The Sopranos
Season 5
Region 1 DVD cover art
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseMarch 7 (2004-03-07) –
June 6, 2004 (2004-06-06)
Season chronology
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Season 4
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Season 6
List of episodes

The fifth season of the American crime drama series The Sopranos aired on HBO from March 7 to June 6, 2004. The fifth season was released on DVD in region 1 on June 7, 2005.[1]

The story of season five focuses on the return of two prominent members of the DiMeo family, Tony Blundetto and Feech La Manna, who are released from lengthy stays in prison and struggle to reintegrate themselves with the family and the life of crime. Several prominent members of the Lupertazzi family also return from prison, most notably Phil Leotardo.

The subsequent power vacuum caused by the death of boss Carmine creates a growing rift between the New York and New Jersey crime families. Tony and Carmela adjust to their new lives and each other following their separation, which greatly affects their son A.J. Uncle Junior's mental health starts to deteriorate, and Adriana's guilt over her role as an FBI informant grows.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

Season 5 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
531"Two Tonys"Tim Van PattenTerence Winter and David ChaseMarch 7, 2004 (2004-03-07)12.14[2]
Ten months later, four men imprisoned for two decades are released on parole, while Carmine has a stroke. Chris is increasingly frustrated with having to cover dinner bills for Paulie, who intentionally racks up an expensive one. They argue and are interrupted by a waiter upset by his meager tip. Chris throws a brick at him when he insults them, causing him to have a seizure. Paulie kills him and takes the money from the bill. Tony, now living in Livia's house, tries to start a romance with Melfi, but she continually rebuffs his advances despite admitting to Elliot Kupferberg that she initially felt attracted to him. Tony asks her why she will not be with him, but storms out when she brings up his morals. A black bear wanders into the Sopranos' backyard, and Tony goes there and takes over guard duty.
542"Rat Pack"Alan TaylorMatthew WeinerMarch 14, 2004 (2004-03-14)9.97[3]
A friend of Tony's who is secretly an FBI informant gifts him a painting of the Rat Pack. After receiving a tip that the man is working against him, Tony throws the painting into a river and the man is found dead the next day. Carmine dies, leaving Johnny determined not to let Little Carmine take over the Lupertazzi family. Tony's released cousin Tony Blundetto makes a joke about Tony's weight upon his return. Tony offers him a place in his criminal ventures, but Blundetto is happy with getting a legitimate job and wants to become a massage therapist. When Tony catches him giving his men massages, he berates him for the joke, only to later apologize. At a movie night with the other wives, Adriana notices that Angie never comes around. Rosalie explains that because of her husband's status as an informant, she is no longer invited. Adriana almost admits her predicament, only to flee and later give her handler information about a friend of hers that has been flirting with Chris.
553"Where's Johnny?"John PattersonMichael CaleoMarch 21, 2004 (2004-03-21)10.11[4]
Released DiMeo capo Michele "Feech" La Manna brutalizes a local gardener while trying to get his nephew's business off the ground. Paulie beats up Feech's nephew in retaliation, and Tony decides to split the territory in half and give the gardener a meager payout, provided he mows his and Johnny's large lawns for free. A loan shark working for Little Carmine is attacked by released Lupertazzi capo Phil Leotardo, his brother Billy, and Joey "Peeps" Peparelli. While trying to resolve the situation, Tony brings Chris along to a meeting. He speaks out of turn, causing Johnny to storm out. As Junior's mental state begins to erode, he repeatedly insists that Tony "never had the makings of a varsity athlete." He drives to Newark, looking for Tony's deceased father until the police bring him back to Janice. She and Tony argue about who is responsible for taking care of him, an altercation that turns physical. Tony learns from Junior's neurologist that he has suffered several infarcts. He asks Junior why he insisted on repeating the athlete comment and asks "don't you love me?", causing both men to quietly become emotional.
564"All Happy Families..."Rodrigo GarcíaToni KalemMarch 28, 2004 (2004-03-28)9.69[5]
As A.J.'s grades begin to slip, Tony and Carmela argue about how to deal with him, during which she points out that he has no real friends and that his men laugh at his jokes out of obligation, which he tests by telling a joke and finds her to be correct. Feech's men steal cars from the wedding of an associate of Tony's, and Tony remembers Feech did not laugh at his joke. He has Chris set Feech up to be caught by his parole officer with a load of stolen TVs, and Feech gazes longingly at the outside world on the bus back to prison. Little Carmine's loan shark Lorraine Calluzzo and her partner Jason are murdered by Peeps and the Leotardo brothers. Tony sends an apology gift to Melfi. Carmela allows A.J. to go to a concert in New York, but he instead gets high with his friends in a hotel room. Carmela sends him to live with Tony. She goes to lunch with A.J.'s guidance counselor, Robert Wegler, who recommends the novel Madame Bovary on the grounds that she resembles the main character. She returns home to find her house empty.
