Second Opinion (The Sopranos)

"**Second Opinion**"
"Second Opinion"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 7
Directed by	Tim Van Patten
Written by	Lawrence Konner
Cinematography by	Phil Abraham
Production code	307
Original air date	April 8, 2001
Running time	59 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous; "University"	Next →; "He Is Risen"
	The Sopranos season 3
	List of episodes

Last updated April 03, 2024

"Second Opinion" is the 33rd episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the seventh of the show's third season. It was written by Lawrence Konner and directed by Tim Van Patten, and originally aired on April 8, 2001.

Starring

* = credit only

Guest starring

Synopsis

There is rising tension between Christopher and Paulie. As a newly made man, Chris is liable to be strip-searched. Paulie makes him strip in the back room of the Bada Bing and makes fun of his penis size. Late one night he and Patsy go to Chris's apartment and search his belongings. Chris sees Paulie sniffing Adriana's panties. Tony dismisses Chris's complaint. Paulie warns him never to complain about him again to the "big man". But then Paulie shows him a Big Mouth Billy Bass and they laugh together, friends again.

Carmela runs into Angie Bonpensiero at a supermarket. Angie says that, though Tony is helping her financially, things are hard and she cannot afford an operation for her poodle. Carmela tells Tony, who goes to Angie's home and sees that she has a new Cadillac. He smashes its windows and lights with a baseball bat and tells her she should speak about money only to him.

Junior has complete faith in his surgeon, Dr. John Kennedy. He does not know that Kennedy erred, removing too little of the tissue surrounding his tumor. When Kennedy says he would like to perform further surgery, Junior agrees, but Tony believes Junior is too much impressed by the doctor's name. They consult another doctor, who recommends that Junior receive chemotherapy treatments. A tumor board review is called, and they reach the same conclusion. Junior undergoes chemo and suffers distressing side effects. He longs to speak to Kennedy, who does not return his calls. Tony and Furio confront Kennedy on his golf course and bribe and intimidate him into giving Junior his attention. Kennedy appears at the hospital, warmly greets Junior, reassures him, and gives him his home phone number. Junior beams with happiness.

Carmela has lunch with a dean from Columbia, Meadow's university. Tony refuses to go, saying that the purpose is to extort money. He will donate $5,000, no more. The dean tells her that his research indicates that the Sopranos could contribute $50,000.

Carmela attends a session alone with Dr. Melfi on a day when Tony does not want to go. She stresses that she does not need therapy herself, but she makes an appointment with the therapist Melfi recommends. This therapist, Dr. Krakower, makes judgments. When he has learned about her situation, he speaks the word "Mafia" and tells her she should take the children and go, which he views as the only way to find peace. He will not accept payment for the session, stating that he does not want "blood money."

Emotionally overwhelmed, Carmela lies on a sofa at home, wrapped in a blanket. When Tony returns, she tells him that she has spoken to the dean on the phone, and promised $50,000. He balks, but she says this is something he must do for her. He sees that he must.

Title reference

Uncle Junior seeks a second opinion from another doctor for his cancer treatment.
The title could also refer to Carmela receiving a second opinion on her relationship with Tony, from Dr. Krakower.

Other cultural references

Dr. Krakower tells Carmela that Tony should read Crime and Punishment , by Fyodor Dostoevsky, after turning himself in for his crimes.
Carmela picks up The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen, which Meadow dismisses as "basic;" Carmela then tells Meadow she is reading the new Barbara Kingsolver.
When Christopher brings home shoes for Adriana, she's watching the "Wallpaper" episode of Everybody Loves Raymond .
Adriana tells Christopher that she once performed oral sex on Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller fame in a public restroom.
The episode features the toy Big Mouth Billy Bass, a popular singing animatronic fish from the late 1990s that most of Tony's crew gets a kick out of. However, Tony is reminded too strongly of his best friend whom he was forced to kill (and more specifically, the dream where Pussy appeared to him as a talking fish).
Junior refers to a senior health issue of the magazine U.S. News & World Report when chastising Bobby for not asking better questions of his doctor.
Tony questions Junior's admiration for John F. Kennedy by bringing up "Hoffa and the Teamsters;" Junior corrects him that it was Robert Kennedy who, as United States Attorney General, tried to take down Mafia involvement with labor unions.

Music

The song played when Carmela visits Meadow at Columbia and, again, over the end credits is a live version of "Black Books" by Nils Lofgren.
A remix of "Mysterious Ways" by U2 is playing in the Bing when Tony beats up Georgie with the Billy Bass.
The songs sung by the Big Mouth Billy Bass are "Take Me to the River" by Al Green and "Y.M.C.A." by The Village People. "Y.M.C.A." was a specially-recorded version for the toy by The Sopranos prop department after the originally planned song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, was not allowed to be licensed for the show by McFerrin, who disliked the adult content of the TV series.^[1]
Bach's Goldberg Variations is playing when Carmela has lunch with the dean of Columbia University.

Awards

Edie Falco won her second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in this episode.

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Anthony John Soprano Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series The Sopranos, and portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, especially later in the series, acts as the boss of the fictional North Jersey DiMeo crime family. Usually referred to as Tony, the character was conceived by Sopranos creator and showrunner David Chase, who was also largely responsible for the character's story arc throughout the show's six seasons. Gandolfini was ultimately cast in the role ahead of several other actors including Steven Van Zandt and Michael Rispoli. The character is loosely based on stories from and about an assortment of La Cosa Nostra figures and especially on real-life New Jersey mobsters Ruggerio "Richie the Boot" Boiardo, boss of the North Jersey Genovese crime family, and Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a former caporegime and de facto boss of the DeCavalcante crime family. Bobby Boriello and Mark Damiano II portrayed Tony Soprano as a child in one episode each and Danny Petrillo played the character as a teenager in three episodes. William Ludwig portrayed him as a child and James Gandolfini's son Michael Gandolfini portrayed a teenage version of the character in the 2021 prequel film The Many Saints of Newark.

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References

↑ Martin, Brett (2007-10-30). ""This Thing of Ours": Creating The Sopranos Universe". The Sopranos: The Complete Book. New York: Time. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-933821-18-4.

External links

"Second Opinion" at HBO
"Second Opinion" at IMDb

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[1] Martin, Brett (2007-10-30). ""This Thing of Ours": Creating The Sopranos Universe". The Sopranos: The Complete Book. New York: Time. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-933821-18-4.

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