From the phone call to the therapy session, Jackie's death affects everyone, especially Tony since he pushed Ralph to make the decision on Jackie's fate.
Buck Showalter? WTF is he doin managing the Mets?? JFC. GTFOH. I could a find a better manaja to coach these bums. Mets are the Laughing Stock of baseball right now. They need to be sold and get Beyonce and Jay Z to buy em.
As a black guy I have to apologize to all Italians for the black guys who killed Jackie Jr., the black guys who attacked little Paulie at the construction site, and the black guy who stole that truck driver's truck in Goodfellas.
That line Tony says to AJ "you want me to get the snip and this is my male heir" was a lot worse and I think that stayed with AJ. When fathers say things like that to their sons it cuts deep. I think that part is underated and really messed AJ up in the head.
You may put the blame on AJ for being a dumbass but tbh kids are always kinda terrible at informing deaths, happened to me recently with this black kid I know from the neighbourhood, being the first to inform me of my grandma's death, in such an awkward and casual way, it instantly reminded me of this scene. I don't think this occurs due to being ignorant over how death affects other people, as this kid's father died not too long ago, so really it's just the general naïveté and clumsyness of their age, not ignorance or lack of empathy.
@@gareginasatryan6761 Exactly. He's telling AJ that Jackie Jr. was killed because of the drugs and partying, not because he robbed a mafia card came , killed the dealer, and shot a made guy. Tony is full of shit, but Meadow always calls him on it.
@@shotgundiplomat2406 He got the guys outside the Puerto Rican girlfriends apartment to turn down their music by giving them his bike. LOL Not exactly the same approach that Paulie or Christopher would've taken.
Carmella: "Oh my god" Tony: "What is it?" Carmella: "Jackie was found dead in the projects, He was trying to argue that Space Jam was a good movie and they gunned him down" Tony: "You see"
AJ was raised by the two best influences in his family (his mother and grandfather) while Meadow was raised by the two worst influences in her family (her father and grandmother). That's the difference.
@@harveywallbanger3123 She got into a good school and became a lawyer by the end of the series. She wasn't an idiot, even if she was annoying and entitled sometimes.
@@EndOfSmallSanctuary97 I'll believe "wasn't an idiot". But don't think for a second that getting into a good school and becoming a lawyer is a sign of intelligence. Why do you think so many rich people's kids go to Ivy League schools? Because they're genetically smarter?
Seriously those couple of black guys couldn’t help themselves from making trouble for everyone: they jumped Tony when he supposed to go on that high jack with his cousin; they beat up Tony B outside of a bar; they smashed lil Pauly’s face at the construction site; and they shot Jackie Jr. Unbelievable!
The funny thing about AJ is that even though he wasn’t very smart or motivated, he understood a lot of what his father was about in the background. The tragedy was that he couldn’t say any of it. You can tell he knew what his father was about because he tried to kill Uncle June when he shot Tony. He understood that a lot of people were getting killed behind the scenes and that his father was probably a part of it. But because they both could never say anything about it is why AJ never took his father seriously with anything he said. The sad thing is that when he went to military school his father was all for it but AJ didn’t want it. He spent the next few years of his life depressed and suicidal and fixating on world issues which a lot of depressed people do. He didn’t know how to fix his life first. Later in the series though we actually get to see him kick his depression. He decides that he wants to join the military so that at least he can have some direction and be in a place to actually make a difference or see first hand what it is like oversees in those countries. This is really the only time in the entire series that we see him trying hard for himself. He goes jogging and is working out to get in shape. But when he tells his parents his plans they absolutely do not want him to go oversees and get killed, even though Tony loves the history channel and hates terrorists. It was like AJ wanted something for himself to be respected but also something his dad would have respected him for as well. Instead they cave once again and get him a job at a night club and buy him an expensive sports car. They essentially took the only thing that AJ had ever worked for from him by doing that. I think is the truly tragic point of what happened to AJ. It was like once he kicked the depression he was probably thinking of what could have been different if he had gone to military school. And, right when he was about to follow through, his parents just gave him anything he wanted. The result was that AJ didn’t care about motivating himself anymore, he didn’t care about the environment or anything oversees or the high oil prices or that America went to war for oil. He only cared how fast his car accelerated.
I'd be curious what happened to AJ after Tony got whacked at the table with him. Perhaps that would set him back on a better course as that would in a sense be a transforming event that he has to do what is right for him, because his parents are a mess. His father is a dead mobster and his mom is mostly just a gold-digging enabler of her husband mostly concerned about appearances. It's too bad his other aunt lived so far away as maybe she might have been able to help counsel him some on getting away from that life, but at the same time, like many teens, AJ kind of had to figure things out for himself. Even with good parents, making good decisions, kids sometimes go wrong, but when you have bad parents, making bad decisions, it is hard for a kid to escape that without some luck or incredible willpower of their own.
