Do Not Resuscitate (The Sopranos)

"Do Not Resuscitate"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 15
Directed by	Martin Bruestle
Written by	Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess and Frank Renzulli
Production code	203 (2-2)
Original air date	January 23, 2000 (HBO)
Guest stars
"see below"
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Do Not Resuscitate" is the fifteenth episode of the HBO original series "The Sopranos" and the second of the show's second season. It was written by Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess and Frank Renzulli, directed by Martin Bruestle and originally aired on Sunday, January 23, 2000.

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.
• Vincent Pastore as Pussy Bonpensiero
• Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante
• Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri
• Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr.
• Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano
• Drea de Matteo as Adriana La Cerva *
• Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano
• Nancy Marchand as Livia Soprano

"* means credited but didn't appear"

Guest starring

Bill Cobbs as Reverend James, Sr. Lillo Brancato Jr. as Matt Bevilaqua Louis Lombardi as Skip Lipari Gregalan Williams as Reverend James, Jr. Richard Portnow as Attorney Melvoin Steven R. Schirripa as "Bacala" Baccalieri Chris Tardio as Sean Gismonte Robert Desiderio as Jack Massarone Michael Broughton as Protestor James Collins as Truck Driver Catherine Dent as Arlene Riley

John Fiore as Gigi Cestone Elizabeth Flax as Therapist Sam Gray as Judge Greenspan Timothy Huang as Doctor Tertia Lynch as Duty Nurse John Mariano as Ralph Giorgio Tony Rigo as Old Guy Laurine Towler as Surgical Nurse Kellie Turner as Nurse's aide Beatrice Winde as Funeral Guest

Episode recap

Tony Soprano visits Uncle Junior in prison, upset that he wasn't put on the visitors' list for three weeks. Tony tells Junior to be careful and that he is lucky that Tony is letting him earn. Junior tries in vain to convince Tony that Livia had nothing to do with the shooting. Tony won't talk business but asks to meet with Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri, Junior's "courier" and soldier in his crew. When Bacala meets Tony at the pork store, Tony tells him that Junior can still "earn" via his shylock business and the pipe fitters' union, but everything else now belongs to Tony, though Junior will still hold the title of boss. Before leaving, Bobby quotes, "to the victor belongs the spoils." Tony tells Bobby to shove his "quotations book up your fat fuckin' ass" and to get out.

The following day, Junior's lawyer, Harold Melvoin, successfully gets Junior out of jail after convincing the judge that Junior has a recurring heart problem. The judge agrees to put Junior on house arrest with a position-monitoring bracelet, on the condition that he can only leave the house for grocery shopping, family functions, and doctor's appointments. During one such appointment at which Tony is present, Junior tells Tony that the owner of the Green Grove Nursing Home, Fred Capuano, has been discussing Soprano family business with others, saying that "Tony Soprano likes to fluff his mother's pillows". Tony takes action by making sure that Capuano disappears. Shortly thereafter, a state trooper finds Capuano's abandoned Cadillac Sedan Deville and toupee near a road and opens the car trunk, which supposedly holds Capuano's body.

After Pussy has surgery for his back, his "friend" Agent Skip Lipari takes him home. It is revealed that Pussy has been working with the FBI since 1998, but it is unknown to what exact extent. Now that informant Jimmy Altieri has been whacked, Skip wants Pussy to step up and "stop being Tony's errand boy." Pussy tries to convince Skip that he is over Tony and that he wants to help the government. However, Pussy continues to lie to Lipari and provide him with false information.

When Tony learns that Massarone Brothers Construction is facing problems due to a lack of African American workers, which is causing several protests, he accepts Jack Massarone's offer to stop the dissent. Tony then sends in several mob associates to successfully "scare" the protesters away from the construction site. Tony later visits Reverend James, Jr., where it is revealed that he is in it with Tony. He arranged the protest so that the Soprano crew could break it up. The reverend states "My protesters would kill me if they knew I was lining my pockets with their blood."

