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The Sopranos Season 5 Episode 8

Marco Polo

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9.0

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 4/25/04

Carmela invites Tony to participate in her father's surprise birthday party, and the evening ends in surprising fashion. Two of Little Carmine's men try to recruit a reluctant Tony Blundetto for a retaliatory attack against Johnny Sack's crew.

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

Haven't they taken away Michael Imperioli's typewriter yet?

7.0

By ekutinsky, Jul 03, 2005

Far and away the weakest episode of the (outstanding) season. Michael Imperioli should've taken some notes when another cast member this season decided to write an episode - Toni Kalem's (that's Angie Bompansero to you) "All Happy Families...," another tension-wracked gem this tension-full season. This episode is arguably Imperioli's best - a far cry from the dregs of pretension that destroyed "From Where To Eternity" and "Christopher," unarguably the two worst episodes of the series. Much happens in "Marco Polo," to be certain, most pivotally Carmela and Tony's tryst in the pool and Tony B's crucial secret alliance with Angelo Garepe - one you know will have dire consequences with Johnny Sack. Yet it remains lifeless, strung along by Imperioli's trademark hack dialogue - spontaneous sermonizing left and right, and simply, saying too much. Carmela's rant at her mother is so flagrantly unswallowable, I suggest you pretend the whole thing didn't happen - much like I do with Tony's inspirational car ride at the end of "Christopher."moreless
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Friends and Family gather for Hugh's surprise party, to get a little extra cash Tony B. whacks Joey Peeps with orders from Rusty Millio and Angelo (who had orders from Little Carmine) -- furthering the feud for New York over Little Carmine and Jomoreless

8.0

By MargetisMan414, Jun 20, 2005

Although it doesn’t open too many doors for the rest of the season, it is an interesting character study of some characters on the show we aren’t used to knowing a lot about. Hugh’s Surprise party is FUN to watch (with Tony B. getting hammered, Carmela's mother's friends bashing Tony Soprano in front of him, and Tony and Carmela almost hooking up in the pool after a game of Marco Polo) but halfway through the episode it doesn’t seem like we are in Sopranoland anymore. Good thing or Bad thing? Honestly, I don’t know. I liked seeing 's wife (Toni Kalem) again after such a long time (she even wrote the season's best episode so far) and her troubles at the body shop with Phil Leotardo's cadillac. The major door it opens is at the end, where Tony B. whacks Joey Peeps and a , and somehow manages to get his foot run over in the process. If Johnny Sack finds out, Tony Soprano’s ass is grass.

Overall Grade: A-

Ranking in season: # 9 / 13

Ranking in series: # 43 / 65

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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Steve Schirripa	Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri
Steve Buscemi	Tony Blundetto
Michael Imperioli	Christopher Moltisanti
Katherine Narducci	Charmaine Bucco
John Ventimiglia	Artie Bucco
James Gandolfini	Tony Soprano

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Erin Stutland	Heather	Guest Star
Matthew Del Negro	Brian Cammarata (appearance, non-speaking)	Guest Star
Jessica R. Dunphy	Devin Pillsbury	Guest Star
Dan Grimaldi	Patsy Parisi	Recurring Role
Robert Funaro	Eugene Pontecorvo	Recurring Role
Tom Aldredge	Hugh DeAngelis	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (6)
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- Junior: I'd better call and send Hugh my regrets.
  Bobby: Junior! It's supposed to be a surprise.
  Junior: What are we, children? At our age it's enough surprise to get up in the morning.
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- Carmela: (on Lena Fegoli) She of the five page Christmas card. "And then on Flag Day, Grandpa Russ shook hands with Andrew Cuomo... what an honor." BFD!
  Hugh: (to A.J.) When we were kids in the Navy, he had such a bad case of crabs, we used to call him "the governor of Maryland."
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- Tony B.: When I first got out of the joint, I thought an airbag was Paulie Walnuts.
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- Carmela: Whatever we are, I am proud of it, unlike you obviously.
  Mary: I have always been proud of my heritage.
  Carmela: There are Italians all around with their closet self-loathing. I just never wanted to believe my mother was one of them!
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- Little Carmine: (on his trompe l'oeil painting) That's called a "trump-ay le oil".
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- Carmela: You're sorry? For what?
  Mary: Oh
  Carmela: No, no. I wanna hear.
  Mary: Oh, please Carmela. The off-color jokes, the sausage twirling...
  Carmela: Tony.
  Mary: These are cultured Italians. Russ is a success-a diplomat. This was a shock for them.
  Carmela: And he's such a diplomat, he insults his host?
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NOTES (1)
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- Music in this episode:
  "Allegheny Moon" by Patti Page; "Bad 'n' Ruin" by The Faces Feat. Rod Stewart; "Bandstand Boogie" by Pat Longo; "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado; "La Dolce Vita" by Nino Rota/Carlo Savina; "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams; "Come Go With Me" by Del Vikings; "Jersey Bounce" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra; "Pompton Turnpike" by Charlie Barnett; "Sentimental Journey" by Hal McIntyre and His Orchestra; "Stardust" by Artie Shaw; "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi
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