AJ was a simple kid who was spoiled rotten materially but deprived of any real upbringing. His father was a murderer, a sociopathic criminal. And his mother enabled evil, an accessory to all those crimes. In a lot of ways he was maybe the only main character who was truly innocent. Contrast that with Meadow, who had the smarts to recognize what was going on on a higher moral level and who still made the choice to be a part of that world and enjoy the material benefits it provided (I.e., her turn from medicine to criminal defense and pathetic conflation of immigrants being deprived of their constitutional rights and mafia getting RICO charges, and her relationship with Patrick Parisi). AJ was actually a good kid.
stop crying gandolfini, like everyone in hollyweird, sold his soul to be on tv. he got merked because of it. why do you feel sympathy for sellouts? i ll never get this. you worship sellouts like they're god. fuckin dumb kid
He's really NOT the reason is happened. Jackie Jr is. Tony did everything he could to steer Jackie in the right direction, and what does Jackie do? Decides to rob a poker game and shoot at MADE MEN. He may be Jackie's son but he's not made. He's not even really in the crew. If ANY of them tried to do something like that they'd be killed too. And since it was Ralphie's poker game, and Ralphie is a Captain, Tony gave him the call. Tony didn't even know if he was going to kill Jackie Jr or not.
Tony deep down is relieved. Jackie jr. Was an idiot. Bucking up to made ppl and a mob boss with street credit he didnt have riding the coat tails of his father and his idiot uncle. Im surprised he lasted this long. O and Ritchie Aprile. He and Janice were made for each other
@@shotgundiplomat2406 Jackie Jr. murdered a senior associate and wounded a made man, while leading a crew consisting of two junior associates and one civilian on a robbery of a boss-sanctioned poker game. Yeah, no, there was no way they weren't all going to end up worm food. I'm amazed they weren't all killed in the attempt. Stupid little shit didn't realize that CONTEXT matters, and this wasn't the free-wheeling 70s and his fadda wasn't around to cover his ass.
I like how Tony's head springs up when he hears who's calling, how his head drops (as if to imply he feels guilt), and then how his head re-springs up to play anything off when Carmela turns around. This show is really different than any other show. Delivering on the lines is maybe 50% of acting talent or less because their body language is exquisitely acted and says everything.
Lines are even less important than that in visual media like movies. Honestly with good actors, you could make a film about late nights at taco bell and it could be a masterpiece.
tf, how else are you supposed to react to something that inevitable? When my dumbass cousin (same on who molested me) got arrested, I laughed. Wait Why am I equating the two?
something I never picked up in this scene until now: when Tony looks at AJ and says "you see?" its like he squashes literally ANY ideas AJ had of trying to get in to the family business.
I never saw it that way. Think he says that just to show what a fuck up Jackie was and if AJ doesn't straighten out his life, he'll wind up like Jackie.
@The Esquire of Sports ® sigh... and some people just want to ruin it for others. bro its a well written show, maybe there IS psychological depth, that ever occur to you?
+Kermit F Probably *two* black guys, who ate grilled cheese off radiators in jail while Phil was telling them to go home and get their fucking shinebox.
+vodka martini nah it shows that the mafia has no regard for them as human beings, and that not all of them are perfect. Like all ethnicities, except a lot more of them are in bad places in America cause of slavery and racism.
Meadow's reaction was splendid acting. So sad and genuine in the way your breath leaves you and instantaneous crying upon learning of the unexpected death of someone close. A powerful scene.
I don't know ... I never seen anyone breaking down so instantly upon hearing about someone dying, except in movies. IRL it's more like when Livia died, and Tony's first reaction was "Are you kidding?" - especially when it is like something unexpected like Jackie's passing was.
Anna Frieze If she truly loved her son and wanted the best for him she wouldn’t have let him hang out with Ralphie and Richie. What she think they’d show him how to study for the SAT’s?
@@deltahomicide9300 nah,u know some kids will do whatever the heck they choose,its their choice,my 18 year old stepdaughter moved away cause she wanted to,even though we wanted her home still.
I like the subtle acting from James when Carmella picks up the phone. You can tell in his eyes that he knows the exact reason why she sounds so alarmed
I love the look on Tony's face and how he said, "AJ ? In my business? Forget it. He'd never make it". A man speaking with certitude and wisdom that comes from experience. Great acting.
