Episode no. Season 1
Episode 9 Cinematography by Phil Abraham Original air date March 7, 1999 | Directed by Andy Wolk Production code 109 | |
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Written by Jason Cahill
Robin Green
Mitchell Burgess | ||
"Boca" is the ninth episode of the HBO television series The Sopranos. It was written by Jason Cahill, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, directed by Andy Wolk and originally aired on March 7, 1999.
Contents
Starring
* = credit only
Guest starring
Episode recap
Meadow's soccer coach, Don Hauser, has become well liked by the fathers of the girls on his team including Tony Soprano, Artie Bucco and Silvio Dante, because of the success he produces on the playing field. The three fathers invite Hauser to the Bada Bing for drinks after a win. Soon, however, a newspaper reports that Hauser is leaving for a college coaching job at the University of Rhode Island, and the mob fathers begin trying to convince him to stay. Paulie Gualtieri delivers a 50-inch television to the coach's house and insists he take it. Christopher Moltisanti returns the coach's "missing dog" after apparently stealing it himself.
There is also unrest among the girls on the team. It's revealed that the coach has an ongoing sexual relationship with one of his players, Ally Vandermeed, who is a close friend of Meadow's and the star of the team. Shortly after the announcement that the coach is moving on, Ally tries to kill herself by slitting her wrists while her teammates are hanging out in a park. When Tony and Carmela learn of the suicide attempt, Meadow informs them about the inappropriate relationship between coach and player. Meadow tells her mother that Ally is in love with the coach, but that he won't leave his wife.
Meanwhile, Junior Soprano visits Boca Raton for a weekend with Bobbi, his girlfriend of 16 years who works in the office of a union he controls. We learn that Bobbi values Junior's skill at performing cunnilingus, but that Junior does not like her to discuss this as he feels it would damage his masculine reputation in the DiMeo crime family. He asks that she not speak about this part of their relationship with anyone. Bobbi has made the mistake of discussing her sex life at a hair and nail parlor, but then tells her hairdresser that they should be quiet on the topic from now on. Her friend, however, has already gossiped about Junior's particular talent to others. These remarks are heard by a contact of Carmela Soprano and the story gets back to Tony. When Junior pokes fun at Tony during a golf game, Tony retaliates with veiled jokes about cunnilingus, aimed at Junior. For his part, Junior responds with a reference to Tony's therapy. Later, an angry Junior storms into Bobbi's office. He is so furious that Bobbi pleads with him not to hit her. Instead, he smashes a lemon meringue pie in her face and then walks out, informing a tearful Bobbi that their relationship is over and she is fired.
After Tony learns of the soccer coach's affair with his student, he contemplates murdering him in retaliation. After a visit with Dr. Melfi, who asks him why he would assume the burden of righting wrongs in society, and after hearing Artie's plea for legal justice, Tony calls off the hit and the coach is arrested by the police. After this, Tony arrives home after a night of drinking on Xanax and confesses to Carmela (as well as to an eavesdropping Meadow) "I didn't hurt nobody." Carmela then looks up at the balcony, seeing Meadow.