"Luxury Lounge" is the 72nd episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the seventh of the show's sixth season. Written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Danny Leiner, it originally aired on April 23, 2006.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Starring
- James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
- Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi *
- Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano
- Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
- Dominic Chianese as Corrado Soprano, Jr. *
- Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante
- Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri
- Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr. *
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano *
- Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano Baccalieri *
- Steven R. Schirripa as Bobby Baccalieri
- Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo
- John Ventimiglia as Artie Bucco
- Ray Abruzzo as Little Carmine Lupertazzi
- Katherine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco
- Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi
* = credit only
Guest starring
Luxury Gift For Her Video
Episode recap
Corky provides hitmen Italo and Salvatore with "clean" pistols and directions to Rusty's location, which later allows them to kill Rusty and his bodyguard. At Nuovo Vesuvio, Tony and Phil celebrate the induction of Gerry and Burt Gervasi into their respective crime families. However, Phil rants about his disgust at his cousin-in-law Vito's homosexuality. After the meal, Tony, Christopher, and Carlo discuss the search for Vito. Tony tells them to only worry about Vito if he returns to New Jersey, but Carlo is adamant to find Vito through his police contacts. Chris asks Tony's permission to fly to Los Angeles with Little Carmine to cast actors for Cleaver, and Tony reluctantly gives his permission.
Tony unwillingly has a meal at Da Giovanni, a rival restaurant to Nuovo Vesuvio, to celebrate Phil's grandson's confirmation. Marie is there with her children, who are being teased about their gay father. Phil thanks Tony on Johnny's behalf for the hit on Rusty. Tony denies any involvement, which Phil accepts as cautiousness. Murmur makes rounds for Chris that include delivering numbers to Ahmed and Muhammad, who operate in stealing money via the Internet. Meanwhile, Artie faces problems at Nuovo Vesuvio: the restaurant is losing money and there are tensions with Benny over his flirtatious relationship with Artie's new Albanian hostess, Martina. At the Bada Bing, Artie drunkenly confronts Tony about dining at Da Giovanni, to which Tony apologizes. However, when Tony offers some tips to increase the restaurant's popularity, Artie angrily rebuffs him and suggests he settle his outstanding tab if he wants to help. Later, Artie rejects his wife Charmaine's suggestions to stop bothering his guests with anecdotes.
In Los Angeles, Chris and Little Carmine have a scheduled meeting with Ben Kingsley. Now away from his AA sponsor, Chris partakes in drinking and drugs, as well as in the sexual services of a female escort, before calling for Murmur to come out and help him get back on the wagon. At the meeting, Kingsley is not interested in Cleaver and interrupts Chris and Carmine to speak poolside to Lauren Bacall, who is to be a presenter at an awards show. Chris and Carmine tag along with Kingsley, and Chris is fascinated by the great quantity of free expensive luxury items offered to the actor. Chris later phones Kingsley asking him if he could get him his own entry into their hotel's Luxury Lounge, but the actor says he doesn't handle such arrangements. Back home, Benny takes over Chris' credit card operation and gives a cut to Tony.
Nuovo Vesuvio's financial woes continue when Artie gets a visit from fraud investigators for American Express. They inform Artie someone has been stealing credit card numbers from his customers, and that they must suspend the restaurant's card usage as a precaution. After an emotional staff meeting, Artie learns Martina helped Benny steal credit card numbers from the restaurant and fires her. Furious, Artie goes to Benny's house in the middle of the night and they get into a fistfight. Artie leaves a bloody Benny at his porch. Tony meets with the two men and compells them to make peace. At Tony's insistence, Benny's parents have their anniversary dinner at Nuovo Vesuvio. Artie makes a table-side visit during their meal. In front of Benny's pregnant wife Jen, Artie makes a thinly veiled reference to his affair with Martina. Benny follows him into the kitchen and forces Artie's right hand into a boiling pot of tomato sauce, burning him severely.
Carmine informs Chris that Kingsley has turned down Cleaver. Murmur arrives in L.A. and finds an intoxicated Chris in his hotel room. Once he sobers up, the two find Kingsley in an elevator and try to subtly intimidate/convince him to gain access into the Luxury Lounge. Kingsley admits lavish presents for celebrities are "obscene", but says he gives most of them to charity. He blurts out that award presenters get free goods worth around $30,000. Outside of the awards show, a masked Chris mugs Bacall, punching her and stealing her gift bag. He flies back to New Jersey on Kingsley's plane, to the latter's dismay. When he gets home, Chris offers Tony some of the stolen goods. Tony is more concerned with Chris' lack of focus, blaming his absence for the feud between Artie and Benny.
