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"46 Long" is the 2nd episode of Season One of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It is the 2nd overall episode of the series. It was written by David Chase, directed by Dan Attias and was originally broadcast on Sunday, January 17, 1999, in the USA.

Episode cast[]

Guest starring[]

Also guest starring[]

Episode recap[]

Brendan Filone and Christopher have created their own lucrative gig hijacking trucks. They hijack a shipment of DVD players from a Comley Truck and assault the driver at his behest so he can avoid suspicion. They deliver the players to Tony, Silvio and Paulie at the Bada Bing, where Tony's distaste for Brendan is obvious. Tony tells Chris he does not like Brendan's methamphetamine habit.

Chris and Brendan's activities upset Junior Soprano, who is actually being paid to protect the Comley Trucking vehicles. After Uncle Junior has a sit-down with acting boss, Jackie Aprile, and Tony Soprano, he complains about the loose cannon behavior of Brendan and Chris and their hijacking shenanigans. It is revealed that Jackie is suffering from cancer and is musing over naming his successor. When Tony leaves, Junior complains to Jackie about Tony's treatment of his mother, Livia. Tony later relays Junior's message to Chris at Satriale's. Chris complains to Tony that he is due his button after his work on the Tri Borough towers garbage disputes. Brendan offends Tony by insulting Jackie and this prompts Tony to literally throw him out. Tony takes Chris's $15,000 tribute and pockets $5,000, only giving Junior $10,000, while not telling Chris and Brendan.

Brendan and Chris, both high on crystal meth, decide to blow off the demands made to them and plan another hijacking on a delivery of Italian suits departing that night at a club. However, when Brendan arrives to pick his partner-in-crime up, a sober and reflective Christopher decides to sit this one out. Brendan, who is apparently high on crystal meth, pulls off the hijacking on his own. This time, he is accompanied by two cohorts, Antjuan and Special K. When the truck driver is threatened, he steps out of the truck. Special K accidentally drops his gun which goes off, killing the driver from the ricochet bullet. The two associates flee the scene and Brendan is left cursing and fearful of what might happen.

After Tony learns of this from Chris, he tells his nephew and Brendan that they must return the truck to Comley and restitution must be made, but not before his crew help themselves to a small number of suits.

Pussy and Paulie are sent to find out who stole Anthony Junior's science teacher's car. They are able to find the perpetrators but find the car has been "chopped" into parts, which forces them to steal a new one in its place. After the teacher receives a similar-looking vehicle, thinking it is the same one, AJ mentions that his father is a hero. The teacher, however, is confused as to why the paint is still wet, the interior is a different color, and the key is different despite the presence of identical plates.

After a fire in Livia's kitchen, caused by her failing to pay attention to her cooking and not being able to call for help, Carmela suggests that she needs to live with others and even offers to have Livia come live with her family. Livia rejects both offers and becomes distraught about the loss of her husband, a "saint". Tony hires a Trinidadian nurse to take care of her. Livia complains to Tony that the nurse has been stealing, and makes racist comments which causes the nurse to quit. Livia drives her friend Fanny home and accidentally knocks her over while attempting to back out of the driveway. Her doctors say she cannot live alone any more and Tony places Livia in the Green Grove retirement community. While visiting her house to pack up her things, Tony has another panic attack.

Tony's therapy continues and he discusses his mother with Dr. Melfi. He is feeling guilty about not being able to have his mother live with his family. Melfi tries to show him that his mother is a difficult person, using Livia's relationship with Tony's siblings and lack of happy childhood memories. We learn that Tony blames Carmela for preventing his mother from living with them. Tony refuses to shift his blame for the situation onto his mother. In another session, Melfi pushes Tony to admit he has feelings of anger, even hatred, towards his mother and he storms out.

Georgie, the barman at the Bada Bing, is confused about the operation of the telephone system, and unsure whether he's reached an operator or recording, in the same way as Livia. Tony becomes frustrated and beats him with a telephone handset, showing the displacement of anger Dr. Melfi warned him would occur if he did not accept his feelings of anger towards his mother.

Gallery[]

Meetings[]

Junior Soprano: Jackie, you're the boss. Tell him to leave Comley trucking alone.

Tony Soprano: Didn't know it was a Comley truck.

Junior Soprano: For 21 fucking years, Comley's been putting food on my table, protection money.

Tony Soprano: Hey, Chris didn't know going in.

Junior Soprano: Bullshit.

Tony Soprano: You want my DVD player? You can watch Grumpy Old Men.

Junior Soprano: You're gonna be a fucking funny-boy too, now?

Jackie Aprile: Hey! You Sopranos, eh.

Tony Soprano: Yeah, but Jackie, you go around hoping you and your uncle can settle a thing just the 2 of ya, not be invited to a fucking sit-down.

Junior Soprano: You got a fucking crew of cowards working for ya, and you don't control them.

Tony Soprano: Here we go. Here we go.

Junior Soprano: Jackie, you got a ruling?

Jackie Aprile: The kids who hit that truck, they make restitution to Junior.

Tony Soprano: Done, it's done (Jackie motions good)

Junior Soprano: Christopher Moltisanti's a fucking loose cannon. And that Filone kid, if ever-

Tony Soprano: You get him out of a sick bed?

Jackie Aprile: Hey, fuck that shit.

Tony Soprano: Giacomino, how you feeling?

