The Weight (The Sopranos)
| "The Weight" | |||
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| The Sopranos episode | |||
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| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 43 |
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| Directed by | Jack Bender | ||
| Written by | Terence Winter | ||
| Production code | 404 | ||
| Original air date | October 6, 2002 (HBO) | ||
| Guest stars | |||
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see below |
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| Episode chronology | |||
"The Weight" is the 43rd episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the fourth of the show's fourth season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by Jack Bender and originally aired on October 6, 2002.
Contents |
[edit] Guest starring roles
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[edit] Episode recap
Johnny Sack is conversing with an associate, Joe Peeps, in a bar in Little Italy. While there, Johnny spots a member of Ralph Cifaretto's crew, Donny K., and is infuriated to see him laughing and joking with the bartender, reminding him that Ralph had made an insulting joke about John's wife, Ginny, to a group of mob family insiders. As Donny K. gets up to leave, Johnny follows him outside, beats him into unconsciousness, and urinates on him. Tony Soprano learns of the encounter the following morning and is deeply troubled that Johnny inappropriately lashed out. Johnny reminds Tony about Ralph's joke regarding Ginny's weight. Tony assures Johnny that the joke is "deplorable" but feels he has to protect his Capos, and Ralph is his highest earner.
Johnny then tries to convince Lupertazzi family Boss, Carmine Lupertazzi, to intervene. Lupertazzi convenes a sit-down involving John, Ralph, Tony, Silvio Dante, and by speakerphone Uncle Junior, in order to make a settlement since it may threaten the two families' already tense relationship over the Esplanade building project. Uncle Junior recommends that Johnny receive a piece of his construction business. However, Johnny wants Ralph to be executed for insulting Johnny's wife. After failing to gain support from either Carmine or Junior, Johnny decides to order a hitman to visit Ralphie in Miami, Florida, where Tony sent him to vacation until the issue was resolved. Meanwhile, Carmine, who has anticipated Johnny's anger as a threat to profits from the Esplanade, makes a veiled suggestion to Tony to have his Underboss killed. Quite surprised, Tony is advised by Uncle Junior to put a hit on Johnny using the skills of a notorious crew of an elderly hitman from Rhode Island, Lou "DiMaggio" Gallina -- nicknamed for his use of a baseball bat as a murder weapon. In Miami, however, events are already well in motion, as an assassin traces Ralph to his hotel. Back in New Jersey, Johnny catches Ginny in their laundry room secretly eating junk food and yells at her for lying to him. Ginny begins to become emotional and tries to convince Johnny that she truly wants to lose weight. Johnny assures her he does not care about how she looks as long as she is happy. His anger subsiding, he calls off the hit on Ralphie at the last second and approaches Tony, offering reconciliation. Surprised, but relieved, Tony in turn cancels the contract on Johnny's life.
Meanwhile, Meadow Soprano is recommended by Dr. Elliot Kupferberg's daughter, Saskia, to join the South Bronx Law Center -— to which Tony objects, given the limited profitability associated with representing underprivileged clients. Meadow disagrees with her father's advice and continues to volunteer. Meanwhile, Carmela draws emotionally closer to Furio Giunta, who throws a housewarming party to celebrate his new home, and the pair dance together to sensual Italian music. Carmela is happy that Furio is staying permanently and takes along an oblivious A.J. as a chaperon to be a restraining influence when she returns to Furio's home to help him with decorating.
The following evening, as Tony and Carmela lie in bed, Tony presents Carmela with flowers and a slim designer dress from Saks Fifth Avenue, which he asks her to put on. Carmela does so and Tony tenderly compliments her figure. They begin to make love as Meadow plays the music from the housewarming party in the next room, reminding Carmela of Furio. This causes Carmela to interrupt Tony's advances, get out of bed, bang on Meadow's bedroom door and tell Meadow to turn it down. Tony and Carmela resume lovemaking but Furio's party music plays in Carmela's head, indicating she is thinking of him as she makes love to Tony.
[edit] First appearances
- Joseph "Joey Peeps" Peparelli: Associate in the Lupertazzi family. Driver/Bodyguard of Johnny Sack.
- Brian Cammarata: Carmela's cousin and the family's "financial adviser".
[edit] Title reference
- The title refers to the joke Ralph Cifaretto made about Ginny Sacramoni's weight in "No Show," which Johnny Sack eventually learned about from Paulie Gualtieri.
- The title is also a reference to The Band's song of the same name. In the song, the weight (referred to as "a load" in the lyrics) is the removal of a burden off one person and putting it on another. Several characters do this throughout the plotline involving Ralph and Johnny, most obviously Carmine, when he places the burden of eliminating Johnny on Tony.
- The title may also be a subtle double entendre regarding the song's chorus ("Take a load off, Fanny") which could be interpreted as a reference to Ralph's joke about Ginny having a 90-pound mole removed from her rear end.
- The title also refers to various emotional tensions key characters feel: Bobby Baccalieri, Jr. is caught between debilitating grief for his wife and his responsibilities to his children and Uncle Junior and Carmela is caught between her responsibilities as a wife and mother and her burgeoning desire for Furio.
[edit] References to other episodes
- When Ralph calls Johnny Sack to deny he told the "mole joke", Johnny says that he "should have let Tony cut off [Ralph's] head a year ago", referring to when Ralph and Tony were on the outs and Tony was considering killing Ralph in the season 3 episode, "He Is Risen".
[edit] References to other media
- When Tony was visiting Uncle Junior at his home, Junior was watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on television, commenting about a contestant who used up all his lifelines.
[edit] Music
- Music from Furio's housewarming includes "O'Mare" and "Vesuvio" by Italian band Spaccanapoli.
- "Suddenly Last Summer" by The Motels plays in the background when Furio visits Carmela.
- One scene at the Bada Bing features ZZ Top's "Tush".
- "Sally Go Round the Roses" by The Jaynetts plays in the Johnny Sack's car radio.
