Calling All Cars

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The Sopranos episode
“Calling All Cars”
Episode no. Season 4
Episode 50
Guest star(s) see below
Writer(s) Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess, David Chase and David Flebotte
Director Tim Van Patten
Production no. 411
Original airdate November 24, 2002 (HBO)
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Calling All Cars" is the 50th episode of the HBO original series, The Sopranos. It was the 11th episode in the show's fourth season. The episode was written by Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess, David Chase and David Flebotte and was directed by Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on Sunday November 24, 2002.

Contents

[edit] Guest Starring roles

[edit] Episode recap

Tony has a dream where he rides in the back of his father's old cadillac, Carmela drives and Ralphie sits in front of him with a caterpillar on his bald head that changes into a butterfly or moth. The person next to Tony is Gloria Trillo at first, and changes to Svetlana Kirilenko. Tony discusses the dream in therapy and Dr. Melfi suggests that it means that Carmela is in control and Tony wants to square the changes in the lives of the others in the car with her. Tony also expresses a dissatisfaction with his therapy and his lack of impulse control still leads him to make mistakes in his work. He makes reference to the fact that the money he spent on therapy could have gone towards a car and at least he would have got a blowjob out of that.

Bobby drops his daughter off at a baseball game and she notices a cake in the back of the car. He takes the cake to Karen's grave and buries it. Later at dinner Bobby has to go upstairs because he is upset. Janice questions Bobby about the cake and he initially lies but then tells her what he did. It would have been Karen and Bobby's 14 year anniversary. In Bobby Jr.'s room the children talk about ghosts and both are afraid. Janice visits Carmela at the Soprano household to discuss her difficulties in getting Bobby to move on.

Tony has a sitdown in New York with Carmine Lupertazzi and Johnny Sack. They demand 40% of his HUD business as it is linked to Zellman. Tony refuses and leaves. He phones Johnny on his way home with a counter of 5.5%, which Carmine refuses to discuss. Instead Carmine dispatches Joe Peeps to beat up Tony's appraiser on the HUD scam. He takes Anthony, an associate, with him and catches up to Vic the appraiser the next day.

Later Johnny meets with Paulie Walnuts and suggests that a change in leadership might be needed. Paulie is quick to put himself forward - reminding Johnny of his good relationship with New York. Johnny assures him that Carmine will always keep him in mind.

Tony visits Junior at home to discuss getting to a juror in the RICO trial, Junior seems distracted and looks dishevelled. Branca and Junior are not getting along very well. Later Tony has a meeting with Silvio Dante, Vito Spatafore and Paulie to discuss the disappearance of the appraiser. Eugene Pontecorvo arrives to pick up Vito and Paulie also reluctantly leaves. Once he is alone with Sil Tony raises the possibility of reaching out to Little Carmine Lupertazzi in Florida through their old friend Beansie Gaeta. Vic gets beaten up again later - this time by Vito and Dogsy from the Soprano family.

At the Soprano Sunday dinner the De Angelises and Baccalieri's enjoy Janice's cooking. After dinner Anthony disappears to his room with his girlfriend Devin. Carmela insists that he play a game with Bobby, Jr. and Sophia - AJ gets out the Ouija board and this progresses into a mock seance that terrifies the Baccalieri children. Tony gets a call from Beansie to confirm the trip. Tony later speaks to Silvio and tells him he suspects Paulie of being the leak through which Johnny is getting information on their business. He asks Sil to keep the trip quiet from Paulie.

Svetlana calls Tony to thank him for sending one of his horseshoe brooches. Tony seems eager to continue the relationship but Svetlana again turns him down. In therapy Tony tells Dr. Melfi that he has broken Svetlanas heart. He makes a Freudian slip - saying after a while he had to cut off the leg. He eventually admits that it was actually the other way around. He blames his lack of progress in therapy for Svetlana calling him high maintenance. Tony again tells Dr. Melfi that he wants to leave therapy. Dr. Melfi insists that now that his symptoms are under control they can make real progress but Tony decides that her time is up. Tony kisses Dr. Melfi on the cheek before he leaves.

At Junior's trial the judge throws out Melvoin's motion for a mistrial because of Junior's head injury and "dementia" because government psychiatrists have seen through Junior's act. Bobby reassures Junior that they will get to a juror.

Bobby and Janice get into a fight at the mall over Bobby's continuing reluctance to let go of his wife. Later, Janice uses an internet chat program to direct Bobby's children to a Ouija board in his home. When Bobby arrives home his children have got into a state and he calls Janice for help. She tells him she had heard them with the ouija board earlier in the day but didn't want to get involved because of their argument. Janice uses her manufactured situation with the children as a reason that Bobby needs to move on and again asks him to eat Karen's ziti. Bobby agrees with a tear running down his face.

Tony arrives in Miami and meets up with Beansie. Later they meet with Little Carmine at a restaurant. Little Carmine agrees to travel home and talk to his father. Carmine seems eager to place the blame for the situation at Johnny's feet. Tony mentions that Carmine has tried to reach his Moulinade as well as beating up the appraiser.

Tony has another dream where he follows Ralph to an old house which Ralph enters. Tony is dressed in trousers, suspenders and a vest. He knocks on the door and a female figure descends slowly in shadow. The door creaks ominously. Tony says he is there for the masoner job but does not speak English well. Just as Tony is about to enter the house he wakes up short of breath. He is still in Miami and is in a hotel, standing on his balcony seems to calm him.

[edit] First Appearances

  • Carmine "Little Carmine" Lupertazzi: capo in the lupertazzi family and son of the boss, Carmine Sr.

[edit] Title Reference

  • Dr. Melfi uses the phrase "Calling All Cars" to signify her need for help when trying to reach Dr. Kupferberg after Tony quits therapy.

[edit] Miscellanea

  • The song "Surfing USA" by The Beach Boys plays over the closing credits
  • The episode is the first to feature Tony's father's Cadillac.
  • Ralphie reappears in this episode in Tony's dreams. Pantoliano is still credited in the opening sequence.
  • Though credited, Jamie Lynn DiScala, Michael Imperioli, Drea de Matteo, Katherine Narducci and John Ventimiglia do not appear in this episode.
  • It is revealed that Bobby Jr's AOL screen name is PowerBob386. After the airing of the episode, a real PowerBob386 AOL account was made and later sold on eBay.
  • Little Carmine Lupertazzi's wife Nicole is mentioned in this episode, she will not appear until season 5.
  • In his dream Tony says he is present for a masoner job - his grandfather was a stonemason.
  • Annabella Sciorra was credited for her appearance in Tony's dream.
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