WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.680 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we are 00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:04.879 firing up the time machine a bit. Yeah, it is. 00:00:05.179 --> 00:00:07.059 It's really good to be here. I am looking forward 00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:09.460 to this one. Same here. So we are setting the 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.880 dial for a very specific date, March 14th, 1999. 00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:15.359 We're going back to the turn of the millennium 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:17.899 to look at a cultural artifact that, you know. 00:00:18.190 --> 00:00:20.890 really changed television forever. We are, of 00:00:20.890 --> 00:00:22.969 course, talking about HBO's The Sopranos. We 00:00:22.969 --> 00:00:26.269 are, but we aren't just doing some broad, general 00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:29.089 overview. We are zooming in, like, microscope 00:00:29.089 --> 00:00:32.689 style on, on a single, very specific slice of 00:00:32.689 --> 00:00:35.789 that history. We are dissecting season one, episode 00:00:35.789 --> 00:00:39.229 10, the episode titled A Hit is a Hit. Which 00:00:39.229 --> 00:00:41.829 is, it's a fascinating choice for a deep dive 00:00:41.829 --> 00:00:44.549 because in the canon of The Sopranos, this episode 00:00:44.549 --> 00:00:47.009 is a bit of an outlier. It is often debated by 00:00:47.009 --> 00:00:48.869 fans, right? Some love it, some completely skip 00:00:48.869 --> 00:00:51.329 it. It is. It's weird. It's awkward. It's incredibly 00:00:51.329 --> 00:00:54.409 cringy at parts. Honestly, it's profoundly insightful. 00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:56.369 If we had to put a mission statement on what 00:00:56.369 --> 00:00:58.350 we were doing today, it's to unpack the collision 00:00:58.350 --> 00:01:00.609 of worlds that happens in this specific hour 00:01:00.609 --> 00:01:03.070 of television. Yeah, it is basically a car crash 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:06.530 of cultures. You have the gritty, violent world 00:01:06.530 --> 00:01:09.530 of the New Jersey mob crashing headfirst into 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:11.849 the music industry. And simultaneously, you have 00:01:11.849 --> 00:01:14.969 that exact same mob world crashing into polite, 00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:18.260 upper crust suburban society. Right. And the 00:01:18.260 --> 00:01:20.340 results of those crashes are what we are here 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:22.379 to analyze for you today. We are going to talk 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:24.620 about delusion. We're going to talk about what 00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:27.640 you call cultural tourism. And of course, we 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:29.959 absolutely have to talk about a box of sand. 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:32.599 The box of sand. It really might be the single 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:34.519 greatest punchline in the history of petty revenge. 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:36.540 Oh, we will definitely get there. But before 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:37.980 we get to the sand, we need to lay the foundation. 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:40.980 Let's orient you, the listener. Our primary source 00:01:40.980 --> 00:01:43.579 for this deep dive is the Wikipedia entry for 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:46.280 the episode. A hit is a hit. Along with the production 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:48.359 details. and the thematic breakdowns outlined 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:50.579 there. So set the stage for us. Where does this 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:53.620 sit in the grand timeline of the show? So we 00:01:53.620 --> 00:01:56.060 are deep into season one. This is episode 10. 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:58.400 And for context, there are only 13 episodes in 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:00.000 that first season. So we were really ramping 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.760 up toward the finale here. As you mentioned, 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:04.700 this aired on March 14th, 1999. Which is a totally 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.140 different world. Pre -smartphone, pre -social 00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:09.840 media. The music industry looked completely different 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.139 then too, which is highly relevant to this story. 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:15.960 Completely. People were still buying CDs. The 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:18.080 writing credits for this one go to Joe Basso 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:20.599 and Frank Renzulli, and it was directed by Matthew 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:24.419 Penn. Now, the context is key here. The previous 00:02:24.419 --> 00:02:27.340 episode was Boca. Which was incredibly heavy. 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:29.979 Extremely heavy. It dealt with Junior Soprano's 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:33.300 sexuality, deep secrets, and a lot of intense 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:36.180 internal family tension. And the episode right 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:38.240 after this one is Nobody Knows Anything, which 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:40.300 is where the paranoia hits a massive fever pitch 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:42.810 and people actually start getting clipped. So 00:02:42.810 --> 00:02:45.530 a hit is a hit is kind of the sandwich meat. 00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:48.150 In a way, yes. It sits in the sweet spot. It 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:50.050 functions almost as a breather, a standalone 00:02:50.050 --> 00:02:52.610 story. But and this is the key insight we got 00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:54.629 from the sources. It does a lot of heavy lifting 00:02:54.629 --> 00:02:56.830 regarding the show's big picture themes. Which 00:02:56.830 --> 00:02:59.729 are what exactly? Primarily the tension between 00:02:59.729 --> 00:03:02.930 assimilation and legitimacy. Tony Soprano doesn't 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:05.110 just want to be a rich crook. He wants to be 00:03:05.110 --> 00:03:08.370 a regular suburban dad grilling sausages who 00:03:08.370 --> 00:03:10.789 just happens to have all this unseen power. He 00:03:10.789 --> 00:03:12.960 wants the American dream. But he wants to cheat 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.580 to get it. And this episode takes that desire 00:03:15.580 --> 00:03:18.400 and splits it up into two tracks. You have Tony 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:21.159 desperately wanting to be accepted by his fancy 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:24.539 doctor neighbors, the Medigans, as he calls them. