"Amour Fou" is the 38th episode of the HBO original series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' and the 12th of the show's third season. Its teleplay was written by

Frank Renzulli Frank Renzulli (born February 21, 1958) is an American film actor, writer, and producer. As an Emmy nominated writer and Golden Globe winner, Renzulli has written teleplays for ''The Sopranos'', mainly in the first two seasons, and another Emmy ...

from a story idea by series creator,

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 File ...

. It was directed by

Tim Van Patten Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed episodes of ''Perry Mason'', '' Boardwalk Empire'', '' Black Mirror'', '' Deadwood'', '' Ed'', '' Game of Thrones'', '' The Pacifi ...

and originally aired on May 13, 2001.

Starring

James Gandolfini James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. (; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor. For his role as Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'', he won three Emmy Awards, five Screen ...

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano is a fictional character and the antihero protagonist in the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, especially late ...

Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinct husky voice and Brooklyn accent, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards ...

as Dr. Jennifer Melfi *

Edie Falco Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...

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 fi ...

Michael Imperioli Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...

Christopher Moltisanti Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course of th ...

Dominic Chianese Dominic Chianese (; born February 24, 1931) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), Johnny Ola in '' The Godfather Part II'' (1 ...

as Corrado Soprano, Jr. * *

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

Silvio Dante Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', played by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante in ...

Tony Sirico Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. (; July 29, 1942 – July 8, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in ''The Sopranos''. He also made numerous appearances in the films of Woody Allen. Early life S ...

Paulie Gualtieri Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior ...

* *

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Jamie-Lynn Sigler (born May 15, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born in Jericho, New York, on May 15, 1981, the daughter of S ...

Meadow Soprano Meadow Mariangela Soprano, played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She was born in 1982. In the early seasons, Meadow is introduced as a smart but spoiled party-goer, whose over-dramatic pers ...

Robert Iler Robert Michael Iler (; born March 2, 1985) is an American former actor. He is best known for his portrayal of A.J. Soprano on ''The Sopranos''. His film roles include ''Tadpole'' (2002), and ''Daredevil'' (2003). Career Iler appeared in the vi ...

as Anthony Soprano, Jr. * * Drea de Matteo as

Adriana La Cerva Adriana La Cerva is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', portrayed by Drea de Matteo. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti. For her performance, de Mat ...

* *

Aida Turturro Aida Turturro ( ; born September 25, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Janice Soprano on the HBO drama series ''The Sopranos''. Early life and education Aida Turturro was born in Buffalo, New York, daughter of ...

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 ...

* *

Federico Castelluccio Federico Castelluccio (; ; born April 29, 1964) is an American actor and painter. He is best known for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Born in Naples, Italy, Castelluccio moved with his family to Paterso ...

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 as

Eugene Pontecorvo 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 ...

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 Bu ...

as Ralph Cifaretto ''* = credit only''

Guest starring

Synopsis

Carmela and

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 arti ...

are visiting the Brooklyn Museum when Carmela has to go to the restroom to use a

tampon A tampon is a menstrual product designed to absorb blood and vaginal secretions by insertion into the vagina during menstruation. Unlike a pad, it is placed internally, inside of the vaginal canal. Once inserted correctly, a tampon is held in ...

. She has some alarming symptoms and fears she has ovarian cancer or is pregnant. When she comes back, she is brought to tears upon seeing

Jusepe de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (1591 – 1652) was a painter and printmaker, who along with Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanish Baroque painting. Referring ...

's painting '' The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria''. Watching something sentimental on television, she begins to cry and is unnerved when she realizes it is only a commercial for dog food. She takes

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

with a priest who tells her to learn to live only on what the "good part" of her husband earns and to forgo the rest. On his advice, she sees an

OB-GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...

, who tells her she has a thyroid problem.

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 ...

continues to see Gloria, even as her erratic behavior continues.

Dr. 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 ...

uses the term "amour fou" (crazy love). Gloria happens to meet Carmela. She gives her a lift home, eliciting information from her. When Tony discovers this, he furiously breaks up with her. Gloria phones him, sobbing uncontrollably. He goes to her home and gently explains again that he is breaking up with her. She threatens to tell Carmela and Meadow about their affair. When Tony, enraged, starts strangling her, she urges him to kill her. He stops, and threatens her as he leaves. Later, he sends

Patsy Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

to repeat the warning: he goes for an ostensible test drive with her, pulls the car over on a deserted rural road, holds her at gunpoint, and tells her that if she ever contacts Tony or his family again, he will kill her. Jackie Jr. and his friends Carlo and Dino decide to rob Eugene's poker game, after

Ralphie Ralphie is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person ...

tells them how Tony and Jackie's father gained recognition for a similar heist. The dealer, Sunshine, keeps heckling the would-be robbers and is fatally shot by a panicking Jackie. In the ensuing firefight, Furio is shot in the thigh and Carlo is killed. Jackie and Dino find that their wheelman, Matush, has fled and left them at the mercy of Christopher and

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

. Jackie flees in a carjacked vehicle, abandoning Dino, who is shot dead. The next morning, Ralphie meets Tony to discuss how to deal with Jackie. Tony tells him he is responsible but implies that Jackie should be killed. Ralphie is full of doubt: he blames Jackie Sr. for "spoiling" his son and wants to give Jackie a "pass". He embraces Tony and leaves. Outside, Ralphie pauses, perplexed. At home, he tries to comfort Rosalie, who is distraught.

Deceased

* "Sunshine": a card dealer for the mob who was shot during the poker robbery by Jackie Jr. *

Carlo Renzi 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 by Christopher in the face during the poker robbery. * Dino Zerilli: shot in the head outside of the Aprile hangout by Christopher and Albert Barese.

Final appearances

* Gloria Trillo: Tony's girlfriend. She would later appear in a dream in "Everybody Hurts" and " The Test Dream".

Title reference

* The translation from French is "crazy love", a term Dr. Melfi uses to describe the conflicted relationship between Tony and Gloria. Tony later mispronounces it "Our mofo."

Production

* On the commentary on the season three DVD,

affirms that this episode features "the biggest gunfight we ever shot."''The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season'' — DVD commentary * The tiny shell casings which can be seen striking the pavement after Chris executes Dino outside the card game were added into the scene in post-production using CGI.

Other cultural references

* Jackie and Dino are seen watching the famous "leg cross" scene from the film ''

Basic Instinct ''Basic Instinct'' is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wea ...

'' on television. * Tony tells Dr. Melfi that Gloria reminds him of a princess in a Spanish painting, a "

Goyim In modern Hebrew and Yiddish (, he, גוי, regular plural , or ) is a term for a gentile, a non-Jew. Through Yiddish, the word has been adopted into English (pluralised as goys or goyim) also to mean gentile, sometimes with a pejorative se ...

." He means to refer to

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

. * Tony calls Gloria's

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

statue "a regular Captain Marvel". * Jackie and Dino are also seen watching a documentary on

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...

. * Gloria brandishing a corkscrew as a weapon against Tony could be a reference to Gandolfini's role in ''

True Romance ''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt ...

'', where a female character similarly uses a corkscrew against Gandolfini. * During dinner with Gabriella, Carmela, and Angie, Rosalie mentioned the

Clinton–Lewinsky scandal The Clinton–Lewinsky scandal was a sex scandal involving Bill Clinton, the president of the United States, and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Their sexual relationship lasted between 1995 and 1997. Clinton ended a televised speech in ...

while discussing Meadow and Jackie's breakup

Music

* This episode opens with the same music that closes the previous episode, "

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

" – the

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

" Sposa son disprezzata" from the opera '' Bajazet'' by Antonio Vivaldi, sung by

Cecilia Bartoli Cecilia Bartoli, Cavaliere OMRI (; born 4 June 1966) is an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist. She is best known for her interpretations of the music of Bellini, Handel, Mozart, Rossini and Vivaldi, as well as for her ...

. * " Return To Me (Ritorna da me)" by Dean Martin is playing while Ralphie tells Jackie Jr. and Dino about when Tony and Jackie Sr. robbed Feech LaManna's card game. *

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...

' song, "

Walk Like an Egyptian "Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song recorded by the American band the Bangles. It was released in 1986 as the third single from the album ''Different Light''. It was the band's first number one single, being certified gold by the RIAA, and became ...

", is playing in the Ooh-Fa Pizzeria, a regular hangout of Chris, when he sits down with Jackie and Dino. * The music played when Ralph returns home to comfort Rosalie is a

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

cover of a

Carmen Lombardo Carmen Lombardo (July 16, 1903 – April 17, 1971) was lead saxophonist and featured vocalist for his brother Guy Lombardo's orchestra. He was also a successful composer. In 1927, Carmen Lombardo was the vocalist of the hit record Charmaine, perf ...

and Danny Di Minno song, "

Return To Me ''Return to Me'' is a 2000 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Bonnie Hunt and starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It was filmed in Chicago and was released on April 7, 2000 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was Carroll O'Connor's fi ...

", previously released as a single by Dean Martin. It was recorded for this episode at Dylan's request, as he is an admitted fan of the series avid Chase mentions this in the DVD/Blu-ray audio commentary for this episode * While Tony Soprano is with Gloria, she turns on the song "Affection" by Little Steven and the Lost Boys. The same song is played over the end credits. Lead singer

Steve Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...

plays Silvio Dante on the show.

Awards

won his second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode.

Annabella Sciorra Annabella Gloria Philomena Sciorra ( , ; born March 29, 1960) is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in '' True Love'' (1989), earning an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Female Lead. Subsequent projects include ...

was nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a gues ...

for her performance.

References

External links

"Amour Fou"
at HBO * {{DEFAULTSORT:Amour Fou The Sopranos (season 3) episodes 2001 American television episodes Television episodes written by David Chase Television episodes directed by Tim Van Patten