For All Debts Public and Private - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

A.J. Soprano has started a new school and Carmela is trying to help him by reading him excerpts from The New York Times, provided by his school for his social studies class, which lay unopened in his room. The scene cuts to Tony collecting the Star-Ledger at the end of his drive, a scene which in different renditions is featured in all of the season premieres. When he returns to the house, Tony asks about A.J.'s grades and clips his ear when A.J. tells him he has "revealed his own ignorance" by asking about grades only a few days into the term.

Carmela's mood visibly brightens when Tony's driver arrives but her smile fades when she sees it is Christopher Moltisanti, rather than Furio Giunta. Christopher is none too pleased to be driving Tony, but claims not to question his decision. While driving, they both check rearview mirrors for car models known to be favored by the FBI.

Tony and Uncle Junior meet in the office of Dr. Douglas Schreck (Junior's physician). Christopher, Bobby Bacala and Murf Lupo remain in the waiting room. Before entering the room, Junior flirts with a nurse by inviting her to Atlantic City, but she declines. The nurse later informs him that she is leaving her work post at the office and getting back into training.

Tony and Junior discuss the latter's need for more money to cover his mounting legal costs, being short on cash ever since his house arrest, and requests changing of their terms. Tony tells him of "a shortage" and angrily refuses to change the percentages. Tony suggests that Junior gets his "shy (illegal money-lending business) running right." Junior later decides to demote a noticeably confused Murf to soldier, and replace him with Bobby Bacala. Tony approves, and proposes they tell Bobby of the news right in the doctors office. Later, at Junior's home, his lawyer phones in, speaks to Murf, and relays information that the FBI apparently has had a mole in Dr. Schreck's office.

Carmela notices widow Angie Bonpensiero handing out free samples at a Pathmark supermarket, but does not approach her. This prompts Carmela to worry about her own financial security, as Tony is careful to always separate her from his professional contacts. When she asks Tony to provide money so she can make an investment, he tells her there is no longer money kept in the house. He then removes cash from under his car seat and takes it into the pool house to store it under a floor tile.

Tony has Chris take him to the Bada Bing where he vents his frustration by beating up hapless barman Georgie for wasting ice. Chris, Silvio and Tony depart the Bing on foot to attend a meeting with the family's capos—Carlo Gervasi, Ally Boy Barese, Ray Curto, and Ralph Cifaretto in a neighboring garage (Ralph is still persona non grata at the Bing). Tony uses the meeting to harangue them about the lack of growth in the family's business as of late, telling them that the family's boss, Junior, desperately needs their support. Christopher is left outside with fellow soldier Vito Spatafore while the senior family members have their discussion.

Chris believes his return to driver status may be punishment for questioning Tony's judgment about the Jackie Aprile, Jr. situation. At home, Adriana has invited Danielle, who unbeknownst to her is an FBI agent Deborah Ciccerone living with her husband, fellow FBI Agent Mike Waldrup, and their infant son. Christopher arrives with loads of quality luggage, which Danielle asks about since "it looks like Gucci" and has transport tags still in place. Christopher is rude to Danielle, who then leaves. He then prepares for a heroin shot-up between toes and offers Adriana to join him, but she declines.

Later, Tony buys bags of duck feed. When he gets the bags home, he uses them to store cash amongst the feed. Carmela notices that it is an odd time to buy duck feed. While out buying the feed, Tony meets with Assemblyman Zellman to discuss the Esplanade project and talk property. Zellman tips him that prices near the new development are likely to see a big jump. Tony recalls that Junior owns a large warehouse on Frelinghuysen Avenue in Newark.

Carmela invites Rosalie Aprile and Ralph Cifaretto over for dinner, despite Tony's instructions not to. Rosalie is withdrawn and quiet over dinner, presumably on mood-altering drugs; in contrast, Ralphie tells stories to A.J. and a friend about a motorcycle he owned in his youth. Hugh and Mary De Angelis also attend. Ralphie excuses himself to use the bathroom and Janice soon follows him, finding him snorting cocaine. She joins him and, after some initial hesitancy on Ralph's part, they have sex in the upstairs bathroom. While they are away, Tony notices their long absence by looking at both their empty chairs and his wristwatch. During the dinner, Adriana -— accompanied by Danielle -— visits to borrow a samovar from Carmela for Adriana's cousin's bridal shower. Tony gets introduced to Danielle, and Rosalie then shows her around the Soprano house. Meadow does not attend the dinner. Since Jackie Jr.'s death, she has not signed up for new classes as her second year at Columbia University approaches.

