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"Join the Club"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 2
Directed byDavid Nutter
Written byDavid Chase
Featured music
Cinematography byAlik Sakharov
Editing byWilliam B. Stich
Production codeS602
Original air date2006-03-19
Running time54 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Members Only" 		Next →
"Mayham"
List of The Sopranos episodes

"Join the Club" is the second episode of the sixth season and sixty-seventh episode overall of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, which premiered on 2006-03-19 in the United States. It was written by series creator, executive producer and showrunner David Chase and was directed by David Nutter.

The episode's narrative details the aftermath of the shooting of series protagonist Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) by his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese). Tony, now in a comatose state and hospitalized, has a dream-like experience in which he envisions himself as a travelling salesman not involved with the Mafia. Meanwhile, Tony's family and associates adjust to the possibility of Tony dying, with Tony's wife Carmela (Edie Falco) struggling with the situation.

Exterior and interior hospital scenes of the episode were filmed at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark in June and July 2005. The episode's story was inspired by Chase's personal experiences with the hospitalization and death of friend and Sopranos director John Patterson. "Join the Club" attracted 9.18 million American viewers and was generally well-received critically, with particular praise directed at Falco's performance. Since its premiere, the episode has frequently been cited by critics as one of the best of the series. It received two award nominations for directing.

Plot

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"Join the Club" features two interweaved storylines: the real-life storyline set mainly in and around the hospital and Tony's coma vision, which begins and concludes the episode.

Two days after getting shot in the stomach by Junior, Tony is in critical condition in a medically-induced coma, with the doctors struggling to stabilize him. He awakes suddenly and in a semi-conscious state—with the doctors, Carmela and Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) by his side—he asks "Who am I? Where am I going?" Carmela informs Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), Paulie Gualtieri (Tony Sirico), Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) and Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) of Tony's state and consults with the doctor, Lior Plepler (Ron Leibman). A psychologist interrogates Junior, who appears unaware of the situation. Tony's family members and Mafia associates adjust to the possibility of Tony dying in different ways. Silvio announces that he will be the acting boss and makes his first ruling at the funeral wake of Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro). Christopher assumes Tony's role in talking to FBI Agent Dwight Harris (Matt Servitto) at Satriale's Pork Store. Vito tacitly expresses his desire to be considered for the boss position in the event that Tony dies. Tony is visited by his sister Janice (Aida Turturro), who is griefstricken. Carmela struggles to keep her family together and has a disagreement with Rosalie Aprile (Sharon Angela). Later, in Tony's hospital room, Carmela plays music, reminisces about old times and confesses her love for Tony. A.J. (Robert Iler) talks to a television reporter outside the hospital, which greatly upsets Carmela. He later vows to avenge Tony in the hospital room by murdering Junior.

Tony's coma

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Tony wakes up in a hotel room. In his coma vision, Tony is a soft-spoken travelling salesman specializing in precision optics. He heads for the hotel bar, where he leaves a message on his family's answering machine. The next morning, at a conference, Tony discovers that he has mistakenly taken the briefcase and wallet belonging to someone named Kevin Finnerty. As the conference requires proper identification, Tony is denied entry. He returns to the hotel bar in hope of finding Finnerty, who does not show. There, he makes the acquaintance of other salepersons and flirtatiously follows one of them, a woman named Lee (Sheila Kelley), around until a helicopter appears above them. At this point, Tony's sees a doctor shining a flashlight in his eye and wakes up.

