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"Mergers and Acquisitions"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 47
Written by	Lawrence Konner
Directed by	Dan Attias
Production no.	408
Original airdate	November 3, 2002
Guest stars
	see below
Episode chronology
"Watching Too Much Television"	"Whoever Did This"
	Episode chronology

"Mergers and Acquisitions" is the forty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the eighth of the show's fourth season. Its teleplay was written by Lawrence Konner from a story by Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess and Terence Winter. It was directed by Dan Attias and originally aired on Sunday November 3, 2002.

[edit] Guest starring roles

Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
Fran Anthony as Minn Martone
Leslie Bega as Valentina La Paz
Anna Berger as Cookie Cirillo
Carl Capotorto as Little Paulie Germani
Max Casella as Benny Fazio
Charlotte Colavin as Lorraine Cirillo

Matthew Del Negro as Brian Cammarata
Heidi Dippold as Janelle Cammarata
Frances Ensemplare as Marianucci "Nucci" Gualtieri
Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi
Anthony Patellis as Chuckie Cirillo
Paul Schulze as Father Phil Intintola

[edit] Episode recap

Paulie Walnuts is concerned about his mother's welfare when she finally makes the move to Green Grove Retirement Home. Quickly, Nucci is excited to reunite with old friends Cookie Cirillo and Minn Martone, who warmly welcome her. While Nucci is in the restroom (which she called the "W.C."-the "Water Closet"), the ladies politely inform Paulie that Nucci will not be allowed to play cards with them or eat lunch together since they are a set group. Paulie insists that the girls make room and be respectful to his mother. On casino night, Nucci is ostracized by Cookie after she ruins a game of blackjack. Nucci then confines herself to her room, which begins to worry Paulie, who pays a visit to Cookie's son, Chuckie, a high school principal. Paulie discusses the relationship of Nucci and Cookie and would like them to get along, since Minn Martone is an instigator and a "malignant cunt" according to Paulie. Chuckie tries to convince Paulie that he cannot intervene in his mother's social life. The following day, Chuckie is chased through a High School hallway by members of Paulie's crew and is badly injured. When Chuckie's wife threatens to take Cookie out of the nursing home, she reluctantly agrees to make peace with Nucci.

Meanwhile, at the stables, Tony Soprano meets Ralph Cifaretto's new girlfriend, Valentina La Paz, a Cuban-Italian beauty whom Tony immediately falls for. Valentina then convinces Tony to have a portrait made of him with the horse, Pie-O-My, and soon Tony and Valentina retreat to a hotel room and passionately make love. Valentina fools around with Tony by taking the top off of a salt shaker, and then Tony, jocularly, threatens to throw her meal out of the window. Valentina continues to date Ralph, and Tony buys her an expensive horseshoe pin as a parting gift. Valentina objects (she still wants to see Tony), and complains to him that her sex life with Ralph consists mostly of his masochistic fetishes. Dr. Melfi suggests that Tony is reluctant to "cuckold" Ralph, and in fact Tony continues to push Valentina away until he gets confirmation from Janice - by agreeing to pay her $3,000 for the info - that Ralph really does have unusual sexual tendencies.

Carmela, who is falling for Furio Giunta, feels empathy for him when he leaves for Italy to attend his father's funeral. While in Italy, Furio discusses his attraction to Carmela with his uncle. When Furio tells him that the woman is the boss's wife, he is warned to not pursue the relationship any further since it would be considered an act of treason and disrespect. At home, Carmela discovers a broken false nail in Tony's clothes, infuriating her. She vents her anger by taking a stipend of money from his bird feed (after guessing Tony was hiding it there and stealing the keys to it when he was in the shower) and invests it with several stock brokers at $9,900 segments (in order to avoid the $10,000 mandatory notification of the IRS and generate their suspicion). After recounting the hidden money, Tony discovers that there is some missing. Before having a chance to talk about it with Carmela, he discovers the false nail on his nightstand next to his car keys, probably left there on purpose by Carmela for Tony to find. Tony walks downstairs, where Carmela is reading the paper. He asks for coffee, which she makes, and, noticing his demeanor, asks Tony if he wishes to discuss anything. He says no. A.J. comes downstairs and Tony asks his son if he had been in the backyard (tipping off Carmela that he knows the money is missing). After A.J. denies being in the backyard and leaves, Carmela again asks Tony if he wishes to talk about anything. He declines, and asks Carmela the same —- she responds likewise and "it" is left hanging in the air between them.

[edit] First appearances

Valentina La Paz: An art dealer and Ralph's girlfriend, who quickly falls for Tony.
Minn Martone: Friend of Paulie's mother, Nucci Gualtieri at Green Grove.

[edit] Deceased

Furio's Father: Cancer.

[edit] Title reference

The phrase mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate finance strategy and management dealing with the merging and acquiring of different companies as well as other assets. In the episode it alludes to:

Carmela's acquiring of Tony's cash, putting it into long-term investments (both for revenge and to take control of their finances)
Tony's acquisition of Ralph's horse
Tony's acquisition of Valentina

[edit] References to other media

Janice watches Robot Wars on television.
Tony watches the 1993 film, The Fugitive (which includes cast mate Joe Pantoliano) on his new widescreen television
Tony references the movie Hud, which starred Paul Newman, when Carmela's cousin mistakenly references the HUD scam to Carmela at dinner.

[edit] Music

The song played over the end credits is "When the Battle is Over" by Delaney & Bonnie.
Tony listens to "Bell Bottom Blues " by Derek and the Dominos in his new entertainment center. He comments that "it's like Clapton's sitting right there at your house." (Coincidentally, Derek and the Dominos was comprised mainly of musicians from Delaney & Bonnie's backing band.)
The bagpipe music Tony listens to on the entertainment system is "The Inverness Gathering," performed by the Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band.
Tony falls asleep listening to Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon". The closing track "Eclipse" is heard when he wakes. Later in the episode, when he is under the shower, he can be heard singing fragments from "Another Brick in the Wall" also by Pink Floyd.

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