami Relatives band, heard at The Crazy Horse, is portrayed by SCOUT.

• The song played over the end credits is "I (Who Have Nothing)" by Ben E. King.

External links

• "The Sopranos" The Telltale Moozadell at the Internet Movie Database