Eloise (The Sopranos)


"Eloise" is the 51st episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the 12th of the show's fourth season. Written by Terence Winter and directed by James Hayman, it originally aired on December 1, 2002.

Starring

* = credit only

Guest starring

Synopsis

At Junior's trial, Bobby carefully chooses a juror who wears a wedding ring. Eugene and Dogsy intimidate him with carefully chosen words.
Little Carmine returns to New Jersey to talk to Carmine and Johnny about reducing their claim on Tony for a share of the HUD scam. Carmine will not bend. Johnny later meets Tony and Silvio and offers a minor compromise; Tony rejects it and orders Little Paulie, who takes two others with him, to vandalize Carmine's new restaurant. Carmine uses his union influence to shut down work at the warehouse project. Tony decides to wait the dispute out, expecting the financial losses on both sides will quickly force Carmine into a compromise. Johnny and Tony meet in secret; Johnny says Carmine's decisions lighten his pockets and, to Tony's astonishment, obliquely suggests that they collaborate to kill him.
Paulie has an angry confrontation with Silvio, who tells him his earnings are low and Tony is beginning to doubt his loyalty. He runs into Carmine and greets him effusively; he is shocked as he realizes that Carmine has no idea who he is. He learns that his mother's friend Minn keeps all her savings under her mattress. He breaks into her house thinking she is out, but she stumbles upon him in her bedroom and he is forced to suffocate her with a pillow. He goes to Tony, greets him effusively, and gives him a large envelope of cash. They smile at each other, on good terms again.
Carmela visits Furio's house, alone, to discuss decorating; it seems they are going to kiss, but they are interrupted by one of her father's contractors. They make a "date" to choose the tiles of the house together. With Tony and other members of the crew, Furio visits an Indian casino in Connecticut. While most of the others carouse, he stands aloof. Later, as the drunken crew prepare to board the casino's helicopter for the flight home, Furio grabs Tony and appears barely able to restrain himself from shoving him into the spinning tail rotor. He tells the baffled Tony he was standing too close to the blades. The next morning, he does not appear to collect Tony, who cannot clearly remember what happened the previous evening.
Furio has abruptly returned to Italy. Tony complains that he has lost one of his key men. Carmela becomes unhappy and bad-tempered. A family dinner to meet Meadow's new boyfriend, Finn DeTrolio, dispirits her. She is shocked by the notion that there are homosexual themes in Billy Budd, the book A.J. is studying, and argues about it with Meadow and her roommates. The antagonism spills over into their next meeting, a mother-daughter birthday meal. A.J. tells Meadow about their mother's visits to Furio; he does not understand what they imply, but she does. Tony asks her to treat her mother more gently.
When Tony asks Carmela if seeing Meadow turning into a "smart, beautiful, independent woman" is not all she ever wanted, she stares into a wall and answers in an emotionless tone of voice, "Yes."

First appearance

During filming for this episode lead actor James Gandolfini absconded from the production for four days, causing the shooting of Furio's final appearance at Westchester County Airport to be rescheduled.

Music