- Brendan's death leaves Chris fearing for his life, and Anthony's discovery of what his father really does leaves him confused.
- With Brendan dead, Christopher isn't sure exactly who is after him. When he realizes it was Uncle Junior, he's prepared to start a war. Tony meets his uncle but with Jackie Aprile on his last legs, there is little room for compromise. When Jackie dies, the capos want Tony to take over but he has another idea, one that he thinks will still leave him in charge. At school, AJ has a strange encounter with a classmate. His sister Meadow clues him in to exactly what their father does for a living. Tony begins to have erotic dreams about his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, and gets a broken down cop on the take to keep tabs on her. He oversteps, just a little.—garykmcd
- Following his mock execution at the hands of the Russian mob, Chris is fearing for his life, thinking that Tony wants him dead for giving drugs to Meadow. When he learns that not only was it Junior's doing and not Tony's, but that Junior also had Brendan killed, Chris vows revenge and threatens to kill Junior's right-hand man, Mikey. Tony, meanwhile, is starting to have feelings for Dr. Melfi and has one of his men put a tail on her. Thinking Melfi is Tony's mistress, however, the thug dispenses a violent beating to her boyfriend. Against all this, Jackie's passing opens the question of who will be the new boss. Tony has the support of the other capos, but he wants a peaceful resolution with his Uncle Junior.—Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
- The episode begins with Tony sitting in Dr. Melfi's office for another therapy session. The two sit in silence for several minutes and all the while Tony is checking out Dr. Melfi's body. Tony finally breaks the silence and asks Dr. Melfi if she's going to say anything. Dr. Melfi notes that Tony is the one that is paying the bill. Tony looks out the window and sees Hesh walk right past the office. Tony is startled and tells Dr. Melfi that he just saw his friend walk past the window. Dr. Melfi tells Tony that Hesh has a three o'clock appointment. Tony bursts out of the office and sees AJ standing on the other side of the door. Tony turns away and goes back into the waiting room. When he walks back into the waiting room, he finds Silvio having sex with a woman on one of the waiting chairs and Paulie and Pussy reading newspapers. He then turns back to the office to see that Dr. Melfi is turned around facing away from him. Tony asks Dr. Melfi what is going on. Dr. Melfi replies, in a man's voice, that thunderstorms are coming. Tony turns to see Aprile lying down on his hospital bed smoking a cigarette. He tells Tony that he smells rain coming. Tony asks Dr. Melfi what she is doing to him. When Dr. Melfi turns around, she suddenly has the face of Livia. Tony falls backwards in a panic attack. An alarm is ringing in the background and we can tell that Tony was only dreaming. He is in a motel room with his mistress, Irina. Irina asks Tony if everything is alright. Tony tells Irina to go back to sleep. He puts on his clothes and leaves. At the Soprano residence, AJ is busy playing Mario Kart in the living room. Tony comes in and notes that AJ has school tomorrow. AJ states that he is working on getting the high score. He asks Tony where he's been. Tony lies and tells him that the compactor at Barone Sanitation failed. Tony sits down and decides to play a race with AJ. As they play, Tony asks AJ how things are going for him. AJ isn't paying attention and is too busy focusing on the game. AJ finally tells Tony that he needs to concentrate in order to play and sets up a new game. Tony covers AJ's eyes in a joke and is able to pull ahead in the race. Tony is able to finish ahead of AJ in the game. Tony tells AJ to learn the lesson of focusing through distractions and tells him to be in bed in ten minutes. The next day, Christopher and Adriana leave the hospital. Christopher has a neck brace on his neck and several cuts and bruises from the men last night that acted out a fake hit. Christopher is looking around in fright and asks Adriana where she parked. Adriana assures Christopher that nobody followed her, but Christopher knows that Adriana wouldn't be smart enough to know if someone had or not. Adriana tells Christopher to stop being paranoid and assures him that nobody is here. Christopher isn't calming down and tells Adriana to go get the car. Adriana starts to mock Christopher and starts to point out places where Tony is probably lying in wait. Christopher is angry and pulls Adriana back into the hospital. Christopher notes