Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request...

"Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request..."
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 70
Directed by	Steve Buscemi
Written by	Terence Winter
Production code	605
Original air date	April 9, 2006 (HBO)
Guest stars
see below
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh" Next → "Live Free or Die"
Episode chronology

"Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request..." is the seventieth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the fifth of the show's sixth season. It was written by Terence Winter, directed by Steve Buscemi and originally aired on April 9, 2006.

Guest starring

• Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
• Denise Borino as Ginny Sacrimoni
• Elizabeth Bracco as Marie Spatafore
• Carl Capotorto as Little Paulie Germani
• Max Casella as Benny Fazio
• Will Janowitz as Finn De Trolio
• Frankie Valli as Rusty Millio
• Maureen Van Zandt as Gabriella Dante
• Anthony Stropoli as Rick
• Jimmy Smagula as Sal Iacuzzo
• Louis Gross as Perry Annunziata

Episode recap

John Sacrimoni is granted a six-hour supervised release from prison in order to attend his daughter Allegra's wedding. His release comes with several conditions, including heavy security paid for exclusively by Johnny. Even from prison, Johnny lords over the planning of the event and tries to keep his family focused on the big day. He later mentions the price tag for the wedding is $425,000.

Although still recovering from his gunshot wound, Tony is ready to go back to work. He has a new bodyguard and driver, Perry Annunziata, a former bodybuilder whom Tony calls "Muscles Marinara". Tony notices Perry's large arms on their first trip together and tries to impress him with tales of his previous athletic prowess. The bodyguard nearly accosts two truck drivers who cut him off and swear at him, but Tony calms down the young man without incident.

Tony's first day back at work mostly involves playing cards and being waited on by his crew. Vito is seen winning a hand suggesting that only he is playing for real. Phil Leotardo arrives and seeks a private talk with Tony. Phil informs Tony that Johnny wants him to take care of killing Rusty Millio, fearing that with him in prison, Rusty may find himself another "puppet" to control and wage another power struggle, much like he did with Little Carmine; Tony refuses the request. Before Tony arrives home, Carmela walks down the driveway to fetch the Star-Ledger newspaper (as Tony has done in previous episodes). When Carmela sees the headline in the New Jersey section touting Junior Soprano's "cushy psych lockup", she throws that particular section in the trash before Tony can see it.

After hours at the Bing, Ahmed and Mohammed pay Christopher for credit card numbers and security codes. The pair ask him about getting some semi-automatic weapons. Christopher has to take a phone call before he can respond.

As Allegra's wedding approaches, Tony pressures Meadow about when she's getting married and giving him grandchildren. Tony tells her the shooting has changed the way he looks at things. At the wedding, when asked by U.S. Marshals to remove his shoes at a security check point (after he sets off the metal detectors), Tony collapses. During the wedding reception party to follow, Tony is able to talk to Johnny Sack for the first time since Johnny was arrested. As a personal favor, Johnny asks Tony to perform the hit on Rusty. Surrounded by U.S. Marshals, Tony and Johnny join Johnny's father and elderly relatives at a large table and discuss the situation in code, to the bewilderment of Johnny's folks. Reluctantly Tony agrees to the hit. Later, when Tony talks to Christopher about farming out the job to associates in Italy, Chris disagrees, saying they should keep the job in-house. Christopher also mentions that Johnny asking this favor is just like "the movie" (The Godfather I) and Tony can not refuse since it is Johnny's daughter's wedding day. Tony corrects Christopher, explaining that in the movie the situation is reversed. People ask the father of the bride for a favor. Chris suggested Tony should ask John to NOT have him make the hit.

As the bride and groom leave for their honeymoon, their departure is interrupted by U.S. Marshals pulling up to return Johnny to prison. An emotional Johnny tears up and cries openly in front of all in attendance as Marshals haul him away. Attendees are angered by the treatment of Johnny, and Johnny's wife Ginny faints. After Sack is gone, members of Tony's crew discuss the scene with Phil and members of the New York family. Phil suggests that Johnny is weak and questions whether he can be made to talk by the government. Christopher sides with Phil, again disagreeing with Tony, who defends Johnny's display of emotion.

Returned to prison, Johnny is back in his orange prison jumpsuit. Meanwhile, Junior Soprano checks into a psychiatric facility. Junior tells his attorney that he is innocent: "He's my nephew goddammit! Why would I shoot him? Why?" he asks. When pressed, he says it was a "gun malfunction" and woefully begs to go home.

After an early departure from the wedding reception and once home, Vito informs his wife he's heading out to make collections, but instead goes to a gay club. Sporting leather fetish motorcycle garb, Vito dances with a bare chested man in nipple rings, and offers to buy him a drink, but on the way to the bar counter he runs into two New York associates who are there making collections. Although Vito tries to play it off as a joke, they call him a "fag" and leave. Vito returns home, gets a gun from his bedroom, a few thousand dollars hidden in a paint can, and checks into a motel. He makes a 3 AM call to a sleeping Silvio Dante to ask if everything is okay. Vito makes no further contact with anyone and does not return subsequent calls from Tony.

Possibly due to the way Johnny Sack's "crying episode" was perceived by his peers at the wedding, Tony talks to Dr. Melfi about his crew and their perception of him. "People misinterpret, they think you're weak, they see an opportunity", Tony complains. Melfi suggests he act as if he is fine, and do something to let the guys know he remains a decisive leader. Tony arrives at the pork store and sees the crew sunning themselves and playing basketball. Inside, Tony tries to bait Perry into a confrontation but he does not respond. With his crew looking on, Tony sucker punches his bodyguard, starting a one-sided fight that ends with Perry bleeding on the floor and Tony defiantly walking away, seemingly unscathed.

After the altercation, Tony retreats to the bathroom and vomits blood, as his body probably was not ready for such physical exertion. Leaning on the bathroom sink and looking at himself in the mirror, Tony gives himself a twisted, satisfied smile. The moment is short-lived, however, as Tony violently vomits again in the toilet.

Title reference

• The title refers to the first words on the wedding invitation for John and Ginny's daughter, Allegra. It is also possibly a reference to John's request that Tony's family kill Lupertazzi capo, Rusty Millio.

Production

• The location of the reception scene is at "Leonard's of Great Neck" on Northern Boulevard in Long Island, New York.
• Despite sharing the same last name, Caitlin Van Zandt, who plays Johnny Sack's daughter Allegra, is not related to Steven Van Zandt, who plays Silvio Dante.

References to other media

• The song played at the New York gay bar, where Vito is outed, is "Flashing For Money" by Deep Dish.
• The movie Marie Spatafore is watching, when Vito leaves for the leather bar, is Imitation of Life.
• As Vito checks into the motel, "The Three Bells" by The Browns is played. The song is also used in the previous episode, "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh".
• At Allegra's reception party, the hired singer sings "Ain't That a Kick in the Head? by Dean Martin.
• The song played over the end credits is "Every Day of the Week" by The Students.