It's no easy task to match the peerless Long Term Parking, but this tragic closing episode of Season Five comes very close, putting an end to one major storyline and opening another, one that will affect the entire final season of the show.
Having ordered the murder of Adriana, Tony is already in pretty bad shape, emotionally speaking, and having his requests constantly denied by Johnny Sack doesn't do much to improve his state of mind either. Realizing neither Johnny nor Phil will stop before Tony Blundetto is undoubtedly whacked, he makes the tough decision of tracking down his beloved cousin and killing him himself, enlisting the reluctant help of his crew, all of whom think nothing will come from the boss's actions but an official war between New York and New Jersey.
As in the previous episode, the outcome is predictable to say the least, but the way the writers and director John Patterson craft the show guarantees the suspense never fades. Most notably, this is probably the bleakest 50 minutes of the season, with no humor whatsoever: even Phil's abuse of Christopher's mom at the beginning is really more disturbing than amusing, followed by a string of all but cheerful conversations right down to the tragic conclusion, which indicates Season Six will deal with some heavy stuff left in All Due Respect's violent wake.
Having ordered the murder of Adriana, Tony is already in pretty bad shape, emotionally speaking, and having his requests constantly denied by Johnny Sack doesn't do much to improve his state of mind either. Realizing neither Johnny nor Phil will stop before Tony Blundetto is undoubtedly whacked, he makes the tough decision of tracking down his beloved cousin and killing him himself, enlisting the reluctant help of his crew, all of whom think nothing will come from the boss's actions but an official war between New York and New Jersey.
As in the previous episode, the outcome is predictable to say the least, but the way the writers and director John Patterson craft the show guarantees the suspense never fades. Most notably, this is probably the bleakest 50 minutes of the season, with no humor whatsoever: even Phil's abuse of Christopher's mom at the beginning is really more disturbing than amusing, followed by a string of all but cheerful conversations right down to the tragic conclusion, which indicates Season Six will deal with some heavy stuff left in All Due Respect's violent wake.