575"Irregular Around the Margins"Allen CoulterRobin Green & Mitchell BurgessApril 4, 2004 (2004-04-04)9.75[6]
Tony has a mole removed that turns out to be skin cancer. He has a sexually tense moment with Adriana at the Crazy Horse, but he does not act, admitting to Melfi that he wanted to but understood it would be bad for everyone involved. While driving to buy cocaine with Adriana, Tony swerves to avoid hitting a raccoon and the car flips over. A rumor spreads that the accident happened because Adriana was performing fellatio on him, which Chris learns of when Vito jokes about it, almost starting a fight. He beats Adriana, relapses, and goes to the Bada Bing with a gun. Tony prepares to kill him if he cannot accept the truth, but Blundetto instead convinces him to have Chris talk to the doctor who treated them the night of the accident, who explains that Adriana's injuries indicate she was sitting upright. Chris is satisfied, but still upset that everyone else believes the rumor, while Tony complains to Melfi that he may as well have had sex with Adriana. Tony, Chris, Adriana, and Carmela go to dinner together to publicly prove there are no issues between them, and Vito passes by and wishes Chris a pleasant evening.
586"Sentimental Education"Peter BogdanovichMatthew WeinerApril 11, 2004 (2004-04-11)9.93[7]
A.J. is sent back to Carmela after he and Tony frequently argue. She and Wegler begin having sex, which she confesses to Phil Intintola but ignores his criticisms of her. Wegler pressures one of A.J.'s teachers to give him a passing grade on a paper and eventually concludes that Carmela is using him. He leaves, and Carmela laments to her father that her motives will always be questioned as Tony's wife. Blundetto and his employer start off hostile, but they grow to respect each other and he offers to help fund Blundetto's massage parlor after he obtains his license. Blundetto happens upon a bag of money discarded by drug dealers and gambles most of it away, and ends up beating his employer when the stress of his jobs gets to him. He asks Tony if he needs assistance with any of his operations.
597"In Camelot"Steve BuscemiTerence WinterApril 18, 2004 (2004-04-18)9.08[8]
Chris invites J.T. Dolan, a screenwriter he met in rehab, to a gambling game, which puts him in severe debt. Chris beats him up after he cannot pay, putting him back on heroin, and he sends Dolan back to rehab. Junior, still on house arrest, begins going to the funerals of anyone he vaguely knows to get out of the house, but begins weeping uncontrollably at the funeral of Tony's uncle and admits to his physician that the lack of purpose in his life depresses him. Tony meets his father's old comare and collects money that Hesh Rabkin and Phil owe to her. His friendship with the woman takes a turn when he learns that his father gave his childhood dog away to her son, and that he was with her when Livia had a miscarriage while Tony covered for his whereabouts. Melfi encourages Tony to have more sympathy for Livia because of this, but he rejects the idea.
608"Marco Polo"John PattersonMichael ImperioliApril 25, 2004 (2004-04-25)9.99[9]
Carmela's mother asks her not to invite Tony to her father's seventy-fifth surprise birthday, which Tony agrees to. Junior intentionally ruins the surprise, and Carmela's father demands Tony come. Tony gifts him a Beretta shotgun, but an upper-class guest devalues it by pointing out the best Berettas are not exported. Carmela realizes her mother wanted Tony not to come solely so he would not embarrass her in front of the guest, despite his good behavior throughout, and she tells her off. She and Tony have sex when everyone leaves. Blundetto's former cellmate and Lupertazzi consigliere Angelo Garepe tries to hire him on behalf of Little Carmine to kill Peeps in revenge for the loan shark, but Blundetto turns him down until he sees how much better Tony is living than him. He kills Peeps, but Peeps' car backs over his foot as he flees the scene.
619"Unidentified Black Males"Tim Van PattenMatthew Weiner and Terence WinterMay 2, 2004 (2004-05-02)8.96[10]
Tony has a panic attack after learning that both Blundetto and Peeps' killer have limps. Johnny suspects both Little Carmine's and Blundetto's parts in the hit, but Tony covers for Blundetto when confronted. In therapy, Tony admits the truth as to why he gives Blundetto so much leeway: on the night the Tonys were supposed to commit a robbery, Tony had a panic attack after arguing with Livia and injured himself, leaving Blundetto to go to jail. Tony gets Meadow's boyfriend Finn DeTrolio a job at a construction site he runs. Finn arrives to work early one day and finds Vito fellating a man. Vito tries to coerce him into going to a Yankees game with him, but he instead plans to leave town, leading to a lengthy argument with Meadow that ends when he proposes to her. Carmela still plans to divorce Tony and obtain a fair share of their assets, but is distraught to learn that he has consulted all the forensic accountants in the area to prevent them from taking her case. She returns home to find him relaxing in their pool, becoming tearful as Meadow calls to report her engagement.
