The Knight in White Satin Armor

Infobox Television episode | Title = The Knight in White Satin Armor
Series = The Sopranos
Season = 2
Episode = 25
Guests= "see below"
Airdate = April 2, 2000
Production = 212
Writer = Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
Director = Allen Coulter
Episode list = Episode chronology


Prev = House Arrest
Next = Funhouse"The Knight in White Satin Armor" is the twenty-fifth episode of the HBO original series "The Sopranos" and the twelfth of the show's second season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, directed by Allen Coulter and originally aired on Sunday, April 2 2000.

The episode was nominated for the 2000 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

Guest starring roles

* Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
* Andy Blankenbuehler as "Little Ricky" Aprile
* Jason Cerbone as Jackie Aprile, Jr.
* Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin
* Joe Lisi as Dick Barone
* Louis Lombardi as Agent Skip Lipari
* Richard Maldone as Albert Barese
* Joe Penny as Victor Musto
* Richard Portnow as Harold Melvoin
* Alla Klikuoa Schaffer as Svetlana Kirenklo
* Steve Schirripa as Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri
* Maureen Van Zandt as Gabriella Dante

Episode recap

After being told by Janice that she knows of his Russian girlfriend on the side, Tony attempts to break it off with Irina Peltsin for reasons of shame and embarrassment, and insists to Irina that she deserves better than being his "comáre". Irina refuses to accept the breakup, saying that she loves Tony and will commit suicide if he leaves her, but he walks out. Tony later receives a call from Irina's cousin, Svetlana Kirilenko, informing him that Irina attempted to kill herself by consuming sleeping pills and vodka. Tony visits her in the hospital and tells her that she needs help. Tony then discusses Irina with Dr. Melfi and asks if she can find her a suitable therapist. Melfi refuses since she does not want to get deeply involved with Tony's other life. Carmela becomes angered when Tony confesses the Irina situation and yells, "You're putting me in a position where I am feeling sorry for a whore who fucks you!" To make amends, Tony sends Silvio Dante to Irina's house to present her with a parting gift of $75,000, and along with Svetlana, he persuades her to move on with her life.

At Richie Aprile and Janice's engagement party, which Tony reluctantly hosts, Richie professes his love for Janice and his gratitude that he is entering a great family. Witnessing the pair's affection and happiness, Carmela escapes to the kitchen where she cries uncontrollably. The following day, Carmela visits Vic Musto at a paint store where she thanks him for not showing up to their intended luncheon since she would have done things that she would have regretted.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero begins to take to his job as an FBI informant seriously, beginning to feel even more resentment towards Tony. First he wears a wire to Richie and Janice's engagement party and then gives up useful information about stolen airline tickets and Tony's business with Dave Scatino. However, Pussy begins to develop an unrealistic image of his new role. When he learns that Christopher Moltisanti is planning a hijacking with another associate, targeting a shipment of Pokémon cards, Pussy attempts to conduct his own surveillance and follow them to the heist, but winds up in a car accident and is wounded. At the hospital, his handler Skip Lipari reminds Pussy that he is not a government employee and that he should focus solely on providing information on Tony.

Richie's contempt for Tony grows when he is again ordered to shut down a sideline distributing cocaine along his garbage routes. Later, Janice informs him that Tony refuses to have his children near him after the situation with Beansie Gaeta, and believes Richie is a bad influence. Furious, Richie can no longer remain loyal to the boss. Richie approaches Junior Soprano and suggests having Tony killed, but Junior is reluctant, being mindful of his own failure to do so last year, and his tentative reconciliation with his nephew since then. When Richie insists that he can muster support from other dissatisfied crews such as the Bareses, Junior finally offers his approval; but once Richie departs, Junior mulls his loyalties once more and decides that having Richie in power would ultimately cause him more trouble, and tips off Tony about Richie's plans to eliminate him. Meanwhile, Richie visits Albert Barese, acting-capo of the Barese crew since his cousin Larry Boy's indictment, to try to win his allegiance, but Albert balks at the idea of a hit on Tony and refuses.

Vexed, Richie returns home to dinner with Janice, and expresses disgust for his son Richie, Jr.'s career path as a ballroom dancer. When Janice takes offense, saying she does not care if "Little Ricky" is considered gay, he silences her with a punch to the mouth. He asks his distraught fiancée, "What, are you going to cry now?". Janice walks out of the room, returns with a gun in her hand and shoots Richie in the chest. Richie clings to life for a brief moment hardly believing what had just happened. Janice shoots him a second time, killing him. Starting to panic, she calls Tony to take care of the body, which he does by enlisting the help of Christopher Moltisanti and Furio Giunta. Tony, tipped off to Richie's plans to hit him earlier by Uncle Junior, was not upset at Janice's fortuitous killing of Richie. Earlier that evening, Tony had actually ordered Silvio to have Aprile killed for insubordination regarding selling drugs on the garbage routes and plotting to kill Tony. The soldiers dispose of Richie's remains at Satriale's where they the dismember the corpse with the meat-cutting equipment. Tony then gives Janice a bus ticket to Seattle and they part company.

Tony and Carmela discuss Richie and Janice's sudden disappearances where he hints that Richie will not be coming back. Understanding his implication, Carmela is shocked, but soon moves the conversation on and informs Tony that she and Rosalie Aprile will be traveling to Rome to see Pope John Paul II. Carmela asks that Tony be a "chauffeur" to A.J. and to find Meadow a suitable tennis camp while she is away, mockingly suggesting that she "just might commit suicide" unless he agrees.

First appearances

* Jackie Aprile, Jr.: Richie's nephew and son of Rosalie Aprile and the late Jackie Aprile, Sr..
* Albert Barese: Acting capo of the Barese crew while his cousin Larry Boy Barese is under indictment.
* Svetlana Kirilenko: The cousin of Tony's girlfriend, Irina.

Deceased

* Richie Aprile: shot by Janice after he punched her in the mouth for defending his son's possible homosexuality.

Title reference

* The episode's title is a quote made by Irina about her cousin Svetlana's fiancé, Bill, who treats her the way a woman should be treated, apparently a confused paraphrasing of the term "knight in shining armor" and the Moody Blues song "Nights in White Satin". Irina first says this in episode five, "College".
* The phrase could also refer to Tony's role as Janice's savior.

Music

* The song played over the end credits and during the episode is "I Saved the World Today" by Eurythmics.
* "The Memory Remains" by Metallica can be heard playing in the background of one scene.

Production

* Due to David Proval's training as an amateur boxer, he had the capacity to judge the distance of his strike; the scene where Richie punches Janice was filmed without stunt doubles.
* Blooper: While Janice is kneeling over Richie's body, he can be seen breathing.
* Blooper: While Richie's leaning back in the chair after being shot the first time, the camera pans down to show the chair tipping. For a second, you can see a production assistant's hand grabbing hold of the legs of the chair to make sure the chair didn't fall over before it was supposed to.
* Blooper: When Christopher and Furio are cutting up Richie Aprile's corpse in Satriale's, the blade of the bandsaw they are using is not moving.

Awards

* This episode was one of two viewer's choice winners on the A&E Network.