Sentimental Education (The Sopranos)
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"Sentimental Education" is the 58th episode of the
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original series '' The Sopranos'' and the sixth of the show's fifth season. Written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, it originally aired on April 11, 2004.


Starring

* James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano * Lorraine Bracco as
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 family ...
* * 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 * Robert Iler as
Anthony Soprano, Jr. Anthony John "A.J." Soprano Jr. is a fictional character on the HBO television series ''The Sopranos'', portrayed by Robert Iler. He is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano and the little brother of Meadow Soprano. Biography Anthony was born ...
* Jamie-Lynn DiScala as Meadow Soprano *
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 Baccalieri *
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 *
Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...
as
Tony Blundetto 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 ...
''* = credit only''


Guest starring


Synopsis

Tony is finding it increasingly difficult to take care of A.J., who is sent back to Carmela. She lets him move back in on the condition that he improve his grades and behavior. Carmela goes to see Mr. Wegler at the school and agrees to have dinner with him the following evening. After dinner, they go to his home and have sex. Carmela meets Father Phil Intintola; he reminds her that she made a commitment to her husband before God. However, she continues the affair, even after making formal confession. One evening with Wegler she abruptly leaves, saying she is upset about A.J.’s academic performance, and also troubled by the laws of the Church. The next day, Wegler pressures A.J.'s English teacher to raise his grade for a poorly written term paper. After several rounds of sex after which Carmela talks each time about A.J., Wegler concludes that she is just using him to get her son better grades, and tells her he wants to end the relationship. Carmela is deeply hurt and, after an argument, storms out. When her father suggests that she look for other men, Carmela replies that, as Tony's wife, her motives will always be distrusted. Tony B tries to adjust to civilian life. Kim, his Korean-American employer, who was pressured by Tony Soprano into giving him a job, is hostile. But he changes his mind when he realizes how hard Tony B is working, both on the job and in his efforts to pass the state massage board exam. Kim offers to partner up with him, since he has an empty storefront in
West Caldwell West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's pop ...
. Tony B passes the exam and begins work on the storefront, preparing it for business. But then he comes across a bag containing $12,000, thrown away by fleeing drug dealers, and goes on a
self-destructive Self-destructive behavior is any behavior that is harmful or potentially harmful towards the person who engages in the behavior. Self-destructive behaviors have been shown by many people throughout the years. It is on a continuum, with one extr ...
tear, wasting most of the money on gambling and expensive clothes. Kim visits the store and encourages him to keep on working. Tony B, sleepless, and under physical and emotional pressure, snaps, and beats him up. With Tony at Nuovo Vesuvio, Tony B hints that he screwed up and asks if he still needs someone to cover the
airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. Th ...
scheme.


Title reference

* ''
Sentimental Education ''Sentimental Education'' (French: ''L'Éducation sentimentale'', 1869) is a novel by Gustave Flaubert. Considered one of the most influential novels of the 19th century, it was praised by contemporaries such as George Sand and Émile Zola, but ...
'' is a novel by Gustave Flaubert, who also wrote '' Madame Bovary'', which Mr. Wegler recommends to Carmela.


Production

* The episode was directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who also has a recurring guest role as Elliot Kupferberg (Melfi's psychotherapist) on the show, although he does not appear in this episode. * Although the sixth episode of the season, it was produced seventh, due to the scheduling availability of director Peter Bogdanovich, as the following episode was directed by cast member
Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...
, who wanted to direct an episode in which his character was minimally featured.DVD audio commentary for "In Camelot" by Steve Buscemi


Cultural references

* Carmela finds the book ''
The Letters of Abelard and Heloise ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' in Wegler's bathroom and asks him about it. She later tells Father Phil who erroneously corrects her pronunciation of 'Heloise'. * During her confession, Carmela tells Father Phil Intintola that her affair makes her feel like "walking around on a cloud" as the character Maria from the '' West Side Story''. * Tony Blundetto refers to "piping in a little
Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...
" when discussing his plan for a massage studio. * Tony Blundetto buys his twin sons a pair of
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
Game Boy Advance handheld game consoles. * A.J. tries to write an English school paper on ''
Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...
'' but ends up plagiarizing it. He later tries to write a paper on Lord of the Flies, which he also plagiarizes. * When Wegler tells A.J.'s English teacher, Mr. Fiske, to raise the grade of his term paper that was "90 percent
CliffsNotes CliffsNotes are a series of student study guides. The guides present and create literary and other works in pamphlet form or online. Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature. The company cl ...
," Fiske refers to A.J. as " Fredo Corleone," a character from '' The Godfather'' novel and films, alluding to the fact that he is part of a powerful family despite being an unintelligent member. * After Tony Blundetto tells Paulie and the others at
Satriale's Pork Store Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. During the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Soprano, a capo in the DiMeo crime family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling ...
about his business opportunity with Kim, Paulie comments "Word to the wise, remember Pearl Harbor!", ignorant to the fact that Kim is actually Korean.


Music

* The song played on Tony B's delivery truck radio when it's stolen is " The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" by The Greg Kihn Band. * The song played when Carmela is deciding what to wear before seeing Robert Wegler is "The Angels Listened In" by The Crests. * The song played when Carmela and Bob eat at a restaurant is "Mon homme" (lyrics by
Maurice Yvain Maurice Yvain (12 February 1891 – 27 July 1965) was a French composer noted for his operettas of the 1920s and 1930s. Some of which were written for Mistinguett, at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world. In the 1930s and 1940s, ...
). * The song played when Carmela is peeling the cucumber is "Over The Mountain" by
Johnnie & Joe Johnnie & Joe were an American R&B vocal duo from The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States, who were best known for their 1957 hit "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea." Johnnie Louise Richardson (June 29, 1935, Montgomery, Alabama - Octob ...
. * The song played in Paulie's Cadillac is " Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" by
Mel Carter Mel Carter (born April 22, 1939, Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer and actor. He is best known for his 1965 million-selling recording, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me". Biography At age 16 Carter studied singing with vocalist Little Jimmy Sc ...
. * The song played over the end credits is "The Blues is my Business" by
Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...
. * Tony Blundetto's ringtone is a monophonic version of " We Are The Champions" by Queen * The song played in the restaurant at the end is a version of
Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical music, classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. For most of its history the Quartet consisted of John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis (piano), ...
's " Django."


References


External links


"Sentimental Education"
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 ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sentimental Education The Sopranos (season 5) episodes 2004 American television episodes Television episodes written by Matthew Weiner