In the hospital, Janice Soprano continues to visit Livia, still unhappy and in self-pity. When Janice asks Meadow what brings Livia joy, Meadow tells her that Livia enjoys opera and show tunes. Janice then purchases a set of records and plays them for Livia, who becomes very emotional. Later, Livia begins to choke but is quickly attended by a nurse. The nurse then discusses with Janice whether to make Livia a "DNR"—otherwise known as "Do Not Resuscitate"—if she ever enters a comatose state or is kept alive artificially. Janice considers this and talks it over with Tony, who advises her to do whatever she wants and that she can even move into Livia's house if she should choose. A.J. overhears this and asks Livia if "DNR" is the same as "DNA," as he is writing a school paper on the subject. Livia is shocked that her daughter would suggest this. When Janice tells Livia she is ready to go home, Livia says, "Why? So you can 'not resuscitate' me?" Livia is then brought back to her hospital room where, apparently quite disoriented, she calls Carmela and tells her about her troubled offspring, and promises to leave her wealth to her grandchildren. Carmela warns her to never call the house again and hangs up on her, just as Livia is about to say if any foul play is suspected to blame Janice.

The following evening, Junior slips in the bathtub while shaving and believes that he has fractured something. Bobby Bacala then calls Tony for help and Tony hurries over to find Junior lying on the couch in his bathrobe. Tony suggests that they call an ambulance, to which Junior objects. Tony then picks his uncle up like a baby and proceeds to drive him to the emergency room.

First appearances

• "Black" Jack Massarone: owner of Massarone Brothers Construction, which was once run by Uncle Junior
• Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri: member of the Junior Soprano crew who becomes Junior's aide
• Agent Skip Lipari: FBI Agent handling Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Deceased

• Frederick 'Freddie' Capuano: Director of Green Grove Retirement Community, murdered by the Soprano crime family for talking about Soprano business and about Tony's attempt to kill his mother
• Reverend Herman James, Sr.: dies of natural causes due to old age (he was 83)

Title reference

• The episode's title is a common medical clause known as Do Not Resuscitate or DNR. Janice and Tony talk about signing a DNR for Livia.

Connections to future episodes

• Agent Lipari stated that Pussy has been working with the FBI since 1998, which would mean that Tony's suspicion of Pussy wearing a wire during Christmas of 1995 in episode 3.10, "...To Save Us All From Satan's Power," was false.

Production

• Although this was the second episode of season two to air, it was the third to be produced.

References to other media

• When Livia watches a cooking show with Emeril Lagasse on TV, her appalled reaction is: "He's not even washing his hands!" From 2000 onward, Emeril is cautious to wash his hands while cooking on "Emeril Live," in hopes that "the lady from "The Sopranos" doesn't bug me".
• After Livia finds out about Janice's plans regarding the DNR (and that Janice will be moving in with her), she confronts her daughter, saying: "I've seen that movie with Richard Widmark." This is most likely a reference to the 1947 film "Kiss of Death," in which Widmark's character (a gleefully psychotic killer) pushes a wheelchair-using elderly woman down a flight of stairs to her death.^[1] This is reinforced by the fact that during this scene, Janice (who is most likely high on marijuana) briefly hallucinates an image of Livia falling down the stairs on a "In case of fire use stairs" sign on the hospital wall. It may alternatively be seen as a reference to the 1978 film "Coma," also starring Widmark.^[2]

Music

• The song playing as Janice drives while smoking pot was "Mother and Child Reunion," by Paul Simon.
• The song playing when Janice reconciles with Livia in the hospital is "Non ti scordar di me," in the version by Luciano Pavarotti.
• The song played over the end credits is "Goodnight, My Love" by Ella Fitzgerald.

References

1. ^ Matt Zoller-Seitz (2000-01-28). "Star-Ledger Sopranos Archive: She's the devil in disguise". Star-Ledger (Newark). http://blog.nj.com/sopranosarchive/2000/01/shes_the_devil_in_disguise.html. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
2. ^ IMDB. "Coma (1978)-Movie Connections". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077355/movieconnections. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 

External links

• "The Sopranos" Do Not Resuscitate at the Internet Movie Database