External links
- "Where's Johnny?" Archived 2016-08-18 at the Wayback Machine at HBO
- "Where's Johnny?" at IMDb
| "Where's Johnny?" | |
|---|---|
| The Sopranos episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | John Patterson |
| Written by | Michael Caleo |
| Cinematography by | Phil Abraham |
| Production code | 503 |
| Original air date | March 21, 2004 |
| Running time | 54 minutes |
"Where's Johnny?" is the 55th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the third of the show's fifth season. Written by Michael Caleo and directed by John Patterson, it originally aired on March 21, 2004. It is the only episode of the entire series in which Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) does not appear.
This episode was the most watched program on U.S. cable television on its original airing.
* = credit only
Sal Vitro, a gardener who has been working in a particular neighborhood for decades, is told by Feech that the neighborhood now belongs to his nephew, Gary La Manna. When Sal rebuffs him, Feech viciously breaks his right arm before Tony B intervenes, reminding him that he is on parole. Paulie learns about the assault and tells Sal that, for a few percentage points, he can put things right.
Paulie visits Feech at his legitimate business, a bakery, but Feech angrily tells him to get out. Paulie then finds Gary and his brother at work, assaults them both, then empties Gary's wallet; he orders Gary to give him a cut of his profits and to pay Sal's medical bills. In a sit-down, Tony rules that the neighborhood should be divided equally between Gary and Sal. When Paulie informs Sal, he tries to hide his disappointment. Paulie adds that he will have to provide free services at the homes of "some friends of ours," including Tony and Johnny, whose lawn is huge.
Tensions rise in New York as loan shark Lorraine Calluzzo and her boyfriend, Jason Evanina, collect debts and pass payments up to Little Carmine. They are attacked by three of Johnny's men: Phil, his brother Billy, and Joey Peeps. Phil subjects Lorraine to a mock execution. She, Jason, and Angelo have a meeting with Tony and Junior. Tony recommends that the Lupertazzi family form a triumvirate composed of Johnny, Carmine, and Angelo. Angelo says he is semi-retired and just wants to spend time with his grandchildren.
Tony meets Johnny, telling him that Lorraine reached out to him. He raises the power-sharing idea from the previous meeting, framing it as Angelo’s idea. Johnny responds with contempt, accusing Tony of empowering Carmine during the dispute over the HUD scam. During a later sit-down with Johnny, Tony is accompanied by Christopher, who, despite Tony's instructions, intervenes. Johnny angrily shouts at them and the sit-down fails.
Tony mends fences with Artie Bucco, who is still holding a grudge over the loan incident. He offers Artie one of the bedrooms in his mother's house since Artie has run into problems with his living arrangements; after some hesitation, he accepts.
Junior's dementia is gradually worsening. One afternoon, he wanders out in a bathrobe and drives to Bloomfield Avenue where his brother, Johnny Boy, once had a family hangout. It is now a storefront church and he is kicked out. Befuddled, Junior forgets where his car is parked and walks aimlessly. After dark, two Newark policemen discover him and drive him home. Janice and Bobby discuss his condition with Tony, but this escalates into an argument between the two siblings over old wounds. Janice slaps Tony and he starts choking her. As Bobby and Artie try to break up the fight, Artie gets hit in the eye by Janice's elbow. Janice runs out of the house crying. Later, in a chance encounter, Junior's neurologist explains to Tony that Junior's behavior may have been due to his infarcts (mini-strokes). Tony visits Junior and asks him why he doesn't think about anything nice. "Don't you love me?" Tony asks. Junior doesn't answer, and they both quietly tear up.
"Where's Johnny?" had viewership of over 6.5 million, earning a 6.1 Nielsen rating that led all cable television programs for the week of March 15 to 21, 2004. [2]
Television Without Pity graded the episode with an A. [3] For TV Guide , Matt Roush praised the episode as "exceptional", for subplots like Junior Soprano's dementia and the lawn mower conflict. [4] Alessandra Stanley commented that the scene where Junior claims to have seen himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm was an example how The Sopranos "laughs at itself before anyone can take it too seriously". [1]
