WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we're cracking 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.019 open the files on what is arguably one of the 00:00:06.019 --> 00:00:08.000 most important hours of television ever produced. 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:10.980 Yeah, it really is. We are heading back to New 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:13.960 Jersey, back to 1999. Exactly. We're talking 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:16.480 about The Sopranos, specifically the ninth episode 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:19.429 of the first season titled Boca. It's a massive 00:00:19.429 --> 00:00:23.149 episode. It originally aired on March 7, 1999, 00:00:23.530 --> 00:00:26.210 directed by Andy Wolk. And, you know, if you 00:00:26.210 --> 00:00:28.289 look at the writing credits. Jason Cahill, Robin 00:00:28.289 --> 00:00:30.570 Green, Mitchell Burgess. Right, that team. You 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:32.890 can totally see why the dialogue snaps the way 00:00:32.890 --> 00:00:34.409 it does. I mean, this is the team that really 00:00:34.409 --> 00:00:37.409 understood the specific weird rhythm of these 00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:39.810 characters. And that rhythm is exactly what we're 00:00:39.810 --> 00:00:41.909 here to unpack today. Yeah. Because on paper. 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:44.820 If I pitched you the plot of this episode, you'd 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:46.820 probably look at me like I was crazy. We have 00:00:46.820 --> 00:00:48.920 two completely different storylines that seem 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.659 like they belong in entirely different genres. 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:53.579 Right. You've got one thread about a high school 00:00:53.579 --> 00:00:57.560 soccer coach and this suburban moral panic, which 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:01.179 feels very drama of the week. And then you have 00:01:01.179 --> 00:01:03.060 the other thread, which is about Uncle Junior 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:06.280 going on vacation to Florida and dealing with. 00:01:06.700 --> 00:01:09.540 Let's call it romantic gossip. Romantic gossip 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:12.920 is a very polite way to put it. I try. But that 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:15.420 is our mission today. We want to show you how 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:20.359 these two seemingly random plots collide to reveal 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:23.299 the absolute core of this show, which is the 00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:27.219 fragile male ego. We're going to look at how 00:01:27.219 --> 00:01:30.340 these tough guys construct these. arbitrary, 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:33.019 contradictory moral codes just to protect themselves. 00:01:33.659 --> 00:01:36.780 And what happens when those codes get challenged? 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:39.140 And it is not pretty. Well, I mean, parts of 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:41.280 it are hilarious, but the psychological fallout 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.579 is pretty devastating. So let's dive right in. 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:45.519 The episode is called Boca. So we have to start 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.099 with Corrado Jr. Soprano. He is down in Boca 00:01:48.099 --> 00:01:50.180 Raton, Florida. And this is a side of Junior 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:52.980 we rarely see. Usually he's the grumpy uncle, 00:01:53.140 --> 00:01:54.659 you know, the guy constantly complaining about 00:01:54.659 --> 00:01:56.280 his health and the business. Right. But here 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.780 he is actually having a good time. He's with 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:01.219 his longtime girlfriend, Bobby Sanfilippo. Who 00:02:01.219 --> 00:02:03.140 is also his secretary, which has a whole other 00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:05.920 layer to it. But they seem genuinely happy. They 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.120 do. They're laughing. They're enjoying the sun. 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:10.240 And then we get to the scene that basically changes 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.639 everything. Oh, yeah. They are in bed having 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:15.580 an intimate moment. And Bobby makes a comment. 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:18.439 She praises Junior. She compliments his skills 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:21.979 as a lover. Specifically his oral sex skills. 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:23.939 Which in the real world, the world you and I 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:26.340 live in, that's a win. That's a good Tuesday. 