"Remember When" is the 80th episode of the HBOtelevision seriesThe Sopranos, the third episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, and the 15th episode of the season overall. Written by Terence Winter and directed by Phil Abraham, it originally aired on April 22, 2007, and was watched by 6.85 million viewers on its premiere.[1]
The FBI recovers the body of bookieWillie Overall—Tony's first murder—based on information from Soprano familycapoLarry Boy Barese. Tony and Paulie drive to Miami to lie low until the heat is off. On the way down, Tony asks Paulie how Johnny heard about Ralphie's joke about his wife—the incident which nearly led to hostilities between New Jersey and New York—but Paulie says he does not know. While Paulie was Tony's role model growing up, Tony now doubts his loyalty and usefulness. In Miami, the two men meet Beansie's Cuban contacts and agree to trade in stolen goods. Tony also arranges a bridge loan of $200,000 from Hesh to cover a string of losing sports bets.
Larry tells the FBI that the late Jackie Aprile, Sr. killed Overall. Upon receiving this news, Tony rents a sport fishing boat to celebrate with Paulie. However, Paulie is uneasy as he remembers the killing of Big Pussy on a boat. On the open sea, Tony questions Paulie again about the joke leak; Paulie again denies involvement. Tony glances at a hatchet and some fishing knives, but the tension passes. That night, Paulie has a dream in which he sees Pussy and, in a panic, asks him how he would handle his own death. Back in New Jersey, Paulie sends Tony and Carmela a $2,000 espresso machine; Tony tells her that they owe their lifestyle to people like Paulie.
Junior is visited at his mental care center by his former soldiersPat Blundetto and Beppy Scerbo. Junior begs them to aid his escape but soon loses his resolve. He returns to his old mob habits, bribing an orderly and organizing an illicit poker game for other patients. Professor Lynch, a patient Junior teases, informs on him and the game is ended. Junior finds an admiring follower in a young patient named Carter Chong, who has been institutionalized for his anger issues.
Junior assaults Professor Lynch and is given a new regimen of sedatives. Carter devises a plan to distract the orderlies handing the pills to Junior so that he can covertly throw them away. Some of the drugs were meant to combat Junior's incontinence, and he soon humiliatingly wets himself. The orderly is fired for taking bribes and Junior is threatened with a transfer to a less pleasant, state-run facility if he does not take his medications. He complies with the treatment, much to Carter's disillusionment. Junior tries to make up with him, but calls him "Anthony." At a piano recital, Carter starts throwing paper balls at the pianist; when Junior shows disapproval, Carter becomes enraged and ferociously attacks him.
Junior is next seen with the other patients (though not Carter) receiving animal-assisted therapy in the garden. He is in a wheelchair, with one arm in a cast, apart from the others.
Deceased
Willie Overall: A bookie shot dead by Tony Soprano with a revolver on orders from "Johnny Boy" Soprano. It was Tony's first murder at the age of 22 (shown in a flashback to Labor Day, 1982) in West Orange, New Jersey.
Faustino "Doc" Santoro: Gunned down after leaving a massage parlor in New York City by a trio of gunmen on orders from Phil Leotardo to take over his Lupertazzi crime family boss's title and as a revenge for the Gerry Torciano murder.
Doc Santoro's bodyguard: Gunned down alongside Doc Santoro.
Title reference
During dinner with Paulie and Beansie, Tony says "'Remember when' is the lowest form of conversation", being irritated by Paulie's constant digging up of the past.
Production
"Remember When" was the career directorial debut of Phil Abraham, a longtime Sopranos cinematographer ever since the first season of the show. Abraham initially started only as a camera operator for the TV series.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer and future star of Hamilton and In the Heights, makes a brief appearance in this episode as the bellman with whom Tony and Paulie briefly converse from the car. It was Miranda's first television acting role: he later noted the scene demonstrates his overall lack of experience, as he is visibly looking for his mark as he enters the scene.[2]
This episode marked the last appearance of actor Vincent Pastore in his role of Salvatore Bonpensiero.
Connections to prior episodes
Paulie remembers the time Ralphie was obsessed with Gladiator and hit Georgie with a chain, which happened in the Season 3 episode "University".
Tony repeatedly asks Paulie if he told Johnny Sack about the off-color joke that Ralph told about a mole on Ginny "Sack"'s posterior (in the episode "No Show"). Paulie denies this (Paulie actually did tell it to Johnny Sack, in the episode "Christopher").
Tony checks into a hotel in Miami using the fake surname "Spears". This is the same name Tony uses when consulting a new psychiatrist in "Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office...".
Tony recalls finding a painting of himself as a general at Paulie's house, which occurred in the Season 5 finale "All Due Respect".
When Paulie boards a boat with Tony, this episode uses flashback scenes from the murder of Big Pussy on a boat, taken from the Season 2 finale "Funhouse".
Tony is gambling heavily, just as he did in the previous episode "Stage 5."
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