I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano
- Episode aired Apr 4, 1999
- TV-MA
- 1h
Tony starts cleaning house, while Artie feels torn between keeping the peace in his household, and getting even with Tony for destroying his restaurant.Tony starts cleaning house, while Artie feels torn between keeping the peace in his household, and getting even with Tony for destroying his restaurant.Tony starts cleaning house, while Artie feels torn between keeping the peace in his household, and getting even with Tony for destroying his restaurant.
- Charmaine Bucco
- (as Katherine Narducci)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJames Gandolfini had a problem with the way Tony spoke to his mother. Gandolfini absolutely idolized and adored Nancy Marchand, and had nothing but the utmost respect for the veteran actress. He would film his scenes with her, then apologize profusely for the way his character had to speak. Marchand took it all in her stride and believed Gandolfini was a powerhouse of acting (which he truly was), and told him that the apologies weren't necessary and that she was amazed by the differences between Gandolfini and Tony Soprano. To her, Soprano was a mobbed up thug, but Gandolfini was a kitten.
- GoofsFBI agents have Tony listen to conversations between Junior and Livia at Green Grove Retirement Home. However, Livia's comments to Junior about her cousin Kiki's lobotomy occurred outside a movie theater, not at Green Grove.
- Quotes
Tony Soprano: [putting his hands around his mother's throat while she's sedated] Ma. I know what you did, Ma. Your only son. Your middle child.
EMT: Look she can't answer you, her speech side has been affected.
Tony Soprano: Yeah, my ass! I heard the tapes, Ma. The fucking FBI tapes, don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about!
EMT: Sir!
Tony Soprano: George Clooney, don't get in the fucking middle of this!
Ms. Giaculo: Alonzo, call security!
Tony Soprano: [to Livia] Uncle June is in jail now. And I got one more little last detail I gotta take care of!
Ms. Giaculo: Mr. Soprano!
Tony Soprano: I gotta tell ya, I don't die that fucking easy, Ma! I'm gonna live a nice long happy life, which is more than I can say for you!
EMT: Alright that's enough!
Tony Soprano: Yeah?
[Tony knocks the man to the floor and Livia is wheeled off]
Ms. Giaculo: Keep her moving, keep her moving!
Tony Soprano: I try and do the right thing by you and you try and have me WHACKED?
Ms. Giaculo: She can't understand you!
Tony Soprano: [being restrained] SHE'S SMILING! LOOK AT THE LOOK ON HER FACE! Look at the look on her face! She's smiling! Look at her face! She's got a fucking smile on her face!
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Sopranos Episodes (2016)
Time and the repeat viewing has not diminished the impact of the show though and season 1 had me hooked through all the episodes. We hit the ground running with the theme of family built up in Tony's life. Whether it be his biological family or his business family, Tony's conflicts and challenges make for engaging drama, with well-written and well played out events. The strength of the show is that the events do not just "happen" but happen "to" characters and we get to see this not only in the moment but also beyond the moment – because these are "real" people who are not at the whim of whatever scene they are in at that moment. This is the heart of the season – Tony's attempt to keep his family close and effective while his business does nothing but threaten him and his family, introducing fractions between characters. The children in the family are not that well developed but the rest are, driving the drama forward and making it as engaging as it is. They also manage to come over as unreal and a little absurd in their colourfulness but not to the point that they become clichés with nothing else to them.
Season 1 sums up the show perfectly, with stresses of all types all playing a part within a tapestry of drama that engages whether it be related to Tony's psyche or related to internal mafia politics. The arch of this season sees the dangers from within Tony's crew and family along with minor little things that I only really appreciate now having seen the series through to the end already. Some seeds are sown that will grow into things of significance later, while there are some great links between dialogue and scenes now and later (most noticeably of course being the conclusion of this season and the conclusion of the final episode).
The cast take the material and deliver upon really well. Gandolfini makes the part his own, using his face as much as his presence, managing to convince both as a man to be feared but also someone who has panic attacks and bottled up issues inside him. Falco is not as good but is still very strong; Carmela has less time here but the development is fast and effective. Both Sigler and Iler are good, although Iler doesn't have a lot to do. Sirico and Zandt are great characters and deliver plenty of character, while Imperioli does well with his character even if it feels like he is being "developed" faster than I would have liked. Bracco allows Gandolini to do his thing and her performance is subtle for the most part. Not so with Marchand, who plays the manipulative mother to a tee – wonderfully overwrought and powerful. Chianese is good here as Junior, he captures the character well and makes his "semi-puppet" leadership role work within the narrative. Below this level the characters are not as well developed perhaps but they are still effective within the story – whether it be as a comic figure or as part of something else. I can't really think of anyone I thought gave a bad performance in the season.
Season 1 hits the ground running then. Shorter than I remember, it has lost none of its impact or ability to engage. The absurdity of Tony's life is well portrayed but not to the point where it loses realism. The struggle between the two sides of his life and the dramas within each of them are really well written and the development of the characters and delivery of the engaging narrative only serve to make it better. A great season all round with no real weaknesses to be found.
- bob the moo
- Aug 13, 2009
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Filming locations
- Green Hill Retirement Home, West Orange, New Jersey, USA(Green grove Retirement Home)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 1.78 : 1