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.680 Exactly. But Junior's reaction is just, it's 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.699 instant panic. It is visceral fear. He literally 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:35.500 grabs her face and tells her to shut up. He swears 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:38.580 her to secrecy. He says, if this gets out, I'm 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:41.710 dead. Okay, we have to pause here. Because for 00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:43.509 a listener who maybe hasn't watched the show 00:02:43.509 --> 00:02:45.409 in a while or didn't grow up with a specific 00:02:45.409 --> 00:02:48.469 mafia mythology, this sounds insane. Right. It 00:02:48.469 --> 00:02:50.629 makes no sense to a normal person. Why is a powerful 00:02:50.629 --> 00:02:53.629 mob boss terrified of people knowing he is generous 00:02:53.629 --> 00:02:56.189 to his girlfriend? It is all about the old school 00:02:56.189 --> 00:03:00.009 code. In Junior's warped worldview and the worldview 00:03:00.009 --> 00:03:03.069 of the Cosa Nostra of that era, performing oral 00:03:03.069 --> 00:03:05.449 sex on a woman was seen as a sign of submission. 00:03:05.770 --> 00:03:07.830 Submission. Yeah, it was viewed as servicing 00:03:07.830 --> 00:03:10.729 her. So in his mind, he isn't being a good partner. 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:13.909 He is being a servant. Exactly. The boss eats 00:03:13.909 --> 00:03:17.659 first. The boss takes. He doesn't give. If you're 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:19.560 engaging in that kind of act, the implication 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:22.439 is that you are whipped. You've lost the power 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:25.419 dynamic. And for a guy like Junior, whose entire 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:29.360 identity is built on respect and fear, the idea 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.979 that his underlings might think he's subservient 00:03:31.979 --> 00:03:34.879 to a woman is terrifying. It is such a fragile 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:36.960 definition of masculinity. It's like a house 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:39.539 of cards. It really is. I mean, if your authority 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:41.539 can be toppled just because you wanted to make 00:03:41.539 --> 00:03:43.740 your girlfriend happy, do you really have any 00:03:43.740 --> 00:03:46.199 authority at all? And that is the central irony 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:47.960 of the writer. are playing with here junior orders 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:50.879 hits he runs loan sharking operations he is a 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:53.340 genuinely dangerous man they're very dangerous 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:56.060 but he is completely paralyzed by the fear of 00:03:56.060 --> 00:03:59.599 being called weak and in this world weak gets 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:01.620 you killed. And of course, because this is The 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:04.280 Sopranos, the secret does not stay secret. No. 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:06.560 The telephone game is the most destructive force 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:09.780 in New Jersey. It really is. So Bobby is at a 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:12.500 nail salon. She's relaxed. Her guard is down. 00:04:12.659 --> 00:04:14.439 And she's chatting with another woman. She just 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.079 wants to brag a little bit about her relationship. 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:19.519 Naturally. And she says Junior is a lemon squeezer. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:22.209 A lip and squeezer. The dialogue in this show 00:04:22.209 --> 00:04:25.350 is just unmatched. So good. But the woman she 00:04:25.350 --> 00:04:28.569 tells happens to be a manicurist who knows the 00:04:28.569 --> 00:04:32.370 Soprano Circle. And word travels fast. It eventually 00:04:32.370 --> 00:04:35.269 reaches Carmela. And Carmela tells Tony. Now, 00:04:35.290 --> 00:04:37.050 this is a crucial moment for you to understand 00:04:37.050 --> 00:04:39.610 the dynamics at play. Tony and Junior have been 00:04:39.610 --> 00:04:42.769 butting heads all season. Constant tower struggle. 00:04:43.029 --> 00:04:44.649 Right. Tony could just ignore this. He could 00:04:44.649 --> 00:04:47.129 say, gross, I didn't need to know that and just 00:04:47.129 --> 00:04:50.259 move on with his life. But he doesn't. He weaponizes 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:52.879 it. He sees it as ammunition. You have to remember, 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:55.360 Tony is constantly looking for leverage over 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:58.160 his uncle. He wants to be the alpha. Yeah. So 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:00.779 knowing something embarrassing about Junior gives 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:03.300 him a massive psychological edge. Which brings 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:06.060 us to the golf course scene. And this is just 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:08.680 painful to watch. It's Tony, Junior, and a few 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:10.839 other wise guys out on the links. And Tony just 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:13.329 cannot help himself. He starts making these thinly 00:05:13.329 --> 00:05:17.110 veiled, vulgar jokes. He is poking the bear. 00:05:17.290 --> 00:05:19.189 He's talking about going down to Boca. He's making 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:20.889 cracks about whistling through the wheat field. 