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Irregular Around the Margins (The Sopranos episode)
Encyclopedia
"Irregular Around the Margins" is the fifty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos
and the fifth of the show's fifth season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
, directed by Allen Coulter
and originally aired on April 4, 2004.
goes to the doctor with gastro-intestinal problems, possibly Irritable Bowel Syndrome
(IBS), which includes frequent diarrhea
brought on by the stress of her working as an informant. When the doctor asks about the possible stresses in her life, she comes up with a cover story.
Tony
has been spending more time at the Crazy Horse, and therefore, more time with Adriana. With Christopher
out of town handling a cigarette smuggling job (and suffering from the pain of an impacted tooth which, due to his sobriety, he cannot relieve with painkillers and so instead uses an ineffectual herbal remedy), Tony and Adriana are alone together a few times in her club's office, where Tony also conducts "business". The two bond over recent medical and family problems -- Adriana's IBS and Tony's cancer scare -- and also snort a few lines of cocaine
together. During a game of darts, Adriana drops some of them and bends down to pick them up. When Tony helps her up, they have a sexually tense moment that is interrupted when Phil Leotardo and Joey Peeps arrive for a meeting.
Tony, back in therapy, discusses his feelings for Adriana with Dr. Melfi
(Tony acknowledges that he is "on probation
" with her) and tells her that Adriana is the kind of woman with whom he could start a whole new family. He is aware of how much trouble would arise if he pursued a relationship with Adriana; not just between himself and Carmela
, but with Christopher as well. Dr. Melfi commends Tony for this psychological "milestone". It represents growth, thinking about the consequences of his actions and for those he loves, rather than acting impulsively on his feelings.
Meanwhile, while being pressured by her FBI handler to find out and to report where Christopher went, Adriana discusses her feelings for Tony with Agent Sanseverino. She confides: unlike Christopher, "He's nice,....he listens." Agent Sanseverino appears to be sympathetic and understanding as to why Adriana is attracted to him, stating that Tony is "kind of attractive" and an "alpha male". She also inquires what would happen if Christopher were to find out. However, Agent Sanseverino mocks Adriana to her colleagues at the FBI during lunch about Adriana's attraction to Tony.
One night, on the eve of Christopher's return from another cigarette smuggling trip, Tony and Adriana decide to drive to Dover
at 2 AM to get some cocaine from a drug dealer Adriana knows. Tony, behind the wheel, is distracted by small talk and the mutual unspoken sexual attraction. At Adriana's panic, he swerves to avoid a raccoon in the road and flips his SUV on its driver's side. Tony is later released from the hospital after getting a clean bill of health. Adriana, however, took the worst of the crash, bearing several bruises and a head injury. She is in a temporary neck brace and on an examination table, in contrast to the ambulatory Tony Soprano. Tony suggests that they come up with a cover story as to why they were alone together at 2 AM near Dover.
After completing his lucrative smuggling job, Christopher learns of the accident from his crew. At first he is puzzled about why Tony and Adriana would be driving together at 2 AM. Then he apparently expects the worst. However, to save face in front of his crew, he makes up a story that Adriana had a sick aunt, who was also a friend of Tony's, near where the accident occurred and Chris hastily returns to New Jersey.
While driving Adriana home later, Christopher angrily interrogates her about being alone with Tony. Adriana tells him the cover story about getting something to eat; Christopher doesn't believe her. At the Bada Bing
, Tony, whose string of physical misfortunes continues, cleans dog feces
off of his shoe with a swizzle stick
. While handing the swizzle stick to Christopher to dispose of, he tells Christopher the cover story about getting food and deflects the conversation with Christopher's supposed selfishness and wrongful suspicion, that she could have died in the accident. He tells him that he should feel lucky that a "knockout, a ten" like Adriana is with someone who is "average, at best." Tony swears on his children that nothing is going on.