that anyone could pop out and shoot him at any time and notes that Tony might not be the one after him. Adriana reminds Christopher that he gave speed to Adriana. Christopher doesn't think that Tony found out about that. Adriana can only complain about her wrist. Christopher is angry with her selfishness and notes that he was dragged out to the Meadowlands and was mock executed. Adriana stares at him and Christopher asks what she wants to say. Adriana hesitates, but tells Christopher that the nurse told her that he messed his pants. Christopher tells Adriana to stop messing around and orders her to go get the car so they can go talk to Filone. Christopher and Adriana arrive at Filone's house. They knock on the door, but Filone doesn't answer. Christopher and Adriana let themselves in. Adriana says she needs to use the restroom and heads straight for the bathroom. Adriana walks in and screams at the sight of Filone's dead body in the bathtub. Christopher joins her and sees that Filone was shot right through the eye. Christopher and Adriana hold each other as they grieve. At school, AJ makes a phone call to someone else and tells him to deliver a message to a boy in his school. He looks across the hall to see the boy pick up his phone, realizing that AJ made a prank call. The boy, Jeremy Piocosta, confronts AJ and asks if he thinks he's funny. AJ doesn't understand what Jeremy is talking about. Jeremy tells AJ that if he prank calls him again he is going to be sorry. AJ again denies that he did anything. Jeremy notes that he's heard all of the mother jokes before, and then teases AJ by asking him why he ate all of the donuts his mother sent to them at camp. Jeremy remembers that AJ would cry on his mother's shoulder saying that he was homesick. AJ shoves him and tells him to shut up. Jeremy shoves him back and the boys start to fight. Jeremy is taller than AJ and shoves him into the lockers. The two slug each other and Jeremy rips the collar on AJ's shirt. A teacher comes to the scene and tells the boys to stop fighting. At the doctor's office, Tony is walking down the hall when he spots Silvio in the hallway leaving his dentist's office. Tony quickly ducks into another room to avoid being seen. When Silvio leaves, Tony walks over to the office and notes that Silvio was only seeing the dentist. He arrives at Dr. Melfi's office and goes inside. At their appointment, Tony tells Dr. Melfi that he is having second thoughts about therapy. Tony explains that it's only about security and notes that he doesn't know how safe it is to tell her things about his life. Dr. Melfi says that she understands his concerns, but notes that they already went over the ground rules that involved confidentiality for anything that wasn't incriminating. Tony tells her that the fact he is in therapy incriminates him. Tony worries that one of his crew will see him here and then they will tell everyone else in the Mafia about it. Dr. Melfi changes the subject and states that she was under the impression that they were working on his narcissism. Tony asks Dr. Melfi who she thinks she is. Dr. Melfi asks Tony why it's important for him to know. Tony tells Dr. Melfi that one of the things Livia taught him was to never answer a question with another question. Dr. Melfi is glad to hear that Livia taught him something. Tony asks Dr. Melfi who she trusts in life and what she talks about. Dr. Melfi tells Tony that she's going to take the Fifth Amendment on that question. At school, Meadow and Hunter are standing outside waiting for the bus. Adriana approaches them and informs them that Christopher needs to see them. Meadow wonders what is going on and she thinks it has something to do with Tony. Meadow wonders if the FBI is serving another warrant on their home. Christopher jumps out and yells at Meadow for telling Tony about the speed. Meadow sees Christopher beaten up and asks him what happened. Christopher yells that he and Adriana are probably going to have to move to Florida because of Meadow telling Tony. Hunter is only concerned about Filone getting her love poem. Adriana starts to drive the car and Meadow promises Christopher that she never told Tony about the speed. Christopher tells Meadow this is serious and Meadow tells Christopher to let go of her and to stop yelling. Meadow starts to cry and tells Christopher that Tony has been worried about him and asking everyone where he's been. Christopher apologizes to Meadow for acting this way. Meadow states that she hates her life because she's a Soprano. Christopher warns Meadow to never say that because it's blasphemy. Meadow isn't really concerned about that. Christopher