00:05:21.129 --> 00:05:24.110 It's classic bullying. He's just bored. Tony 00:05:24.110 --> 00:05:27.949 is bored, and he is cruel, so he decides to humiliate 00:05:27.949 --> 00:05:30.230 the old man in front of the guys. And Junior 00:05:30.230 --> 00:05:33.110 isn't stupid. He knows exactly what is happening. 00:05:33.189 --> 00:05:36.069 He realizes the secret is out. And the source 00:05:36.069 --> 00:05:37.930 material highlights something really dark here. 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:40.529 Junior doesn't just get mad. He doesn't just 00:05:40.529 --> 00:05:43.610 want to punch Tony. It says he actually contemplates 00:05:43.610 --> 00:05:45.769 killing Tony. Think about the escalation there. 00:05:46.149 --> 00:05:49.350 His nephew makes a crude joke about his sex life. 00:05:49.470 --> 00:05:51.990 And Junior's immediate tactical response is, 00:05:52.069 --> 00:05:54.269 I might have to murder my own flesh and blood. 00:05:54.509 --> 00:05:56.990 It proves that to Junior this isn't a joke. It 00:05:56.990 --> 00:05:59.649 is a literal existential threat. Yeah, his survival 00:05:59.649 --> 00:06:02.189 is on the line. It is. If the other captains 00:06:02.189 --> 00:06:04.310 lose respect for him, they might stop kicking 00:06:04.310 --> 00:06:05.990 up money. They might challenge his leadership. 00:06:06.569 --> 00:06:09.569 So in his mind, protecting this secret is literally 00:06:09.569 --> 00:06:12.269 about protecting his life and his business. He's 00:06:12.269 --> 00:06:14.449 willing to commit the ultimate taboo killing 00:06:14.449 --> 00:06:17.949 family just to save face. But he doesn't kill 00:06:17.949 --> 00:06:20.569 Tony. He takes the path of least resistance. 00:06:20.810 --> 00:06:22.810 He takes it out on Bobby. And this is the real 00:06:22.810 --> 00:06:25.589 tragedy of the episode. Yeah. Bobby Sanfilippo 00:06:25.589 --> 00:06:29.129 is a civilian. She loves him. She does. And the 00:06:29.129 --> 00:06:31.250 source material implies Junior has real feelings 00:06:31.250 --> 00:06:34.189 for her, too. He was happy in Boca, but the code 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:37.300 comes first. Always. So what does he do? He calls 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:41.060 her into his office. He is cold. He's distant. 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.980 And to protect his own ego, he turns it all around 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:47.740 on her. Typical. He acts like she is the one 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:49.259 who did something wrong. He breaks up with her 00:06:49.259 --> 00:06:52.000 and he fires her. It is heart -wrenching. I mean, 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.579 he smashes a pie in her face literally in a different 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:57.079 scene, but here he just emotionally destroys 00:06:57.079 --> 00:06:59.540 her. Yeah. He sacrifices his own happiness as 00:06:59.540 --> 00:07:01.779 one real connection to genuine intimacy just 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:04.399 to maintain this facade of the tough guy for 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:06.839 a bunch of guys he probably hates anyway. It 00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:09.399 is the ultimate cost of toxic masculinity. He 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:11.819 ends up alone, eating dinner by himself, purely 00:07:11.819 --> 00:07:14.319 because he is afraid of looking weak. It strips 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:17.389 away all the glamour of the mob completely. You 00:07:17.389 --> 00:07:19.490 look at him and you don't see a godfather. You 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:22.449 just see a sad, lonely old man. While Junior 00:07:22.449 --> 00:07:24.970 is busy self -sabotaging in the name of strength, 00:07:25.250 --> 00:07:27.589 we have this other storyline playing out. And 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:30.569 this one starts out surprisingly wholesome. It 00:07:30.569 --> 00:07:32.509 feels like a different show entirely. It's the 00:07:32.509 --> 00:07:35.930 suburban dad plot. You've got Tony, Silvio Dante, 00:07:36.230 --> 00:07:38.670 and Artie Bucco. Their daughters are all playing 00:07:38.670 --> 00:07:41.089 on the same high school soccer team, the Mustangs. 00:07:41.230 --> 00:07:43.889 And these guys are obsessed. They are the enthusiastic 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:46.629 soccer dads on the sidelines. Big time. They 00:07:46.629 --> 00:07:49.410 love the coach, Don Hauser. He's winning games. 