Moe n' Joe

"Moe n' Joe" is the 75th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the 10th of the show's sixth season. Written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Steve Shill, it originally aired on May 14, 2006.

"Moe n' Joe"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 10
Directed bySteve Shill
Written byMatthew Weiner
Cinematography byAlik Sakharov
Production code610
Original air dateMay 14, 2006
Running time53 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

see below

Starring

* = credit only

Guest starring
  • Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
  • John Bianco as Gerry Torciano
  • Denise Borino as Ginny Sacrimoni
  • Cara Buono as Kelli Lombardo Moltisanti
  • Carl Capotorto as Little Paulie Germani
  • John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia as Albie Cianflone
  • Miryam Coppersmith as Sophia Baccalieri
  • John Costelloe as Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski
  • Danielle Di Vecchio as Barbara Giglione
  • Patrick Holder as Earl Bretanoux
  • Will Janowitz as Finn DeTrolio
  • Brianna and Kimberly Laughlin as Domenica Baccalieri
  • Jeffrey M Marchetti as Peter "Bissell" LaRosa
  • Angelo Massagli as Bobby Baccalieri, Jr.
  • Lou Martini Jr as Anthony Infante
  • Cristin Milioti as Catherine Sacrimoni
  • Adam Mucci as Eric DeBenedetto
  • Louis Mustillo as Sal Vitro
  • Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
  • William Russ as Paul Calviac
  • Caitlin Van Zandt as Allegra Sacrimoni
  • Maureen Van Zandt as Gabriella Dante
  • Ed Vassalo as Tom Giglione
  • Brad Zimmerman as Ron Pearse
  • Rebecca Wisocky as Rene Cabot Moskowitz
  • Tony Cucci as Dominic "Fat Dom" Gamiello
  • Daniel Ahearn as Elliot
  • Jason Betts as Ron
  • Antony Hagopian as Emmerich
  • Chris McGarry as Pat
  • Guy Paul as Jeep Owner
  • Joe Forbrich as Federal Marshal
  • Qadir Forbes as Kid #1
  • Daveed Ramsay as Kid #2
  • Alex Mitchell as Kid #3
  • Matthew 'Matlok' Rullan as Kid #4
  • Brian Gilbert as Kid #5
  • Kate Buddeke as Nora Minter
  • Sal Di Piazza as Bookie

Synopsis

If Johnny made a plea agreement with the FBI it would involve the confiscation of most of his assets, so he sends his brother-in-law Anthony Infante to ask Tony to convince two businessmen in New Orleans, with whom Johnny is a silent partner, to sell their company so he can get his share. Tony reluctantly agrees, but only one of the pair is willing to sell, and he does not press the matter. However, Janice loves Johnny's house. Tony proposes to Johnny that he will guarantee the New Orleans pair will sell their company; in exchange, Johnny will sell his house at a discount to Janice and Bobby. Johnny, with few options, agrees.

His lawyer negotiates with the prosecutor. Johnny learns he would have to enter an allocution. In an agonizing decision, he accepts the plea deal. He receives a fifteen year sentence, forfeiting $4.1 million in assets, and admits in court that he was a member of a New York faction of La Cosa Nostra. This is met with anger and contempt by all the mobsters.

Carmela pressures Tony again to meet with the building inspector and have the stop order lifted on her spec house project. Because of it, Carmela has less time for the family, for shopping and cooking, and is not there to comfort Meadow, who is distressed by her souring relationship with Finn. Tony does nothing, and tells Carmela that the official could not be persuaded. He tells her it is time to walk away from the spec house and sell it.

Janice accuses Tony of being unfair to her and Bobby. He blames them for his being shot by his uncle; he ridicules Bobby and does not promote him. In therapy with Dr. Melfi, Tony speaks of resentments dating from childhood and admits he is mistreating her in revenge; Melfi suggests that Janice's "misery" reminds him of Livia. When Tony obtains the house for her, Janice is overcome with gratitude.

While making collections in a dangerous section of Newark, Bobby is mugged by a gang of African-American youths. After they take his money and gun, one of them fires it into the pavement in front of him and sends concrete fragments into his right eye. Paulie calls Tony to deliver the news, and also reveals that he is having radiotherapy for early stage prostate cancer.