Tony throws a party in a hotel suite preceded by a quick meeting with New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi. Christopher, Ralph and Silvio also attend. Carmine discusses the success of the Esplanade, asks about Junior and chastises Tony for wearing shorts ("a don doesn't wear shorts") after hearing this from Johnny Sack, also present. Carmine and Johnny Sack leave while Furio Giunta arrives with a bevy of Icelandic Air stewardesses. Chris smokes a heroin-laced joint in the bathroom with one of the girls; Ralph sleeps nude on a couch wearing a stewardesses pillbox hat. Christopher is worried when Tony knocks on the door and has him leave the party. Tony has Chris drive out to a Hooters-style bar and grill where Bobby Bacala pulls up behind them. Tony has been talking about "Dickie" Moltisanti, Chris' late father, all day. At the bar he tells Christopher that he knows who killed his father — Det. Lt. Barry Haydu — and that he is in the restaurant having his retirement party. He tells him that Haydu received the contract to kill his father after Dickie had an argument with and gravely injured Jilly Ruffalo, a man Dickie once served time with. Chris recalls that he had been told it was a police officer that killed his father but he believed that the man was already dead. When asked why this hasn't been dealt with already, Tony answers that "Haydu was useful," but that this ended with his retirement from the force, today. Tony gives Chris the policeman's address ("a house bought with cash") and wishes him luck. Tony gets into Bobby's car, leaving Chris to pursue his new prey in his Range Rover.

Chris reaches Haydu's home before he leaves the party and breaks in. When Haydu arrives home, Chris knocks him unconscious. Chris takes his gun and badge and handcuffs him to the railing of the staircase. When Haydu regains his consciousness, Chris questions him about his involvement with his father's death, but Haydu denies all knowledge and tells him he's being manipulated by whoever told him that. Chris replies that it doesn't matter what he says, because "he wants you dead." Chris turns up the volume on the television to cover the noise of the gunshots, Haydu breaks the railing and scrambles across the floor, but Chris shoots him with his own weapon. Before leaving, he takes a twenty dollar bill from Haydu's wallet (expecting more cash), wipes off the gun and places it in Haydu's hand, to make it look like a suicide. Chris later goes to visit his mother, Joanne, and looks through his father's old belongings, including an old picture of him in the Navy. Chris attaches the twenty dollar bill he took from Haydu to his mother's fridge with a magnet.

Meanwhile Bobby and Tony eat dinner at a local diner and discuss Bobby's promotion, and how he has coped with his own father's death. Afterwards, they go to Junior's house where Murf meets them in the basement and tells of the FBI mole. Bobby's wife, Karen Baccalieri, has come over with their children to prepare a meal for Junior. Existence of the mole has deeply upset Junior. He believes it must have been the nurse with whom he flirted -— and now regrets the humiliation that he "will have to face her across the courtroom." They discuss what the FBI may have learned from the ploy. Tony offers Junior a hundred thousand for his warehouse on Frelinghuysen Avenue, telling him it is to help him with his financial difficulties. Junior accepts the reduced offer but is despondent about his life, telling Tony he is an "old man who is going to trial."

Meanwhile, Paulie Walnuts has been arrested in Youngstown, Ohio on a gun charge (hence his absence from the earlier meeting with Tony, Silvio and the other family capos), while en route to Steubenville to see Dean Martin's birthplace. He calls Johnny Sack from a prison phone, who tells him that nobody has mentioned to him why Paulie was imprisoned. Paulie is annoyed by this and relates the story: he was visiting a friend, Lenny Scortese, and they got caught with a gun from an unsolved homicide in their car. John seems keen to cultivate his friendship with Paulie that began after Paulie started to feel neglected by Tony in favor of Ralph and the Esplanade project. Johnny reached out to Paulie through his nephew to request the phone call.

In therapy, Tony discusses Carmela pressuring him over the family's future and Uncle Junior's life. When Tony discusses his future in terms of two endings, death or prison, Dr. Melfi asks him why he doesn't quit. Tony tells her that he has a plan to avoid both outcomes -— by relying solely "on blood relations," tying Christopher ever harder to him (using methods he can not disclose to Melfi), so as to use his nephew as a buffer between himself and others to avoid future repercussions. Dr. Melfi is baffled by Tony's unexpected frankness to which he replies that he now trusts her... "a little."