00:07:49.610 --> 00:07:52.629 The girls are playing great. Tony is just a proud 00:07:52.629 --> 00:07:56.050 papa out there. Until reality intrudes. They 00:07:56.050 --> 00:07:58.129 read in the newspaper that Kirchhauser is taking 00:07:58.129 --> 00:08:00.790 a job at a university in Rhode Island. Now, you 00:08:00.790 --> 00:08:03.350 or I, if our kid's favorite coach was leaving, 00:08:03.870 --> 00:08:06.029 We'd be bummed. We might send a nice email, maybe 00:08:06.029 --> 00:08:07.889 organize a farewell gift or something. But these 00:08:07.889 --> 00:08:10.430 aren't normal dads. They are mobsters. And their 00:08:10.430 --> 00:08:13.050 entire worldview is, if I don't like reality, 00:08:13.269 --> 00:08:15.810 I will force reality to change. And this is where 00:08:15.810 --> 00:08:18.529 the episode gets absurdly funny. They decide 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:21.230 they need to convince Hauser to stay. But they 00:08:21.230 --> 00:08:23.589 don't know how to ask nicely. No. They only have 00:08:23.589 --> 00:08:27.089 one toolkit. Exactly. Intimidation and illicit 00:08:27.089 --> 00:08:29.870 favors. Right. They treat a high school coaching 00:08:29.870 --> 00:08:32.509 vacancy like it is a union dispute. Take Pauly 00:08:32.509 --> 00:08:36.340 Galtieri. His idea of a retention bonus is, well, 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:41.860 it's unique. A stolen TV, a massive 50 -inch 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:46.440 television. He drags this huge box to the coach's 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:49.100 house. And the subtext is hilarious. He is basically 00:08:49.100 --> 00:08:52.259 saying, here is a gift you cannot refuse. Please 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:54.539 do not ask where it came from. And now you owe 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:56.769 us a massive debt. And Hauser is just standing 00:08:56.769 --> 00:08:58.750 there, totally baffled. He's a soccer coach. 00:08:58.830 --> 00:09:00.690 He doesn't want a hot TV. And then Christopher 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:03.149 Moltisanti gets involved. He takes the bad cop 00:09:03.149 --> 00:09:05.269 route. He decides to give the coach a scare. 00:09:05.470 --> 00:09:08.269 So he kidnaps the guy's dog. He kidnaps the dog. 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:10.730 But, and this is key, he doesn't hurt the dog. 00:09:10.889 --> 00:09:12.909 He returns it later, pretending he found it. 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:15.269 It is classic gaslighting. Oh, look how helpful 00:09:15.269 --> 00:09:17.409 I am. I found your dog. Isn't this a nice town 00:09:17.409 --> 00:09:19.230 with nice people? Don't you want to stay here? 00:09:19.659 --> 00:09:22.179 What is fascinating here is the mob's need for 00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:24.860 absolute control. They genuinely believe they 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:27.039 can fix anything. Anything at all. Whether it's 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:29.399 a garbage contract or a soccer team roster, they 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:31.600 think we can apply pressure and get what we want. 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:33.919 They don't accept that people have the agency 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:36.740 to just leave. It is entitlement on a massive 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:39.419 scale. They're acting like they own the community. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:44.379 But then the tone shifts drastically. We go from 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:47.779 Pauly delivering a TV to something very dark. 00:09:48.269 --> 00:09:51.090 Very fast. This is the major pivot point. Tony 00:09:51.090 --> 00:09:53.909 is feeling good about himself. He thinks he is 00:09:53.909 --> 00:09:56.009 the hero who saved the soccer season. Right. 00:09:56.110 --> 00:09:58.110 He tells Meadow, hey, don't worry. The coach 00:09:58.110 --> 00:10:00.330 might stay. He wants the credit. And Meadow isn't 00:10:00.330 --> 00:10:03.490 happy. She is visibly upset. And in a moment 00:10:03.490 --> 00:10:06.590 of teenage emotion, she drops a bombshell. A 00:10:06.590 --> 00:10:09.110 massive one. She reveals that Coach Hauser isn't 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:11.190 leaving for a better job. He is leaving because 00:10:11.190 --> 00:10:13.730 things got messy. He has been sleeping with her 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:16.480 teammate, Allie. And just like that, the helpful 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:19.820 soccer dad mask falls right off. Tony Soprano, 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.399 the killer, enters the room. The switch is instant. 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:24.299 The source material notes describe him going 00:10:24.299 --> 00:10:26.940 from parent to vigilante in a split second. He 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:29.059 resolves right then and there. Hauser will never 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:31.259 do that again. And we know exactly what that 00:10:31.259 --> 00:10:33.960 means in Tony's language. It means a hit. Now 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.830 this sets up a huge moral dilemma for... us as 00:10:36.830 --> 00:10:38.490 the audience and for the characters themselves. 00:10:38.789 --> 00:10:41.149 Because obviously what the coach is doing is 00:10:41.149 --> 00:10:44.289 horrific. It is statutory rates. It is a massive 00:10:44.289 --> 00:10:46.990 abuse of power. Right. And the legal system is 00:10:46.990 --> 00:10:50.529 slow. It requires evidence. It's messy and public. 00:10:50.710 --> 00:10:54.309 Tony offers a very swift, very brutal solution. 00:10:54.789 --> 00:10:57.750 And a dark part of you as the viewer kind of 00:10:57.750 --> 00:10:59.730 wants to see that happen. You want the bad guy 00:10:59.730 --> 00:11:03.220 to pay immediately. But the show stops us. It 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:06.519 forces you to ask, does Tony Soprano really have 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:09.039 the right to be the judge, jury, and executioner? 