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:27.099 And then you have Christopher and Adriana desperately 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:30.620 wanting to be legitimate music moguls. Exactly. 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:32.979 Everyone is trying to be something they really 00:03:32.979 --> 00:03:36.289 aren't. And they all fail spectacularly. It is 00:03:36.289 --> 00:03:38.210 about the pain of trying to change your class 00:03:38.210 --> 00:03:40.949 status or your cultural status overnight. Let's 00:03:40.949 --> 00:03:43.229 get right into the mechanics of it. Every tragedy 00:03:43.229 --> 00:03:45.569 needs a catalyst. What sets this whole chain 00:03:45.569 --> 00:03:47.849 of events in motion? Well, the inciting incident 00:03:47.849 --> 00:03:50.110 here is classic Sopranos. It starts with a crime, 00:03:50.229 --> 00:03:52.990 a brutal one. We open with Pauly, Christopher, 00:03:53.129 --> 00:03:55.210 and Big Pussy pulling a robbery. They target 00:03:55.210 --> 00:03:57.389 a Colombian drug dealer. And it's not a clean 00:03:57.389 --> 00:04:00.150 robbery. It's not graceful like in a heist movie. 00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:03.659 No, it is messy. They end up killing the dealers. 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:06.599 It's violent. It's loud. It's chaotic. But the 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:08.580 result is the important part for our narrative. 00:04:09.259 --> 00:04:11.400 They walk away with a massive amount of cash, 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:14.620 a literal fortune wrapped in plastic. I think 00:04:14.620 --> 00:04:17.040 Tony actually refers to it as a once -in -a -lifetime 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:19.899 score. Right. And you have to pause and think 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:22.579 about the psychology of that. Once -in -a -lifetime. 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:25.560 That phrase carries a lot of weight. In the mob 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:28.060 world, money is usually a constant stressor. 00:04:28.589 --> 00:04:30.670 Tony is always yelling about where the money 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:33.209 is, who is kicking up, who is light this week. 00:04:33.410 --> 00:04:35.930 It is a grind. They're usually living envelope 00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:38.209 to envelope. But here, suddenly the pressure 00:04:38.209 --> 00:04:40.790 valve is just gone. Exactly. The tank is totally 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:42.910 full. And this is the crucial takeaway for you 00:04:42.910 --> 00:04:46.170 listening. This specific windfall is the direct 00:04:46.170 --> 00:04:48.529 fuel for the delusions we see play out later 00:04:48.529 --> 00:04:51.339 in the episode. Without this specific pile of 00:04:51.339 --> 00:04:53.779 dirty money, Christopher simply cannot pretend 00:04:53.779 --> 00:04:56.120 to be a music producer. Right, because he can't 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:58.759 afford the studio time otherwise. Exactly. And 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:00.980 without this sudden sense of profound financial 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:03.759 security, Tony probably doesn't feel relaxed 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:05.779 enough to go play golf at the country club with 00:05:05.779 --> 00:05:08.269 the neighbors. That is a great point. The money 00:05:08.269 --> 00:05:10.430 lowers their guard. It makes them feel invincible. 00:05:10.930 --> 00:05:12.829 Usually they're looking over their shoulder, 00:05:13.009 --> 00:05:15.350 but when your pockets are overflowing, you start 00:05:15.350 --> 00:05:17.810 looking at the horizon. It creates a totally 00:05:17.810 --> 00:05:20.209 false sense of mobility. They think, well, I 00:05:20.209 --> 00:05:21.870 have the money, therefore I have the access. 00:05:22.310 --> 00:05:26.050 They confuse pure purchasing power with social 00:05:26.050 --> 00:05:28.629 capital. They think they can literally buy their 00:05:28.629 --> 00:05:30.980 way out. of the gritty new jersey underworld 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:33.899 and right into the elite so they have the cash 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:36.420 now they need a place to spend it this leads 00:05:36.420 --> 00:05:39.220 us to the first major collision of the episode 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:43.100 the mob versus gangster rap this storyline is 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:46.339 such a perfect time capsule of 1999. it is almost 00:05:46.339 --> 00:05:49.079 quaint now But at the time, the intersection 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:51.259 of hip -hop culture and Italian -American mob 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:53.660 culture was a huge talking point in the media. 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:55.519 We have to talk about the guest stars here because 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:58.019 they are heavy hitters. We have Gokeem Woodbine 00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.060 playing a character with arguably the best name 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:03.160 in television history, Massive Genius. Massive 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:06.240 Genius. It is perfect. He is a superstar rapper, 00:06:06.459 --> 00:06:09.620 clearly modeled on the really big hip -hop moguls 00:06:09.620 --> 00:06:11.980 of that specific era. If you think of Master 00:06:11.980 --> 00:06:15.670 P or Puff Daddy, he's wealthy. He's very articulate, 00:06:15.769 --> 00:06:18.269 and he carries himself with a kind of regal authority. 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:21.769 So Christopher and Adriana are out enjoying their 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:24.329 new well, and they bump into Massive Genius at 00:06:24.329 --> 00:06:27.089 a burger joint of all places. A fast food joint, 00:06:27.189 --> 00:06:29.709 which is a great leveler for these two worlds. 00:06:30.269 --> 00:06:33.350 And the dynamic is immediate. Massive Genius 00:06:33.350 --> 00:06:36.519 is interested. Ostensibly, he is interested in 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:38.939 Christopher's business. He recognizes him as 00:06:38.939 --> 00:06:41.240 a made guy or at least a connected associate. 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.300 But let's be real here. He is looking at Adriana. 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:47.259 Always Adriana. Treyda Mateo really shines in 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:48.920 this episode. She has been a background player 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:50.819 largely up to this point in the season, just 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:52.720 the girlfriend. But here she really steps into 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:54.879 the center of the frame. Massive genius sees 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:56.279 her and you can see the wheels start turning. 