Episode 10: A Hit Is A Hit
Paulie, Sal, and Christopher are posing as kitchen appliance movers, sticking up a hispanic man in a suit as he gets out of the elevator. Paulie makes him open a nearby apartment door. Once inside Paulie sits him down to send a message. "This is all a message to your friends. Stay away from Port Newark. Don't even drive out to Jersey, not even on Sundays. They been told. Twice. Now I'll tell them." Paulie says. He shoots the man through the head with the pistol that has a silencer attached not making a noise. Sal and Christopher tell Paulie to come in the next room, there's plenty of cash to take. Tony at home with Dr. Cusamano is giving him some cigars for the referral of Dr. Melfi. Dr. Cusamano says "I bet these motherfuckers were hard to come by, huh Ton?" Tony says "Yeah they fell off a truck." He jokes. The phone rings, Tony picks up, Paulie lets him know it's done and it's a big fucking score, also that the hit was carried out. Bruce Cusamano says "You know Ton, I been meaning to say, I've been watching you out back with your putter. You ever play at the club? You ought to come to the club and play sometime. It's a wicked back nine, plus some of the members, I think you'd like them very much Ton'." Tony tells him he'll think about it. In a hotel suite, Tony, Paulie, and Christopher are celebrating the cash haul. Tony mentions to Christopher that it's a once in a lifetime score and that he's gotta make this money work for them IPO, stocks, make it legitimate. Christopher mentions he's going to go home to Adriana and celebrate. Christopher takes Adriana to a burger place after a broadway show, Rent, and dinner at Le Cirque, a well known french restaurant in Manhattan. Christopher is tired of waiting in line, behind a lot of black people. "Hey who's fucking welfare check do you have to cash to get a burger around here?" He gets a lot of looks from others waiting in line. They spot a well dressed black man that Adriana thinks she recognizes. "Hair net central, what am I back here, Mark Fuhrman? What? It's fucking discrimination already." Christopher is called up to the front of the line by the manager. The well dressed gentleman comes over to talk to Christopher "Bold men, make bold statements." Christopher says "Why'd they send you over? I'm looking for a burger, not converted rice." The man says "Your woman looks embarrassed." Christopher orders two burger baskets. A black cop waiting in the place mentions Christopher is hooked up with the Tony Soprano crew. They find out outside that the well dressed gentleman is Massive a major rap star. Christopher and Adriana are invited over for a party at his house. They head upstairs. Massive has a room full of gold records, and a cabinet full of flashy firearms. Christopher asks "So what kind of business do you want to discuss?" walking outside to the terrace Massive says "Mr. Herman Rabkin." Christopher says "Hesh." Massive says "I don't know him personally but I know his history. In the last 50's and 60's he owned F Note records." Chris says "I don't know what it was fucking called but yeah, Hesh was in the music business." Massive says "Little situation here. Distant but deceased quasi cousin on my mother's side. Little Jimmy Willis, 50's legend. Two seminal hit records were his legacy. Drug tragedy. Such A Fool. Old Herman he's just another in a long line of white motherfuckers stealing royalties from the black man that made them money in the first place. Jimmy's mother who I'm content to call my aunt is owed that money." Chris says he'll bring it to him but he can't imagine Hesh will go for it.
