"Army of One" is the 39th episode of the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
original series ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
'' and the finale of the show's third season. It was written by
David Chase
David Henry Chase (born August 22, 1945) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and produced the HBO drama ''The Sopranos'' which aired for six seasons between 1999 and 2007. Chase has also produced and written for such shows as ''The Rockford Files ...
and
Lawrence Konner
Lawrence Konner is an American screenwriter, producer and film director. Konner has written over twenty-five feature films, including ''Mona Lisa Smile'', ''Planet of the Apes'', ''The Legend of Billie Jean'', ''The Jewel of the Nile'', and '' ...
, and directed by
John Patterson, and originally aired on May 20, 2001.
Starring
*
James Gandolfini as
Tony Soprano
*
Lorraine Bracco as
Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Jennifer Melfi 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
Melfi is an Italian-American, with her father's famil ...
*
Edie Falco as
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fil ...
*
Michael Imperioli as
Christopher Moltisanti
*
Dominic Chianese as
Corrado Soprano, Jr.
*
Steven Van Zandt as
Silvio Dante
*
Tony Sirico as
Paulie Gualtieri
*
Jamie-Lynn Sigler as
Meadow Soprano
*
Robert Iler as
Anthony Soprano, Jr.
*
Drea de Matteo
Andrea Donna de Matteo is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Adriana La Cerva on the HBO television drama ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2006), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...
as
Adriana La Cerva
*
Aida Turturro as
Janice Soprano
Janice Soprano Baccalieri is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and in the film ''The Many Saints of Newark''. In ''The Sopranos'', Janice is portrayed by Aida Turturro who’s the eldest sibling of the sh ...
*
John Ventimiglia
John Ventimiglia (, ) is an American actor. He portrayed Artie Bucco in the HBO television series ''The Sopranos'' and had a recurring role as Dino Arbogast, an Organized Crime Control Bureau Chief for the NYPD, on the American police procedur ...
as
Artie Bucco
*
Federico Castelluccio as
Furio Giunta
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
*
Robert Funaro
Robert Funaro (born January 23, 1959) 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''.
Funaro appeared in the 2007 film '' American Ga ...
as
Eugene Pontecorvo
*
Kathrine Narducci as
Charmaine Bucco
*
Steven R. Schirripa
Steven Ralph Schirripa ( ; born September 3, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Bobby Baccalieri on ''The Sopranos'', Leo Boykewich on ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and Detective Anthony Abetemarco on '' ...
as
Bobby Baccalieri
*
Joe Pantoliano
Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions.
After his early roles in the television series ''M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy ''Risky Busin ...
as
Ralph Cifaretto
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Soprano ...
Guest starring
Synopsis
A.J. is expelled from
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
for stealing answers to a test.
Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
, enraged, decides to send him to
military school
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
. A.J. is interviewed by the administrator of the Hudson Military Institute, who lays out the rigorous schedule for students.
Carmela believes they will train him to be a "professional killer"; Tony counters that he will be learning discipline and respect. As A.J. prepares to leave home, he puts on his dress uniform; both parents sincerely admire his appearance, but he looks at himself in the mirror and, in tears, asks not to be sent away. As his mother is adjusting his uniform, he suffers a
panic attack and collapses. Tony tells
Dr. Melfi that his son has inherited his "putrid gene", and he cannot send him to military school.
Seeking intelligence about the
DiMeo crime family
The Soprano family (originally the DiMeo family) is a fictional Italian-American crime family featured in the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' and the prequel film '' The Many Saints of Newark''. Based in New Jersey, the family consists of an administ ...
, the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
decide to go through a woman and send Agent
Deborah Ciccerone on an undercover mission to befriend
Adriana
Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy.
Translations
*Arabic: أدريان
* Belorussian: Адрыяна (Adryjana)
*Bulgarian: Адриана (Adriana)
*Chinese Simplifi ...
. Danielle, as she calls herself, easily gets talking to Adriana in a dress shop.