Jackie Aprile: I may be acting boss while the old man's a guest of the government, but I wish somebody'd tell my bowels, cuz they don't obey. Eh, the fucking chemo. Maybe I should name a successor.

Tony Soprano: In this day and age? Who wants the fucking job?

Junior Soprano: Your mom tells me you got a girl coming in to help? That's good.

Tony Soprano: Alright, I gotta go. (to Jackie) I'll see you soon (shakes hand). (hugs Junior) We okay? Alright. (walks away)

Junior Soprano: That smoke he hires for his own mother.

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First appearances[]

  • Brendan Filone: Christopher's crystal meth-addled friend and partner in crime. He is rather reckless but he is well aware of Tony's power and hopes to somehow move up in the ranks alongside Christopher.
  • Jackie Aprile: Acting Boss of DiMeo crime family. He meets Tony and Uncle Junior at Satriale's to discuss his cancer and his current position.
  • Georgie: Barman at the Bada Bing whose ineptitude with the telephone upsets Tony. He will become the target of Tony's anger in several future episodes.
  • Mikey Palmice: Junior's chauffeur and hitman, whom Tony dislikes intensely.

Deceased[]

  • Hector Anthony: killed accidentally when Brendan Filone's associates, Special K dropped his gun during a truck hijacking causing it to fire making the bullet kill Anthony.

Title reference[]

46-Long is a large man's suit size. Silvio, Pussy, and others all try on the Italian suits Christopher and Brendan hijacked.

Cultural references[]

  • When Pussy informs Paulie that he got the thieves address, he refers to them as "these Spice Girls", a reference to the British girl group, since the perpetrators Eduardo and Jerome are a gay couple and the former being Hispanic.
  • When Pussy and Paulie confront the guys who stole the science teacher's car, "Big Pussy" references criminal defense attorney Johnnie Cochran.
  • When Brendan and his two associates are hijacking the truck and Special K gets into the truck, there is a remark that "You couldn't drive a Fisher-Price"—a reference to the toy manufacturer.
  • When Brendan and Christopher meet with Tony at Satriale's, Brendan insults Jackie by referring to him as KemoSabe, a reference to Tonto's name for the Lone Ranger and a pun on the fact that Jackie is receiving chemotherapy.
  • When Brendan, Christopher and Adrianna are in line waiting to get into the night club, Martin Scorsese arrives in a limo and goes into the club, while Christopher mentions "Kundun" and says he liked it. Kundun is a 1997 epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese.

Reception[]

Alan Sepinwall was mildly positive toward the episode, writing that "some of it – particularly anything involving Tony and Livia […] feels fully-formed and very much of a piece with what we would come to know as one of the greatest shows ever made. And some of it is David Chase still fiddling with the knobs and levers"; Sepinwall considered the family-oriented scenes strong while viewing the subplot about the car theft as "still on the broader, lighter end of the comedy spectrum, […] It's not bad, but it's not quite right, either." In The A.V. Club, however, Emily VanDerWerff praised "46 Long" as "a confident expansion of the show's universe", considering it an example of "the show's keen sense of generational conflict, of the ways that different kinds of people come into conflict with each other."

Production[]

  • This is the only episode that features a teaser scene before the opening credits.
  • While investigating A.J.'s teacher's missing car, Big Pussy comments that he is "fuckin' Rockford over here." David Chase was a writer/producer for The Rockford Files for many years.
  • This episode was filmed ten months after shooting the pilot.

Connections to future episodes[]

  • Fanny returns in season three's "Proshai, Livushka" when she attends Livia's funeral. Despite using a wheelchair as a result of having been run over by Mrs. Soprano, Fanny is the only person at the gathering who volunteers kind words for her old friend Livia.
  • Tony uses the phrase "always with the drama!" during an argument with Livia in this episode. A.J. uses the exact phrase with his parents in the final episode, "Made in America". Several other characters, including Tony's father, use the phrase throughout the series.

Music[]

  • The song played when the truck driver drives up to where Brendan and Christopher are waiting to hijack his truck is "Piel Morena" by Thalía.
  • The song Tony sings at breakfast as Carmela tells him of Mr. Miller's stolen car is "A Whiter Shade of Pale".
  • The song played at the Bada Bing when Tony talks to Livia on the phone is "Instrumental" by Zino and the Human Beatbox.
  • The song played when Pussy goes over the books at his car shop is "This Time" by Richard Blandon & The Dubs.
  • The song played when Paulie and Pussy go to the coffee shop in search of the thieves is "Bop Hop" by Brooklyn Funk Essentials.
  • The song the Trinidadian nurse sings to herself as she does chores around Livia's house is "Let Me Call You Sweetheart".
  • The song played when Paulie and Pussy find the thieves apartment is "Chica Bonita (Levante las Manos)" by Artie the 1 Man Party.
  • The song played when Christopher and Brendan discuss hijacking the truck containing Italian suits at the nightclub is the Hardshell Mix of "Party Girl" by Ultra Nate.
  • The song played when Tony suffers a panic attack while packing up Livia's house is Symphony #3, Op. 36, by Henryk Górecki.
  • The song played when Tony beats Georgie with the phone and into the end credits is "Battle Flag" by Pigeonhed.
Season 1
"The Sopranos" "46 Long" "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" "Meadowlands" "College" "Pax Soprana" "Down Neck" "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" "Boca" "A Hit Is a Hit" "Nobody Knows Anything" "Isabella" "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"
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