After being introduced to the big fat Jersey mobster in the pilot, the big fat Jersey mobster's two families are given more wiggle room to show and develop themselves in '46 Long'.
The matriarchy is further reinforced by Tony's well-intentioned selfless visits of goodwill to Livia, in which he is eventually forced to put his foot down and his mother in the nursing home (or 'retirement community' as some prefer); Uncle Junior is angered by his nephew's nephew's actions regarding the hijacking of a DVD-loaded Comely truck (one of the few remaining pies Junior still has a whole finger in); Paulie and Pussy have to search for a stolen car belonging to AJ's science teacher (on Tony's orders of course, knowing his son's science grades could do with a boost) and acting boss Jackie Aprile comes out of chemo to rule on what will be his last sit-down.
A recurring theme in this episode is the then-imminent 21st Century, all the things that will come (and have already came) with it and our inability to handle them. Be it Georgy/Livia and their ineptitude with modern telecommunications; Tony's disregard for DVD players, in favour of his more familiar laserdiscs; the pole with which the various underbosses of the DiMeo crime family touch the soon-to-be empty throne atop the organisation ("This day and age? Who wants the f*ckin job?"); Chrissy's adherence to the Mafia hierarchy in fear of taking the other path alone, foregoing the guiding hand of his 'Uncle Tony'.
In Melfi's office Tony is forced to confront the fact that he may hate his mother -and he doesn't like it one bit (aren't sons supposed to love their mothers? he thinks). At the Bing, Georgy's phone-related f*ck-ups get to be too much for him when he ends up whacking (not 'whack' whacking) poor Georgy to the ground with the telecommunications device. On the way out of the strip-club, we share one of our common ponderous silences with Tony as the song 'Battle Flag' by Pigeonhed drones on with 'Maybe it's time to get down, on your m*therfuckin knees'. Maybe it is, Tony.
The matriarchy is further reinforced by Tony's well-intentioned selfless visits of goodwill to Livia, in which he is eventually forced to put his foot down and his mother in the nursing home (or 'retirement community' as some prefer); Uncle Junior is angered by his nephew's nephew's actions regarding the hijacking of a DVD-loaded Comely truck (one of the few remaining pies Junior still has a whole finger in); Paulie and Pussy have to search for a stolen car belonging to AJ's science teacher (on Tony's orders of course, knowing his son's science grades could do with a boost) and acting boss Jackie Aprile comes out of chemo to rule on what will be his last sit-down.
A recurring theme in this episode is the then-imminent 21st Century, all the things that will come (and have already came) with it and our inability to handle them. Be it Georgy/Livia and their ineptitude with modern telecommunications; Tony's disregard for DVD players, in favour of his more familiar laserdiscs; the pole with which the various underbosses of the DiMeo crime family touch the soon-to-be empty throne atop the organisation ("This day and age? Who wants the f*ckin job?"); Chrissy's adherence to the Mafia hierarchy in fear of taking the other path alone, foregoing the guiding hand of his 'Uncle Tony'.
In Melfi's office Tony is forced to confront the fact that he may hate his mother -and he doesn't like it one bit (aren't sons supposed to love their mothers? he thinks). At the Bing, Georgy's phone-related f*ck-ups get to be too much for him when he ends up whacking (not 'whack' whacking) poor Georgy to the ground with the telecommunications device. On the way out of the strip-club, we share one of our common ponderous silences with Tony as the song 'Battle Flag' by Pigeonhed drones on with 'Maybe it's time to get down, on your m*therfuckin knees'. Maybe it is, Tony.