tells Adriana to drive and tells Meadow that they'll buy her a Happy Meal at McDonalds. At the Soprano residence, AJ is trying to kill a fly in his room with a baseball glove. Carmela comes in with the ripped shirt and asks AJ why it was in the trashcan. AJ just plays it off as the shirt going out of style. Carmela isn't buying the excuse for one second and AJ admits to Carmela that he was in a fight. Carmela asks who it was. AJ tells Carmela that it was Jeremy Piocosta, but notes to her that he didn't get any demerits. Carmela is shocked and remembers that he and Jeremy went to camp and she thought they were friends. AJ has nothing to say and Carmela tells AJ that she is going to call Mrs. Piocosta to see what she has to say. AJ doesn't want her to, but Carmela tells AJ that they need to learn the value of a dollar when it comes to the ruined shirt. AJ tells Carmela that he will wash her car to pay for the shirt. Carmela notes that he never puts effort into washing it. AJ promises to do well and he'll get the money for the shirt as long as she doesn't call Jeremy's mother. Carmela tells AJ that the shirt is $40. Tony visits Livia at the retirement home. Tony tells Livia that he brought her some macaroons for her to snack on. Livia isn't thrilled and tells Tony that macaroons are too sweet. Tony thought that they were Livia's favorite. Tony informs Livia that Rosie, the activities director, is organizing a trip to the city. Livia doesn't want to go and tells him that she doesn't like the people here or the city. Tony notes that Livia hasn't gotten to know the people well at all and that's her own fault. Livia complains that in the city, there are mothers throwing their babies out of windows, grown men messing their pants, and thieves. Tony notes that Livia always thinks this way. He notes that he hasn't seen her try to interact with the other people that live in the retirement home. Livia asks why he even cares about that and thinks that Tony's philosophy of her is that if she's out of sight, she's out of mind. Tony says that he doesn't think like that at all. Livia again asks God to take her out of the world. Tony tells Livia that he came to see her to get cheered up and now he thinks that was a mistake. He tells Livia that she can't put all of her problems on him. He notes that he has put her in the most expensive retirement home in New Jersey and Livia could be happy here if she wanted to be. Livia isn't concerned at all. Tony asks Livia if she really wants the macaroons, but Livia tells Tony that she doesn't care. Tony gets up, grabs the macaroons, and leaves. Outside, Tony gets back into his car. He hears an older woman walking with one of the nurses saying that it might rain today. Tony then spots his informer from the police, Vin Makazian, taking a leak in the bushes near the home. Tony picks up a rock and throws it Makazian. Tony asks Makazian what he's doing. Makazian notes that the office is an hour away from here. Tony tells him to get over it and notes that Livia lives here now. Makazian complains that meeting him out at the retirement home wasn't very convenient for him. Tony notes that it's better than him going to the precinct to talk to him. Makazian asks Tony what he has for him. Tony hands Makazian a slip of paper with Dr. Melfi's name on it. Tony tells Makazian that he wants to know Dr. Melfi's background and routine. Makazian wants to know the state of relationship he has with Dr. Melfi, but Tony isn't telling him. Tony asks Makazian if he's bored with his life. Makazian says that lately all he's arrested are prostitutes and drug addicts. He also adds that it's hard for him to pay two alimonies when he only gets $40,000 each year. Tony cuts in and warns Makazian that he is not to touch or bother Dr. Melfi. Makazian asks if he'll get the usual wage for doing his job. Tony reminds Makazian that the Knicks lost last night so he is down $2,000. Makazian asks in exchange if they'll cut him a break. Tony says it depends on how good of a job he does. At the hospital, Tony, Silvio, Paulie, and Pussy sit with Aprile. Aprile is asleep and the men realize that his condition has turned for the worst. Christopher arrives at the hospital and Tony asks him where he's been. He notices that Christopher is beaten up and Christopher informs Tony that Filone has been murdered. Christopher tells Tony about Filone being shot while lying in his bathtub. Tony thinks that Junior had something to do with the hit. Christopher notes that Palmice is the one that does the hits for Junior and thinks that he murdered Filone. The men suddenly pay attention to Aprile who is in a hallucinating state. He