Boca (The Sopranos episode)

Infobox Television episode | Title = Boca| Series = The Sopranos
Season = 1
Episode = 9
Guests= "see below"
Airdate = March 7, 1999
Production = 109
Writer = Jason Cahill, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
Director = Andy Wolk
Episode list = Episode chronology


Prev = The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti
Next = A Hit Is a Hit"Boca" is the ninth episode of the HBO original series "The Sopranos". It was written by Jason Cahill, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, directed by Andy Wolk and originally aired on Sunday March 7 1999.

Guest starring roles

* Candace Bailey as Deena Hauser
* Joe Badalucco, Jr. as Jimmy Altieri
* Tony Darrow as Larry Boy Barese
* Michelle DeCesare as Hunter Scangarelo
* John Heard as Detective Vin Makazian
* Cara Jedell as Ally Vandermeed
* Kevin O'Rourke as Coach Don Hauser
* Robyn Peterson as Roberta "Bobbi" Sanfillipo
* Richard Portnow as Attorney Harold Melvoin
* Al Sapienza as Mikey Palmice
* Jackie Tohn as Heather Dante

Episode recap

Meadow's soccer coach, Don Hauser, has become well-liked by the fathers of the girls on his team including Tony Soprano, Artie Bucco and Silvio Dante, because of the success he produces on the playing field. The three fathers invite Hauser to the Bada Bing for drinks after a win. Soon, however, "The Star-Ledger" reports that Hauser is leaving for a college coaching job and the mob fathers begin trying to intimidate him into staying. Paulie Gualtieri delivers a 50-inch television to the coach's house and insists he take it. Christopher Moltisanti returns the coach's "missing dog" after apparently stealing it himself.

There is also unrest amongst the girls on the team. It's revealed that the coach has an ongoing sexual relationship with one of his players, Ally Vandermeed, who is a close friend of Meadow's. After Ally hears that the coach is moving on, Ally tries to kill herself while her teammates are drinking in a park. When Tony and Carmela learn of the suicide attempt, Meadow informs them about the inappropriate relationship between coach and player.

Meanwhile, Junior Soprano visits Boca Raton for a weekend with Bobbi, his girlfriend of 16 years. We learn that Bobbi values Junior's skill at performing cunnilingus, but that Junior does not like her to discuss this as he feels it would damage his masculine reputation in the DiMeo crime family. He asks that she not speak about this part of their relationship with anyone. Bobbi has made the mistake of discussing her sex life at a hair and nail parlor, but then tells her hairdresser that they should be quiet on the topic from now on. Her friend, however, has already gossiped about Junior's particular talent to others. These remarks are heard by a contact of Carmela Soprano and the story gets back to Tony. When Junior pokes fun at Tony during a golf game, Tony retaliates with veiled jokes about cunnilingus, aimed at Junior. For his part, Junior responds with a reference to Tony's therapy. Later, an angry Junior storms into Bobbi's office. He is so furious that Bobbi pleads with him not to hit her. Instead, he mushes a lemon meringue pie in her face and then walks out, informing a tearful Bobbi that their relationship is over.

After Tony learns of the soccer coach's affair with his student, he contemplates murdering him in retaliation. After a visit with Dr. Melfi, who asks him why he would assume the burden of righting wrongs in society, and after hearing Artie's plea for legal justice, Tony calls off the hit and the coach is arrested by the police. After this, Tony arrives home after a night of drinking on Xanax and brags to Carmela (as well as to an eavesdropping Meadow) that " [he] didn't hurt nobody."

Title reference

* Boca Raton, Florida is the holiday destination of choice for Junior Soprano and he visits it during the episode.
* "Bocca" is the Italian word for mouth; gossip and secrets are a major theme in the episode, as well as Junior's talent for cunnilingus. "Mouth" in Spanish is the similar word "boca".

Production

* This episode wrongly reports the location of the University of Rhode Island, claiming that it is in Providence when, in fact, it is in Kingston on the other side of the state.
* Actor Steven Van Zandt wore his own golfing hat for a scene in which Silvio plays a round of golf.
* The Roxbury High School Girls's Soccer team (Succasunna, NJ) played the extras for both the opposing team and members of Meadow's team. The team used this opportunity as a fundraiser.

References to future episodes

* Junior reportedly hides out in Boca in a flashback sequence in the season three episode "...To Save Us All From Satan's Power".

Music

* In an early scene, Meadow and her friend are watching the Morphine video for "Buena" and the song is played at the end of the episode and into the closing credits.