Meanwhile Tony's entire crew, including Uncle Junior, play an unintentional game of "telephone"
with the story of the accident. The details get more elaborate and lurid with each retelling. The FBI gets wind of the story and believes the distorted version of an affair. Christopher has become a laughing stock. When Christopher goes to Satriale's
, he sees Vito Spatafore
and some others laughing over the story. Christopher, having only heard the laughter and wanting to know what the joke was about, becomes frustrated over the crew's subsequent evasiveness. Christopher bursts into a rage and throws his sandwich at Vito, a major faux pas since Vito is now a capo
. Vito gets up to retaliate but is restrained by the others. Later, Christopher shows up at home and angrily confronts Adriana (who is out of the neckbrace) and chokes her. He has heard the distorted story about Adriana's performing fellatio
on Tony, and believes it was the reason for the accident. When he assaults her and chokes her again, she admits that she and Tony were going to see her drug dealer, but insists that nothing happened between them. Christopher then beats her, backhanding her twice, inflicting blows to Adriana's already injured head. He then drags Adriana by the hair out of the apartment, saying that he never wants to see her again. Seconds later, he falls off the wagon
by guzzling vodka
straight out of the bottle after rifling through Adriana's purse for drugs. Later, Tony Blundetto
warns Tony that Christopher was drunk at the Belleville Tavern and was talking loudly about the situation. Tony says Christopher knows where to find him and tells Tony B. to tell Christopher that if he sees him.
When Tony brings A.J. over to the house with pizza (to keep protect A.J. should an angry Christopher show up at Livia's house), Carmela has heard the worst of the stories and confronts him in the foyer
. She believes them given Tony's philandering history. She is resentful about how the story affects the family. She tells Tony she can't stand to look at him and drops the pizza box at his feet, turns her back and walks away. Tony, out of spite, leaves the house with the pizza still on the foyer floor. A moment later Tony reenters the house and picks up the pizza and leaves with it.
Apparently taking up Tony's challenge, Christopher roars into the parking lot of the Bada Bing in his Hummer H2
, staggering drunk, looking for Tony. He empties his pistol's magazine into a vehicle that looks like Tony's old Chevy Suburban in the parking lot and staggers into the full gentleman's club, yelling for Tony and pointing his empty pistol in Tony's general direction. Bouncers quickly subdue him, with Christopher screaming that Tony was lucky that he "ran out of load". Tony and his crew take Christopher out to a deserted road, where Tony kicks and slaps him a couple of times and prepares to execute him if he won't accept that nothing happened between himself and Adriana. Paulie intervenes, stating that Christopher knew he'd expended all the bullets when shooting at the SUV, and therefore never intended to shoot Tony. But Chris is unwilling to believe Tony, saying Tony sent him to North Carolina so Tony could take his girlfriend. Tony denies that he even thought of it. Christopher waits for Tony to shoot. Tony B. intercedes with a plan to convince Christopher of the truth.
Christopher and the two Tonys see the doctor who treated both Tony and Adriana on the night of the accident. The Tonys want him to convince Christopher that Tony was telling the truth that no fellatio occurred. They subtly threaten violence against him if he doesn't cooperate. With his "pre-board-certified massage therapist" knowledge of human anatomy, Blundetto is able to convince the doctor to affirm that Adriana must have been wearing her seatbelt during the accident and must have been sitting upright, and therefore could not have been physically involved with Tony at the time of the crash. Tony tries to pay off the doctor for his help but the doctor doesn't take it and leaves the car in disgust. Christopher has been placated, but he is still upset. Everyone else thinks that the false story is true but Tony asks him why he cares what people think, since he knows the truth. Christopher laments that he has to live in the world of what people think, looking like a fool. Christopher gets out of the car in frustration. Tony later relates the story in general outlines to Dr. Melfi during a session, he laments, "You know what? I might as well have fucked her. Thanks."