says that he is at the World Trade Center. Christopher is agitated and pulls out a gun. Tony tells Christopher not to go looking for revenge because Palmice is a made man. Christopher is angry that Junior didn't take care of his problems on his own and sent Palmice and the Russians after him. Christopher takes off. Silvio stops Tony and tells him that their response needs to suit the message. Outside, Christopher tells Tony that Filone didn't deserve to die like that and tells Tony that he can't talk him out of killing Palmice. Tony tells Christopher that he cannot kill Palmice. Christopher reminds Tony that Junior is hounding him and they need to do something. Paulie steps out and tells Tony that he'll take care of Palmice since he knows where he lives. Tony tells them that he will handle it and warns Christopher to stay at the hospital. Tony walks over to the elevator and spots a maintenance man working on some things. Tony eyes a stapler sitting near him and while the man isn't looking, Tony takes it. Outside the restaurant, Palmice is sitting in his car. Tony appears and grabs him. Tony pulls Palmice out and starts to punch him repeatedly. Tony notes that after beating on him, Palmice's suit has been wrinkled. Tony offers to fix it and pulls out the staple gun that he stole. Tony staples the suit repeatedly to Palmice's skin. Palmice screams in pain and Tony hits him again. Tony tells Palmice that the beating was overdue. Tony walks into the restaurant to find Junior eating. Tony confronts Junior and asks him if they are going to stop taking shots at each other before the situation gets out of hand. Junior tells Tony that he could have said hello. Tony tells Junior that the only reason he is here right now is because he loves and respects him. Junior can see through this and tells Tony not to pretend that he's paying respect. He notes that is coming from a man that put his mother in a nursing home. Junior also notes that Christopher and Filone were interfering with his business and he couldn't just look the other way forever. Tony notes that the truck was returned. Junior reminds Tony that there was a previous warning made against the men not to interrupt the trucking business. Tony says that he runs his crew fine and Junior acted to the extreme. Junior tells Tony not to be a judge and notes that he answers to people that are higher up than Tony. Tony tells Junior that Aprile is on his deathbed and can't be bothered. Junior is aware that Christopher makes a lot of money for Tony's crew and says that he should work for him instead. Tony refuses to hand Christopher over to Junior. Junior notes that he showed him his hand and Tony just slapped it away. Tony asks Junior why they can't talk like adults anymore. Junior tells Tony to leave the restaurant. He warns him that the next time he comes here he needs to come heavy or not bother to come. Tony knows Junior doesn't mean that. Junior can't even look Tony straight in the face and Tony leaves. Later that night, Makazian is driving in his police car with his partner. He complains about how the pay scale was frozen by law by the time he got to take the sergeant exam. The other officer notes that they've been following the same couple for over an hour and all they did was eat a meal and watch a movie. Makazian tells his partner that a car that matches the same make and model of the car ahead of them was involved in a homicide. In the car, Dr. Melfi and her date, Randall Curtin, are driving home after the movie. Dr. Melfi tells Randall that her last boyfriend only lasted a week and notes that it's her fault that men don't know how to act. Randall knows that Dr. Melfi wants a man that is sensitive to her needs, but still has some decisiveness to him. Suddenly, the police lights are turned on and Makazian pulls Randall and Dr. Melfi over. Randall is confused and doesn't think he was going over the speed limit. Makazian walks up to the car and gets Randall's license and registration. Randall asks Makazian if he did something wrong. Makazian tells Randall that he crossed the yellow line and asks if he's been drinking. Randall says that they had wine with dinner. Makazian tells Randall to step out of the car. Randall is upset, but Dr. Melfi tells Randall to listen to Makazian. Makazian tells Randal to walk a straight line to him heel to toe. Randall tells Makazian he is being unnecessary and tells him that he's an attorney and knows that he's under the limit. Makazian orders Randall to open his trunk. Randall is baffled and tells Makazian that he isn't opening his trunk citing that Makazian has no probable cause to do that. Makazian mocks him