Pine Barrens (The Sopranos episode)
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| The Sopranos episode | |
|---|---|
| “Pine Barrens” | |
 |
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| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 37 |
| Guest star(s) | see below |
| Writer(s) | Terence Winter |
| Director | Steve Buscemi |
| Production no. | 311 |
| Original airdate | May 6, 2001 (HBO) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "...To Save Us All From Satan's Power" | "Amour Fou" |
"Pine Barrens" is the 37th episode of the HBO original series, The Sopranos. It was the 11th episode for the show's third season. The episode's teleplay was written by Terence Winter and a story idea by Winter & Tim Van Patten and was directed by Steve Buscemi. It originally aired on Sunday May 6, 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Guest Starring roles
- Jason Cerbone as Jackie Aprile, Jr.
- Annabella Sciorra as Gloria Trillo
- Tom Aldredge as Hugh De Angelis
- Suzanne Shepherd as Mary De Angelis
- Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin
- Vitali Baganov as Valery
[edit] Episode recap
After Silvio catches the flu, Tony asks Paulie and Christopher to make his collections, one in particular from an associate of the Russian mob, Valery. Tempers flare when Paulie mocks the Russian and deliberately destroys his universal remote control, causing Valery to insult Paulie and Christopher, prompting them to attack the seated Russian. Paulie chokes Valery with a lamp, apparently killing him, to Christopher's alarm. The Mafiosi wrap him in a carpet and wheel him into their car. While trying to figure out what they will do with the body, Paulie suggests that they bring it to the Pine Barrens since it will be deserted and is in close proximity to Atlantic City. Christopher agrees and they drive on their way.
Meanwhile in North Jersey, Tony is on the outs with Gloria when, on the Stugots, Tony receives a call from his former cumare Irina in front of her. Jealous, Gloria throws Tony's Christmas gift into the marina and leaves. Tony and Gloria manage to reconcile later when she buys him a new gift and they then sleep together. However when Tony fails to show up at a dinner Gloria had prepared, he arrives late and instead of eating has the piece of steak thrown at him by an angered Gloria.
Meadow has a cold and continues to warm up with Jackie, Jr. When Jackie continues to leave early and fails to make any new dates with Meadow, she becomes suspicious and follows him and learns he is sleeping with someone else. Meadow then gets out of the car and tearfully confronts Jackie. She then breaks up with him and is taken to the hospital wing shortly after.
In the woods, Christopher and Paulie open the trunk to find that Valery is still alive and has chewed through the carpet tape. They lift him out of the car, present him with a shovel and force him to dig his own grave. When the pair are distracted, Valery smacks them with the shovel, delivering a brutal blow to Christopher's head before fleeing. Christopher and Paulie draw their guns and chase after Valery, but are amazed when Paulie shoots Valery in the head, yet he runs on and disappears from view. Attempting to hunt him down again, the pair only manage to kill a deer by mistake. Now lost in the woods, Paulie uses his cellphone to call Tony for help, to his annoyance, but communication is limited by poor reception. As the night draws nearer, the lost pair begin to shiver and Paulie loses his shoe in the snow. They manage to find an abandoned van where they spend the rest of the night. For warmth, Paulie rips up the van's carpet and he and Christopher share ketchup packets. When Christopher blames Paulie for the predicament and accuses him of trying to save himself at his expense, the two have an angry confrontation, almost succumbing to violence. The morning after, they leave the van and try to retrace their steps.
Tony soon gets worried and asks Bobby Bacala who is a skilled outdoorsman to help him find them. Driving to the Barrens, the two share their first friendly moment when Tony apologises for making fun of Bobby and expresses gratitude for his taking care of Junior. Arriving at the woods, they yell for a response. As they are walking, Paulie's makeshift shoe falls off and he shoots it in a fit of frustration. Tony and Bacala hear the shots and head towards the source of the noise, calling for Paulie and Christopher. They respond and soon meet up with each other. Paulie and Christopher are grateful they have been found and climb into Tony's Suburban where there are food and drinks, but Tony is clearly irritated with Paulie for getting himself in such a predicament, telling him to take responsibility for any trouble created by Valery's disappearance or potential re-emergence.
During a session with Dr. Melfi, Tony tells her of his problems with Gloria who advises him that she is not the only one who was "impossible to please". She then asks: "Does this remind you of any other woman?". After a thoughtful pause, Tony shakes his head in denial.
[edit] Title reference
- The Pine Barrens is an actual area in Southern New Jersey where Christopher and Paulie try to "dispose" of Valery's remains.
[edit] Awards
Terence Winter and Timothy Van Patten received an award from the Writers Guild of America for their work on this episode.
[edit] Miscellanea
- As of the sixth season, the whereabouts of Valery, the Russian remain unknown, despite demand for continuity from many fans. David Chase has said in the past that the episode was not intended to evolve into a story arc.
- In the DVD commentary for this episode, director Steve Buscemi has said that he was the one who threw the steak at Tony's head, to perfect the desired impact.
- Director Steve Buscemi played a character in Fargo who was also part of a two-man crew involved in taking a hostage into the snowy woods with dark comic results.
- This episode was filmed at Harriman State Park in New York. [1]
- The song played during the final montage/closing credits is "Sposa Son Disperzzata" by Cecilia Bartoli.
- The episode is widely considered to be one of the best ever by fans of the show