With this resolved, Tony manages to convince Carmela that nothing happened with Adriana, telling multiple lies, such as he didn't do drugs, but Carmela rebuts that Meadow saw him at the Crazy Horse "coked out". Typically, Tony tries to shift the blame, saying that Carmela is no saint herself, a veiled reference to Carmela's unconsummated dalliances (possibly, in Tony's mind, consummated) with Furio Giunta
, Tony's former enforcer, and with Father Phil Intintola. Carmela, disgusted, turns to walk away but Tony stops her roughly. He asks her if she believes that he would go after Adriana, a girl that will soon be a member of their family. Carmela's frustrated silence is his answer. He then asks her for help in putting "a good face on this thing, for the sake of the kids, and the family," only for Carmela to angrily say that she has to bail him out once again, so he doesn't lose face.
Agent Sanseverino is keeping up the pressure on Adriana and would like more information on Tony but is at first shocked at Adriana's battered face when she enters her car. Adriana reassures that most of the bruising was the result of the accident and, on top of everything, she may have Ulcerative Colitis
. Agent Sanseverino still believes the distorted stories of Adriana and Tony's being intimate, and she wants Adriana to use that relationship to get information. If not, the FBI could get a court order to plant listening devices in the Crazy Horse. That is a non-starter for Adriana; she verbally explodes on Sanseverino and moves to get out of the car. Agent Sanseverino, perhaps out of genuine concern, says it is a syndrome to protect one's batterer. Adriana defends Christopher back-handedly by saying that if it were Christopher, alone in a car with a woman, she "would have killed him".
In a show of supposed solidarity, Tony, Carmela, Christopher, Adriana, Tony B., and Quintina Blundetto arrive at Nuovo Vesuvio, where most of Tony's crew is eating. There is noticeable tension between Adriana and Christopher, though it appears to be resolving. Vito approaches them and shakes Christopher's hand, wishing him a pleasant evening, and it appears that all fences have been mended, at least on the surface.
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
and the fifth of the show's fifth season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
Mitchell Burgess
Mitchell Burgess is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. He worked extensively on the HBO hit-series The Sopranos. He was a creator and executive producer for Blue Bloods. He frequently works with his wife Robin Green.-Career:...
, directed by Allen Coulter
Allen Coulter
Allen Coulter is an American television and film director, credited with a number of successful television programs. He has directed two feature films, Hollywoodland, a film regarding the questionable death of George Reeves starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, and Ben Affleck, and 2010's Remember...
and originally aired on April 4, 2004.
Guest starring roles
- Jerry AdlerJerry AdlerJerry Adler is an American theatre director, production supervisor and a television and film actor.Adler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Pauline and Philip Adler, who was a general manager of the Group Theatre...
as Hesh Rabkin - Max CasellaMax CasellaMax Casella is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series The Sopranos, Doogie Howser, M.D., and as the voice of Daxter in the Jak and Daxter video game series.-Life and career:...
as Benny Fazio - Joseph R. GannascoliJoseph R. GannascoliJoseph R. Gannascoli is an Italian-American actor and celebrity spokesman most notable for his portrayal of Vito Spatafore on the HBO series, The Sopranos.-Early life:Joseph R. Gannascoli was born and raised in Brooklyn....
as Vito SpataforeVito SpataforeVito Spatafore, Sr., played by Joseph R. Gannascoli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a member of the DiMeo Crime Family and a subordinate of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore with two children, Francesca and Vito, Jr., and was a closeted homosexual... - Robert FunaroRobert FunaroRobert Funaro is an American film and television actor. Funaro is best known for the role of Eugene Pontecorvo in the Emmy Award-winning television series The Sopranos...
as Eugene Pontecorvo - Lola GlaudiniLola GlaudiniLola Glaudini is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Elle Greenaway on the hit CBS series Criminal Minds, and for her role as Agent Deborah Ciccerone on the award winning HBO series The Sopranos....
as Agent Deborah Ciccerone-Waldrup - Dan GrimaldiDan GrimaldiDaniel "Dan" Grimaldi is an American actor who is known for his roles as twins Philly and Patsy Parisi on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Career:...
as Patsy Parisi - Hill HarperHill HarperFrancis Harper , known professionally as Hill Harper, is an American film, television and stage actor, and author. An alumnus of Harvard Law School, he is best known for his portrayal of Dr...
as Stokley Davenport, M.D.