Paulie is in dispute with
Ralphie about the division of proceeds from a robbery and insists on a sit-down. He claims $50,000; to his shock and dismay, Tony awards him only $12,000. Paulie later speaks quietly to
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
about his dissatisfaction with Tony, and offers his services to Johnny's boss,
Carmine Lupertazzi.
Jackie Jr. is forced into hiding at a
Boonton
Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline of 149 (− ...
housing project
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...
after his failed robbery at
Eugene's
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
game. He calls Tony, pleading for help; Tony rebuffs him. Tony again expresses his confidence to Ralphie that, as captain, he knows what to do, but he must decide in a "timely fashion." Ralphie makes his decision: when Jackie leaves the apartment to get some air, he is shot in the back of the head by
Vito
Vito is an Italian name that is derived from the Latin word "''vita''", meaning "life".
It is a modern form of the Latin name Vitus, meaning "life-giver," as in San Vito or Saint Vitus, the patron saint of dogs and a heroic figure in southern ...
. It is said that he was killed in a drug dealers' dispute.
At Jackie's visitation,
Meadow
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...
cries uncontrollably when she sees him in his casket. Tony and Carmela are embarrassed when
Rosalie notes the low attendance rate; the funeral has coincided with
Super Bowl Sunday, a busy betting time. At the funeral,
Silvio
Silvio () is an Italian male name, the male equivalent of Silvia. Sílvio is a variant of the name in Portuguese. It is derived from the Latin "Silvius", meaning "spirit of the wood," and may refer to:
People
* Silvio Berlusconi (born 1936), Itali ...
and
Christopher
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
are arrested for
illegal gambling. During the reception at Rosalie's, Meadow and
Kelli, Rosalie's daughter, argue bitterly about who killed Jackie. Meadow seems to believe it was a drug dealer; Kelli is sure it was an Italian.
At the
wake
Wake or The Wake may refer to:
Culture
*Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies
*Wakes week, an English holiday tradition
* Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...
at Nuovo Vesuvio, Silvio and Chris enter, having quickly made
bail. Ralphie has begun to distance himself from Rosalie; he and
Janice ostentatiously embrace.
Junior, no longer under house arrest, sings the Italian love song "
Core 'ngrato
"Core 'ngrato" (; "Ungrateful Heart"), also known by the first words "Catarì, Catarì" (short and dialectal form for ''Caterina'', a female first name), is a 1911 Neapolitan song by emigrant American composer Salvatore Cardillo with lyrics by :i ...
", moving some of the men to tears. Meadow, drunk, throws pieces of bread at Junior while he is singing, then quickly leaves when she sees that her father has noticed. He confronts her in the street; she tearfully denounces the funeral proceedings as "bullshit" and runs away. Tony returns and puts his arms round A.J. and Carmela as they listen to Junior sing.
Title references
* "An Army of One" was a slogan used in
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
recruitment advertisements in the early 2000s, and was discussed by the Sopranos when they met with officials at the military school they considered sending A.J. to.
* This could also refer to Jackie's self-directed efforts to get himself into the DiMeo crime family.
First appearances
*
Agent Deborah Ciccerone: An F.B.I. agent assigned to go undercover and become Adriana's "new best friend".
*
Marianucci Gualtieri
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
: Paulie's mother who moves into Green Grove nursing home.
Deceased
*
Jackie Aprile, Jr.
This is a list of fictional characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', its video game '' The Sopranos: Road to Respect'' and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.''
Main characters Cast table
Main character biographies Tony Sopran ...
: shot in the back of the head by Vito Spatafore.
Production
*
The Super Bowl referenced throughout this episode between the "
Giants" and "
Ravens" (heard being discussed on
a television pregame show and the radio) establishes the events as occurring in late January 2001.
* This is the last episode to feature the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
in the title sequence due to the subsequent
terrorist attacks
The following is a list of terrorist incidents that have not been carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are listed at List of assassinated people.
Definitions of terrori ...
.
