It all started with Pine Barrens, that beautifully absurd Season Three episode which is best remembered for the scenes of Chris and Paulie struggling to survive in the cold. That show was directed by Steve Buscemi, who later starred in the fifth season as Tony Blundetto. With the character whacked in the season finale, he returned in Mayham as the mysterious man who offers Tony Soprano the choice between life and death, and now he gets back behind the camera, leaving the series with another must-see, the essential Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request.
The Mr. Sacrimoni in question is none other than Johnny Sack, who gets a special permission to stay out of jail for six hours so that he can attend his daughter's wedding. Tony is also invited to the event and accepts to go despite his recent misfortunes, only to suffer a panic attack of sorts when the security measures set up by the police become too much for him. On top of that, the ceremony is nothing more than an excuse for Sack to humiliate the New Jersey boss again with some unfair demands. No wonder Tony ends up needing to hit someone to feel good again.
Some might argue the crucial point of the episode is the scene where Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) is spotted in a gay bar by two low-ranking gangsters, initiating a chain of events that aren't going to end well. yes, that part is pulled off with Buscemi's trademark sense of awkward humor, but the moment when he really outdoes himself is when he and writer Terence Winter shamelessly reference The Godfather: if you've seen Coppola's masterpiece, then you know a Sicilian can't turn down any request on his daughter's wedding day; the tradition is neatly reversed here by having Johnny Sack in the favor-asking position, something that Christopher remarks as not being culturally correct.
So, is that it, then? Buscemi's swansong on The Sopranos, a clever, twisted comic reversal of traditions? Not really: if there's one thing the director has always respected, it's the shows fundamentally bleak heart, and therefore the episode ends in an unexpected, entertainingly terrifying way. Just one comment: how on Earth did James Gandolfini not receive an Emmy nomination for the first half of Season Six? The final scene alone should have secured the nod.
The Mr. Sacrimoni in question is none other than Johnny Sack, who gets a special permission to stay out of jail for six hours so that he can attend his daughter's wedding. Tony is also invited to the event and accepts to go despite his recent misfortunes, only to suffer a panic attack of sorts when the security measures set up by the police become too much for him. On top of that, the ceremony is nothing more than an excuse for Sack to humiliate the New Jersey boss again with some unfair demands. No wonder Tony ends up needing to hit someone to feel good again.
Some might argue the crucial point of the episode is the scene where Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) is spotted in a gay bar by two low-ranking gangsters, initiating a chain of events that aren't going to end well. yes, that part is pulled off with Buscemi's trademark sense of awkward humor, but the moment when he really outdoes himself is when he and writer Terence Winter shamelessly reference The Godfather: if you've seen Coppola's masterpiece, then you know a Sicilian can't turn down any request on his daughter's wedding day; the tradition is neatly reversed here by having Johnny Sack in the favor-asking position, something that Christopher remarks as not being culturally correct.
So, is that it, then? Buscemi's swansong on The Sopranos, a clever, twisted comic reversal of traditions? Not really: if there's one thing the director has always respected, it's the shows fundamentally bleak heart, and therefore the episode ends in an unexpected, entertainingly terrifying way. Just one comment: how on Earth did James Gandolfini not receive an Emmy nomination for the first half of Season Six? The final scene alone should have secured the nod.