- Will JanowitzWill JanowitzWill Janowitz is an American film, television and stage actor as well as writer. He is first generation American with his mother having been born in the Czech Republic and his father Berlin, Germany.- Biography :...
as Finn De Trolio - Frank PellegrinoFrank PellegrinoFrank Pellegrino is an American actor and restaurateur.Born in East Harlem, Pellegrino has often acted in law and gangster-themed film and television productions. He was a member of an early sixties singing group called The Holidaes. There is a rare recording of a song called "Never" that appears...
as Chief Frank Cubitoso - Anthony RibustelloAnthony RibustelloAnthony Ribustello is an actor and Republican activist. He is perhaps best known for his role as Dante Greco, Tony Soprano's driver on the HBO series, The Sopranos....
as Dante Greco - Tony SiragusaTony SiragusaAnthony "Tony" Siragusa , nicknamed "Goose", is a former National Football League defensive tackle who spent twelve seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. He currently works as a sideline analyst for NFL games broadcast on the Fox Network.-Early life:Siragusa attended David...
as Frankie Cortese - Duke Valenti as Corky DiGioia
- Frank VincentFrank VincentFrank Vincent is an American actor, musician, author and entrepreneur. He is a favorite performer of director Martin Scorsese, having played important roles in three of Scorsese's most acclaimed films: Raging Bull , Goodfellas and Casino . He often plays a gangster and works both in features and...
as Phil Leotardo - Karen YoungKaren Young (actress)Karen Young is an American actress.Born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, Young studied at Rutgers University. After graduation she moved to New York City and became an actress, appearing in such films as 9½ Weeks, Jaws: The Revenge, Daylight, Mercy and Hoffa. Her ex-husband is Tom Noonan...
as Agent Sanseverino
Episode recap
Tony is at the hospital having a suspected cancerous mole removed from his forehead. The removed mole is taken away for analysis, and it is later reported to be a benign squamous skin cancer. Later, he lies to Carmela saying he bumped his head against a cabinet. AdrianaAdriana La Cerva
Adriana La Cerva played by Drea de Matteo, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti.-Character history:...
goes to the doctor with gastro-intestinal problems, possibly Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause. In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements...
(IBS), which includes frequent diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
brought on by the stress of her working as an informant. When the doctor asks about the possible stresses in her life, she comes up with a cover story.
Tony
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
has been spending more time at the Crazy Horse, and therefore, more time with Adriana. With Christopher
Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
out of town handling a cigarette smuggling job (and suffering from the pain of an impacted tooth which, due to his sobriety, he cannot relieve with painkillers and so instead uses an ineffectual herbal remedy), Tony and Adriana are alone together a few times in her club's office, where Tony also conducts "business". The two bond over recent medical and family problems -- Adriana's IBS and Tony's cancer scare -- and also snort a few lines of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
together. During a game of darts, Adriana drops some of them and bends down to pick them up. When Tony helps her up, they have a sexually tense moment that is interrupted when Phil Leotardo and Joey Peeps arrive for a meeting.
Tony, back in therapy, discusses his feelings for Adriana with Dr. Melfi
Jennifer Melfi
Jennifer Melfi, M.D., is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the psychiatrist of Mafia boss Tony Soprano. She is portrayed by Lorraine Bracco.-Character description:...
(Tony acknowledges that he is "on probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
" with her) and tells her that Adriana is the kind of woman with whom he could start a whole new family. He is aware of how much trouble would arise if he pursued a relationship with Adriana; not just between himself and Carmela
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...
, but with Christopher as well. Dr. Melfi commends Tony for this psychological "milestone". It represents growth, thinking about the consequences of his actions and for those he loves, rather than acting impulsively on his feelings.
Meanwhile, while being pressured by her FBI handler to find out and to report where Christopher went, Adriana discusses her feelings for Tony with Agent Sanseverino. She confides: unlike Christopher, "He's nice,....he listens." Agent Sanseverino appears to be sympathetic and understanding as to why Adriana is attracted to him, stating that Tony is "kind of attractive" and an "alpha male". She also inquires what would happen if Christopher were to find out. However, Agent Sanseverino mocks Adriana to her colleagues at the FBI during lunch about Adriana's attraction to Tony.