and then notes that he's going to resist arrest. Makazian starts to punch Randall repeatedly and then kicks him when he's on the ground. Dr. Melfi gets out of the car and yells at the cops that what they are doing is illegal. Makazian states that he thought Randall had a weapon. Makazian tells his partner to arrest Randall on DUI, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer. The partner is scared of Makazian's behavior and arrests Randall. Dr. Melfi warns Makazian not to touch her. Makazian suggests to Dr. Melfi that she stay home next time and cook a prime rib. Dr. Melfi tells Randall that she's calling her lawyer and tells the police officers that they are in trouble. The next day, Makazian informs Tony that Dr. Melfi is seeing Randall Curtin, a tax lawyer. Makazian tells Tony that Dr. Melfi arrives at her office at 8 a.m. and leaves at 6 p.m. He adds that Dr. Melfi likes Diet Coke and a tuna sub. He also notes that Dr. Melfi has a three-bedroom condominium in Essex Falls and is divorced with a son. Makazian finally adds that Dr. Melfi sees a psychologist by the name of Elliot Kupferburg. Tony thanks Makazian for his help. Makazian tells Tony that he's willing to put $300 on the Rutgers game. Tony tells Makazian that gambling won't solve all of his problems and leaves. Later that night, Tony sits down with captain Larry Boy Barese and caporegimes Raymond Curto and Jimmy Altieri. They all have a laugh about Tony stapling the suit to Palmice earlier today. Curto doesn't feel sorry for Palmice and notes that he's been a problem for the Mafia since he was young. Barese notes that it won't make things easier for them to do business. Tony notes that Junior is a stubborn man and might heat things up for them. Altieri doesn't know if Junior is stubborn enough to go to war with the rest of the bosses. Barese notes that there hasn't been a war in the Mafia since the Columbo incident. Curto states that it would be a bad idea for anyone in the Mafia to go to war in this day and age. Tony blames all of this on Aprile being sick from his cancer. He thinks all of this would have been prevented if Aprile would have stayed healthy. Tony tells everyone that someone needs to step in for Aprile and take control because without a leader everyone can get away with things. The rest of the men agree with his reasoning. Tony tells Curto that if his father was here he would have been telling him to step in and take the position. Curto notes to Tony that he is the one that should take the spot because that's what his father and Aprile would have wanted. Tony notes that he's still young, but Curto has the age and seniority to step in. Curto adds he has his own problems with a son at home with multiple sclerosis. Tony thinks that Curto is just afraid of the FBI tapping his house with wires. Curto notes that Tony is the smart one in this family and that is why he should be the boss. Altieri agrees with Curto's reasoning. Barese suggests that they all run the Mafia in a council hierarchy. Altieri disagrees and notes that the founders set it up paramilitary style for a reason and states that they need one leader. Curto tells Tony that in the end, he and Junior are going to have to butt heads in the end. Tony says that would be bad because he loves Junior and he also notes that Junior has the New York associates on his side. Barese disagrees with Junior's style and notes that even New York is aware that Junior is controlling from the wrong century. Altieri tells Tony that one day he'll be able to get the position if he really wants it. Curto adds that it's inevitable that Tony will take over. Tony argues that he doesn't want any more disturbances in his life. At school, AJ gets a candy bar out of the vending machine. As he walks down the hall, Jeremy bumps into him. AJ asks what he wants and asks if he told his mother about the fight. Jeremy states that he didn't. AJ tells Jeremy that he owes him $40 for the shirt that he ripped yesterday. Jeremy notes that AJ still owes him money from the Fourth of July. AJ argues that he paid for the bottle rockets. Jeremy says that he was referring to the M-80s that they blew up frogs with. AJ remembers now and notes that it was a cool day. Jeremy lightens up and agrees. AJ gets serious and tells Jeremy that he needs the $40. Jeremy tells AJ he isn't giving it to him and adds that he probably did him a favor since the shirt was stupid looking. AJ tells Jeremy that he is going to give him the money. Jeremy dares him to make him hand it over. AJ hits Jeremy in the back of his head and Jeremy turns around and punches AJ in the nose. The two start to fight again, but their