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.279 But the pretext for their interaction is what's 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:01.759 fascinating. Christopher, wanting to be the big 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:04.139 shot, wanting to show off his connections, arranges 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:06.540 a sit -down. He brings together Massive Genius 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:09.779 and Hesh Rafkin. Hesh, played by the legendary 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:12.040 Jerry Adler. For those who might need a quick 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:15.879 refresher, Hesh is Tony's trusted advisor. But 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:18.399 his backstory... which is crucial here, is that 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:20.379 he was a heavy hitter in the music industry back 00:07:20.379 --> 00:07:22.899 in the 50s and 60s. He was a record label owner. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.759 Right. Modeled somewhat on real figures from 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:28.939 that era. And this is where the conflict ignites. 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:31.660 Massive Genius isn't just there to hang out and 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:34.660 talk shop. He has a serious grievance. He claims 00:07:34.660 --> 00:07:36.980 that Hesh stole royalties from a deceased black 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:39.740 singer who was a relative or a close associate 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:42.639 of Massive's family. This is heavy stuff. Yeah. 00:07:42.740 --> 00:07:45.720 The show is tapping into a very real, very dark 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:48.319 history of the music business, right? The widespread 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.740 exploitation of black artists by early rock and 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:53.779 roll and R &B labels. Absolutely. It is a historical 00:07:53.779 --> 00:07:55.920 fact that the show weaves right into the narrative. 00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:58.600 The early days of rock were just rife with unfair 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:00.759 contracts where the artists got pennies and the 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:02.740 label owners who were often white men like Hesh 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:05.810 made absolute fortunes. So Massive Genius is 00:08:05.810 --> 00:08:08.850 demanding reparations. He wants restitution for 00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:11.069 those stolen years. He throws out a very specific 00:08:11.069 --> 00:08:15.050 number, $400 ,000. Which is not a small amount 00:08:15.050 --> 00:08:17.250 of money, even for a wealthy rapper or a high 00:08:17.250 --> 00:08:20.490 -level mobster. No, it's huge. And in most gangster 00:08:20.490 --> 00:08:23.069 shows, this would immediately turn into a shootout. 00:08:23.089 --> 00:08:25.329 You have a mob associate being shaken down for 00:08:25.329 --> 00:08:28.009 cash. You would expect threats, maybe someone 00:08:28.009 --> 00:08:30.990 getting a beating in an alley. But Hesh, Hesh 00:08:30.990 --> 00:08:32.830 is different. Hesh doesn't even blink. He has 00:08:32.830 --> 00:08:36.070 seen it all. He really doesn't. Hesh flat out 00:08:36.070 --> 00:08:38.789 refuses the claim. He basically says, I didn't 00:08:38.789 --> 00:08:41.009 steal anything. That was the standard legal contract 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:44.009 back then. He hides comfortably behind the legality 00:08:44.009 --> 00:08:46.190 of the exploitation. But he doesn't just rely 00:08:46.190 --> 00:08:49.070 on denial. He is way too smart for that. He has 00:08:49.070 --> 00:08:51.330 done his homework. He has a counter move ready 00:08:51.330 --> 00:08:53.809 to go. The unauthorized sampling. Hesh reveals 00:08:53.809 --> 00:08:55.970 that he has had his people analyze Massive Genius' 00:08:56.149 --> 00:08:58.789 music, and they found a sample from a song that 00:08:58.789 --> 00:09:01.190 Hesh still owns the rights to, and Massive's 00:09:01.190 --> 00:09:03.990 label never cleared it. So it is a total stalemate. 00:09:04.049 --> 00:09:06.250 You sue me for the back royalties, I sue you 00:09:06.250 --> 00:09:08.409 for the uncleared sample. It is mutually assured 00:09:08.409 --> 00:09:12.029 destruction, but legal style. It is a cold, hard, 00:09:12.210 --> 00:09:15.059 modern business transaction. And this leads to 00:09:15.059 --> 00:09:17.220 the moment that I think really defines the mob 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:20.360 psychology of this entire episode. Massive genius, 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.820 realizing he is completely checkmated here, threatens 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:26.940 to see Hesh in court. He literally says, I'll 00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:29.360 see you in court. And the reaction from the Soprano 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:32.940 crew is so pivotal. You have Tony, Paulie, Silvio, 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:35.840 Christopher, these guys who literally murder 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:38.299 people for a living. And they just start jeering. 00:09:38.669 --> 00:09:40.889 They openly mock him. They laugh him right out 00:09:40.889 --> 00:09:42.710 of the room. They are making fun of him as he 00:09:42.710 --> 00:09:44.850 walks away in his expensive suit. Why do you 00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:46.250 think that is? What does the source material 00:09:46.250 --> 00:09:49.389 suggest? Well, the breakdown suggests it is because 00:09:49.389 --> 00:09:52.570 he is a self -proclaimed gangster. In their eyes, 00:09:52.629 --> 00:09:55.070 a real gangster does not call a lawyer. A gangster 00:09:55.070 --> 00:09:58.049 breaks legs. A gangster burns down a building. 00:09:58.269 --> 00:10:01.070 Precisely. This is the big aha moment. To Tony 00:10:01.070 --> 00:10:03.570 and his crew, legitimacy means operating entirely 00:10:03.570 --> 00:10:06.490 outside the system. They view the legal system 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:09.039 as something for suckers. For regular civilians, 00:10:09.259 --> 00:10:12.539 for them, resorting to a lawsuit is a profound 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:14.940 admission of weakness. Saying I'll sue you is 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:17.159 the ultimate weakness to them. It is like tattle 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:19.139 -telling to the teacher on the playground. But 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:21.480 there's a massive irony here that this show is 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:24.779 highlighting. Massive Genius represents a modern 00:10:24.779 --> 00:10:27.580 corporate version of the gangster. He adopts 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:29.820 the aesthetic of the outlaw, the tattoos, the 00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:32.559 jewelry, the tough attitude, but he operates 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:34.600 safely within the machinery of capitalism and 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:37.200 the law. He is ultimately smarter than them. 