College (The Sopranos episode)
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| “College” | |
|---|---|
| The Sopranos episode | |
 Tony and Meadow visiting New England colleges |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 |
| Written by | David Chase and James Manos, Jr. |
| Directed by | Allen Coulter |
| Guest stars | see below |
| Production no. | 105 |
| Original airdate | February 7, 1999 |
| Season 1 episodes | |
| 10 January 1999 – 4 April 1999 | |
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| List of The Sopranos episodes | |
"College" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It was written by series creator/executive producer David Chase and co-producer Jim Manos, Jr., and was directed by Allen Coulter. It originally aired on February 7, 1999.
The episode is widely regarded as one of the best of the series, rated as the best by both Time Magazine[1] and Entertainment Weekly[2].
Contents |
[edit] Episode recap
Tony takes Meadow on a trip to New England to visit colleges she is considering. On the drive to Maine, Tony is taken aback when his daughter asks if he is 'in the Mafia', and his instinctive reaction is to deny everything. When Meadow proves skeptical, he relents and admits (if not understates) that a portion of his income is from illegal gambling and other activities. Meadow admits to taking speed to study for SATs, but after Tony reacts angrily, will not state her source of the drugs. Both seem relieved by this mutual honesty on difficult topics.
However, later on the journey, Tony spots a familiar face from afar at a gas station—Fabian Petrulio, a former member of the DiMeo crime family who turned FBI informant and was relocated under the Witness Protection Program. Despite Meadow's obvious alarm and suspicions at his agitated reaction (chasing a car through oncoming traffic), Tony resolves to locate the man, confirm his identity, and personally execute him---while continuing his trip with Meadow. Tony leaves his daughter at a college bar while he tracks down Petrulio. He confirms Petrulio's identity when he sees a bust of Ronald Reagan in Petrulio's office, similar to those that Petrulio had created while in prison. Tony fails to realize that his snooping has not gone unnoticed, and Petrulio in turn tracks the pair back to the motel where they are staying. However, two elderly bystanders present prevent him from taking a shot at an unsuspecting Tony.
The next morning, Tony drops off Meadow for an interview at Colby College, and leaves to ambush Petrulio at his "Frederick 'Fred' Peters" travel agency. Tony strangles him with a length of wire as Petrulio pleads for his life. On his return to Bowdoin, Tony is met with more skepticism from his daughter, and is struck by a Nathaniel Hawthorne quote on display in the college: "No man... can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one may be true."
Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, Carmela has been at home recovering from a case of the flu, and is paid a surprise visit from Father Phil while A.J. is at a friend's sleepover. Father Phil and Carmela relax with baked ziti, wine, and the film The Remains of the Day. Carmela's emotions are spurred when Dr. Melfi phones to reschedule Tony's appointment, revealing to Carmela that her husband's psychiatrist is female. Carmela pours out her heart to the Father about her marriage, her fears for her children and her soul, and Carmela is nearly driven to kiss Father Phil, only the moment is lost when the priest's stomach revolts against his alcohol consumption. The Father sleeps it off on the sofa until morning. Tony and Meadow return the same day, but his inquiry as to what Carmela was doing spending her evening alone with another man is turned around when she mentions her conversation with Dr. Jennifer Melfi, putting Tony on the defensive.
[edit] Deceased
- Fabian "Febby" Petrulio: Garrotted by Tony.
[edit] Title reference
- Tony and Meadow visit New England colleges.
[edit] Awards
- James Manos, Jr. and David Chase received the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for their work on this episode.
- Edie Falco got her first Emmy nomination and win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Carmela in this episode.
[edit] Locations
- The college locations and the Maine scenes in "College" were actually filmed in rural New Jersey. The college exteriors are located at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
[edit] Production
- Series creator, David Chase, has stated that when HBO first read the script, they objected to Tony's murder of Febby. Executives said that Chase had done so well in building Tony up as a sympathetic character that they believed if Tony committed such a cold-blooded killing, fans would turn on him and the show would lose its protagonist. Chase said that he believed fans would turn on Tony if the character didn't commit murder because it would make him appear weak.[3] Eventually, Chase won the decision and the episode has become a fan favorite.
- Chase names this as his favorite episode because of its self-contained nature.[citation needed] James Gandolfini and Jamie-Lynn Sigler similarly cite this installment.[citation needed]
[edit] References to other media
- When Tony asks if Meadow's friends think he is cool because of having seen The Godfather, she replies that most people she knew were bigger fans of Casino and begins discussing Sharon Stone's performance in the film before being cut off.
[edit] Music
- The song played over the end credits is "Gold Leaves" by Michael Hoppé.
[edit] References
- ^ Time: The Best of the Sopranos
- ^ EW: The all-time 10 best "Sopranos" episodes
- ^ The Sopranos: The Complete First Season: DVD interview
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