In New Hampshire, Vito, who now lives with Jim, admits that he is not really a sports writer, and that he left a family and a job in "contracting" in New Jersey. He gets a job as a handyman and wins admiration in the town by assisting the firefighter team in a rescue operation. Vito and Jim declare their love for each other. However, Vito grows discontented with the slow pace of his new life and one morning, while Jim is still asleep, he leaves. Drinking vodka from the bottle, Vito rounds a corner on a country road and crashes into a parked Jeep Wagoneer. When the owner refuses to take cash as compensation and walks towards his home to call the cops, Vito murders him and drives away. Soon, he is back in New Jersey and slowly drives through the old neighborhood, stopping momentarily in front of Satriale's before speeding off.

Deceased
  • Jeep owner: Shot in the back of the head by Vito while walking to his house in an attempt to call the police after Vito damages his car.

Title reference
  • While playing with his model train set, Bobby asks his son to watch the "Moe 'n Joe action." The term "Moe and Joe" is in reference to a model flatcar from Lionel (which includes the Moe and Joe characters, a pair of workmen) that unloads wooden boards, as shown in the episode.[1] A model train reference as an episode title will be used again for the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet."
  • The title could also refer to Vito Spatafore, who tries to be a workman in this episode. He works with lumber in a blue-collar construction job but ultimately finds it intolerable and quits.
  • The title could refer to the relationship between Vito and Jim or their lifestyle as the slang Moe ('mo) for homosexual and Joe as in "regular Joe" for a working class male.
  • The title may also refer to a line in the Spike Lee movie Do The Right Thing, where the character "Charlie" refers to two black teens who sprayed his car with water from a fire hydrant as "Moe n' Joe Black," to the responding police officers. The character "Charlie" is played by Frank Vincent, who also plays Phil Leotardo.

Production
  • This episode marks the final appearance of the character Finn DeTrolio.
  • This episode marks the first time we see Tony getting the newspaper at the end of his driveway this season. The "newspaper shot" is usually featured in the first episode of each season (except in the first season)
  • Following a love scene between Vito and Jim, the director cuts to the image of a train entering a tunnel (Bobby's Lionel) and later Vito sawing wood, metaphors for sex.

Connections to prior episodes
  • Sal Vitro was tasked with landscaping Johnny Sacrimoni's land during the Paulie - "Feech" La Manna feud in the season 5 episode "Where's Johnny?"
  • Vito kills the civilian the same way he murdered Jackie Aprile Jr. in "Army of One" - with a shot to the back of the head.
  • Janice pleads with Tony to make Bobby a Captain but Bobby replaced Murf as Captain of Junior's crew in Season 2.

Other cultural references
  • Tony calls A.J. Prince Albert when speaking to Carmela.
  • The book Jim is reading in bed is The Devil in the White City.
  • Janice says Ginny's house reminds her of the Palladian villas.
  • Silvio puts a poster on the wall at the Bada Bing! office of the porn movie that spoofs the 2002 film Secretary. This porn movie is titled The Perfect Secretary.
  • When Paulie calls Tony to tell him about his cancer, Tony is watching the film The Quiet Man.
  • Carlo Gervasi says Bobby's eye patch makes him look like Hathaway, referring to Ogilvy and Mather's famous "man with an eye patch" advertising campaign for C. F. Hathaway Company.
  • The football game shown in the Soprano home in the penultimate scene is a Canadian Football League game with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, being called by Chris Cuthbert.
  • Silvio refers to landscaper Sal Vitro as ″the fucking Lawnmower Man," likely a reference to the 1992 film, as Silvio has previously demonstrated interest in horror films.
  • Tony and Silvio are shown carrying packages containing bootleg DVD box sets of Sands of "Iowa" Jima.
  • When Vito makes dinner for Jim, the wine on the table is from Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma.

Music
  • The song played in the Dartford bar where Vito, Jim and the firefighters are drinking is "I Love This Bar," by Toby Keith.
  • The song played as Vito makes dinner for Jim is "That's Amore," by Dean Martin.
  • The song played on Vito's car radio as he crashes into the civilian's Jeep Wagoneer is "My Way," by Frank Sinatra.
  • The song played over the end credits is "Let It Rock" by Chuck Berry. It is about hard work on a railroad as a train is headed down the tracks.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-12-09. Retrieved 2006-05-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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