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:39.899 He is certainly much more sustainable. The mobsters 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:42.980 are laughing at him. But Massive Genius is the 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:45.399 one walking away with a clean criminal record, 00:10:45.620 --> 00:10:49.000 a massive legitimate portfolio, and the full 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:51.779 protection of the courts. He has evolved. The 00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:54.100 Soprano crew is completely stuck in the past. 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:56.679 They are dinosaurs laughing at a meteor. That 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:58.980 is a fantastic way to put it. They are desperately 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:00.919 clinging to a code that makes them obsolete, 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:03.320 while Massive has figured out exactly how to 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:06.259 monetize the gangster image without the actual 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:09.220 risk. of going to federal prison. He is playing 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:10.940 the system. They are just playing outside of 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:12.960 it. So while the guys are busy mocking the rapper, 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:16.460 Adriana is busy seeing dollar signs. And this 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:18.919 brings us to the most painful yet incredibly 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:22.139 hilarious segment of the episode, Adriana's dream. 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:25.120 Or as I like to call it, the visiting day disaster. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:29.299 It is so rough. So Adriana gets an idea. She 00:11:29.299 --> 00:11:32.340 sees massive genius. She sees the glicks of the 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:35.480 music world. And she thinks, I can do this. I 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:38.389 have a good ear. She wants to pivot from being 00:11:38.389 --> 00:11:41.070 a restaurant hostess to a music producer. And 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:43.289 Christopher, who is still riding super high on 00:11:43.289 --> 00:11:45.610 that once in a lifetime score from the Colombians, 00:11:45.710 --> 00:11:48.450 readily agrees to fund it. He wants to be a big 00:11:48.450 --> 00:11:50.590 shot. He wants to be the guy discovering the 00:11:50.590 --> 00:11:53.309 next big thing. He imagines himself as this brilliant 00:11:53.309 --> 00:11:56.070 music mogul. So they bring in the band, Visiting 00:11:56.070 --> 00:11:58.110 Day. And the lead singer is a guy named Richie 00:11:58.110 --> 00:12:01.019 Santini, who... Just to add a thick layer of 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:04.000 toxicity to the whole thing is Adriana's ex -boyfriend. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:06.620 A recipe for outstanding success if I ever heard 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:08.899 one. Hey, let's finance your ex -boyfriend's 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:11.200 terrible local band with literal blood money. 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:14.139 What could possibly go wrong? The scenes in the 00:12:14.139 --> 00:12:16.679 recording studio are just masterful. If you want 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:19.039 to deeply understand cringe comedy, you watch 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.480 these scenes. The band is, let's be charitable 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:23.740 here, they are struggling. They are terrible. 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:26.519 But they are also incredibly pretentious about 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:29.100 it. They are agonizing over every single note, 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:31.080 acting like they are recording Abbey Road or 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:33.200 something. They are recording a song called Erase 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.759 Myself, I believe. Erase Myself. The lyrics are 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:40.580 total nonsense. The melody is just droning. But 00:12:40.580 --> 00:12:42.299 they treat it like high art. You know, saying 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:44.059 things like we need to get the drum sound right 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:46.580 or I'm not feeling the vibe in here. Meanwhile, 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:48.559 Christopher is sitting in the control booth and 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:51.539 he is just watching the clock tick. He is paying 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:55.500 by the hour. Every time the singer stops to whine 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:57.960 about the microphone placement or the vibe, Christopher 00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:01.679 literally sees his hard earned drug money evaporating 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.029 into thin air. The friction is so palpable. You 00:13:05.029 --> 00:13:08.190 have the fragile artistic process egos searching 00:13:08.190 --> 00:13:10.730 for perfection, violently colliding with the 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:14.289 brutal, impatient efficiency of a mobster. Christopher 00:13:14.289 --> 00:13:16.090 does not care about art. He cares about product. 00:13:16.269 --> 00:13:18.409 And it culminates in violence. Of course it does. 00:13:18.870 --> 00:13:21.129 Christopher just cannot handle the whining anymore. 00:13:21.309 --> 00:13:24.309 He snaps. He storms in, grabs the guitar, Richie's 00:13:24.309 --> 00:13:26.570 acoustic guitar, and violently smashes it right 00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:29.440 over the guy's back. It is shocking. But it is 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:32.159 also darkly funny. It just shatters the illusion 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:35.659 instantly. Adriana is trying so hard to build 00:13:35.659 --> 00:13:38.379 this safe, creative space, and Christopher brings 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:41.259 the raw street violence right into the vocal 00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:43.620 booth. It shows that Christopher simply cannot 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:46.539 change. He can buy the studio time, but he cannot 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:49.519 buy the temperament of a producer. He resolves 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:51.879 every conflict with violence, not negotiation. 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:55.139 He treats the musician exactly like a Shylock 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:58.840 victim who won't pay up. But the delusion persists. 00:13:59.220 --> 00:14:01.700 Even after the assault, Adriana still firmly 00:14:01.700 --> 00:14:03.539 thinks they have a hit on their hands. She's 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:06.360 so desperate for this to work out, they realize 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:08.580 they need an expert opinion. So who do they call? 