friends pull them apart. The two still want to go at it and the students state that it was a draw since nobody won the fight. Jeremy dares AJ to a fight in the Pit tomorrow after school. At a gardening shop, Tony tries to buy something to save his garden from the bugs. The clerk tries to give him environmentally friendly chemicals, but Tony wants DDT. The clerk notes that it's illegal and tells him that he can't help him. Tony then spots George Piocosta, the father of Jeremy, looking at some plants. Tony greets him and asks him how he's doing. George doesn't look too thrilled to see Tony. Tony remembers that their sons went to Camp Aheka last summer. George is reluctant to say anything, but he tells Tony he does remember. George asks Tony how AJ has been. Tony tells George that AJ is like any kid his age. George sees that Tony has bought an axe from the shop and he is starting to get nervous about what Tony might do with it. George tells Tony that he has to go. Tony suggests that they get together in a few weeks so the boys can hang out. George tells Tony that he doesn't think that Jeremy and AJ are close anymore. Tony tells George that he'll have Carmela call Linda and they'll arrange it. George tells him he'll see him later and then hurries away before Tony says anything else. Tony arrives home and starts to put the groceries away. Tony is starting to breathe very heavily and he suddenly has another panic attack. He passes out onto the floor. Carmela runs downstairs and asks Tony if he's alright. Tony is still conscious and Carmela helps him up. Carmela thought that the medicine was supposed to help his panic attacks. Tony says that it does and notes it's his first one since he started taking the medicine. Carmela suggests that he consults the therapist. Tony tells Carmela that he'll talk about it at his next session. Carmela asks Tony if the therapist has ever asked questions about their marriage. Tony says that all they ever do is talk about everything in his life. Tony tells Carmela that he wants to quit going to therapy. Carmela asks Tony if he talked to the therapist about that. Tony admits that he has. Tony realizes the reason he probably had one was because he didn't take his Prozac and asks Carmela to get it for him. Carmela stays with him for a minute and tells him that she knows that Aprile's cancer has caused a lot of stress. However, she feels that the therapy is helping him. Tony says that he doesn't understand how it is. Carmela says that is the reason he is in therapy because she doesn't understand. Carmela admits to Tony that if he gives up therapy she might reevaluate their marriage. Tony is frustrated and reminds Carmela that he has a very stressful job. Carmela asks if it's more important to have his marriage than anything else. Tony argues that therapy is exposing him to a lot more than he can handle. Carmela tells Tony that if he quits, he is going to have to live with the results. Tony asks Carmela if she's threatening him. Carmela hints that she is and tells Tony to go upstairs himself and get the Prozac. Tony goes to therapy the next day and tells Dr. Melfi about the panic attack. Dr. Melfi asks how long it lasted for and Tony states that it only lasted for thirty seconds and he never lost consciousness. Dr. Melfi tells Tony that she'll give him a prescription for Xanax that will hopefully help him get over the short term stresses in his life. Tony tells Dr. Melfi that Junior is stressing him out and he might have to do things that he doesn't want to do. He adds that Livia is also treating him badly since he put her in the retirement home. Dr. Melfi thinks that Livia and Junior are playing with him. She notes that there's a book called Strategies for Coping with Elder Family. Tony doesn't think that any book in the world will describe Livia or Junior perfectly. Dr. Melfi notes that it wouldn't hurt for Tony to let Livia believe that she is still in charge. She says that it's the same with treating a child and notes that children like to believe that they are in control. Downtown, Christopher meets with Yo-Yo Mendez. Mendez is glad to see Christopher and notes that he heard about the trip to the Meadowlands that Christopher went on. Christopher asks Mendez for his cut. Mendez informs Christopher that Junior's men came and took it from him. Mendez adds that Junior is now claiming this block is in his territory. Christopher can't believe Mendez just gave them the money. Mendez argues that they were pointing a gun at him. Christopher asks why he didn't call him. Mendez informs Christopher that the word on the street is that he is out of commission. Christopher tells