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:11.440 And that is exactly what Dr. Melfi asks him in 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.100 therapy. She challenges his jurisdiction. Why 00:11:14.100 --> 00:11:16.080 does he think he is the avenging angel here? 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:18.240 And Tony's answer is basically, because I can 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:20.379 be. He thinks he owns the neighborhood, so he 00:11:20.379 --> 00:11:22.480 owns the justice system within it. But there 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.259 is another voice of reason here, and it comes 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:27.440 from a surprisingly passive place. Artie Bucko. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:30.919 Good old Artie. He usually stays so far out of 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:34.009 the violence. He does. But he steps up here. 00:11:34.450 --> 00:11:37.590 He confronts Tony at the bada bing. And he says 00:11:37.590 --> 00:11:39.750 something incredibly insightful. What does he 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:42.110 say? He tells Tony that he isn't doing this for 00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:44.850 justice. He says Tony is doing it for vengeance 00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:48.509 and his own satisfaction. That hits hard. Artie 00:11:48.509 --> 00:11:50.990 is basically saying, you aren't a hero, Tony. 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:53.389 You are just a guy who likes to hurt people. 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:55.830 And you found a socially acceptable excuse to 00:11:55.830 --> 00:11:58.490 go do it. And look at Tony's reaction. He explodes. 00:11:58.610 --> 00:12:01.210 He physically throws Artie out of the club. Why? 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:04.590 Because Artie struck a nerve. Exactly. He exposed 00:12:04.590 --> 00:12:07.830 the hypocrisy. Tony cheats on his wife. Tony 00:12:07.830 --> 00:12:10.570 victimizes innocent people every single day. 00:12:10.610 --> 00:12:12.830 For him to suddenly take the moral high ground 00:12:12.830 --> 00:12:15.629 is, well, it's a massive contradiction. It is 00:12:15.629 --> 00:12:19.009 cognitive dissonance at its peak. But the words 00:12:19.009 --> 00:12:22.330 stick. Tony is left alone, drinking, brooding. 00:12:22.789 --> 00:12:25.250 He is wrestling with it. And this leads us to 00:12:25.250 --> 00:12:27.929 the climax of the episode. Tony has the hit completely 00:12:27.929 --> 00:12:30.269 set up. Silvio is ready to go. They're outside. 00:12:30.509 --> 00:12:32.269 Yeah, they're going to clip the coach at his 00:12:32.269 --> 00:12:34.590 house. The gun is loaded. Everything is in motion. 00:12:34.789 --> 00:12:37.450 But Tony makes the call. He calls Silvio. Cancel 00:12:37.450 --> 00:12:41.230 it. Calling it off. Why? Why does he actually 00:12:41.230 --> 00:12:44.389 stop? I think it's a combination of things. Melfi's 00:12:44.389 --> 00:12:46.929 questions, Artie's confrontation and maybe a 00:12:46.929 --> 00:12:49.409 sliver of realization that killing a suburban 00:12:49.409 --> 00:12:52.090 high school soccer coach brings way too much 00:12:52.090 --> 00:12:54.110 heat on the family. True. The practical side. 00:12:54.269 --> 00:12:56.730 But psychologically, I really think he wanted 00:12:56.730 --> 00:12:59.110 to prove Artie wrong. He wanted to prove to himself 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:01.610 that he could show restraint, that he wasn't 00:13:01.610 --> 00:13:04.789 just an animal acting on pure impulse. So he 00:13:04.789 --> 00:13:06.889 lets the legal system handle it. And because 00:13:06.889 --> 00:13:09.389 the mom steps back, the police actually step 00:13:09.389 --> 00:13:12.549 in. Hauser gets arrested. Justice is served the 00:13:12.549 --> 00:13:15.080 right way. And the episode ends with this incredibly 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:18.120 powerful scene. It is late at night. Tony staggers 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:21.080 home. He is blackout drunk. He's carrying the 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:23.200 weight of the decision and a very large bottle 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.200 of sky. Right. He sees Carmela. Meadow is watching 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.440 from the stairs. And Tony says this line. It's 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:31.159 one of the most defining lines of the entire 00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:34.259 first season. Yeah. He slurs, I didn't hurt nobody. 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:36.679 I didn't hurt nobody. That line always gives 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:39.059 me chills. What is he really saying there? It 00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:41.960 is his plea to the universe. It's what psychologists 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:45.360 might call moral licensing. In his mind, he is 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:48.639 a good man in that specific moment. Why? Because 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:51.139 he didn't murder a soccer coach. The bar is literally 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:54.580 on the floor. I am a good person because I refrain 00:13:54.580 --> 00:13:57.299 from homicide today. But that is exactly how 00:13:57.299 --> 00:14:00.000 Tony Soprano sleeps at night. He ignores the 