Chris and Adriana get home, Chris thinks he's a fake gangster, uses it to sell an image. "Junior with his moldy old sweaters, and he's boss!" They put on Bon Jovi. And make out on the bed. Tony is at home. Carmela lets Tony know they've been invited to a BBQ. Carmela discusses how much college education is for a four year degree these days. Carm wants to know what to expect if anything happens. He keeps it to himself about the extra money from the score. Tony says they should go to the BBQ. Chris and Adriana are at the bar waiting for a table at dinner. She brings up Richie Santini, a former childhood friend and wants him to think about backing his new band and getting into the music industry. Chris has setup a sitdown with Hesh for Massive, so he could ask him to take a look at Richie. Adriana is thinking of becoming a music manager as something she could have a career at. Adriana has Chris listen the old "Defiler" band music to give him an idea of what to expect or look forward to. He agrees to take a shot. Paulie shows up to the sitdown between Hesh and Massive. "Gelding his name is Sidney." Herman points out Massive asks Hesh "So how come you never wrote a song about him? When you and Little Jimmy were writing partners on all his hits, did you write the music and him the lyrics, or was it the otherway around." Hesh says "We had our own process. One could write a song about a Horse, but in order for it to be a hit with your target audience he'd have to have a mounted cop on him ripped up the ass with a Mac 10, no?" Massive asks "So you bought horses with your royalties, and Little Jimmies royalties whatever became of those?" Silvio says "He bought horse." Hesh says "Music business back then we were breaking all the rules. Making them, breaking them as we went along. Thing s haven't changed much, huh? Were we hard nosed? Yeah. But we gave a lot of kids their start. A lot of negro youth. Took them out of the ghetto. Kids with talent, put them on stage." Massive says "Herman, ordinarily I'd be more than happy love to stroll down memory lane with you, but it's reparations I seek." Tony says "Why don't we call this what it is, a shakedown." Massive tells Tony that his Father was a silent partner in F Note records, and Tony almost mocking his says "Yeah it bought my house down at the Jersey shore." Chris tells Hesh that he has to do the right thing. Hesh tells him he's way out of line. To pour some cold fizzy water on his fucking head. They retire to the porch for beverages. Hesh says "What's in this for you?" Massive asks for reparations regarding how blacks have been treated in the music industry. Hesh says "You're talking to the wrong white man, my friend. My people were the white man's nigger when yours was still painting their face and chasing Zebras. As far as Louis B Meyer is concerned are you fucking nuts?" Massive says "My lawyers have done a little research, I think the final figure is right around $400,000." He says a check in that amount will set the record straight. Massive and his crew leave.
Melfi is at a dinner party at the Cusamano's house. A couple ask Bruce how his neighbor is, the one with no neck. He mentions the cigars, he let the group know he got them for a great reference to a Doctor, letting her know he means her. The table's men start to talk big about how they don't know what passes for business in the board room could be considered organized crime. "Some of the shit I see in the boardroom I don't know if I'd make a distinction." says one man Bruce pipes up "Bugging, Bribes, I don't know. Sometimes I think all that seperates the American Business and the mob is fuckin' whackin' somebody." Jean Cusamano says "Listen to you, whackin'. You hang around Tony Soprano for 15 minutes and it's fuckin' this and fuckin' that." Jean makes fun of the bar with Murano glass and Melfi mentions she likes it. Chris and Adriana are at a club watching Ritchie and his new band, showing Massive as a favor for getting the sitdown with Hesh. Massive says he likes any kind of music that turns shit green. The band is called visiting day. Richie has had a lot of personal growth. The crowd does not like the emotive rock music. Lots of vocalizing. Chris yells at a man who starts jeering. Then it's a lot more. Massive says he's interested, but looks over at Adriana a moment later almost telling us that's what he really cares about. Jennifer excuses herself from dinner to go to the bathroom, to look out the window at Tony's house. She hears a loud groan, near scream. And ducks down. Then tries looking out again, looking for what is causing the sound. Adriana and Chris get into bed they discuss Richie, how getting electrocuted turned his life around. Chris mentions that music is not something tangible. We can sense he has his doubts. Tony is in therapy trying to decide if he wants to hang out with Dr. Cusamano being a possible new friend. "My wife thinks I need to meet new people." Tony says and Melfi asks "So?" Tony answers "Come on, you're Italian, you understand. Guys like me we're brought up to think Americans are fucking bores. The truth is the average white man is no more boring than than the millionth conversation over who should have won Marciano or Ali." Melfi asks "So am I to understand you don't consider yourself white?" Tony says "I don't mean white like caucasian. I mean a white man like our friend Cusamano. He's an Italian but he's an American. He's what my old man would call a wonder bread wop, he eats his sunday gravy out of a jar." Tony is afraid to branch out might lose some of his identity. Melfi mentions she was in his neighborhood last night. Tony and Carmela are at the neighbors BBQ. Tony and the men are at the grill with the meat. They talk about sausage when Tony asks about a stock called Dexplex. The two stock brokers seem to clam up as if they're not talking to someone on their level. The wives are talking with Carmela about playing the stock market, suggesting they've been very successful.
