The Knight in White Satin Armor

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The Sopranos episode
“The Knight in White Satin Armor”
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 25
Guest star(s) see below
Writer(s) Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess
Director Allen Coulter
Production no. 212
Original airdate April 2, 2000
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"The Knight in White Satin Armor" is the 25th episode of the HBO original series, The Sopranos. It was the 12th episode for the show's second season. The episode was written by Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess and directed by Allen Coulter. It originally aired on Sunday April 2, 2000.

It was nominated for the 2000 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

Contents

[edit] Guest Starring roles

[edit] Episode recap

After being told by Janice that she knows of his Russian girlfriend on the side, Tony attempts to break it off with Irina for reasons of shame and embarrassment, and insists to Irina that she deserves better than remaining his cumare. Irina refuses to accept the breakup, saying that she loves Tony and will commit suicide if he leaves her, but he walks out. Tony later receives a call from Irina's cousin Svetlana informing him that Irina attempted to kill herself by consuming sleeping pills and vodka. Tony visits her in the hospital and tells her that she needs help. Tony then discusses Irina with Dr. Melfi and asks if she can find her a suitable therapist. Melfi refuses since she does not want to get deeply involved with Tony's other life. Carmela becomes angered when Tony confesses the Irina situation and yells "you're putting me in a position where I am feeling sorry for a whore who fucks you!". To make amends, Tony sends Silvio to Irina's house to present her with a parting gift of $75,000, and along with Svetlana, he persuades her to move on with her life.

At Richie and Janice's engagement party which Tony reluctantly holds, Richie professes his love for Janice and his gratitude that he is entering a great family. Witnessing the pair's affection and happiness, Carmela escapes to the kitchen where she cries uncontrollably. The following day, Carmela visits Vic Musto at a paint store where she thanks him for not showing up to their intended luncheon since she would have done things she would have regretted.

Pussy begins to take to his job as an FBI informant, first wearing a wire to Richie and Janice's engagement party and then giving up useful information about stolen airline tickets and Tony's business with Davey Scatino. However, signs that Pussy's mental condition has not improved arise, as he begins to develop an unrealistic image of his new role. When Pussy learns that Christopher is planning a hijacking with another associate targeting a shipment of Pokémon cards, he attempts to conduct his own surveillance and follow them to the heist, but winds up in a car accident and is wounded. At the hospital, his handler Skip Lipari reminds Pussy that he is not a government employee and that he should focus solely on providing information on Tony.

Richie's contempt for Tony grows when he is again ordered to shut down a sideline distributing cocaine along his garbage routes. Later, Janice informs him that his boss refuses to have his children near him after the situation with Beansie Gaeta, and believes he is a bad influence, finally undermining the capo's attempts to remain loyal to the boss. Richie approaches Uncle Junior and suggests having Tony killed, but Junior is reluctant, being mindful of his own failure to do so last year, and his tentative reconciliation with his nephew since then. When Richie insists that he can muster support from other dissatisfied crews such as the Bareses, Junior finally offers his approval; but once Richie departs, Junior mulls his loyalties once more and decides that having Richie in power would ultimately cause him more trouble. Meanwhile, Richie visits Albert Barese, acting capo of the Barese crew since his cousin Larry Boy's indictment, to try to win his allegiance, but Albert balks at the idea of a hit on Tony and refuses. Vexed, Richie returns home to dinner with Janice, and expresses disgust for his son Richard Jr.'s career path as a ballroom dancer. When Janice takes offense, saying she does not care if "Little Ricky" is considered gay, he silences her with a punch to the mouth and asks his distraught fiancée "what, are you going to cry now?". Janice runs out of the room and returns with a gun in her hand, shooting Richie twice in the chest. Richie clings to life for a brief moment and then dies on the floor. Panicking, Janice calls Tony to take care of the body which he does by enlisting the help of Christopher and Furio. The soldiers dispose of Richie's remains at Satriale's where they place his body parts in a meat grinder. Tony then gives Janice a bus ticket to Seattle and they part ways.

Tony and Carmela discuss Richie and Janice's sudden disappearances where he hints that Richie will not be coming back. Understanding his implication, Carmela is shocked, but soon moves the conversation on and informs Tony that she and Rosalie Aprile will be traveling to Rome to see Pope John Paul II. Carmela asks that Tony be a "chauffeur" to A.J. and to find Meadow a suitable tennis camp while she is away, mockingly suggesting that she "just might commit suicide" unless he agrees.

[edit] First appearances

[edit] Deceased

  • Richie Aprile: shot by Janice after he punched her in the mouth

[edit] Title reference

  • The episode's title is a quote made by Irina about her cousin Svetlana's fiancee Bill who treats her the way she should be treated, apparently a confused paraphrasing of the term "knight in shining armor" and the Moody Blues song "Nights In White Satin". Irina first says this in episode 5, College.

[edit] Trivia

  • The song "I Saved The World Today" by Eurythmics is played over the credits, and throughout the episode.
  • Due to David Proval's training as an amateur boxer he had the capacity to judge the distance of his strike; the scene where Richie punches Janice was filmed without stunt doubles.
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