Returning to his coma vision, Tony checks into another hotel using Finnerty's business card. He runs into two Buddhist monks who believes Tony to be Finnerty and belittles him for selling them inferior heating equipment. After a brief scuffle, the monks flee. The next day, Tony falls in the hospital stairwell after discovering that the hospital elevator is out of order. He is taken to a hospital, where a doctor diagnoses him with Alzheimer's disease. Confused by these events, Tony returns to his hotel room. He picks up the phone to make a call but decides against it. As the episode ends, Tony sits on the hotel room bed and looks at a flashing light that appears in the distance.[1][2]

Production

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Writing

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"Join the Club" was written by showrunner and head writer David Chase, who also conceived the initial story idea. Chase and his writing staff—executive producer and co-showrunner[3][4][5] Terence Winter, co-executive producer Matthew Weiner and supervising producers and writing team Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider[6]—developed the episode's broad story outline as a team after Chase had presented them the idea.[7]

The story of "Join the Club" was inspired by Chase's personal experiences with the hospitalization and death of John Patterson. Patterson, who directed 13 episodes of The Sopranos, including the first five season finales, died of prostate cancer on 2005-02-07. Chase and Patterson had known each other since they attended film school at Stanford University together in the 1960s. Terence Winter has said that Patterson was "perhaps [David Chase's] best friend".[7] Shortly before dying and in a semi-conscious state, Patterson asked "Who am I? Where am I going?" Chase included these questions in the episode's script as a line of dialogue spoken by series protagonist Tony Soprano. Chase has stated that the episode is "about losing your identity."[8] "Join the Club" is Chase's twenty-third writing credit for the series (including story credits) and his eighth credit as sole writer (the first since the season four premiere episode "For All Debts Public and Private").

Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, who had worked on The Sopranos as writers and producers since the first season, left the show during the early stages of the writing of the sixth season over creative differences. Burgess has cited the dream-like sequences in "Join the Club" and the following episode "Mayham" as a reason for their departure: "The show got darker and an alternative universe was emerging for Tony Soprano. I didn't know what it meant. We had to move on."[7] Their final episode draft was rewritten by Chase and Winter and turned into the episode "Live Free or Die".

Allusions to previous episodes of the series appear in "Join the Club". In her hospital monologue, Carmela refers to events that occurred in the show's first episode, "The Sopranos", in which she said to Tony, "What's different between you and me is you're going to hell when you die." This line was also referenced in the season four finale "Whitecaps". Subtle allusions to "The Test Dream", the eleventh episode of the fifth season, are also included. "Kennedy and Heidi", the eighteenth episode of the sixth season, also features allusions to both "The Test Dream" and "Join the Club".

Filming

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David Chase held a "tone meeting" with Nutter before shooting the episode.[9][10] "Join the Club" is Nutter's sole directing credit of the series.

"Join the Club" was filmed in June and July 2005. The "University of Newark" Hospital is actually the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Scenes set at the hospital cafeteria were filmed at the university's pub.[11][12]

  • The exterior of the hospital is actually Fenster Hall at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).
  • The interior of the hospital lunch room is actually "The Highlander Club" (formerly called "The Pub") inside the Campus Center at NJIT.
  • The interior of the hospital is the same hospital from the TV show Scrubs.
  • The credits do not mention the actress providing the voice of Tony's wife in his dream, though the writers have stated the voice is of a generic New Jersey actress and not intended to be anyone previously featured on the series.[13] On the A&E syndication rebroadcast, the voice is credited on the closed captioning as 'Carmela's voice'.
  • This episode was shown at the season's premiere party instead of the first installment, "Members Only".

References

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  • Carmela tells Tony that she regrets telling him that he would go to Hell when he dies. This occurred in the pilot episode.
  • Lee is curious how Tony made the jump from selling patio furniture to precision optics. Tony mentioned selling patio furniture on Route 22 as an alternative life during a conversation with Meadow in the season one episode "College", and in a therapy session with Dr. Melfi in season 1.
  • When Vito Spatafore talks about Eugene Pontecorvo's suicide, he notes that perhaps Eugene killed himself because of closeted homosexuality. This is a reference to Vito's own homosexuality, which was exposed in the season five episode "Unidentified Black Males".