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:11.139 Hesh. They bring Hesh back into the fold. And 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:13.000 this is where we get the title drop of the episode. 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:15.220 Hesh comes down and listens to the song. He sits 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:17.340 there, completely impassive. The music plays. 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:19.320 Christopher and Adriana are watching him like 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:21.799 hawks, just waiting for the praise to roll in. 00:14:22.019 --> 00:14:23.899 And then he delivers the verdict. He looks at 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:26.139 Christopher and says, simply, the band is not 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:30.080 good. So blunt. No sugarcoating it. No, maybe 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.440 if you tweak the mix it could work. Just, it's 00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:35.200 not good. Christopher tries to argue with him. 00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:37.899 He says, but it's got a beat. Or something to 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:40.460 that effect. He desperately tries to rationalize 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:43.279 the money he spent. And Hesh says, a hit is a 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:46.320 hit. And this, my friend, is not a hit. It is 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:49.519 crushing. It is the cold voice of objective reality 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:52.940 piercing the bubble of their delusion. Hesh represents 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:55.559 the audience here. We know it's bad. Hesh knows 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:58.080 it's bad. Only Adriana and Christopher don't 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:00.460 know. And it triggers a really sad chain reaction. 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:03.820 Christopher, armed with this undeniable truth, 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:07.120 realizes something else. If the band is terrible, 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:10.200 and Hesh says they are terrible, then why was 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:12.100 Massive Genius acting like he was so interested 00:15:12.100 --> 00:15:13.960 in them? He does the math pretty quickly. The 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:16.259 band sucks, therefore Massive Genius does not 00:15:16.259 --> 00:15:18.500 want the band. Therefore, Massive Genius just 00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:20.809 wants my girlfriend. Exactly. He realizes the 00:15:20.809 --> 00:15:22.730 whole music thing was just a pretext. It was 00:15:22.730 --> 00:15:25.110 a Trojan horse for Massive to get close to Adriana. 00:15:25.169 --> 00:15:27.470 So he confronts her about it. And this is a really 00:15:27.470 --> 00:15:29.950 tragic moment for Adriana. Christopher tells 00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:32.570 her the band sucks and this guy just wants to 00:15:32.570 --> 00:15:35.409 sleep with you. He is using you. And her reaction 00:15:35.409 --> 00:15:38.129 is key to her character. She does not accept 00:15:38.129 --> 00:15:41.190 it. She gets incredibly defensive. She accuses 00:15:41.190 --> 00:15:43.370 Christopher of jealousy, of trying to hold her 00:15:43.370 --> 00:15:45.789 back from her dreams. She storms out in tears. 00:15:46.029 --> 00:15:49.110 Why is she so intensely resistant to the truth? 00:15:49.289 --> 00:15:51.909 Because the truth completely destroys her dream. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.779 We really have to empathize with Adriana here. 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:57.720 She has ambition. She has drive. She wants to 00:15:57.720 --> 00:15:59.600 be something more than just a mob girlfriend. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:02.559 She wants agency. She wants an identity that 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.639 is entirely hers. But she's trapped. She is trapped 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:08.299 in a terrible pincer movement. On one side, she's 00:16:08.299 --> 00:16:10.820 being objectified by massive genius, who simply 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.480 sees her as a sexual conquest. On the other side, 00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:15.720 she's being possessed by Christopher, who basically 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:18.460 sees her as his property. And tragically, she 00:16:18.460 --> 00:16:21.139 also genuinely lacks the talent, or at least 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:23.440 the ear for talent, to succeed on her own merits. 00:16:23.580 --> 00:16:26.460 She picked a completely losing horse with Visiting 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:29.000 Day. It is the ultimate tragedy of cultural tourism. 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:31.519 She visited the world of music production, but 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:32.879 she didn't actually understand the language. 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:35.299 She thought passion and money were enough. But 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:37.039 as Hesh points out, you actually need a hit. 00:16:37.179 --> 00:16:40.200 So Christopher and Adriana fail to conquer the 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:43.700 music world. Meanwhile, Tony Soprano is fighting 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:46.559 a very different battle. He is trying to conquer 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:50.039 the suburbs. This is segment four, Tony and the 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:52.919 Medigans. We keep using that word. We should 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:54.679 probably clearly define it for you listening, 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:56.840 just so we are all on the exactly same page based 00:16:56.840 --> 00:17:00.320 on the source material. Right. Medigan. It is 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:02.759 an Americanization of the Italian word americano. 00:17:03.389 --> 00:17:05.930 In the specific context of the show, it refers 00:17:05.930 --> 00:17:08.190 to white Americans who aren't of Italian descent. 00:17:08.390 --> 00:17:11.170 Or even more specifically, it refers to Italian 00:17:11.170 --> 00:17:13.869 Americans who have assimilated so fully into 00:17:13.869 --> 00:17:16.170 mainstream culture that they have lost their 00:17:16.170 --> 00:17:18.730 distinct flavor. It implies blandness, right? 00:17:18.930 --> 00:17:21.950 Wonder bread, mayonnaise, people who follow all 00:17:21.950 --> 00:17:23.569 the rules, people who never shout at the dinner 00:17:23.569 --> 00:17:26.750 table. Exactly. And Tony has a massive complex 00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:29.730 about them. He despises them on one level. He 00:17:29.730 --> 00:17:31.849 thinks they are weak and boring and bloodless. 