411 Retro TV Review: The Sopranos - Episode 32
Posted by Mike Gorman on 05.09.2008
So what happens when you push Ralphie a little too far? What’s up with Meadow’s roommate and boyfriend? These questions and more are answered in this week’s aptly titled episode, “University.”
Cast:
James Gandolfini ... Tony Soprano
Edie Falco ... Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli ... Christopher Moltisanti
Drea de Matteo … Adriana La Cerva
Dominic Chianese ... Corrado 'Junior' Soprano
Steve Van Zandt ... Silvio Dante
Tony Sirico ... Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri
Jamie-Lynn Sigler ... Meadow Soprano
Federico Castelluccio …Furio Giunta
Jason Cerbone …Jackie Aprile, Jr.
Joseph R. Gannascoli …Vito Spatafore
Steve Schirripa …Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri
Joe Pantoliano …Ralph Cifaretto
Lorraine Bracco …Dr. Jennifer Melfi
“Best keep your mouth closed about you hear around here.” – Stripper at the Bada Bing Room
We have a lot to learn at the week’s “University”; about the Sopranos and the world they inhabit. I have reviewed episodes with similar tones before. Events occur that remind us that these characters, while charming in their own way, are really not nice people for the most part.
Two different storylines dominate this week’s episode. The first involves Meadow’s experiences at school. As we have seen over the past few weeks, her roommate has grown increasingly paranoid and affected by her surroundings. This boils over this week when she starts freaking out at minor occurrences and exhibits symptoms of a mental disorder, including her paranoia & pulling out clumps of her own hair. Meadow’s reactions are that of a typical college freshmen. She focuses on how her roommates behavior is affecting her and her personal life; specifically how it impacts her relationship with her boyfriend Noah. Her roommate is in the middle of a real mental health crisis and both Meadow and Noah worry about how it will affect their grades and lives. This is not shocking. I am a college residence hall director and see this pattern played out almost daily. I have to commend the producers for producing a more accurate portrayal of human reaction in these circumstances. That said, they both come off as pretty cold. Noah, continues this trend when he allows his lawyer father to take out a restraining order against the roommate after Noah gets a C on an assignment. Talk about intrusive parenting. He soon after tells Meadow that they have been seeing too much of each other and it is affecting his grades. Meadow learns a lesson herself here as she may have met someone a smidgeon more self-centered then she usually seems to be.
The second and more prominent story revolves around a twenty year old stripper from the Bada Bing named Tracee. She is young and naïve. When we first see her she is trying to befriend Tony after he had given her some parenting advice about her sick son. Tony spurns her advance and warns her that they are not friends. She still is drawn to him and finally corners him outside the club so she can tell him that she is pregnant with Ralphie’s child. Tony chuckles but you can see in his face he knows this is bad news. He encourages her to get an abortion but she is hesitant. Throughout the rest of the episode we learn exactly what her relationship with Ralphie is like. He often calls her names and is verbally abusive. To him, she is like a piece of meat he owns and uses. He does not care how she interprets their time together. In the private VIP lounge and at her apartment the same dynamic pays out. She is clearly yearning for someone to love and someone she can take care of. Ralphie teases and taunts her. She takes a lot of his abuse, even when Silvio tracks her down at Ralphie’s place because she has missed work hanging out with him. When Silvio gets angry and drags her away, Ralphie laughs.
That night in the VIP Room she stands up to him and he followers outside. At first he convinces her he was sorry and that he means to care for her and their child. Her face glows and you can see that she is excited. Ralphie starts to talk about baby names and says, “If it’s a girl we’ll name her Tracee, so she can grow up to be a cock-sucking whore just like her mom.” Emotionally this shatters Tracee and then Ralphie proceeds to violently shatter her physically. When she is dead, he walks back into the VIP Lounge, orders a drink and washes her hands. Silvio, Christopher and Tony realize something is wrong. When asked where Tracee is, Ralphie says, “She fell down.” They rush outside to find her bloody, broken corpse lying near the garbage cans. Tony confronts Ralphie and he shows no remorse. Infact he even puts his hands on Tony. When a car pulls into the lot, the group has to disperse quickly but we know there will be consequences for Ralphie.
The episode ends with a brief session at Dr. Melfi’s with Tony & Carmella. Tony is not speaking at all and eventually says that a young man who works for him is dead and he is sad. All involved seem to know there is more going on but no one wants to speak up. Back at home, Meadow shows up looking for something to eat and then storms off unhappy to her old room.
Has each character learned a lesson this week or have we been the students? We have definitely learned more about Ralphie and the extremes he willing goes to in his life. If I had to follow past patterns on the show this behavior is clear indication that Ralphie is setting himself up for a big fall. As far as Meadow’s story goes, I think this week was about her learning that people are not absolutes. Instead there is good and bad in us all. Will this pave the way for reconciliation between Meadow and Tony? We will see. I have to also comment on Tracee’s violent death. It was portrayed openly and realistically to an almost nauseating degree. It is clear that Ralphie will not be redeemed after his actions and as a viewer I will be glad to see him get his comeuppance. What does that say about me? What should I learn from this? I will have to stay tuned to find out!
The 411: A well done episode with not a lot of substance. We learn a bit about some characters but the material does not feel as fresh as some other episodes have. The stand out moment of the episode is the violent death of the stripper, Tracee. It gets to the core of Ralphie's character and hopefully serve to move the plot forward.
