Jump to content

I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gorthian (talk | contribs) at 08:05, 1 November 2016 (Disambiguating links to Frank Pellegrino (disambiguation) (link changed to Frank Pellegrino (actor)) using DisamAssist.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"

"I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano" is the thirteenth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and is the finale of the show's first season. It was written by David Chase, directed by John Patterson and originally aired on April 4, 1999.

Starring

* = credit only

Guest starring

Also guest starring

2

Episode recap

At a meeting of Uncle Junior and his capos, Jimmy Altieri asks questions about past business, confirming suspicions that he is the informant and is wearing a wire. Junior agrees to let Tony Soprano have him killed. Christopher Moltisanti takes Jimmy to a hotel for what he promises will be a night with two Russian prostitutes. After they enter the hotel room, Silvio Dante emerges from behind the bathroom door and shoots Jimmy in the back of the head. His decomposing body is later found in an alleyway by a passerby with a dead rat stuffed in his mouth, sending a message that he was killed for making a deal with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In Tony's therapy session with Dr. Melfi, Melfi tells Tony that his dream (of Isabella) indicates his subconscious is alerting him to problems with his mother. Because she thinks Tony's life is in danger, Melfi suggests that his mother may have been involved in the decision to take his life, and that Livia lacks compassion because she suffers from borderline personality disorder. Tony becomes irate at this suggestion, breaks a glass table and holds her down in her chair. He then storms out, telling her he is finished with therapy.

Carmela Soprano and Rosalie Aprile have lunch at the re-opened Nuovo Vesuvio, Artie Bucco's new restaurant opened with the insurance money he received after the original Vesuvio burned down. Father Phil Intintola drops by and sits with them. He discusses food and his watch, which belonged to Jackie Aprile Sr., but was given to him by Rosalie after Jackie's death.

FBI agents Dwight Harris and Grasso hold a meeting with Tony and Agent Cubitoso. The agents play Tony recordings they made at Green Grove (his mother's retirement home) to attempt to convince him that his life is in danger and that his mother and uncle are involved. On the tapes, Tony hears Junior and Livia discussing Tony's visits to a psychiatrist and the plot to have him murdered.

Artie Bucco visits a bedridden Livia at Green Grove's medical unit and brings her some food. Seemingly disoriented, Livia informs Artie that it was Tony who burned down Artie's restaurant. Later, Artie confronts Tony with a loaded deer rifle outside Satriale's, outraged that Tony destroyed the place where three generations of his family worked. Tony passionately denies that he started the fire and says his mother was confused and going senile. Tony swears "on his mother" that he did not burn down the restaurant. Artie angrily smashes the weapon into his own car and then speeds off, leaving Tony dumbfounded.

At the Bada Bing, Tony informs Silvio, Paulie, and Christopher he has confirmed that it was Junior who took out the hit on him. Paulie suggests that Junior may want to finish what he started, and Christopher points out that Junior would use his own men to do such an important task. It is decided that Chucky Signore should be made to "disappear without setting off any alarms." Tony and Silvio pay Chucky a visit at a local marina where Chucky is preparing to go boating. After starting a conversation with Chucky about a large fish that he caught off the pier, Tony suddenly pulls a small pistol out of the fish's open mouth and shoots Chucky repeatedly in the chest, killing him. Silvio then unloads cement blocks and chains from his nearby car, and he and Tony load the items onto Chucky's motorboat and cast off to dispose of the body at sea.

With the knowledge of his mother's involvement in the plan to take his life, an apologetic Tony arrives unannounced at Dr. Melfi's office and convinces Melfi to see him again, telling her she was right about his mother. Tony warns Melfi that her life might be in danger and it might be best for her to leave town for a few weeks. Melfi tries to give him pragmatic reasons why it would be unnecessary for any of Tony's enemies to come after her, but Tony tells her none of that matters, she's involved whether she likes it or not.

Artie visits Father Phil and consults with him about the anger and rage he's feeling towards Tony and life in general. He tells Father Phil he cannot tell his wife Charmaine about the arson because she would be distraught. Father Phil advises Artie to tell Charmaine and turn in Tony to the police.

At the Bing, Tony confesses to Silvio, Paulie and Christopher that he's been seeing a psychiatrist because of his "passing out," and that Junior knows about the psychiatrist and is using the situation to justify killing Tony. Silvio doesn't mind the news, and Paulie admits to once seeking similar help himself, because he had "issues" and "learned some coping skills." Christopher asks if it's anything like marriage counseling, to which Tony says it's somewhat like that, Christopher seems upset by the news and storms out.

At the church, carrying a large casserole dish of ziti, Carmela pays a surprise visit to Father Phil, but observes Rosalie and Phil having an intimate discussion as he eats and praises the food that Rosalie has provided him. Carmela looks shocked and leaves without speaking to Father Phil and angrily dumps the pasta in a trash can outside the church.

Charmaine hires Adriana La Cerva as a hostess at Nuovo Vesuvio and tells Artie that she is very happy with the new restaurant. When Artie later sees Father Phil, he confesses that he never informed his wife because she is happy with the restaurant and his source of information was unreliable.

Mikey Palmice heads out for a mid-morning jog. Paulie and Christopher follow him at a distance and eventually chase him into the deep woods, where Mikey trips and falls into a ditch of stagnant water. Chris shoots Mikey in the leg, and he begs for his life. Chris then confronts him with the Brendan Filone slaying, while Paulie is angry because he believes that he has contracted poison ivy while running through the woods. Both men empty their guns into Mikey, killing him.