Tony has dinner at Nuovo Vesuvio with Carmela and her mother Mary, but Hugh is absent. Tony urges Artie to enter therapy. Artie responds with hostility, to which Tony responds by informing Artie that customers do not like his table-side chatter. Tony suggests to the shocked Artie that he stay in the kitchen and departs. Meanwhile, Charmaine seats a young couple just before closing time at the restaurant. Artie tells Charmaine to tell the guests they will have to eat whatever he prepares, since the staff has left for the evening and there are barely any supplies left. With his right hand heavily bandaged, Artie methodically prepares a rabbit dish from his grandfather's weathered hand-written cookbook.
Italo and Salvatore fly back to Italy and comment on the luxury souvenirs they purchased in the U.S., which they say were much cheaper in America than in Italy due to the weak U.S. Dollar.
First appearance
- Burt Gervasi: newly made DiMeo/Soprano family soldier and cousin to Carlo Gervasi.
Deceased
- Rusty Millio: assassinated on orders from Johnny "Sack" via Tony Soprano's enlisted hit men from Italy for potentially trying to take power away from Johnny again.
- Eddie Pietro: collateral damage from the Millio hit.
Title reference
- Christopher and Little Carmine follow Ben Kingsley through a celebrity Luxury Lounge where many free gifts are offered to celebrities.
- The title could refer to a luxury restaurant. Artie's fight for his restaurant against competitors and through hardships is one of the main storylines of the episode.
- The title could refer to the higher status of free luxury, enjoyed by people such as Tony Soprano and Benny Fazio, that comes to be resented by Artie Bucco who tries to make a living by "honest work," as did his father.
Production
- Creator David Chase makes his second cameo appearance on the series as a passenger on the plane to Italy during the last scene. Previously, he appeared as a man in Italy in episode "Commendatori".
References to prior episodes
- Tony reminds Artie about the time his family found refuge and happily dined at Nuovo Vesuvio during a heavy storm, which happened in "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano".
- Christopher reminds Tony about his "huge sacrifice" made for him - Adriana. ("Long Term Parking").
Other cultural references
- Italo and Salvatore talk about visiting the World Trade Center site.
- Christopher refers to Vito Spatafore as "La Cage aux Fat." La Cage aux Folles is originally a French comedy play later turned into a movie about gay lovers. An American film remake of it is the 1996 The Birdcage.
- Tony says he saw CSI when Carlo starts talking about techniques that could track Vito.
- When Tony denies having anything to do with Rusty's murder, Phil Leotardo says the deed can then be credited to The Headless Horseman.
- Artie says the New Jersey Zagat described him as a "warm and convivial host."
- Artie tells Tony he would never allow his restaurant to turn into an IHOP.
- Potential directors for Cleaver were mentioned as Ridley Scott, Tobe Hooper or "the next James Wan" (Saw).
- Christopher mentions Ben Kingsley's role as a villain in Sexy Beast.
- Christopher lists J.T. Dolan's screenwriting credits to Ben Kingsley, which include Nash Bridges, Hooperman, and Law & Order: SVU (mistakenly referring to it as "Law & Order: SUV").
- Lauren Bacall says she will give awards at the ShoWest.
- Christopher tells Lauren Bacall that she was great in "The Haves And Have-Nots" (To Have and Have Not).
- In the Luxury Lounge, some of the displayed items were: an iRiver MP3 player, Oris watches, and the video game True Crime: New York City on a television.
- Christopher tells Tony he and Little Carmine met Lindsay Lohan in LA.
- Italo and Salvatore examine a Montblanc pen.
Music
- The song being played at Nuovo Vesuvio when Artie surveys his mostly empty establishment is "La-La (Means I Love You)" by The Delfonics.
- The song being sung by Murmur when making the credit card collection from the Jewish-owned hotel is "Daniel" by Elton John.
- The song playing at the Bada Bing! where Ahmed and Muhammad get the stolen credit card numbers is "Dazz," a 1976 hit song by Brick.
- The song playing at the Luxury Lounge when Christopher looks around at the swag is "Welcome to New York City" by Cam'ron, from the True Crime: New York City's intro, briefly shown in the TV.
- When Artie meets the Benny Fazio party in his restaurant the song playing is "Whispering Bells" by The Del-Vikings.
- Closing credits music is a classical guitar piece called "Recuerdos de la Alhambra," composed by Francisco Tarrega and played by Pepe Romero.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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