6210"Cold Cuts"Mike FiggisRobin Green & Mitchell BurgessMay 9, 2004 (2004-05-09)8.48[11]
Carmela and Tony argue about his actions, but when she encounters Wegler, she tells him that Tony is moving back in despite having no such intention. Chris vents to Adriana about his jealousy of the favoritism Blundetto receives, but when Adriana suggests they start a new life somewhere, Chris insists he is with Tony for life. He and Blundetto are sent to their uncle's farm to dispose of bodies buried there, and the two bond. Tony shows up to oversee the last of the job, and the Tonys turn to picking on Chris's sobriety, leaving him to drive home in tears. Janice, now married to Bobby, is arrested after attacking a mother at her stepdaughter's soccer game. Tony demands Bobby get her under control, and he requests she either take anger management classes or end their marriage. She takes the classes and makes significant progress, while at the Bada Bing, Georgie Santorelli remarks that "you've gotta live for today," causing Tony to beat him so badly he goes partially deaf. Paulie informs Tony that Georgie is quitting. He has dinner with the Baccalieris, and becomes irritated when Janice no longer gets angry at minor annoyances, provoking her into attacking him and leaving with a satisfied smile.
6311"The Test Dream"Allen CoulterDavid Chase and Matthew WeinerMay 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)8.81[12]
The Leotardo brothers kill Garepe for his role in Peeps' death. Valentina La Paz is hospitalized with severe burns after trying to make Tony food, and he goes to stay at the Plaza Hotel for the night. He learns of Garepe's death and tries to contact Blundetto, who ignores him. Tony falls asleep and begins to dream of the deceased people in his life. He has therapy with Gloria Trillo and is driven by his father to "the job." Tony and Carmela have dinner with Meadow, Finn, and Finn's parents, Vin Makazian and Annette Bening. Blundetto kills Phil outside the restaurant and Tony is blamed for not stopping him, and Artie rescues him from a mob chasing him. He has sex with Artie's wife while he cheers him on, and is then riding Pie-O-My through his house, Carmela allowing him to move back in on the condition of "you can't bring your horse in here!" He arrives in the office of his high school football coach, who criticizes Tony for taking the easy way out by choosing the mob life. As Tony tries to shoot him, his gun falls apart and he wakes up. Chris visits to inform him that Blundetto killed Billy. Tony calls Carmela and tells him he had "one of my Coach Molinaro dreams," and they talk about her day.
6412"Long Term Parking"Tim Van PattenTerence WinterMay 23, 2004 (2004-05-23)9.53[13]
The body of a drug dealer is traced to the Crazy Horse, and surveillance footage reveals to the FBI that Adriana helped move the body. She bargains for her freedom by convincing them that Chris can be made into an informant, but he nearly kills her when she admits the truth to him. He eventually agrees to start a new life with her, but hesitates when he notices an unhappy couple resembling them at a gas station. Tony calls Adriana to tell her that Chris attempted suicide and that Silvio will take her to the hospital, but Silvio instead takes her into the woods and kills her. Chris takes her car to the long-term parking lot of the Newark Airport and Tony later finds him on heroin. When Chris tells him he is trying to cope with the pain, Tony beats him. Blundetto calls Tony to apologize, who tells him the truth about the night he was arrested and has the call traced to near their uncle's farm. He refuses to give Blundetto up to Johnny and Phil. He moves back in with Carmela and promises to help her build a spec house. Carmela takes him to the spot where she plans to build and notices that he looks troubled, but he brushes her off.
6513"All Due Respect"John PattersonDavid Chase and Robin Green & Mitchell BurgessJune 6, 2004 (2004-06-06)10.98[14]
Phil begins hunting Chris, and Tony insists to his men that he is protecting Blundetto like he would any of them, but dissent begins to grow amongst them after Phil brutalizes soldier Benny Fazio. Tony goes to Junior for help, but he is too unfocused to give him advice. Both Melfi and Silvio warn him that he is protecting Blundetto out of guilt and pride, and he discovers the painting of him and Pie-O-My that Paulie had redone when he goes to visit him. Tony is perplexed and annoyed by it, but Paulie insists he had it made out of genuine respect. Tony rips it off the wall, but stares forlornly at his painted face after he throws it in a dumpster. Knowing Phil will torture Blundetto, Tony goes to their uncle's farm and kills him quickly before giving Phil his location. He visits Johnny's house to negotiate peace. Just as they reach an agreement, the FBI arrives to arrest Johnny, and Tony gets rid of his gun and flees into the woods. A disheveled Tony arrives home hours later, and Carmela ushers him inside.

