| "Sentimental Education" | |
|---|---|
| The Sopranos episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Peter Bogdanovich |
| Written by | Matthew Weiner |
| Cinematography by | Phil Abraham |
| Production code | 507 |
| Original air date | April 11, 2004 |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
"Sentimental Education" is the 58th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the sixth of the show's fifth season. Written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, it originally aired on April 11, 2004.
* = credit only
Tony is finding it increasingly difficult to take care of A.J., who is sent back to Carmela. She lets him move back in on the condition that he improve his grades and behavior. Carmela goes to see Robert Wegler at the school and agrees to have dinner with him the following evening. After dinner, they go to his home and have sex. Carmela meets Father Phil Intintola for lunch and tells him of her new relationship; he reminds her that she made a commitment to her husband before God. However, she continues the affair, even after making formal confession to Father Phil.
Carmela abruptly leaves during another date with Wegler, saying she is upset about A.J.’s academic performance and troubled by the laws of the Church. The next day, Wegler pressures A.J.'s English teacher to raise his grade for a poorly written term paper. After several rounds of sex after which Carmela talks each time about strategies to elevate A.J.'s academic standing, Wegler concludes that she is just using him to get her son better grades and confronts her, telling her that she uses people. Carmela, deeply hurt, vehemently rejects his assessment, but Wegler calmly stands his ground and Carmela storms out. The next day, when her father suggests that she look for other men, Carmela replies that, as Tony's wife, her motives will always be distrusted.
Tony B tries to adjust to civilian life. His Korean-American employer, who was pressured by Tony into giving Tony B a job, is hostile due to Tony B's mob connections. The employer changes his mind when he realizes how hardworking Tony B is, both on the job and in his efforts to pass the state massage board exam. He offers to partner up with Tony B, offering an empty storefront in West Caldwell. Tony B passes the exam and begins work on the storefront, preparing it for business. However, he comes across a bag containing $12,000, apparently thrown away by fleeing drug dealers, and goes on a self-destructive tear, wasting most of the money on gambling, alcohol, and expensive clothes. Tony B's employer visits the store and encourages him to keep on working; Tony B snaps and beats him up. With Tony at Nuovo Vesuvio, Tony B hints that he screwed up and asks if Tony still needs someone to cover the airbag scheme.
"Sentimental Education" had 9.9 million viewers, for a 5.3 rating and 13 share on its original broadcast on April 11, 2004. [2] The episode also won its timeslot among viewers aged 18 to 49 for all television. [3]
Television Without Pity graded "Sentimental Education" with a B, criticizing the single-line appearance of Meadow as filler and Tony B finding a bag of cash as a poorly written plot device in developing Tony B's return to gang activity. [4]
Franco Ricci, professor of Italian studies at the University of Ottawa, noted the symbolism of Carmela helping A.J. with a homework assignment about Lord of the Flies and Carmela's affair with school counselor Robert Wegler. Observing that the affair is likely transactional in value relating to A.J.'s grades, Ricci explains: "...the Golding story of disaster when individuals cannot govern their own impulses should be compulsory reading for Carmela as she heads down the path of eventual heartache." [5]