Hesh is listening to old records while we see the pictures hanging of old acts he produced. In the studio Ritchie is with his band recording. Christopher comes in, Adriana's smoking a cigarette seemingly into the music. The sound recording technician looks warn. He cuts and let's Christopher know it's take 62. He suggests maybe some rest will hopefully produce something worthwhile. Everyone is looking for a break and Christopher stresses it's costing him $300 bucks an hour. He throws a bag of speed at Ritchie. "Dude, I don't do drugs anymore." Ritchie says Christopher insists "Come on, come on, go shoot the crank, let's wrap this up, alright? You heard me. Spike up. Go take the fucking drugs, I'm not fucking around anymore." Ritchie says " The problem, Christopher. Is that the bass and the drum track were miked wrong from the start." The sound recording tech says "Whoa, hey, king of rock you're out of your depth." Ritchie says "Let me tell you something dude, thank you, but I've recorded in Denmark!" This is a hilarious line. "Ok, you want to know what the problem is? Where are the fucking choruses? All your songs, you got no choruses. Your choruses are basically just another verse, what happened to "She loves you" huh. Yeah, the song started with the chorus. There is structure. That's how you build a song." Ritchie says "The Beatles. The Beatles. The Beatles. Look, that's been 40 fucking years now. Makes me fuckin' sick." Ritchie gets on his jacket and Christopher asks him where he's going. "I'm going to AA. You fucking jerkoff." Christopher threatens to and then hits Ritchie with the guitar to prevent him from leaving, destroying the guitar in the process saying "We'll use a ukulele." Carmela is buying stock, "American Biotics." Meadow is listening from the other room. They discuss being interested in stocks, Carmela has to plan for the uncertain future. She asks Meadow if she wants to go to the Spa. They leave. At the golf course Tony is playing with the guys from the BBQ. After a nice drive one of the stock guys asks "Tony, you ever play that place in Orlando?" Tony says "No, I never get down there....Disney World" asking again "You know, Al's place. Mount plymouth? Al Capone built it." Tony says "No shit." The other stock guy mentioning as if remembering "Capone was a golf fanatic, that's right. Tony, let me ask you a question. Now, if I'm stepping on toes, tell me. How real was The Godfather?" I mean, in your opinion." Tony says "I don't know. I mean it was the 50's." The stock broker then asks "I want to know if you really had to cut your finger to take an oath." There is an uncomfortable silence, Bruce looks back and Tony gives him an almost dead eyed stare. The foursome now is waiting for the hole to open up ahead of them, so they start talking again, now about New York. "What's the first thing you think of when you hear mulberry street?" In unison all three of them say "Umberto's!" Tony smiles, but silently judges them. "Hey, did you ever see that picture of Galante dead with the cigar hanging out of his mouth?" Tony says "No." Bruce says "Fucking beautiful hit, huh? Sorry, Tony, you probably knew the guy, huh?" Tony says "How fucking old do you think I am?" joking. One of the stockbrokers asks "You don't have to answer this if you don't want but I gotta know, did you ever meet John Gotti?" Knowing now why he's there, Tony decides to just fuck with these guys. Tony says "Yeah, I knew John." The other stockbroker uncooly shouts "Whoa, fuck!" Bruce asks "What was he really like?" Tony says "Remember Bungalow Bar?" "The Ice Cream Trucks?" one stockbroker asks He proceeds to tell him he was outbid by Gotti buying one of the ice cream trucks. Says he gave him a ride home, and rang the bell all the way home.