00:17:31.950 --> 00:17:35.349 But he also deeply craves their validation. He 00:17:35.349 --> 00:17:37.190 wants to be able to stand next to them and feel 00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:39.410 like an equal. He wants the respectability that 00:17:39.410 --> 00:17:42.309 they effortlessly have. So he finally gets his 00:17:42.309 --> 00:17:45.230 chance. His next door neighbor is Dr. Bruce Cusimano, 00:17:45.390 --> 00:17:49.130 a very respectable, wealthy family doctor. Cusimano 00:17:49.130 --> 00:17:51.849 invites Tony to play golf at his private country 00:17:51.849 --> 00:17:54.730 club. This is the holy grail of suburban assimilation 00:17:54.730 --> 00:17:58.220 for Tony. The private country club, it is exclusive. 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.779 It is polite. It is literally everything Tony 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:03.579 is not. So Tony goes. He is dressed the part. 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:06.599 He has got the nice clubs. He is there with Cusimano 00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:09.180 and his doctor friends, guys like Jack Krim, 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:12.799 Randy Wagner, professional men, wealthy, legitimate 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:14.720 men. And at first, Tony thinks it is actually 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:17.000 going well. He thinks he is just one of the guys 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:19.740 chopping it up, playing 18 holes. He is telling 00:18:19.740 --> 00:18:21.859 jokes. He is sharing expensive scars. But the 00:18:21.859 --> 00:18:24.559 vibe noticeably shifts. It does. The other golfers 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:26.640 start asking him questions, and they aren't asking 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:28.839 about his golf swing or about his legitimate 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:31.259 waste management business or the stock market. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:33.640 They're asking things like, what about Gotti? 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:35.640 Is it true about the contracts? Have you ever 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:38.140 met so -and -so? They are totally fanboying out 00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:40.180 on his criminal life. They are treating him like 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:42.900 an exhibit in a museum. But it is not genuine 00:18:42.900 --> 00:18:46.410 respect. It is pure curiosity. It is voyeurism. 00:18:46.650 --> 00:18:49.490 They treat him like a novelty act, a spectacle 00:18:49.490 --> 00:18:52.029 for their afternoon. They want the thrill of 00:18:52.029 --> 00:18:54.730 being near a real bad guy without taking on any 00:18:54.730 --> 00:18:57.609 of the actual danger. Tony realizes this later 00:18:57.609 --> 00:19:00.089 and he explicitly describes it to his therapist, 00:19:00.269 --> 00:19:03.000 Dr. Melfi. He says he felt used for somebody 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:06.119 else's amusement, like a dancing bear. That image, 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:08.559 the dancing bear, is devastatingly powerful when 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:10.859 you break it down. Unpack that for us. Why a 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:13.059 dancing bear specifically? Think about what a 00:19:13.059 --> 00:19:15.619 dancing bear actually is. It is a dangerous, 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:19.309 wild predator. A killer that has been forcibly 00:19:19.309 --> 00:19:22.049 tamed, chained up, and forced to perform silly 00:19:22.049 --> 00:19:24.490 tricks for a civilized paying audience. It is 00:19:24.490 --> 00:19:27.130 a total inversion of the natural order. Usually, 00:19:27.210 --> 00:19:29.750 Tony is the apex predator. He walks into a room 00:19:29.750 --> 00:19:31.730 and the temperature drops. People are terrified 00:19:31.730 --> 00:19:33.569 of him. He holds all the power in his normal 00:19:33.569 --> 00:19:35.809 world. But out there on the golf course, he is 00:19:35.809 --> 00:19:38.410 merely the entertainment. He realizes that despite 00:19:38.410 --> 00:19:40.609 his money, and he probably has enough hidden 00:19:40.609 --> 00:19:43.390 cash to buy and sell these doctors, he lacks 00:19:43.390 --> 00:19:45.890 the social capital. To them he will never be 00:19:45.890 --> 00:19:49.329 a true peer. He will always be a specimen. A 00:19:49.329 --> 00:19:51.049 fun story they can tell at their next dinner 00:19:51.049 --> 00:19:53.910 party. Guess who I play golf with today? The 00:19:53.910 --> 00:19:56.529 mobster from next door. That deep humiliation 00:19:56.529 --> 00:20:00.170 has to sting Tony more than fear or hatred ever 00:20:00.170 --> 00:20:02.910 could. Oh absolutely. Tony can handle being hated. 00:20:02.990 --> 00:20:05.759 He practically thrives on being feared. but being 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:08.240 laughed at, being seen as a clown or a mascot. 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:10.759 That is completely intolerable to his fragile 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:14.359 ego. He realizes that no matter how much he assimilates, 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:16.819 to them, he's just a thug wearing a nice golf 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:19.000 shirt. Which brings us to the climax of this 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.119 whole subplot, and this is genuinely my favorite 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:24.099 part of the episode. Segment five, the revenge 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:26.720 of the box. This is Tony Soprano at his absolute 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:29.579 piteous and his absolute most brilliant. So he 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:31.720 feels humiliated. He wants to strike back at 00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:35.140 Dr. Crisomano. But he cannot just hit him. He 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:37.220 cannot kill him. Doing that would just prove 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:38.819 he's an animal. That would prove he really is 00:20:38.819 --> 00:20:41.400 just the dancing bear. Right. If he uses physical 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:43.660 violence, he proves their stereotype correct. 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:46.420 He has to use psychological warfare instead. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:49.160 He has to beat the smart doctor at his own game. 00:20:49.500 --> 00:20:52.019 The mind game. So Tony goes home and fills a 00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:55.099 box, just a standard cardboard package. And he 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.059 seals it up tight with lots of tape. It looks 00:20:57.059 --> 00:20:59.339 heavy. It looks very serious. And he walks over 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:02.140 to Cusimano's house. He acts a little jittery. 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:05.420 Little overly serious, he purposefully glances 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:08.039 over his shoulder, and he asks Kusumano a favor. 