Mendez that he understands, but then kicks Mendez in the stomach. Christopher then takes Mendez's yo-yo and wraps the string around his throat. Christopher tells Mendez that he doesn't care what Junior's boys do to him and tells him that it's still his corner. He warns Mendez that if he ever pays anyone else on the street again, he will come back and cut off his thumbs. Christopher takes the money that Mendez has on him at the time and leaves him beaten and bruised. At the Pit, AJ arrives to get ready for the fight. The crowd is gathered and they see Jeremy coming. AJ gets ready, but Jeremy isn't coming for a fight. Jeremy hands AJ the $40 that he owed him for the shirt. AJ tells Jeremy that he's willing to fight him for it, but Jeremy tells AJ that he can't fight him. AJ asks what he means by that, but Jeremy doesn't have an answer. AJ finally takes the money and tells Jeremy that he knew he would back out. AJ is momentarily triumphant and says that Jeremy is definitely scared of him. One of the boys in the crowd tells AJ that Jeremy isn't afraid of him at all. AJ asks what he means. Nobody in the crowd supports AJ and they leave to go home. It is clear that George told Jeremy not to fight AJ out of fear of Tony. At the Bada Bing, Tony is reading the book that Dr. Melfi recommended. He takes a Xanax to calm his nerves. Tony looks up at the news on the television and sees something that devastates him. The newscaster reports that Aprile died of his cancer at St. Isaac's Hospital. Tony yells for the music to be turned off. The newscaster reports that Aprile was seen as the acting boss for Eckley DiMeo who is serving a life sentence in Springfield Penitentiary. Aprile was made acting boss two years earlier for the North Jersey Mafia. Tony breaks down and starts to cry. He states that he saw Aprile earlier in the day and Aprile swore to him he wouldn't die today. Pussy, Paulie, and Silvio mourn with Tony over Aprile's death. The men get drinks poured and Tony toasts to Aprile's memory. Christopher comes in and states that he heard about Aprile's death. He also informs Tony about the situation on his block from Mendez. Paulie tells Christopher that now isn't the time to deal with business. Christopher argues that Junior is taking this opportunity to move in and they need to stop him. Tony tells Christopher that they need to assess this. Christopher argues that they aren't politicians and further states that this is about respect. Tony again tells Christopher that none of this concerns him. Christopher argues that he represents Tony and he's tired of feeling defeated. Christopher says that this isn't the time for negotiation and states that it's time to go to war. He furthermore states that if Tony does nothing he is going to question his leadership. Tony grabs Christopher and throws him onto the pool table. He warns him to never question his leadership ever again. Christopher insists that he is just saying things like they appear, but relents and tells Tony he still recognizes him as boss. Tony lets go of Christopher and tells him the only reason he didn't go harder on him today was because of Aprile's death. Pussy comments that this will go in the history books as the War of '99 for the Mafia. Tony leaves and Christopher tells the others that they need to go with Tony. Paulie warns Christopher that he needs to listen to what he's told. Tony arrives at the restaurant. He loads a gun and puts it in his pants. He walks inside and tells Junior that he needs to talk to him. Tony admits to Junior that he does have a gun, but he doesn't want to use it. Junior allows Tony to sit down. The two sit in silence for a moment before Tony tells Junior that Aprile died. Junior states that he heard. Tony also notes that they are going to need a leader and tells Junior he doesn't want any confusion or misunderstanding about what he is going to say. Tony notes that the Sopranos have been waiting for some time to step up. Tony then asks Junior if he wants the position and is willing to let him have the leadership in the Mafia. Junior asks if it really is his decision. Tony says it is and adds he can clear it with his captains. Junior and Tony hug and Junior admits he was worried about how the situation would transpire. Tony tells Junior that nobody can believe that he has lost face and asks Junior for Bloomfield and Paving Union to be transferred to his territory. Junior agrees to this and Tony congratulates him. Back at the house, AJ tells Meadow about how he almost got into a fight at school with Jeremy. Meadow asks who won the fight. AJ tells Meadow about Jeremy backing out of the fight. He then mentions about