One night, on the eve of Christopher's return from another cigarette smuggling trip, Tony and Adriana decide to drive to Dover
Dover, New Jersey
Dover is a town in Morris County, New Jersey on the Rockaway River. Dover is west of New York City and west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the United States Census, 2000, the town's population was 18,188.-Geography:...
at 2 AM to get some cocaine from a drug dealer Adriana knows. Tony, behind the wheel, is distracted by small talk and the mutual unspoken sexual attraction. At Adriana's panic, he swerves to avoid a raccoon in the road and flips his SUV on its driver's side. Tony is later released from the hospital after getting a clean bill of health. Adriana, however, took the worst of the crash, bearing several bruises and a head injury. She is in a temporary neck brace and on an examination table, in contrast to the ambulatory Tony Soprano. Tony suggests that they come up with a cover story as to why they were alone together at 2 AM near Dover.
After completing his lucrative smuggling job, Christopher learns of the accident from his crew. At first he is puzzled about why Tony and Adriana would be driving together at 2 AM. Then he apparently expects the worst. However, to save face in front of his crew, he makes up a story that Adriana had a sick aunt, who was also a friend of Tony's, near where the accident occurred and Chris hastily returns to New Jersey.
While driving Adriana home later, Christopher angrily interrogates her about being alone with Tony. Adriana tells him the cover story about getting something to eat; Christopher doesn't believe her. At the Bada Bing
Bada Bing
The Bada Bing! is a fictional strip club from the HBO drama television series The Sopranos. It was a key location for events in the series, named for catchphrase "bada bing", a phrase popularized by James Caan in The Godfather. The popularization of the fictional club benefited the real-life go-go...
, Tony, whose string of physical misfortunes continues, cleans dog feces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
off of his shoe with a swizzle stick
Swizzle stick
Swizzle sticks are small sticks placed in cocktails to hold fruit or stir the drink. Commonly made of plastic, the swizzle portion of the swizzle stick name originated from the Caribbean cocktail, Rum Swizzle....
. While handing the swizzle stick to Christopher to dispose of, he tells Christopher the cover story about getting food and deflects the conversation with Christopher's supposed selfishness and wrongful suspicion, that she could have died in the accident. He tells him that he should feel lucky that a "knockout, a ten" like Adriana is with someone who is "average, at best." Tony swears on his children that nothing is going on.
Meanwhile Tony's entire crew, including Uncle Junior, play an unintentional game of "telephone"
Chinese whispers
Chinese whispers is one name for a game played around the world, in which one person whispers a message to another, which is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group...
with the story of the accident. The details get more elaborate and lurid with each retelling. The FBI gets wind of the story and believes the distorted version of an affair. Christopher has become a laughing stock. When Christopher goes to Satriale's
Satriale's Pork Store
Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series The Sopranos. As told in the television show, during the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Boy Soprano, a member of The DiMeo Crime Family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling debt and later...
, he sees Vito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore
Vito Spatafore, Sr., played by Joseph R. Gannascoli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was a member of the DiMeo Crime Family and a subordinate of Tony Soprano. He was married to Marie Spatafore with two children, Francesca and Vito, Jr., and was a closeted homosexual...
and some others laughing over the story. Christopher, having only heard the laughter and wanting to know what the joke was about, becomes frustrated over the crew's subsequent evasiveness. Christopher bursts into a rage and throws his sandwich at Vito, a major faux pas since Vito is now a capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
. Vito gets up to retaliate but is restrained by the others. Later, Christopher shows up at home and angrily confronts Adriana (who is out of the neckbrace) and chokes her. He has heard the distorted story about Adriana's performing fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
on Tony, and believes it was the reason for the accident. When he assaults her and chokes her again, she admits that she and Tony were going to see her drug dealer, but insists that nothing happened between them. Christopher then beats her, backhanding her twice, inflicting blows to Adriana's already injured head. He then drags Adriana by the hair out of the apartment, saying that he never wants to see her again. Seconds later, he falls off the wagon
Relapse
Relapse, in relation to drug misuse, is resuming the use of a drug or a dependent substance after one or more periods of abstinence. The term is a landmark feature of both substance dependence and substance abuse, which are learned behaviors, and is maintained by neuronal adaptations that mediate...