What a messed up culture. Jackie Aprile was Tony's best friend. By the end of the show Tony was either directly or indirectly involved with taking out almost his entire best friends family one by one.
Yes, the recurring theme throughout the show was how Jackie's crew was always a stone in Tony's shoe, most likely because he became the boss at the expense of Jackie.
"You see?" This was one of the most callous things Tony ever did, completely abnegated responsibility for a hit he all but sanctioned (whilst passing the completely passing the buck to Ralph to avoid his own feelings of responsibility) then hypocritically occupying the moral high ground with his son.
On the other hand, he's making a good point. Even if he had owned up to essentially telling Ralphie to kill Jackie, it still counts as a warning: keep on the straight and narrow or some fat fuck might put a bullet in your brain someday. That's how I see it, anyway.
Jackie Jr. got himself killed doing the same stupid shit I could have easily envisioned AJ doing so I don't think he was in the wrong for saying that to him.
This a good example of what made the sopranos such a great show. There is a larger narrative here that I think a lot of people miss. Jackie wasn't killed because of the poker game robbery (although that obviously lead up to it) he was killed because Tony and Ralph each wanted the other to "Give Jackie a Pass". Neither wanted him to die but neither where willing to intervene themselves because they each didn't want to appear weak. End result is Jackie's death. They valued their reputation and pride above the kids life. Its just another ring in their own downward spiral of depravity. This sort of narrative device occurs several times during the series. An other notable example is when Tony kills Ralph (Hint: It has nothing to do with the horse).
i reed that meeting as neither wanted to , do the killing of jackie, and were trying to pass off the responsibility to the other guy. He still had to go as he shot Furio (a made guy), killed sunshine, and robbed the game
Tony wanted him dead. The purpose of his conversations with Ralph was not to spare Jackie, Jr., but to place the entire burden of the decision on Ralph.
It would in fact make them look weak though, giving some snot nose a pass for shooting at made men is understandable whether you’re in that life or not.
I’m a huge fan of the show and seen every single season, every single episode. The one that haunts me the most is the episode where AJ attempts suicide in the pool. His pain and loss of will to live was palpable! It broke my heart! Great acting…..
"You see?" Not so subtle threat. "you see what happens when you piss me off? Your going to that bootcamp unless you want to be slain by two black guys"
Well, when you grow up having everything handed to you, you tend to continue wanting that. He's no different than the rest of the characters on the show. AJ wants everything handed to him through threat of whining. Everyone else wants it handed to them through threat of violence.
0:13 I always laugh at how campy Tony gets about stuff like that. It's always about the optics and the theatrics with him both in his business and his private life!
awesome writing man AJ was just complaining about not wanting to go to military school. He was tough on his kids but he love them so much. I love the part of the scene where he looks over at AJ and just says "you see". Amazing writing and acting.
jackie jr had no chance - mob boss father, mobster relatives, his only friends were sons of mobsters - his dad may have wanted to keep him out of the life but there was no way he'd be able to pull himself away - the allure was too strong
Tony’s concern was so all encompassing that he stopped for a good half-second between bites to process his grief, then turned that grief into a life lesson for AJ
Tony was civilized enough to want to keep his own children out of the family "business". Maybe the only true humans he cared about were his kids. The other people, even his wife were just "objects". I used to think he felt real "love" for Christopher but in the end even he was just a loose end that needed to be clipped...
Christopher should have gotten clipped multiple times. He was an erratic and unreliable drug addict near the end. If anyone was a liability and needed to go, it was Christopher. I don't fault Tony that at all. Tony showed great restraint with Christopher and it was only because he truly did care for him and that he was family that he even got a pass half the time.
randy109 It's pretty much impossible for women to get directly involved into the family business (unless they're a hooker), and AJ was simply too much of an incompetent, whiny bitch to ever make it - as Tony tells Melfi in this scene.
randy109 Christopher signalled he was willing to come to terms with the new York families in the final conversation. As Tony's logical successor, Tony took this as a threat against him.
01:05 tony pretends to care for a brief moment then attempts to eat but realizes AJ expects him to say something and all he can come up with is you see...
Tony leveraging Jackie's death as some type of perverted warning sign to A.J. is some of the darkest TV writing in American history. ~~~ "Whoever did this...."
Tony Soprano may have been a ruthless mob boss at times but he was smart enough to see weakness. He was VERY wise to do everything he could to keep his kids away from the 'life'.
Interesting that it was Marie Spatafore consoling Rosalie first, when it was Vito who killed Jackie Jr. That might have been her first scene with lines.