Just before the hit on Junior can be carried out, the FBI arrests Junior, capo Larry Boy Barese, underboss Beppy Sasso, and thirteen other reputed New Jersey mobsters. A TV news reporter mentions that Mikey Palmice is missing and may have fled to avoid arrest. Tony learns from his lawyer that he was not indicted because the charges relate to a telephone calling-card scam and a stock-fraud scam in which he was not involved. Junior is offered a deal if he confesses that Tony is the real boss of the family in all but name, running the operation behind Junior's back, with the help of some New York families including Lupertazzi underboss Johnny Sack. The Feds want the bigger targets in New York, but a prideful Junior stubbornly refuses to admit to this scenario about him and Tony, and he is remanded to federal lockup.

Father Phil visits Carmela with a rented movie and asks about Tony, mentioning the indictments. Carmela points out that Father Phil is a hypocrite, judging Tony's lifestyle but enjoying Tony's food, entertainment center and time with his wife. The Father wonders if she thinks of him as a parasite. She accuses him of manipulating "spiritually thirsty" women, and mentions that food and sexual tension are part of his overall game. Crushed, Father Phil departs, uttering only one word: "Whoa."

In a rage, Tony goes to Green Grove to confront his mother, picking up a pillow off a hospital bed on the way to her room, presumably to suffocate her. However, he is informed by the staff that Livia has suffered a stroke. As Livia is being wheeled into the emergency facility on a gurney, and with her mouth covered by an oxygen mask, Tony discards the pillow but tells her he knows what she has done. When he perceives her to be smiling, he loses his temper and has to be restrained by staff, before storming out.

In the final scene, a fierce thunderstorm erupts when Tony shows up at Dr Melfi's office, only to be told by the cleaning staff that she had gone on a sudden vacation. Later, Tony is stranded in his SUV with his family, unable to reach their intended destination due to a fallen tree in the road. Instead, Tony heads to the nearby Nuovo Vesuvio. Tony, Carmela, A.J. and Meadow hurry to the door, where Tony asks Artie to let them in. Artie is preparing to close for the evening and has been cooking by candlelight without electrical power. He initially hesitates but relents and opens the door and allows them in, where they see Paulie (with calamine lotion on his face and hands) dining with Silvio, as well as Christopher drinking at the bar with Adriana. The Sopranos have a seat at a table, and Tony raises a toast to his family, reminding them to savor and "enjoy the little moments, that were good."

First appearance

  • Agent Cubitoso: The FBI agent in charge of investigating the Soprano crime family and Tony Soprano.

Deceased

Cultural references

  • Episode title is a nod to the 1960s I Dream of Jeannie TV series, as well as to the 19th-century Stephen Foster song.
  • When A.J. is making fun of Livia after her 'Who's Artie Bucco?' question, he mockingly hums the theme from Jeopardy!.
  • Meadow and Jeremy watch Howling III together.
  • Father Phil brings Carmela a DVD of One True Thing, starring Renée Zellweger.
  • When Mikey Palmice fingers Junior for shooting Brendan Filone, Christopher expresses disbelief, calling Junior "Mr. Magoo".
  • When the FBI offers to play Tony portions of surveillance tape in an informal sit-down, he jokes that if it's the Springsteen CD box set, he's already got it.
  • The U.S. attorney who offers Junior a deal is named Gene Conigliaro. His name's an inside joke by David Chase—as Eugene Conigliaro was a character on a sixth-season episode of The Rockford Files, "Just a Coupla Guys." Chase wrote both scripts.
  • Tony calls a hospital worker "George Clooney", a reference to the actor's role on ER.
  • When advising Dr. Melfi to leave town for her safety, Tony suggests that she tell her patients that "August came early." This is a reference to the practice of psychoanalysts to vacation in the month of August.
  • Being questioned while under arrest, Junior jokes to his interrogator that he would like to have sex with Angie Dickinson. This is a reference to the actress who was reputed to have had an affair with John F. Kennedy, with whom Junior is obsessed.
  • During the final dinner scene Paulie calls Silvio Pat Cooper a reference to the famous comedian.

Music

  • The song playing at the beginning of the episode during the meeting at Satriale's is "Inside of Me" by Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul (Little Steven is the musical pseudonym of Steven Van Zandt, who plays Silvio Dante in the show).
  • The song played during the hotel killing scene is "Wood Cabin" by Saint Etienne.
  • The song played when Carmela and Rosalie have lunch at Artie's new restaurant and discuss Rosalie's grief over her husband Jackie and Carmela's fear for her own is "I'll Remember April" by Bobby Darin.
  • The song played when Father Phil joins Carmela and Rosalie for lunch at Artie's new restaurant is "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Frankie Valli.
  • The song played at the Bada Bing is "Groove Me" by Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies.
  • The song played just after Tony kills Chucky is "It's Bad You Know" by R. L. Burnside.
  • The choir music heard when Carmela walks in on Rosalie and Father Phil in church is "Illumina Faciem Tuam" By Carlo Gesualdo, performed by the Oxford Camerata.
  • The song played when Tony is happy at breakfast is "Rave On!" by Buddy Holly.
  • The song played during the montage of the Feds arresting Junior, Larry Boy, Sasso and the other mobsters is "The Four Seasons (Andrea Parker Mix)" by Steve Reich.
  • The song played when Tony comes looking for Dr. Melfi is "El Gorrito" by Lucho Argain.
  • The song played over the end credits is "State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I_Dream_of_Jeannie_Cusamano&oldid=747242450"