Amour Fou

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“Amour Fou”
The Sopranos episode
Episode no. Season 3
Episode 38
Written by Frank Renzulli
Directed by Tim Van Patten
Guest stars see below
Production no. 312
Original airdate May 13, 2001 (HBO)
Episode chronology
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"Pine Barrens" "Army of One"
Episode chronology

"Amour Fou" is the thirty-eighth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the twelfth of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Frank Renzulli from a story idea by series creator, David Chase. It was directed by Tim Van Patten and originally aired on Sunday May 13, 2001.

Contents

[edit] Guest starring roles

[edit] Episode recap

Carmela Soprano meets Meadow in an art museum when she begins spotting blood. She excuses herself to the bathroom and returns to find Meadow looking at paintings. Carmela is then brought to tears when she sees The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine. Later while watching a commercial on television, Carmela begins to sob but quickly becomes over herself when she realizes it is only a commercial for dog food. She later has confession with a priest who is pursuing a doctorate degree in psychology. Carmela tells the priest that she is worried that she has ovarian cancer and of her encounter with Dr. Krakower. The priest asks Carmela if she loves Tony which she replies, "Yes." He then advises her not to leave him but to help him grow and to be more loving to him. Over lunch with the other mob wives, Carmela tells them she has a clean bill of health and that she was worried she had cancer or was pregnant. Rosalie Aprile tells them that they should all admire Hillary Clinton, not for her personality but the way she handled herself when Bill Clinton admitted his affair. Carmela believes that this is true and that "she should be an example to us all."

Tony continues to see Gloria Trillo, even as her erratic behavior continues. She apologizes to him in the parking lot of Jennifer Melfi's office, but Tony reminds her that if she were a guy "[he] wouldn't have to tell her where she would be right now." Gloria apologizes and wants the relationship to work but Tony needs time to think. When he tells this to Dr. Melfi, she once again tells him that Gloria is a lot like his mother, Livia, even though he claims to not see the comparison. Melfi then tells Tony that Gloria does love him and that she has a history of bad relationships, upon which Melfi cannot elaborate. Tony decides to give the relationship another chance but when Gloria blows up at Tony when her tires get slashed, and drives Carmela home from Motors, he calls the relationship off permanently. During a heated argument with Gloria, she mockingly says, "Poor you," and that she should "...sit back like a mute." These are phrases that Livia had said to Tony more than once, and he suddenly realizes that she is exactly like his mother ("I've known you my entire life"). When he goes for the door, Gloria threatens to tell Carmela and his family about the affair if he leaves. Enraged, he slaps her. The fight continues and he begins to choke her. She begs him to kill her but he leaves instead. The following day, Patsy Parisi takes a test drive in one of the models with Gloria. When Patsy stops the car, Gloria worries and threatens to call the police. Patsy then warns Gloria at gunpoint that if she goes near Tony Soprano again or tries to contact him or his family, "they will be scraping your nipples from these fine leather seats" and that he, not Tony, will be the one who murders her.

Jackie Aprile, Jr. and his friend Dino Zerilli want to get ahead in life and become more than mere associates. After hearing Ralph Cifaretto's story of how Tony and Jackie Aprile, Sr. got on the fast track to getting made after robbing "Feech" La Manna's Saturday night card game, the two plan to do the same during Eugene Pontecorvo's game. Initially, Jackie and Dino hesitate and almost back out, but later that evening they decide to go through with the plan and ask Carlo Renzi if he would like to join them, because he has a shotgun. They don balaclavas and head for the Aprile crew hangout where the poker game is taking place, but are alarmed when the players include some familiar faces: Christopher Moltisanti, Furio Giunta, and Ally Boy Barese. Carlo and Dino demand that the players give them their money and to be quiet while Jackie stays silent for fear his voice will be recognized. The dealer, "Sunshine", keeps advising the boys to leave and is soon shot and killed by a panicking Jackie. As the mobsters draw guns, a firefight breaks out: Furio is shot in the thigh by Jackie, and Christopher shoots Carlo in the forehead. Matush, who is Jackie's getaway driver, abandons the robbers as soon as he hears the gunshots, and when Jackie and Dino flee into the street, Jackie resorts to carjacking a passing vehicle, deserting Dino, who is caught and executed by Ally Boy and Christopher. Furio is rushed to the office of Dr. Fried, a specialist in erectile dysfunction. In the waiting room, Christopher warns Tony that he knows Jackie Jr. was the escaped robber and that he has to be killed. However, Tony seems troubled, due to his long history with Jackie Jr.'s father.

At the pork store the following morning, Ralphie meets Tony to discuss the fate of Jackie, Jr. Ralphie desperately wants to give him a "free pass" because of Ralph's relationship with Jackie's mother, but because of what happened with Furio and Sunshine he cannot easily let it go. Tony tells Ralphie that since Pontecorvo is a member of Ralphie's crew, it is his decision, but to make sure that it is the right one, and that he will understand if Ralphie gives Jackie a pass. However, Tony hints to Ralphie that if he does give Jackie a pass, he may lose the respect of the other captains, but Tony advises him not to be concerned about what they think. This affords Tony a clear conscience in the matter. Ralphie later tells Rosalie that Jackie probably went to Florida, and that he has a substance abuse problem, which deeply upsets her.

The episode ends with Patsy Parisi having a mundane conversation on his cellphone about groceries and driving off uneventfully in his car, reflecting his final words to Gloria after threatening her: "The last face you see will be mine, not Tony's. It won't be cinematic."

[edit] Deceased

  • "Sunshine": a card dealer for the mob who was shot during the poker robbery.
  • Carlo Renzi: shot by Christopher during the poker robbery.
  • Dino Zerilli: shot outside of the Aprile hangout by Christopher and Ally Boy Barese.

[edit] Title reference

  • The translation from French is "crazy love", a term Dr. Melfi uses to describe the conflicted relationship between Tony and Gloria. Tony later mispronounces it "Our mofo". Title of a book by André Breton (1937) and a film by Jacques Rivette (1969).

[edit] Connections to future episodes

  • Ralph retells to Jackie and Dino, the story about Jackie Sr. and Tony robbing Feech La Manna's card game, revealing that he was supposed to go along with them, and that the robbery put Jackie and Tony on the fast track to being made. Feech will later be released from prison during the show's fifth season and play a pivotal role during the first four episodes. The character's name is based on an idea from writer Frank Renzulli.

[edit] Production

  • The working title for this episode was "Stepping Up".
  • On the commentary on the season three DVD, David Chase affirms that this episode features "the biggest gunfight we ever shot."[1]
  • The tiny shell casings which can be seen striking the pavement after Chris executes Dino outside the card game were added into the scene in post-production using CGI.[1]
  • This episode opens with the same music that closes the previous episode, Pine Barrens. It connects the two in a smooth auditory way.

[edit] Goofs

[edit] Connections to other media

  • Jackie and Dino are seen watching the infamous "leg uncrossing" scene from the film Basic Instinct.

[edit] Music

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season — DVD commentary
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