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:02.379 extortion, the beatings, the gambling rings, 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:05.220 the ruined lives. All of it. He focuses on this 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:08.019 one act of restraint. He uses this one good deed 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:10.519 to balance the scales against a lifetime of bad 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:13.379 ones. It is a total defense mechanism. If he 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:15.500 can convince himself he is a benevolent protector, 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:18.500 he doesn't have to face the monster he really 00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:20.740 is. And think about the contrast with Junior 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:23.440 here. This is where the two storylines collide 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:26.340 perfectly. Yes, the parallels. Junior did hurt 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:28.379 someone. He broke Bobby's heart just to prove 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:30.919 he was strong. And Tony didn't hurt someone to 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:33.179 prove he was good. Both of them are acting entirely 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:35.860 based on how they see themselves, not on what 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:37.799 is actually right or wrong in the world. It is 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:41.039 all ego. Exactly. Junior destroys a beautiful 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:44.159 relationship to protect his fragile ego. Tony 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:47.299 spares a life to soothe his ego. It really paints 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:49.740 a grim picture of these men. They are powerful, 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:53.059 yes, but they are also deeply broken, insecure 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:56.159 and ultimately just incredibly selfish. They 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:58.620 really are. And there is one final lingering 00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:01.179 thought to chew on here regarding the theme of 00:15:01.179 --> 00:15:04.259 truth. Go on. Both of these storylines hinge 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:07.559 on a secret. Bobby's secret about Junior's skills 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:10.860 in bed? Meadows' secret about the coach's affair. 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:14.279 Yeah. In the world of The Sopranos, the truth 00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:16.279 seems to be the most dangerous thing of all. 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.720 If the truth gets out, people get hurt. Junior's 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:21.559 truth almost got Tony killed. The coach's truth 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:24.580 got him arrested and almost executed. It implies 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:27.220 that in this subculture, survival depends entirely 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:30.700 on silence. Omerta isn't just about not talking 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:33.580 to the cops. What is it about? It is about burying 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:35.879 anything that makes you vulnerable. That is a 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:38.450 chilling thought. Survival depends on silence. 00:15:38.549 --> 00:15:40.330 It really does. And I want to leave you with 00:15:40.330 --> 00:15:42.610 a question to think about. We talked about Tony 00:15:42.610 --> 00:15:45.169 saying, I didn't hurt nobody, but did he really? 00:15:45.370 --> 00:15:47.509 Good point. Think about the psychological toll, 00:15:47.710 --> 00:15:50.269 the fear he instilled in the neighborhood, the 00:15:50.269 --> 00:15:52.870 total chaos he caused with the stolen TV and 00:15:52.870 --> 00:15:55.629 the kidnapped dog. Just because he didn't pull 00:15:55.629 --> 00:15:58.110 the trigger, does that mean no damage was done? 00:15:58.309 --> 00:16:00.450 That is the ultimate question of the series, 00:16:00.529 --> 00:16:03.279 isn't it? The invisible damage of living in Tony 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:05.759 Soprano's orbit. Precisely. Even when he does 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:09.500 good, he leaves a scar. Well, on that note, we're 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.500 going to wrap up this deep dive into Boca. It 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:15.139 is a heavy one, but man, it explains so much 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:17.480 about who these guys really are. It is absolutely 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:19.379 the blueprint for everything that comes later 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:22.299 in the show. A huge thank you to you for listening, 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:24.240 joining us on this journey into the complicated, 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:27.259 messed up psychology of the Sopranos. We will 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:29.440 catch you on the next deep dive. Stay curious.