Reception

Critical reviews

The show's fifth season has a 93% approval rating with an average score of 9.3/10 based on 14 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with the following critical consensus: "The penultimate season of The Sopranos hurtles toward the series' climax without sacrificing the compelling stories and vibrant characters that made it an acknowledged television classic."[15]

Awards and nominations

56th Primetime Emmy Awards

11th Screen Actors Guild Awards

62nd Golden Globe Awards

Writers Guild of America Awards

Directors Guild of America Awards

20th TCA Awards

References

  1. ^ "The Sopranos - The Complete 5th Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  2. ^ Vasquez, Diego (March 10, 2004). "ABC spike from King spooker 'Hospital'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on November 6, 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Vasquez, Diego (March 17, 2004). "Returning 'Crossing Jordan' delivers for NBC". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Vasquez, Diego (March 24, 2004). "Midseason report card: Mostly Ds & Fs". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Vasquez, Diego (March 31, 2004). "Growing pull of 'Two and a Half Men'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Nickelodeon Slimes Cable Ratings Competition". Zap2it. April 8, 2004. Archived from the original on April 9, 2004.
  7. ^ Vasquez, Diego (March 14, 2004). "Fox's 'Swan,' no ugly ducking". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  8. ^ Vasquez, Diego (March 28, 2004). "Rewarding homestretch for 'Friends'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  9. ^ "Hoops Help TNT Hold Cable Crown". Zap2it. April 29, 2004. Archived from the original on May 1, 2004.
  10. ^ Vasquez, Diego (May 5, 2004). "Earth moves, giving NBC sweeps push". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  11. ^ Vasquez, Diego (May 19, 2004). "Out the door, and quietly, for 'Practice'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "TNT Thinks NBA Action is Fantastic". Zap2it. May 20, 2004. Archived from the original on May 21, 2004.
  13. ^ Vasquez, Diego (May 26, 2004). "NBC takes 18-49s but CBS wins viewers". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  14. ^ Vasquez, Diego (June 16, 2004). "Great boost for ABC from NBA finals". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on October 13, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  15. ^ "The Sopranos: Season 5 (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 13, 2017.

External links

The Sopranos
Awards for The Sopranos (season 5)
Categories