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:10.799 Can you hold on to this for me, just for a little 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:12.740 while? I really need it out of my house. The 00:21:12.740 --> 00:21:16.380 implication is screamingly loud. This box contains 00:21:16.380 --> 00:21:20.059 something highly illegal. Guns? Drugs? Maybe 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:23.079 evidence of a murder? And Cusimano, who was so 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:25.319 eager to play with the gangster on the safe golf 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:27.779 course, suddenly realizes what that actually 00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:30.000 means in reality. You can see the blood drain 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:32.660 right from his face. He takes the box, but he's 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:34.980 visibly terrified. The reality of the mob is 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:37.900 now literally sitting in his hall closet. It 00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:40.200 is not a fun anecdote anymore. It is a potential 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:42.940 felony charge. But here is the absolute genius 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:45.359 of it. What is actually in the box? It is sand. 00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:47.900 Just pure sand. Maybe completely useless sand. 00:21:48.190 --> 00:21:51.990 It costs Tony nothing. Zero dollars. Just a scoop 00:21:51.990 --> 00:21:54.190 of dirt from a local construction site. But the 00:21:54.190 --> 00:21:57.150 psychological payoff is immense. Tony leverages 00:21:57.150 --> 00:22:00.009 the very stereotype that Cusimano mocked him 00:22:00.009 --> 00:22:02.650 with. Cusimano thinks Tony is a dangerous criminal. 00:22:02.750 --> 00:22:05.700 Fine. Tony will act exactly like a dangerous 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:07.940 criminal. And he completely ruins Cusimano's 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:10.240 peace of mind. You just know Cusimano is staring 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:13.119 at that box every single night, sweating, wondering 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:15.240 if the FBI is going to kick down his front door. 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:18.380 He probably cannot sleep at all. It powerfully 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.819 reasserts Tony's power. He flips the script on 00:22:20.819 --> 00:22:23.119 them. He might not have the fancy medical degree. 00:22:23.609 --> 00:22:25.670 but he can entirely control the doctor's emotional 00:22:25.670 --> 00:22:29.109 state with a simple cardboard box. He proves 00:22:29.109 --> 00:22:31.369 that he is the one actually in charge. You want 00:22:31.369 --> 00:22:33.549 a scary bear, I will give you a scary bear. It 00:22:33.549 --> 00:22:35.529 is the ultimate be careful what you wish for 00:22:35.529 --> 00:22:38.410 moment. Tony brilliantly turns the cultural tourism 00:22:38.410 --> 00:22:40.849 of the doctors right back against them. Now, 00:22:40.890 --> 00:22:43.049 while all this intense male posturing is going 00:22:43.049 --> 00:22:45.690 on, the rapping, the golfing, the box filling, 00:22:45.930 --> 00:22:49.250 there is a quieter but very important subplot 00:22:49.250 --> 00:22:51.130 running through the episode involving Carmela. 00:22:51.210 --> 00:22:55.000 Yes. Carmela's financial anxiety. This is crucial 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:57.279 because it directly mirrors Adriana's story, 00:22:57.420 --> 00:22:59.960 but with a very different outcome. Carmela is 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:02.960 looking at her life. She sees the immense risks 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:05.559 Tony takes every day. She sees the threat of 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:09.039 violence. And she starts asking the hard, practical 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:11.259 questions. What about me? What about the kids 00:23:11.259 --> 00:23:13.799 if something happens? She asks Tony point blank, 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:16.019 if something happens to you, are we provided 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:19.059 for? And Tony gives her the standard dismissive 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:22.400 mob husband answer. You are taken care of. Don't 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:24.160 worry about your pretty little head. There is 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:26.619 cash hidden away. But Carmela is smart enough 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:28.900 to know that cash in a birdseed bag in the backyard 00:23:28.900 --> 00:23:31.759 is not a real financial plan, especially when 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:33.799 the federal government can seize assets at any 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:36.180 time or when Tony's enemies could just come and 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:38.980 take it. So a friend introduces Carmela to the 00:23:38.980 --> 00:23:40.990 stock market. This is her version of visiting 00:23:40.990 --> 00:23:43.710 day. She wants a piece of the legitimate action. 00:23:43.849 --> 00:23:45.710 She wants to use her own brain to make money. 00:23:45.869 --> 00:23:48.609 She gets a hot tip on a stock. She buys it. And 00:23:48.609 --> 00:23:51.210 unlike Adriana, she actually profits. The stock 00:23:51.210 --> 00:23:53.730 goes up. She makes real money. It is a small 00:23:53.730 --> 00:23:56.250 win, but it feels incredibly significant to her. 00:23:56.390 --> 00:23:58.789 It is significant. It represents true agency. 00:23:59.009 --> 00:24:01.430 For the first time, she made money that did not 00:24:01.430 --> 00:24:03.970 come directly from Tony breaking someone's legs. 00:24:04.329 --> 00:24:07.480 It is in her mind. clean money. Well, clean is 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:09.599 relative since it was basically insider trading 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:12.480 based on a tip, but it feels legitimate to her. 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:14.140 It feels like she actually did something on her 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:16.359 own. It shows that the women in this show are 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:18.740 desperately looking for a safety net that is 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:21.480 not entirely tied to their husband's criminality. 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:25.000 Adriana tries music and fails because she lacks 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:27.660 the skill and the support. Carmela tries stocks 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:31.200 and succeeds, at least for now. It heavily foreshadows 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:33.539 her future attempts to build a life outside of 00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:36.970 Tony's massive shadow. So we have dissected all 00:24:36.970 --> 00:24:38.609 the parts. Let's try to put this whole machine 00:24:38.609 --> 00:24:40.690 back together for you. What is the big takeaway 00:24:40.690 --> 00:24:42.849 here? We have the rapper suing the producer, 00:24:43.049 --> 00:24:45.990 the mobster playing golf, the mob girlfriend 00:24:45.990 --> 00:24:49.009 trying to produce rock music. If we zoom out 00:24:49.009 --> 00:24:51.410 and look at the source analysis, the overarching 00:24:51.410 --> 00:24:53.789 theme is clearly the illusion of legitimacy. 