Reception

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Ratings

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On its premiere date Sunday 2006-03-19, "Join the Club" was watched by 9.18 million American viewers, according to Nielsen Ratings. This was a 3.05% decrease from the previous episode, the season premiere "Members Only", which was watched by 9.46 million viewers and 6.74% above the average for the first part of the sixth season (8.6 million viewers).[14][15]

Critical response

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Edie Falco's performance in "Join the Club" was widely praised by critics.

"Join the Club" received mostly favorable initial reviews from American television critics and its standing has improved significantly over time, leading to its praise as one of the best episodes of the series. The episode is recognized for its symbolism-heavy dream-like sequences, which have been the subject of multiple interpretations and for Edie Falco's performance, which critics have singled out as one of her best of the series.[16][17][18] When Falco was not nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2006, many critics panned the awards, with Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle writing, "Falco is the poster actress this season for the biggest Emmy abuse. [...] Her exclusion here is beyond unacceptable."[19]

The episode was submitted to critics in advance on a DVD screener, along with "Members Only", "Mayham" and "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh". These episodes—the first four of the sixth season—garnered an average score of 96/100 on review aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "Universal acclaim".[20] As of 2011-08-06, this is tied with the fourth season of Breaking Bad, graded on the basis of its first three episodes,[21] for the second-highest score for a television series on Metacritic.[22]

In appraising the dream-like sequences of "Join the Club", Tom Biro of TV Squad wrote, "I was so happy that this episode's dream sequences didn't try and be 'real' and let us know exactly what they were. Seeing the helicopter lights targeting Tony as he walked outside and showing the doctor peering from behind a light was kind of cool." He also stated that "[he's] truly beginning to feel like every little thing that happens, every nuance, means something to the overall plot."[23] Patrick Meaney of Blogcritics included the episode in his "Top Ten Episodes" list, writing, "I love the series' forays into metaphysical weirdness, and few were more satisfying than this trip to a parallel universe where Tony becomes Kevin Finnerty, businessman. [...] On top of that, we get the phenomenal hospital scenes, a showcase for Edie Falco. And, the episode's importance to the series as a whole was confirmed during Tony's peyote trip, at which point he realizes that there are other worlds than just this one."[16] James Poniewozik of Time ranked "Join the Club" #6 in his list over the show's 10 best episodes (published before the broadcast of the show's final nine episodes) and wrote, "The fantasy sequence (which continues into the "Mayham" episode) inverts our image of Tony, showing him, on the borderline of life and death, meek, stranded, friendless and unable to find his way home."[24] Kim Reed of Television Without Pity awarded the episode an "A", the site's second-highest score.[25] In her review for Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum stated that, beause of the episode, she wanted to "praise Sopranos dream sequences," further writing, "with Tony in a coma (did his girth save his life after all?), the twilight between life and death made vivid in David Chase's exquisite script became an absorbing, poignant meditation on the path some parallel Tony Soprano might have taken."[26] Matt Zoller Seitz of Slant Magazine called the episode "an intense hour" and compared it to English writer Dennis Potter's BBC series The Singing Detective.[27] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger offered the episode a favorable review, particularly praising Falco's performance: "give Edie Falco the Emmy right now. Just give it to her. Seriously. Do not pass Go, do not collect other nominations, just ship the statuette to her apartment today. There is no way any other actress on television is going to have two better scenes this year than Carmela's hallway breakdown and her monologue to Tony, scored perfectly to Tom Petty's "American Girl"." Sepinwall also included "Join the Club" in his list over the 10 best episodes of the series, describing it as "The finest example of the show's deft blend of the metaphysical and the mundane."[13][18] One unfavorable review came from Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, who reacted negatively to the episode's dream sequences, calling them "the least successful fantasy sequences in the show so far."[28]

Awards

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Episode director David Nutter received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2006 and a Directors Guild of America Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' – Night in 2007; Nutter lost both awards to Jon Cassar, director of 24 season five premiere episode "Day 5: 7:00 A.M. – 8:00 A.M."[29][30] "Join the Club" was also one of six Sopranos episodes submitted for consideration in the Emmy category of Outstanding Drama Series, where six episodes in three pairings are randomly sent to members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for voting. It was paired with the preceding episode, "Members Only".[31]