by guzzling vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
straight out of the bottle after rifling through Adriana's purse for drugs. Later, Tony Blundetto
Tony Blundetto
Anthony "Tony" Blundetto, played by Steve Buscemi, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is Tony Soprano's cousin who is released from prison at the beginning of the show's fifth season. Tony Blundetto first appears as a calm, composed, and reformed criminal ready to pursue...
warns Tony that Christopher was drunk at the Belleville Tavern and was talking loudly about the situation. Tony says Christopher knows where to find him and tells Tony B. to tell Christopher that if he sees him.
When Tony brings A.J. over to the house with pizza (to keep protect A.J. should an angry Christopher show up at Livia's house), Carmela has heard the worst of the stories and confronts him in the foyer
Foyer
A foyer or lobby is a large, vast room or complex of rooms adjacent to the auditorium...
. She believes them given Tony's philandering history. She is resentful about how the story affects the family. She tells Tony she can't stand to look at him and drops the pizza box at his feet, turns her back and walks away. Tony, out of spite, leaves the house with the pizza still on the foyer floor. A moment later Tony reenters the house and picks up the pizza and leaves with it.
Apparently taking up Tony's challenge, Christopher roars into the parking lot of the Bada Bing in his Hummer H2
Hummer H2
The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT that was marketed by General Motors under the Hummer brand. It is a large truck , while longer, heavier , and taller with room for six passengers , seven passengers in some models. The rearmost part of the H2 SUV was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2005 H2 SUT...
, staggering drunk, looking for Tony. He empties his pistol's magazine into a vehicle that looks like Tony's old Chevy Suburban in the parking lot and staggers into the full gentleman's club, yelling for Tony and pointing his empty pistol in Tony's general direction. Bouncers quickly subdue him, with Christopher screaming that Tony was lucky that he "ran out of load". Tony and his crew take Christopher out to a deserted road, where Tony kicks and slaps him a couple of times and prepares to execute him if he won't accept that nothing happened between himself and Adriana. Paulie intervenes, stating that Christopher knew he'd expended all the bullets when shooting at the SUV, and therefore never intended to shoot Tony. But Chris is unwilling to believe Tony, saying Tony sent him to North Carolina so Tony could take his girlfriend. Tony denies that he even thought of it. Christopher waits for Tony to shoot. Tony B. intercedes with a plan to convince Christopher of the truth.
Christopher and the two Tonys see the doctor who treated both Tony and Adriana on the night of the accident. The Tonys want him to convince Christopher that Tony was telling the truth that no fellatio occurred. They subtly threaten violence against him if he doesn't cooperate. With his "pre-board-certified massage therapist" knowledge of human anatomy, Blundetto is able to convince the doctor to affirm that Adriana must have been wearing her seatbelt during the accident and must have been sitting upright, and therefore could not have been physically involved with Tony at the time of the crash. Tony tries to pay off the doctor for his help but the doctor doesn't take it and leaves the car in disgust. Christopher has been placated, but he is still upset. Everyone else thinks that the false story is true but Tony asks him why he cares what people think, since he knows the truth. Christopher laments that he has to live in the world of what people think, looking like a fool. Christopher gets out of the car in frustration. Tony later relates the story in general outlines to Dr. Melfi during a session, he laments, "You know what? I might as well have fucked her. Thanks."
With this resolved, Tony manages to convince Carmela that nothing happened with Adriana, telling multiple lies, such as he didn't do drugs, but Carmela rebuts that Meadow saw him at the Crazy Horse "coked out". Typically, Tony tries to shift the blame, saying that Carmela is no saint herself, a veiled reference to Carmela's unconsummated dalliances (possibly, in Tony's mind, consummated) with Furio Giunta
Furio Giunta
Furio Giunta, played by Federico Castelluccio, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was an Italian mobster working for Tony Soprano.-Biography:...