00:24:53.910 --> 00:24:56.349 Break that down for us. All these characters 00:24:56.349 --> 00:24:58.970 are trying to cross rigid lines. They are trying 00:24:58.970 --> 00:25:01.789 to enter worlds they fundamentally do not belong 00:25:01.789 --> 00:25:04.349 in. They think that because they have money or 00:25:04.349 --> 00:25:07.410 raw power or a scary reputation, they can just 00:25:07.410 --> 00:25:09.470 walk into a totally new life. But the doors are 00:25:09.470 --> 00:25:12.069 locked. Or they walk through the door and quickly 00:25:12.069 --> 00:25:14.589 realize they don't know any of the rules. The 00:25:14.589 --> 00:25:17.029 mobsters enter the music business and immediately 00:25:17.029 --> 00:25:19.910 bring street violence. Tony enters the country 00:25:19.910 --> 00:25:22.769 club and brings all his criminal baggage. They 00:25:22.769 --> 00:25:25.200 simply cannot shed who they are. You can put 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:27.400 a mobster in a nice polo shirt, but he is still 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:29.740 a mobster. Exactly. And it all goes back to the 00:25:29.740 --> 00:25:32.500 title. A hit is a hit. It is a tautology. A thing 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:35.180 is exactly what it is. Right. In the music business, 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:37.920 a song works or it doesn't. You cannot force 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:40.940 it with money or threats. And in life, you are 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:43.180 who you are. Tony's assimilation wasn't a hit. 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:45.839 Adriana's producing career wasn't a hit. They 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:47.660 struck out because they were faking it. And we 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:49.799 also have to touch on the power of stereotypes, 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:52.900 because that concept was weaponized all over 00:25:52.900 --> 00:25:55.819 this episode. It is like a game of 4D chess with 00:25:55.819 --> 00:25:59.380 stereotypes. Massive Genius is a stereotype, 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:02.619 the gangster rapper, but he brilliantly flips 00:26:02.619 --> 00:26:05.900 it by using corporate law. Tony is a stereotype. 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:09.279 the Italian hood, but he uses that exact fear 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:12.099 to psychologically torture his neighbor. It is 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:13.960 like they realize they are trapped in these roles, 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:15.720 so they decide, well, if I'm trapped here, I 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:17.640 might as well use the weapons available to me. 00:26:17.859 --> 00:26:20.599 It is a deeply cynical lesson from the writers. 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:23.980 It says, don't try to change. The world won't 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:26.940 let you anyway. Instead, just lean hard into 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:30.039 what makes you dangerous. That is dark, but very 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:32.740 Sopranos. I have a final question for you to 00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:34.819 consider, and for you listening at home to mull 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:37.380 over. Lay it on me. When you look at this entire 00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:39.140 episode, all these characters running around 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:41.099 trying to be something else, who is actually 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:43.420 the most honest person? That is a tough one. 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.359 Everyone is lying to themselves in some way. 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:48.700 I would argue it is Hesh. Hesh, the guy who exploited 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:51.660 artists in the 60s. Think about it in the context 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:55.000 of the present day. Hesh is the only one who 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.700 simply speaks the unvarnished truth. He tells 00:26:57.700 --> 00:27:01.059 massive genius, I am not paying you a dime. He 00:27:01.059 --> 00:27:03.700 tells Christopher, the music is simply not good. 00:27:04.380 --> 00:27:07.250 He does not pretend. He does not perform for 00:27:07.250 --> 00:27:09.869 anyone. That is true. Everyone else is wearing 00:27:09.869 --> 00:27:12.990 a heavy mask. Massive is playing the street gangster. 00:27:13.329 --> 00:27:16.470 Tony is playing the relaxed suburbanite. Adriana 00:27:16.470 --> 00:27:19.009 is playing the big -time producer. The doctors 00:27:19.009 --> 00:27:21.430 are playing the inclusive liberals while actually 00:27:21.430 --> 00:27:23.910 treating Tony like a zoo animal. Everyone is 00:27:23.910 --> 00:27:27.210 acting, except Hesh. Hesh knows exactly who he 00:27:27.210 --> 00:27:29.849 is. He is a ruthless businessman. He is a guy 00:27:29.849 --> 00:27:32.190 with a good ear for music. And maybe that's exactly 00:27:32.190 --> 00:27:34.410 why he is the one who survives and thrives while 00:27:34.410 --> 00:27:36.599 the others struggle. That is a truly fascinating 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:38.539 way to look at it. In a world full of delusions, 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:41.000 the man with absolutely no illusions is king. 00:27:41.259 --> 00:27:43.420 A hit is a hit. Hesh knows a hit when he hears 00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:45.400 one. And he definitely knows a delusion when 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:47.839 he sees one. Wow. Well, that is a whole lot to 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:49.900 chew on. Next time you see a heavy cardboard 00:27:49.900 --> 00:27:52.900 box of sand or hear a terrible local band playing 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:55.119 at a coffee shop, you will definitely think of 00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:57.680 The Sopranos. And maybe think twice about trying 00:27:57.680 --> 00:27:59.859 to be something you're not. Exactly. Stay in 00:27:59.859 --> 00:28:02.059 your lane, or at the very least, know the rules 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:04.900 of the road before you try to merge. Well, that 00:28:04.900 --> 00:28:08.779 wraps up our deep dive into A Hit is a Hit. Thank 00:28:08.779 --> 00:28:10.819 you so much for listening. It has been a pleasure. 00:28:11.079 --> 00:28:13.160 If you enjoyed this breakdown, please make sure 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:15.559 to follow us. We have plenty more deep dives 00:28:15.559 --> 00:28:17.940 into your favorite source materials coming your 00:28:17.940 --> 00:28:19.460 way. Until next time.