References

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  1. ^ "HBO: The Sopranos: S 6 EP 67 Join the Club: Synopsis". HBO. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  2. ^ O'Connor, Mimi (2007-10-30). "The Sopranos: Episode Guide". In Martin, Brett (ed.). The Sopranos: The Complete Book. New York: Time. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-933821-18-4.
  3. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2010-09-09). "Interview: 'Boardwalk Empire' creator Terence Winter". HitFix. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  4. ^ Chase, David; Baldwin, Alec (2008-11-11). The Sopranos – The Complete Series: Alec Baldwin interviews David Chase (DVD). HBO.
  5. ^ Schneider, Michael (2008-06-03). "Winter on Scorsese's 'Boardwalk': 'Sopranos' alum to pen HBO project". Variety. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Lee, Mark (2007). "Wiseguys: A conversation between David Chase and Tom Fontana". Written By. Los Angeles: Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b c Lee, Mark (2007). "La Famiglia". Written By. Los Angeles: Writers Guild of America, West: 22–31, 54–55. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Levine, Stuart (2008-04-23). ""The Sopranos": David Chase fesses up". Variety. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Chase, David; Winter, Terence; Coulter, Allen; Turturro, Aida; Chianese Dominic; Iler, Robert (2008-11-11). The Sopranos – The Complete Series: Supper with The Sopranos I (DVD). HBO.
  10. ^ Chase, David; Weiner, Matthew; Taylor, Alan; Landress, Ilene; Falco, Edie; Van Zandt, Steven (2008-11-11). The Sopranos – The Complete Series: Supper with The Sopranos II (DVD). HBO.
  11. ^ "July 11, 2005 The Sopranos visit NJIT". New Jersey Institute of Technology. 2005-07-11. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  12. ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (2006-03-20). "Tony checks into the Hotel California". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Kiley, David (2006-04-06). "Sopranos Ratings Slide Exposes Flaws in Ratings System". Business Week. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Collins, Scott (2006-06-07). "'Sopranos' season finale takes a hit in the ratings". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b Meaney, Patrick (2007-06-07). "The Sopranos: The Top Ten Episodes – Page 5 – Blogcritics Video". Blogcritics. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  16. ^ Poniewozik, James (2007-04-04). "Full List – The Sopranos – TIME". Time. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (2007-06-06). "The Sopranos' Top 10 hits". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Goodman, Tim (2006-08-25). "Do the Emmy voters even watch television?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Critic Reviews for The Sopranos Season 6 at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  20. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2011-07-13). "Review: AMC's 'Breaking Bad' still brilliant in season 4". HitFix. Retrieved 2011-08-16. I'm reluctant to say much about the three episodes I've seen for fear of giving anything away
  21. ^ "Highest and Lowest Scoring TV Shows at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  22. ^ Biro, Tom (2006-03-20). "The Sopranos: Join the Club". TV Squad. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  23. ^ Poniewozik, James (2007-04-04). "Join the Club – The Sopranos – TIME". Time. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ Reed, Kim (2006-03-23). "Sopranos TV Show – Join The Club". Television Without Pity. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  25. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (2007-01-13). "Coma As You Aren't". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (2006-03-20). "The Sopranos Mondays: Season 6, Ep. 2, "Join the Club"". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  27. ^ Ryan, Maureen (2006-03-09). "Back and better than ever: 'The Sopranos'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "Primetime Emmy® Award Database". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Text "Emmys.com" ignored (help)
  29. ^ "Awards / Winner and Nominee Search". Directors Guild of America. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  30. ^ Reuven Malter (nickname) (2006-08-28). "EMMY AWARDS Previous Year Episode Submissions". The Envelope. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-08-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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