the boy that told him that Jeremy wasn't afraid of him and admits that he doesn't know what he meant. Meadow tells AJ that he can be naïve at times and asks him if he knows what Tony does for a living. AJ says that Tony works with waste management. Meadow asks him if he knows any other garbage men that live in luxury. AJ says Junior also works in the business. Meadow notes that Junior is part of Tony's other family. Meadow sees AJ isn't getting the point and pulls up a website all about the Mafia. She prints out the page about the Mafia and Tony. Later, Dr. Melfi goes to Randall's house to see how he's doing. Dr. Melfi is glad to see that Randall is alright and notes that she tried to call him. Randall informs her that his phone isn't hooked in. Randall tells Dr Melfi that he's worried and he thinks he is losing his mind. He tells her that he was standing in line at the doughnut shop this morning and when the cashier looked at him, he started to shake uncontrollably. He then ran away from the shop. Dr. Melfi tells Randall that he's been through a traumatic experience. Randall admits to her that he is afraid of going outside because he thinks someone is following him. Dr. Melfi tells Randall that she can set him up with one of her friends that deals with post-traumatic stress disorder. Randall asks Dr. Melfi if she can prescribe something to him. Dr. Melfi reminds Randall that she is only his date and not his doctor. Randall understands and apologizes. Back at the Soprano residence, AJ reads over the information that Meadow gave to him. He lies down in bed and looks at a picture of his father and him when they went fishing. As he stares at the photo, he wonders who his father really is. The next day at therapy, Tony tells Dr. Melfi that he saw his first dead body when he was only fifteen. He says that it was a man that was murdered by someone. Dr. Melfi isn't totally focused and she admits she wasn't listening to Tony. She tells Tony that she was thinking that she lived in a sheltered existence. Tony asks what she means. Dr. Melfi says she's inside of her office for ten hours each day and she thinks that she is out of touch with the rage that exists in American society. Dr. Melfi tells Tony about Randall being beat up by a police officer. Tony realizes that it was Makazian that beat up Randall. Dr. Melfi states that it was a nightmare for him and for her. She admits she didn't know if the cop was drunk or crazy, but he told her not to go out for prime rib. Tony thinks that the cop was an idiot. Dr. Melfi says that Randall is filing a lawsuit with the city. She says that the worst part about this is that Randall will never be the same again. Tony apologizes to her for that. Dr. Melfi states that it isn't Tony's fault, even though it really is. Dr. Melfi apologizes and says that it's his session that they need to focus on. Tony tells her that he understands since it was traumatizing for her. Dr. Melfi asks Tony if the Xanax is helping. Tony states that he hasn't had any panic attacks since. Dr. Melfi asks if he still has doubts. Tony says that he will still come to therapy and notes that it does have good ideas for him in his life on how to cope. Later, the group attends Aprile's funeral. Silvio takes this time to ask Tony why Junior has been made acting boss and no Tony. Tony tells Silvio that Junior is content and thinks that he is the leader. However, Tony says that everyone knows that he makes the decisions in the Mafia. Altieri notes that he is concerned about the money. Tony tells Altieri that he is too concerned about things and that is his major problem. Tony notes that Junior is unaware of the kick back to Aprile. Tony says that with Junior receiving the title he is a happy camper. Silvio comes to realize that Junior will be focused on and they will be able to run things undetected by the police. Hesh agrees that Tony made the smart move. Barese adds that now Tony has control of Bloomfield and the union. Altieri warns Tony that he needs to keep Junior in line. Tony says that he can and notes that he is Junior's favorite nephew. The men throw their soil and flowers on Aprile's coffin. Tony looks down for a brief second and continues to walk on. AJ watches from afar at his father interacting with everyone. Christopher tells Tony that the FBI is watching the funeral and taking pictures. Meadow also sees AJ watching and gives him a look that tells him that she was right. AJ watches as Paulie whispers something to Tony. Tony smiles at AJ when he sees him watching on and the episode ends with AJ staring in concern back at his father.
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