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Unidentified Black Males (The Sopranos episode)
Encyclopedia
"Unidentified Black Males" is the sixty-first episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos
and the ninth of the show's fifth season. It was written by Matthew Weiner
and Terence Winter
, directed by Tim Van Patten
and originally aired on May 2, 2004.
notices that Tony Blundetto
has a foot injury, which he blames on an attempted assault by several black males. The next day while playing golf with Johnny Sack
, Tony learns that the man who killed Joey Peeps walked with a limp. This causes Tony to nearly pass out from one of his panic attack
s. Tony confronts his cousin, and Tony B, after a full denial, requests more responsibilities and earning power, which Tony ultimately gives him. This in turn causes Christopher Moltisanti
to express frustration and jealousy in front of his fiancée Adriana La Cerva
, who then gives her FBI handler Agent Sanseverino a phone call.
At Joey Peeps' funeral, the mood is tense, not least because the mobsters who provided the headstone accidentally used his nickname "Peeps" instead of his actual surname, Peparelli. Johnny Sack, extremely upset over the slaying of his protégé and friend, now suspects Tony B's involvement. Tony quickly makes up an alibi for Blundetto, saying he was with him the night in question, searching for Tony B's long-lost daughter, Kelli. Johnny accepts reluctantly after warning him of dire consequences if he finds out he's lying. Both Sack and Little Carmine are gearing up for an eventual confrontation.
Meadow
and her boyfriend, Finn De Trolio are having difficulties choosing where to spend the summer, which causes tensions in their relationship. Tony gets Finn a job working at a mob-run construction site, where he meets several members of the Soprano crime family, who have all been added to the payroll, with "no work" jobs. He gets along with them at first, but becomes uneasy at the sycophancy addressed at him over his association with the Sopranos. This turns into downright fright after he witnesses a violent encounter between Eugene Pontecorvo and Little Paulie Germani over homophobic jibes. The next morning, Finn reports for work early and accidentally catches Vito Spatafore
performing oral sex
on a male security guard in a security vehicle. Later in the day, Vito corners Finn in a portable toilet and invites Finn to a New York Yankees
game, and intimidates him into agreeing. Unsure of Vito's intentions, and worried he might be threatened or even killed, Finn considers leaving the New Jersey
area for the time being. This triggers a long and heated argument with Meadow, who dismisses all his fears of violence and accuses him of lacking commitment to her. Exhausted, Finn proposes to her at four in the morning in their sweltering apartment.
In a traumatic session with Dr. Melfi
, Tony reveals that his panic attacks are back, and she traces them all to his cousin Tony B. He ends up admitting the truth about what he was doing the night Tony Blundetto got arrested. His story about being beaten up by black guys was a lie to cover up a panic attack he suffered after arguing with his mother, Livia
. Tony also realizes that he has not been making things right with his cousin but rather assuaging his own guilt and shame.
Carmela
seems inclined to get close to her estranged husband following their one-night-stand, but he avoids her so she decides to pursue divorce
instead. Tony reacts very angrily to the news, and vows to deny her any of his illegal cash earnings. After contacting several lawyers, Carmela realises that Tony has outmaneuvered her on the legal front, making contacts with them all so that they are ethically prevented from taking her case. She becomes tearful looking out the window of her home and seeing Tony floating peacefully in the swimming pool, as Meadow is on the phone with her sharing the news of her engagement to Finn.
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 ninth of the show's fifth season. It was written by Matthew Weiner
Matthew Weiner
Matthew Weiner is an American writer, director and producer of television drama. He is the creator, executive producer, head writer, and show runner of the AMC television series Mad Men. He is also noted for his work on the HBO series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer...
and Terence Winter
Terence Winter
Terence Winter is an American writer and producer of television and film. He is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire...
, directed by Tim Van Patten
Tim Van Patten
Tim Van Patten is an American television director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. As a director, Van Patten has directed episodes of The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Rome, The Pacific, Game of Thrones, Ed, and Sex and the City. Van Patten is perhaps best known for portraying...
and originally aired on May 2, 2004.
Guest starring roles
- Ray AbruzzoRay AbruzzoRay Abruzzo is an Italian-American actor, noted for his appearances on television.He made regular appearances in the following series: Dynasty , The Practice and The Sopranos .Other TV credits include: Falcon Crest, Murder She Wrote, L.A...
as Little Carmine - Chris Caldovino as Billy Leotardo
- Carl CapotortoCarl CapotortoCarl Capotorto is an American actor, known for his portrayal of Little Paulie Germani on The Sopranos. He is also the author of Twisted Head: An Italian-American Memoir.-External links:*...
as Little Paulie Germani - 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 - 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 - 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... - 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 - 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 - Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
- Joe SantosJoe SantosJoe Santos is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Santos was born Joseph Minieri in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Rose and Joseph Minieri. He began his film acting career in the mid-1960s, appearing in films directed by his cousin, Joseph W...
as Angelo Garepe - Frankie ValliFrankie ValliFrankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice...
as Rusty Millio - 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 - Paula GarcésPaula GarcésPaula Garcés is a Colombian American film and television actress, known for her appearance in films such as Clockstoppers and The Harold and Kumar Series, and on TV shows such as CSI: Miami, The Shield, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The Sopranos, Oz and Warehouse 13.-Early life:Garcés was...
as Felicia Galan
Episode recap
Tony SopranoTony 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...
notices that 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...
has a foot injury, which he blames on an attempted assault by several black males. The next day while playing golf with Johnny Sack
Johnny Sack
John "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni, played by Vince Curatola, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was the longtime underboss and later the boss of the powerful Brooklyn-based New York City Lupertazzi crime family...
