Watching Too Much Television

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“Watching Too Much Television”
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 46
Written by	Nick Santora and Terence Winter
Directed by	John Patterson
Guest stars	see below
Production no.	407
Original airdate	October 27, 2002
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Everybody Hurts" "Mergers and Acquisitions"
Episode chronology

"Watching Too Much Television" is the forty-sixth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the seventh of the show's fourth season. Its teleplay was written by Nick Santora and Terence Winter from a story by Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Terence Winter and David Chase. It was directed by John Patterson and originally aired on Sunday October 27, 2002.

Contents 1 Guest starring roles 2 Episode recap 3 Title reference 4 References to other media 5 Connections to prior episodes 6 Music

[edit] Guest starring roles

Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile Oksana Babiy as Irina Peltsin Carl Capotorto as Little Paulie Germani Max Casella as Benny Fazio Vondie Curtis-Hall as Maurice Tiffen Matthew Del Negro as Brian Cammarata Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore Lola Glaudini as Agent Deborah Ciccerone Waldrup Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi Marianne Leone as Joanne Moltisanti Richard Maldone as Ally Boy Barese

Anna Mancini as Donna Parisi Patty McCormack as Liz LaCerva Frank Pellegrino as Bureau Chief Frank Cubitoso Richard Portnow as Harold Melvoin Peter Riegert as Ronald Zellman Matt Servito as Agent Dwight Harris Lewis J. Standlen as Dr. Ira Fried Lauren Toub as Liz DiLiberto Maureen Van Zandt as Gabriella Dante Karen Young as Agent Robyn Sanseverino

[edit] Episode recap

Paulie Walnuts gets out of prison and a huge party is thrown for him at the Bada Bing!. Tony and Ralphie get an idea from Brian Cammarata the next day: to defraud the HUD fund with bogus housing deals. Tony recruits Assemblyman Zellman and a friend of his, Maurice Tiffen, the formerly idealistic head of a non-profit low income housing program, to put the plan into action. They also recruit Dr. Ira Fried to initially buy the property. Zellman confesses that he has started seeing Irina; Tony initially gives his blessing but later storms into Zellman's place and viciously beats him with a belt in front of Irina.

Adriana's surreptitious meetings with FBI continue. Believing that the FBI will stop hassling her if they can't use her testimony, she asks Christopher to finally set a date for their wedding. Later, during a casual conversation, she finds out that marital privilege may not apply after all. She secretly goes to a lawyer, who tells her that marital privilege will only apply to conversations that take place after they get married, are not in the presence of a third party, and do not further any criminal enterprise. Since every conversation she's ever had with Christopher violates at least one of these rules, marriage will not solve her legal problems. This is reinforced by the FBI agents, who discuss the likelihood of her nuptials among themselves and voice no serious objection, in fact being marginally in favor of the proposed union.

Elsewhere, Carmela and Furio Giunta's tentative flirtation continues, as he calls her with the pretense of looking for his missing sunglasses, which he intentionally hid. Later on, when Furio goes to pick up Tony in the morning, he refuses Carmela's offers to come inside for coffee, claiming he needs to sit in his car because it is having engine problems. Adriana reluctantly continues to meet with the FBI but Paulie is giving up more information in his meetings with Johnny Sack. They meet for a meal and he divulges the HUD scheme, while also seeking assurance from Johnny that their discussions are kept private.

[edit] Title reference

• Adriana watches the TV series Murder One and learns that she doesn't have to turn state's evidence against Christopher if they get married (which turns out to be untrue as is discussed from another TV show (Murder She Wrote)).

[edit] References to other media

• Silvio makes a reference to the movie Papillon to Paulie when they first meet each other after he gets out of jail, naming Paulie after the eponymous character who was sentenced to live in a penal colony on Devil's Island.
• Adriana watches The A-Team on television.

[edit] Connections to prior episodes

• Like he did with Meadow in "Pilot," Tony takes A.J. to see the church his grandfather built when he first came from Avelino. However, unlike Meadow, A.J. is bored with the whole experience: his favorite part of the expedition comes when he and Tony drive through his great-grandfather's old neighborhood, and are solicited by drug dealers. Upon realizing who they are, A.J. points and exclaims, "So that's a crack ho!"

[edit] Music

The Song which is played over the end credits is "Oh Girl" by the The Chi-Lites.

v • d • e The Sopranos Characters Tony Soprano · Dr. Jennifer Melfi · Carmela Soprano · Christopher Moltisanti · "Uncle Junior" Soprano · Meadow Soprano · A.J. Soprano · Janice Soprano · Silvio Dante · Paulie Walnuts · Adriana La Cerva · Bobby "Bacala" · Livia Soprano · Johnny Sack · Vito Spatafore · Furio Giunta · "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero · Tony Blundetto · Ralph Cifaretto · Artie Bucco · Charmaine Bucco · Jackie Aprile, Jr. · Raymond Curto · Rosalie Aprile · Phil Leotardo · Hesh Rabkin · Richie Aprile · Carmine Lupertazzi · Little Carmine · Patsy Parisi · Benny Fazio · Carlo Gervasi · Agent Dwight Harris · Eugene Pontecorvo · Little Paulie Germani · Butch DeConcini Fictional universe DiMeo crime family · Lupertazzi crime family · Satriale's Pork Store · Bada Bing · Cleaver · Timeline · Family tree · FBI Production Episode list · Writers and directors · David Chase · Music · Sets and locations Miscellaneous The Sopranos: Road to Respect · Awards Category · Episodes