Cold Cuts (The Sopranos)

"Cold Cuts"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 62
Directed by	Mike Figgis
Written by	Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess
Cinematography by	Alik Sakharov
Production code	510
Original air date	May 9, 2004
Guest stars
see below
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Cold Cuts" is the sixty-second episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the tenth of the show's fifth season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, directed by Mike Figgis and originally aired on May 9, 2004.

Guest starring roles

• Frank Albanese as Uncle Pat Blundetto
• Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
• Chris Caldovino as Billy Leotardo
• Max Casella as Benny Fazio
• Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore
• Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi
• Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
• Frank Santorelli as Georgie Santorelli
• David Strathairn as Robert Wegler
• Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo
• Chandra Wilson as Evelyn Greenwood

Episode recap

Tony Soprano learns that Johnny Sack has seized an entire load of smuggled Vespas that were supposed to be received by Carlo Gervasi's crew and split between the two families. When he confronts Sack, the Lupertazzi family Boss denies the possession of the Vespas despite evidence against him, and makes a pointed reference to Tony's continued denial that his cousin Tony Blundetto was involved in the murder of Joey Peeps.

Janice Soprano makes the TV news after getting arrested for assaulting a parent at a youth soccer game, prompting an infuriated Tony to again demand that Bobby "take control" of his wife. Bobby gives her an ultimatum to either see an anger management specialist or their marriage will not work.

The "Soprano temper" becomes the focus of Tony's next session with Dr. Melfi. She observes that depression and anger are Soprano family traits, and that depression can be a manifestation of rage turned inward.

Tony sends Christopher Moltisanti and Tony B. to Uncle Pat's farm in upstate New York. The farm is about to come under new ownership, so they must locate and move three bodies that were buried there over the years. Christopher and Tony B. bond while doing the night work, but once Tony joins them, he and Blundetto fall back into their old routine of picking on their younger cousin, Christopher. Christopher takes the insults personally, especially the jabs aimed at his substance abuse recovery.

Once back in New Jersey, Tony visits the Bada Bing and initiates a discussion of the terrorist threat tied to unexamined cargo containers at the ports, especially threats involving smuggled nuclear and biological weapons (about which Tony learned after watching a documentary on the subject). When Georgie Santorelli remarks that "you have to live for today", Tony suddenly explodes and gives him a beating that sends him to the hospital. Afterwards, Tony is remorseful, and gives Paulie a wad of bills and insists that he make sure Georgie receives the best care. Paulie then informs Tony that Georgie does not want to see him again and is quitting his job at the Bada Bing.

Tony joins Janice and Bobby for dinner, but is uncomfortable when he sees Janice deal calmly with a series of minor irritations, having seemingly overcome the "Soprano temper". He tests the newly docile Janice by making sarcastic comments about her estranged son, Harpo. When Tony asks, "What's French-Canadian for 'I grew up without a mother'?" and says: "Sacrebleu! Where is mi mama?" with an imitated French accent, Janice eventually explodes and chases Tony around the room with a fork in her fist. Satisfied, Tony leaves.

First appearances

• Uncle Pat Blundetto: Tony S. and Tony B.'s uncle who was given an early retirement from the DiMeo crime family because of health issues (it is later learned that he was a soldier in Uncle Junior's crew). He settled on a large farm in Kinderhook, New York where he was often visited by his nephews Christopher, Tony S. and Tony B. during their childhoods.

Title reference

• Tony tells Dr. Melfi that "revenge is like serving cold cuts" (inadvertently mangling the adage "Revenge is a dish best served cold"). In the episode Johnny Sack continues to interfere with Soprano business in retribution for the murder of Joey Peeps.
• In a scene at Uncle Pat's farm, Christopher, Pat, and Tony B. eat cold cut sandwiches for lunch.
• The title may also refer to the dead bodies Tony B. and Christopher are looking for in this episode.
• Meat, specifically cold cuts, is a prominent symbol in the series that refers to Tony's past and anger issues.
• The title may also refer to the joking and taunting that Tony and Tony B. unleash on Christopher (who is visibly upset by it)

References to other media

• In the audio commentary, the episode's director, Mike Figgis, points out how the scene where Christopher and Tony Blundetto dig up the skeletal remains of a man Christopher knew (and killed) symbolically referenced the famous Yorick scene in Hamlet.
• Of Johnny Sack's belief that Tony Blundetto killed Joey Peeps, Silvio comments that Sack should be "out looking for the real killers, instead of spending all his time on the golf course." This line is a not-so-subtle jab at O.J. Simpson, who in the years after his acquittal on murder charges claimed to be seeking "the real killers" while he was often criticized for spending all of his free time playing golf.
• Dr. Melfi quotes W.B. Yeats' "The Second Coming" during a session with Tony in this episode. These lines are recalled when Tony brutally beats Georgie with a telephone, permanently damaging Georgie's hearing in one ear and prompting Georgie to ask that Tony not visit him. "The falcon cannot hear the falconer/Things fall apart/the centre cannot hold." This poem will later be used prominently in season six (including an episode titled "The Second Coming"), predominantly in relation to A.J.'s depression.

Music

• The song played over the end credits is a live version of "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" by The Kinks, which is featured on their 1996 album To the Bone.