Massive is with Chris and Adriana listening to the album from Ritchie and his band. Massive seems to like it. Chris has Hesh listen to it. "So?" Chris asks, Hesh says "Well I think it's uh not good." Chris asks "Do you want to be a little more specific? Hesh says "There's good and there's not good and this is not good." Chris says "Ok, maybe it's not your era, no offense." Hesh says "Music is music, talent is talent, I don't care who you are. And I've seen them all. I saw heavy metal invented by Hendrix at the cafe Wha. Kid just came out of the army. I said to him kid, I don't know what you call it, talent, charisma, magic but you got it. These kids, they don't, sorry." Chris says "You're just pissed that I went against you at the sit down." Hesh says "Come on, get the fuck out of here and stop wasting my time." Chris says "This fucking Vito is a great guitar player, Hesh." Hesh says "He's a great guitar player. However, there's one constant in the music business, a hit is a hit and this my friend is not a hit." Chris asks "Why?" Hesh answering "For reasons we couldn't comprehend or codify, you pathetic schlepper." Chris wants to know what the fuck Massive was talking about if they don't have "it." Tony is in therapy. Talking about Jimmy Smash, a neighborhood kid with a cleft palet. He made a spectacle of himself so you could hang out with Tony and his friends, laughing when he would sing Mack the Knife. He found out that Jimmy went home every night crying himself to sleep. Tony said when he found out he felt bad, but he never understood what he felt. "To be used for someone else's amusement, like a fucking dancing bear. Until I played Golf with those guys. You live, you learn." Melfi asks "Whatever happened to Jimmy?" Tony tells her he's doing 20 for robbery. IT wasn't hard to figure who it was because of his cleft pallet. Herman calls Massive. Massive threatens to sue Hesh over the royalties. Hesh informs Massive that due to a sample used on his last cd, that sample is owned by Hesh's company. He would have to countersue.
Christopher tells Adriana to keep both dresses because he has to tell her he doesn't think Ritchie is any good. Annie Lennox plays in this scene. "I think you should mentally prepare for the fucking possibility that visiting day sucks. I think the only reason you got this far with massive is he wants to be in your pants. I let some experts listen to the demo, they shit all over it. I'm sorry. Silvio he owned rock clubs in Asbury. You heard what squid said he's a professional engineer." Adriana says "What about my opinion. That it's good, that it's special." Christopher says "His eyes are on your ass 98% of the time, you know that Adriana." She takes off the clothes he gave her. Adriana projects her insecurities onto Christopher in this scene thinking he's jealous she's branched out. This isn't the case he's trying to tell her the objective truth of the situation but she can't hear him because she wants to be successful, seeing Christopher as an obstacle. This illuminates the other branching out of the episode with Tony. Why we stick to our own, tribes, our own groups, fear of being hurt, of being vulnerable. What did it get Tony and Christopher? There is ugliness in every day society, with people in respected professions, who treat people in condescending manners. So that very real human fear of seeing the other in society and sticking to our own kind. It's easy to see why there's very little personal growth living a life of organized crime, that this is part of it too. Adriana leaves. Christopher tells her he loves her, she accuses him of lying. Ironically this is probably the most love, consideration, thought, and care he shows Adriana in the series, he really does love her but he wants her to know what she's dealing with. In that way it's pretty heartbreaking. To the point where you think maybe if things were a little different Christopher could have that personal growth that would lead him to happiness, but it isn't and it leads him to be the character he becomes. That's some real, honest, character development and beautifully written out in this episode. Tony and Carmela are at the house. Tony has a package that he tells Carmela he's going to give to Cusamano to fuck with him. It's only sand. He's not going to tell him what's in the box. He goes outside and gives the box to Bruce. He tells him to hang onto it. Maybe a month, maybe more, maybe less. The Cusamano's discuss at their house what's in the box. Chris is at the bing listening Dori Hartley's "Nobody loves me but you." Hesh comes in. "Now, that's a hit." Chris takes a drink of his beer. The episode ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment