There was a very telling moment in tonight’s episode, and as is often the case, it came in Dr. Melfi’s office. After attending a screening for “Cleaver,” Chris’ just-wrapped horror flick, Tony breaks down and tells Dr. Melfi that Chris despises him. It was obvious during the screening that the boss in the film, played by Daniel Baldwin (“Fuck Ben Kinglsey. Danny Baldwin took him to fucking acting school!”), was based on Tony – the open white bathrobe in the basement scene was a dead giveaway – but not until Carm confronted Tony about the scene where Baldwin fucks the fiancée of Michael “The Cleaver” did Tony stop to think about what that could mean.
So Tony tells Dr. Melfi about how Chris was more like a son after Chris’ dad died, and it bothered him that Chris now seemed to hate him. In fact, the big fella actually broke down and cried during the session before saying, “He wants to see me dead,” a reasonable conclusion considering Baldwin (I didn’t catch his character’s name in the movie) wound up with a cleaver in his skull. But here’s the thing: Tony didn’t seem too concerned about the possibility of Chris making a move against him; he was broken up by the fact that – by his estimation, anyway – Chris despises him.
By this point I think everyone can agree that, whatever goes down in these final few episodes, Chris is going to be right in the middle of it. What exactly that means, of course, remains to be seen, but after agent Harris told Tony that he had recently talked to Chris before adding, “maybe he never told you about it,” I’m hanging on to my original theory: Chris is going to rat Tony out. Maybe he really does despise Tony after having Adrianna killed, or maybe he’s just trying to save his own ass, but all the signs are there, including the scene tonight where Chris was talking to Shooter McGavin (for all you “Happy Gilmore” fans out there) and an FBI agent showed up to talk to him.
Of course, the possibility exists that David Chase is leading me around by my nose and he wants everyone, including Tony, to think that Chris has flipped. That could very well be the case, but at the very least it’s clear that Chris, like little Carmine, has started to distance himself from the family, intentionally or not. He’s clean (allegedly), he’s got a wife and a baby now, and his movie is about to hit theaters. Chris seems to be following Carmine’s lead and trying to find happiness in his life.
Not much happiness in the New York family these days, though. Stage 4 lung cancer took Johnny Sack out at the end of the episode while everyone – even people on the freaking news – speculated about who would be his replacement. Phil apparently doesn’t want the gig after his heart condition last season, and the apparent favorite, Jerry Torciano, was whacked while having dinner with Sil and some lovely ladies in the coolest scene of the episode. Meanwhile, Tony wants Carmine to take over but, as he told Tony over lunch, he’s not interested, and his reasoning certainly seemed to strike a chord with Tony. Is it time for Tony to find happiness in his life? Is that even possible at this point?
I’ve heard and read complaints by people who say not enough happens on “The Sopranos” anymore, but I don’t think those people are appreciating the story that Chase is creating. This is a mob show, sure, but it doesn’t need to be all guns and blood and “fuggedaboutits”. Chase is building toward something, with the trouble brewing between Tony and Chris, last week’s brawl between Tony and Bobby, the drama in New York and the potential problem Phil poses, and Carm’s refusal to leave the Adrianna situation alone. And beneath it all runs Tony’s mounting questions about the choices he’s made and the state of his life, capped off by the fact that the guy he loves like a son seemingly hates him. Changes are coming, big things will happen. Maybe they’re not happening fast enough for some fans, or maybe there just aren’t enough corpses along the way. But as long as Chase gives us the payoff he seems to be moving toward, I’m going to enjoy the ride.