* The episode initially aired with
Fairuza Balk in the role of Agent Deborah Ciccerone until she was recast; the scenes were replaced on re-runs and the VHS and DVD releases.
References to prior episodes
* Tony and Carmela watch a commercial for
Dr. Fried's urology clinic, whose production was featured in the previous episode, "
Amour Fou
"Amour Fou" is the 38th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the 12th of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by Frank Renzulli from a story idea by series creator, David Chase. It was directed by Tim Van Patten a ...
". Dr. Fried tends to Furio's gun injury.
* In a scene where Tony and Carmela are having a fight, she says that "boys his age still kill frogs and small animals." Tony wonders if it could have been A.J. who blew up the Cusamanos' "Binky" with a
Cherry bomb
A cherry bomb (also known as a globe salute or kraft salute) is an approximately spherical exploding firework, roughly resembling a cherry in size and shape (with the fuse resembling the cherry's stem). Cherry bombs range in size from in diame ...
. A.J. admitted blowing up frogs with
explosives
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
in the season one episode
"Meadowlands."
Cultural reference
* In the opening scene, A.J. reads an issue of the comic book ''
Freex
FreeX GmbH (usually styled freeX) was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Lenggries and previously located in Egling. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft.Bertrand, Noel; ...
''.
* When Tony saw A. J. in full uniform, he remarks: "
Sgt. Bilko
''Sgt. Bilko'' is a 1996 American Military fiction, military comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Andy Breckman. It is an adaptation of the 1950s television series ''The Phil Silvers Show'', often informally called ''Sgt. Bilko'' ...
!"
Music
* The organ music played during Jackie's wake is "
Ombra mai fu" from
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
's
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
''
Serse''.
* When A.J. calls Meadow at Columbia,
Creeper Lagoon's song "Wonderful Love" can be heard playing in the background.
* During Jackie's wake, Junior's performance of "
Core 'ngrato
"Core 'ngrato" (; "Ungrateful Heart"), also known by the first words "Catarì, Catarì" (short and dialectal form for ''Caterina'', a female first name), is a 1911 Neapolitan song by emigrant American composer Salvatore Cardillo with lyrics by :i ...
" ("Ungrateful Heart") was sung by
Dominic Chianese himself.
* The song sung by Junior before "Core 'ngrato", while he is at the table, is "
Malafemmena".
* The French song that follows "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart") is "
Parlez-moi d'amour" performed by
Lucienne Boyer
Lucienne Boyer (18 August 1901 – 6 December 1983) was a French diseuseMansfield News Journal 9 November 1934 pg. 20 and singer, best known for her song " Parlez-moi d'amour". Her impresario was Bruno Coquatrix.
Early career
Born as Émilienne-H ...
and written by Jean Lenoir.
* The song in Spanish that follows the French version of "Core 'ngrato" ("Ungrateful Heart") is "La Enramada" a
Bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
written by
Graciela Olmos and performed by Los Tres Ases (The Three Aces).
* The song played over the end credits is "#8" (unofficially titled
lur
A lur, also lure or lurr, is a long natural blowing horn without finger holes that is played with a brass-type embouchure. Lurs can be straight or curved in various shapes. The purpose of the curves was to make long instruments easier to car ...
aka
ircles by
Aphex Twin
Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...
, from his album, ''
Selected Ambient Works Volume II
''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' is the second studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of British electronic musician Richard D. James. It was released by Warp in March 1994. Billed as a follow-up to James' debut ''Selected Ambient Works 8 ...
''.
*As Meadow is tossing bread at Junior, Meadow sings a line from
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
' song, "
Oops!... I Did It Again" (the original recording of that song was previously featured in "
Employee of the Month").
*The song that follows Lucienne Boyer's "Parlez-moi d'amour" is called "Wondering" by American music composer and director
Nathan Wang.
External links
"Army of One"at
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
*
{{The Sopranos
The Sopranos (season 3) episodes
2001 American television episodes
Television episodes about funerals
Television episodes written by David Chase
Television episodes directed by John Patterson (director)