The Sopranos Season 2, Episode 5 - Big Girls Don't Cry

After last week's foray into what women mean in the Sopranos world, it makes sense that this week's episode is a look at masculinity.  Tony's struggling with rage issues, and he tries talking to Hesh as though he were his therapist, with disappointing results - either Hesh is deliberately not listening to him, or is too lost in his own world to consider what Tony is saying. Christopher is the sensitive artist-type - when going to menace a whorehouse owner derelict on payment, he merely shoves a paintbrush up his nose and threatens him with more violence.  He's also attending 'Acting for Writers', a workshop class Adrianna signed him up for.  Pussy laments the fact that there's no honor in the Mafia business anymore to the FBI agent assigned to his case; neither one acknowledges the deep irony here.  Furio arrives in America - our first few scenes with him, he's playing with babies and making cheese, but as an enforcer he is terrifying.

Meanwhile Melfi invites Tony back to therapy after some deliberation with her therapist.  She says that she does not have a sexual attraction to Tony, but that he can 'be such a little boy sometimes'.  Still, she calls him from home, glass of wine nearby, in a flirtatious way.  If there's a sign one way or another in this episode if she is attracted to him sexually, I didn't see it - certainly there is some vicarious thrill in her treatment of him, which she acknowledges.  Plus there's the 'toodle-oo' scene from a previous episode.  We'll monitor this situation as it develops.

Tony kind of states the thesis of this episode when he tells Melfi that his goal in therapy is to focus his rage on the people in his life that deserve it.  Christopher realizes this as well when he trashes his screenplay - the world of felt emotions is simply not for him.  It's too vivid.  He can't handle those frustrations.  The rage will find its supposedly deserving targets.

Random Observations:

Love the scene where Tony pulls the phone out of the wall in front of Anthony Jr., then apologizes to him with a joke.  When he doesn't respond to the joke, Tony merely leaves the room.  This episode drives home how much Tony uses humor both as a weapon - with Richie Aprile and Paulie in his business - and as a defense, here.

Furio becomes a true American when Tony hands him a baseball bat to smash up the whorehouse.

Everything at the acting class is great - the writers are really on solid ground here.  'I'm from Hartsdale, but don't hold that against me'

Christopher is late twice in this episode.

Tony's Russian girlfriend is smoking hot.  That's it.

"Did you ever think that's why he's the Gentleman Caller?"

I didn't catch any malapropisms in this episode, but I suspect they're there and I'm not catching them.