, Tony learns that the man who killed Joey Peeps walked with a limp. This causes Tony to nearly pass out from one of his panic attack
Panic attack
Panic attacks are periods of intense fear or apprehension that are of sudden onset and of relatively brief duration. Panic attacks usually begin abruptly, reach a peak within 10 minutes, and subside over the next several hours...
s. Tony confronts his cousin, and Tony B, after a full denial, requests more responsibilities and earning power, which Tony ultimately gives him. This in turn causes Christopher Moltisanti
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:...
to express frustration and jealousy in front of his fiancée Adriana La Cerva
Adriana 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:...
, who then gives her FBI handler Agent Sanseverino a phone call.
At Joey Peeps' funeral, the mood is tense, not least because the mobsters who provided the headstone accidentally used his nickname "Peeps" instead of his actual surname, Peparelli. Johnny Sack, extremely upset over the slaying of his protégé and friend, now suspects Tony B's involvement. Tony quickly makes up an alibi for Blundetto, saying he was with him the night in question, searching for Tony B's long-lost daughter, Kelli. Johnny accepts reluctantly after warning him of dire consequences if he finds out he's lying. Both Sack and Little Carmine are gearing up for an eventual confrontation.
Meadow
Meadow Soprano
Meadow Mariangela Soprano , played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Character:Meadow is the first-born child of Tony and Carmela Soprano...
and her boyfriend, Finn De Trolio are having difficulties choosing where to spend the summer, which causes tensions in their relationship. Tony gets Finn a job working at a mob-run construction site, where he meets several members of the Soprano crime family, who have all been added to the payroll, with "no work" jobs. He gets along with them at first, but becomes uneasy at the sycophancy addressed at him over his association with the Sopranos. This turns into downright fright after he witnesses a violent encounter between Eugene Pontecorvo and Little Paulie Germani over homophobic jibes. The next morning, Finn reports for work early and accidentally catches 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...
performing oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on a male security guard in a security vehicle. Later in the day, Vito corners Finn in a portable toilet and invites Finn to a New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
game, and intimidates him into agreeing. Unsure of Vito's intentions, and worried he might be threatened or even killed, Finn considers leaving the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
area for the time being. This triggers a long and heated argument with Meadow, who dismisses all his fears of violence and accuses him of lacking commitment to her. Exhausted, Finn proposes to her at four in the morning in their sweltering apartment.
In a traumatic session 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 reveals that his panic attacks are back, and she traces them all to his cousin Tony B. He ends up admitting the truth about what he was doing the night Tony Blundetto got arrested. His story about being beaten up by black guys was a lie to cover up a panic attack he suffered after arguing with his mother, Livia
Livia Soprano
Livia Soprano , played by Nancy Marchand, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the mother of Tony Soprano. A young Livia, played by Laila Robins and later by Laurie J. Williams is sometimes seen in flashbacks...
. Tony also realizes that he has not been making things right with his cousin but rather assuaging his own guilt and shame.
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:...
seems inclined to get close to her estranged husband following their one-night-stand, but he avoids her so she decides to pursue divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
instead. Tony reacts very angrily to the news, and vows to deny her any of his illegal cash earnings. After contacting several lawyers, Carmela realises that Tony has outmaneuvered her on the legal front, making contacts with them all so that they are ethically prevented from taking her case. She becomes tearful looking out the window of her home and seeing Tony floating peacefully in the swimming pool, as Meadow is on the phone with her sharing the news of her engagement to Finn.
Music
- The song played over the end credits is If I Were a Carpenter by Bobby DarinBobby DarinBobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
. The lyrics reveal some of Tony's feelings toward Carmela.
Title reference
Numerous misfortunes that members of the crime family have experienced, usually at one another's hands, are falsely blamed on African Americans. Four are mentioned in this episode - Tony's absence the night Tony B. was arrested, the death of Jackie Aprile, Jr in "Army of One", Tony B.'s foot injury from "Marco Polo" which he still suffers from in this episode, and the injuries Eugene causes to Little Paulie's head in this episode ("I think I seen a couple of niggers runnin' that way").Connections to previous episodes
- Finn was previously associated with an awkward discussion of homosexualityHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
when he and Meadow defended a homo-eroticHomoeroticismHomoeroticism refers to the erotic attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female , most especially as it is depicted or manifested in the visual arts and literature. It can also be found in performative forms; from theatre to the theatricality of uniformed movements...
interpretation of Herman MelvilleHerman MelvilleHerman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
's novel Billy BuddBilly BuddBilly Budd is a short novel by Herman Melville.Billy Budd can also refer to:*Billy Budd , a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov, based on Melville's novel...
to Tony and Carmela at dinner in "EloiseEloise (The Sopranos episode)"Eloise" is the fifty-first episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the twelfth of the show's fourth season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by James Hayman and originally aired on Sunday December 1, 2002.-Plot summary:...
." - Christopher sang a few words of "If I Were a Carpenter" in the Season 4 episode "No Show", beginning the opening verse as "If I were a carpenter, and you were a douche bag..."
Production
- 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....
came up with the idea of Vito being a gay mobster after reading about a member of the Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
who was gay and allowed to live for the sake of being a good earner.