Long Term Parking

Infobox Television episode | Title = Long Term Parking
Series = The Sopranos
Season = 5
Episode = 64
Writer = Terence Winter
Director = Tim Van Patten
Guests= "see below"
Production = 512
Airdate= May 23, 2004
Episode list = Episode chronology


Prev = The Test Dream
Next = All Due Respect"Long Term Parking" is the sixty-fourth episode of the HBO original series "The Sopranos" and the twelfth of the show's fifth season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by Tim Van Patten and originally aired on May 23 2004.

Guest starring roles

* Ray Abruzzo as Little Carmine
* Leslie Bega as Valentina La Paz
* Chris Caldovino as Billy Leotardo
* Homie Doroodian as Kamal
* Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore
* Patty McCormack as Liz La Cerva
* Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
* Frank Pellegrino as Bureau Chief Frank Cubitoso
* Matt Servitto as Agent Harris
* Nick Tarabay as Matush
* Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo
* Frankie Valli as Rusty Millio
* Vinny Vella as Jimmy Petrille
* Karen Young as Agent Sanseverino

Episode recap

Following the murder of Billy Leotardo by Tony Blundetto, the Soprano family is forced to have a sitdown with Johnny Sack and the Lupertazzi family. Tony claims not to know the whereabouts of his cousin, but the New York contingent is not satisfied. Johnny Sack suggests another of Tony's cousins could be substituted for Blundetto, a comment obviously directed at Christopher. Before the meeting ends, Sack warns Tony to either deliver Blundetto or prepare for war. During their surveillance of Adriana's nightclub, the FBI notice that she is behaving oddly. They observe her carrying a garbage bag out of her club, which she throws into a dumpster only to retrieve it and place it in her car trunk a few moments later. Through further investigation, they learn that a homicide took place in the club that night and Adriana had helped to hide the evidence.

Tony approaches Carmela with the intention of moving back in. He promises to be faithful but Carmela seems reluctant and hesitant, and asks for more. She wants Tony to front her money to begin building a [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Transwiki:Spec_house spec house] on a piece of real estate which she believes is a good investment. Tony agrees and plans to return home. He then visits his girlfriend Valentina and breaks up with her. Still in the hospital from the burn injuries she sustained making Egg Beaters for Tony, she reacts negatively to the news that Tony is going back with his wife.

Tony receives a phone call from Tony B. and learns of where his cousin is located via a tracer placed on his phone. His cousin called him from a business near their Uncle Pat's farm in upstate New York. Tony agrees to look after Blundetto's two sons and admits to him the truth about the night Blundetto got arrested all those years ago (Tony S had previously claimed to have been mugged by a couple of Unidentified Black Males, but he had really passed out after an argument with his mother). The FBI confronts Adriana and threatens her with twenty-five years in prison for obstructing an investigation. Adriana convinces them to let her talk to Christopher to try to convince him to cooperate with her and let the FBI help them move away. Christopher reacts violently to finding out that she has been an FBI informant, and almost strangles her to death. After he calms down, they talk and he seems to agree with her suggestions to move away. He tells her he loves her and is leaving to get some cigarettes; however, while at a gas station he sees a disheveled man and his family get into an old, beat-up car and drive away. Perhaps fearing an unhappy life after entering Witness Protection, he ultimately decides to remain loyal to Tony, though a conversation between the two is never seen. Adriana later gets a call from Tony who says Christopher tried to commit suicide and that Silvio is on his way over to pick her up and take her to the hospital. While in Silvio's car, Adriana keeps looking at the passing forest and begins to cry because of all that's happened. It then becomes apparent that the story about Christopher trying to commit suicide was a lie, as Silvio drives deep into the woods. She tries to struggle and escape as the car is pulled over to an isolated area, but Silvio is close behind. As Adriana struggles desperately to crawl away on the forest floor, Silvio pulls out a pistol and fires two shots.

After word gets to New Jersey that Johnny Sack has become the unquestioned successor to Carmine Lupertazzi, Tony meets the new Boss at their usual place by the Hudson River. Tony asks that he be given the chance to kill his cousin Tony B. so that he does not suffer, but Sack does not accept his offer. He tells Tony that Phil Leotardo is going to do it "his way". Upon hearing this, Tony withdraws his offer by cursing at Sack, stating that nothing will happen to his cousin, and leaves.

Tony later meets with Christopher at the Bada Bing to see how he's doing. Christopher admits he has snorted some heroin because he cannot take the pain, telling Tony he loved Adriana. Tony loses his composure and gives Christopher a beating.

Carmela and Tony check out the land on which Carmela plans to build her spec house. As Carmela discusses her plans, Tony silently expresses a feeling of sadness.

Deceased

* Adriana La Cerva: Shot by Silvio Dante for being an FBI informant
* Gilbert Nieves: stabbed in the abdomen by Matush

Title reference

* Christopher parks Adriana's car in the "Long Term Parking" section at the airport, part of his attempt to establish a plausible explanation for her disappearance.

Awards

* Terence Winter won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his work on this episode.
* Drea de Matteo and Michael Imperioli both won the Emmy for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" and "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for their performances in this episode.
* The episode was nominated for an ASC award for cinematography. [ [http://www.theasc.com/awards/history/2004.htm ASC awards] ]
*Empire Magazine named it the best Sopranos episode of all time. [http://www.empireonline.com/50greatesttv/default.asp?tv=3]

Production

* Christopher's line "The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive" is from Bruce Springsteen's song "Born to Run", a pop culture reference made more apropos by the presence of Steven Van Zandt, longtime member of Springsteen's E Street Band.
* Many fans speculated that Adriana had survived because her death was not shown on-screen. However, Drea de Matteo confirmed in her 2005 DVD commentary that Adriana was indeed killed. De Matteo quotes Steven Van Zandt as saying, "Do [the fans] think I was shooting squirrels?" Later in the DVD commentary, de Matteo talks about the strong fan reaction to Adriana's death.
* Steven Van Zandt and Drea De Matteo asked David Chase to cut out the scene where Christopher tells Tony about Adriana in order to keep her death at the hands of Silvio a surprise. The scene was later aired in the sixth season episode "The Ride", as a flashback.

Bloopers

* In a scene where Adriana daydreams of running away (southbound, shown by the sign for Baltimore and Washington, the opposite direction from Ramapo) before reverting to reality (where she is in the car with Silvio), when she was "driving" her Ford Thunderbird, the car's transmission is in 'Park'.

References to other media

*In the scene where Tony beats up Christopher after the latter confessed of snorting heroin, the television was showing the film "¡Three Amigos!".

*The moment when Adrianna confesses to Christopher that she has been an FBI mole is somewhat similar to the scene in The Godfather, Part 2 when Kay admits to Michael Corleone that she had an abortion. Both Chrissie and Michael reacted to this betrayal with the same unearthly rage and anger, with their faces and bodies actually trembling, then exploding in violence.

Music

* The song playing in Silvio's car when he parks in the woods is Barracuda by Heart.
* The song played over the end credits is "Wrapped in My Memory" off "Shield of Thorns" by Shawn Smith. Another song off the same album, "Leaving California" is also featured in this episode.
* The song playing when Tony enters his Bada Bing office near the end of the episode is Super Bon Bon by Soul Coughing.

References