Mr. and Mrs. Sacrimoni Request

Tony is back to work this week and dealing with all of the hassles of our modern waste management consultant: ambitious colleagues looking for your job, desperate associates with intrusive favors, and acting like something vs. being something. The title refers to the nuptials of Allegra Sack and her schlubby husband, who know must call the Boss of New York Dad...or else.

A major secondary plot was the Passion of Vito: after a wedding filled with reflection and regret, he hustles Marie (and their heretofore unmentioned children) home on a lame excuse, only to sneak out for collections later. And the movie his wife is watching: 'Imitation of Life' ha! Later two wiseguys come to collect a debt at a leather bar, only to find Daddy Vito in full regalia. This sends Vito into a panic, as he rushes home for a gun and hides out for days in a motel. He could have claimed that he was just in that gay bar to make a collection except for the outfit. Not smart either, since he's in the one establisment where its totally acceptable to walk around in a mask.

Honestly, some people expect him to know that the guys would come to collect there then, but it since they are not part of his crew directly and presumably Vito doesn't know that the bartender owes money, it seems pretty unlikely he could know, especially if he's trying to get away. This was a personal debt, probably gambling. I think he could have had a nice quiet hook-up but yet he decides to do the mot brazen public expression of gayness possible. Notice how pented up he was at the wedding, that he glanced down at his wife's ring when Allegra's vows were being stated. Whether the gun is for a dramatic suicide or to hunt down his associates to seal their lips for good, we have yet to find out. It's notable that as soon as these soldiers saw him, a captain in full-on leather queerwear, all semblance of respect due was gone. This all goes back to the theme that everybody has a weakness to be exploited: Johnny's love for his family, Vito's love for other men, and Perry's short fuse. And right before Tony picks a fight, they displayed everyone's weaknesses: Bobby was fat and sweaty, Paulie was primping, etc.

This episode also serves as a great showcase for Vincent Curatola, who makes Johnny Sack a believable character, someone capable of such love for his family that it brings him to tears and still answers the phone like the world's biggest asshole (Speak!). But then there are his acid comments on fashion:

"Patent leather?? Has anyone read an issue of GQ the last three years??"

And his sincere speech to Tony about how all of their work is for these moments was oddly compelling. the whole Sack family is cleverly done, with one chubby happy daughter and one skinny bitchy smoking daughter. Wonder where each got their personalities.

A major theme is survival of the fittest: Johnny wants Rusty gone so that he won't end up coercing Phil against him; Tony realizes his injury (and passing out after setting off the metal detector at the wedding has made him look weak in the eyes of his crew so he pulls a typically crazy move: he beats up his new young musclebound bodyguard. And he got the impetus for this scheme from a surprisingly helpful Melfi. Once again it gets twisted to fit the LCN.

Reminded me of the classic piece of advice that when fighting against a group of people you should attack the biggest guy first and brutally so that the others will fear you. Then I remembered this was from the 'Two Tonys' episode last year and was told by Feech LaManna. I wondered what Tony was doing before he launched himself at Perry, but now I realize he was sizing each of his crew up and curiously, realized that it was the physically strongest guy who was also the socially weakest. After all, being the boss, like being in love, means never having to say you are sorry. I think Perry, as hot-headed a paisan as he is, wouldn't want to accidentally kill a made guy who runs all of the state. Of course, Tony's crew seemed horrified, even Paulie, the old lady strangler.

As for management decisions, killing Rusty is poor long-term planning by John, practically paving a path for Phil Leotardo. And there were a few chuckles, like Tony's response to Chrissy's mistaken ideas about Mafia weddings based on the Godfather and Chrissy's earlier remark about Allegra being a cold medicine. AJ's date saying she won't eat the fish because of the "toxins," as she expels a cloud of cigarette smoke.

Also we saw a bit more set-up on other subplots: Ahmed and Muhammed returned to the Bing for some stolen credit-card numbers and inquiring about Tec-9s. I wonder what Agent Harris thinks about that after a few months in 'Diarrheastan'. Someone on Tw/oP noted that Mother on Paulie's bicep has now been blacked out, which upon review seems to be possible. If so, good continuity there. Loved how Tony and Carm dance cheek-to-cheek while Marie and Vito dance Junior high style. Junior remains in total denial about the shooting, as Carm gets the chance to get the paper in her robe, removing Junior's picture before Tony sees. And Meadow and Finn almost move their subplot forward, but still she won't set a date. She so does not want to marry him. Then again, the only reason Finn proposed to Meadow was because of Vito at the job site.

Still, I am on pins and needles waiting to see what happens to Vito. I hate to say it, but I hope he goes into Witness Protection. I know this can't be the end. I think Phil has to find out that his cousin-in-law is a fag for things to heat up the drama nice and bubbly. I liked how four characters secenes ending with him contemplative alone in a room: Junior, Johnny, Vito and Tony. And yay for Ginny almost making her goal.

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