, Tony's former enforcer, and with Father Phil Intintola. Carmela, disgusted, turns to walk away but Tony stops her roughly. He asks her if she believes that he would go after Adriana, a girl that will soon be a member of their family. Carmela's frustrated silence is his answer. He then asks her for help in putting "a good face on this thing, for the sake of the kids, and the family," only for Carmela to angrily say that she has to bail him out once again, so he doesn't lose face.
Agent Sanseverino is keeping up the pressure on Adriana and would like more information on Tony but is at first shocked at Adriana's battered face when she enters her car. Adriana reassures that most of the bruising was the result of the accident and, on top of everything, she may have Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
. Agent Sanseverino still believes the distorted stories of Adriana and Tony's being intimate, and she wants Adriana to use that relationship to get information. If not, the FBI could get a court order to plant listening devices in the Crazy Horse. That is a non-starter for Adriana; she verbally explodes on Sanseverino and moves to get out of the car. Agent Sanseverino, perhaps out of genuine concern, says it is a syndrome to protect one's batterer. Adriana defends Christopher back-handedly by saying that if it were Christopher, alone in a car with a woman, she "would have killed him".
In a show of supposed solidarity, Tony, Carmela, Christopher, Adriana, Tony B., and Quintina Blundetto arrive at Nuovo Vesuvio, where most of Tony's crew is eating. There is noticeable tension between Adriana and Christopher, though it appears to be resolving. Vito approaches them and shakes Christopher's hand, wishing him a pleasant evening, and it appears that all fences have been mended, at least on the surface.
First appearances
- Frankie Cortese: an associate/Soldier in the Soprano crew. He is one of the two bodyguards who subdue Christopher when he comes into the Bada BingBada BingThe Bada Bing! is a fictional strip club from the HBO drama television series The Sopranos. It was a key location for events in the series, named for catchphrase "bada bing", a phrase popularized by James Caan in The Godfather. The popularization of the fictional club benefited the real-life go-go...
to confront Tony.
Title reference
- Tony tells Adriana that he's afraid a mole on his shoulder looks "irregular around the margins," a worry he's had ever since a cancerous mole was removed from his forehead.
- Margins, representing boundaries of relationships, are pushed to irregular points: e.g., Tony and Adriana almost kiss and go to Dover to get cocaine; this drives Chris and Tony to say things to each other that they shouldn't and ultimately, to nearly murder each other.
Trivia
- When Adriana talked to Agent Sanseverino about Christopher heading south to pick up cigarettes, she told Ade to search Chris' cell phone for numbers beginning with 404Area code 404Area code 404 covers Atlanta and its immediate neighbors, roughly within Interstate 285.Originally, it covered all of Georgia when the area code system was first created in the 1940s and implemented in 1951. On July 1, 1954, area code 912 was assigned to southern and middle Georgia...
and 336Area code 336Area code 336 is a NANPA area code which covers northwest North Carolina, mainly the Piedmont Triad region and the northern Foothills and northern Mountain regions...
. Those are the area codes for Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and the Piedmont TriadPiedmont TriadThe Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
, respectively.
- When Christopher says that "it's a straight shot down I-95 to Raleigh," that is incorrect. Coming from New Jersey, you would take I-95 South to Petersburg, VirginiaPetersburg, VirginiaPetersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
and then take I-85 South towards Durham, North Carolina. From there, you are very close to Raleigh.
Music
- The song that plays during the meeting in the Crazy Horse, when Adriana comes in, is "Beat Connection" from LCD SoundsystemLCD SoundsystemLCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
. - The song that plays during the final restaurant scene is the aria, "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta?", from La rondineLa rondineLa rondine is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert...
, an opera by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
sung by Luba OrgonasovaLuba OrgonasovaL'ubica Orgonášová is a Slovak operatic soprano, who is particularly known for her interpretation of Mozart roles....
.