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College (The Sopranos)

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Episode no.
  
Season 1 Episode 5

Cinematography by
  
Alik Sakharov

Directed by
  
Allen Coulter

Production code
  
105

Written by
  
James Manos Jr. David Chase

Original air date
  
February 7, 1999 (1999-02-07)

"College" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, which originally aired on February 7, 1999. It was written by co-producer James Manos Jr. and series creator/executive producer David Chase and directed by Allen Coulter.

Contents

The episode was rated as the best of the series by TIME magazine, and was ranked #2 on TV Guide's list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".

Cast

  • James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
  • Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi
  • Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano
  • Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
  • Dominic Chianese as Corrado Soprano, Jr. *
  • Vincent Pastore as Pussy Bonpensiero *
  • Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante *
  • Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri *
  • Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr.
  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano
  • and Nancy Marchand as Livia Soprano *

    • * = credit only

    Guest cast

  • Paul Schulze as Father Phil
  • Tony Ray Rossi as Fabian "Febby" Petrulio, aka Fred Peters
  • Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin
  • Lisa Arning as Peter's Wife
  • Ross Gibby as Bartender
  • Mark Kamine as Admissions Dean
  • Michael Manetta as Gas Station Attendant
  • Keith Nobbs as Bowdoin Student
  • Luke Reilly as Lon Le Doyene
  • Sarah Thompson as Lucinda
  • Olivia Brynn Zaro as Peters' Daughter

    • Plot

    Tony takes Meadow on a trip to Maine to visit three colleges she is considering. The pair first visit Bates College, and Meadow makes a joke about the school's well-known non-sexual atmosphere. On the drive from Bates to Colby College, Tony is taken aback when his daughter asks if he is "in the Mafia", and his instinctive reaction is to deny everything. When Meadow proves skeptical, he relents and admits that a portion of his income is from illegal gambling and other activities. Meadow admits to taking speed to study for SATs, but after Tony reacts angrily, will not state her source of the drugs. Both seem relieved by this mutual honesty on difficult topics.

    Later, Tony spots a familiar face from afar at a gas station: Fabian Petrulio, a former member of the DiMeo crime family who turned FBI informant and was relocated under the Witness Protection Program. Despite Meadow's obvious alarm and suspicions at his agitated reaction (chasing a car through oncoming traffic), Tony resolves to locate the man, confirm his identity, and personally execute him, all while continuing his trip with Meadow. Tony leaves his daughter at a college bar while he tracks down Petrulio, now known as "Fred Peters." He confirms Petrulio's identity when he sees a bust of Ronald Reagan in Petrulio's office, similar to those Petrulio had created while in prison. Tony fails to realize that his snooping has not gone unnoticed. Carrying a handgun, Petrulio tracks Tony and his daughter back to the roadside motel where they are staying. However, the presence of two elderly bystanders prevents Petrulio from taking a shot at an unsuspecting Tony.

    The next morning, Tony drops off Meadow for an interview at Colby College, and leaves to ambush Petrulio at his workplace. Tony strangles him with a length of wire as Petrulio pleads for his life. During his drive from Colby to Bowdoin College, Tony is met with more skepticism from his daughter, and after arriving at Bowdoin, is struck by a Nathaniel Hawthorne quote on display in the admissions office: "No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one may be true."

    Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, Carmela has been at home recovering from a case of the flu, and is paid a surprise visit by Father Phil while A.J. is at a friend's sleepover. Father Phil and Carmela relax with baked ziti, wine, and the film The Remains of the Day. Carmela's emotions are spurred when Dr. Melfi phones to reschedule Tony's appointment, revealing to Carmela that her husband's psychiatrist is female. Carmela pours her heart out to Father Phil about her marriage and her fears for her children and her soul, and then takes communion with him. Carmela is nearly driven to kiss the priest romantically, but the moment is lost when his stomach revolts, presumably against his alcohol consumption. The Father sleeps it off on the sofa until morning. Tony and Meadow return the same day, but Tony's inquiry as to what Carmela was doing spending her evening alone with another man is turned around when she mentions her conversation with Dr. Melfi, putting Tony on the defensive.

    Deceased

    Fabian "Febby" Petrulio: garroted by Tony Soprano for being an FBI informant while on Tony's college trip with his daughter Meadow.

    Production

  • Series creator David Chase has stated that when HBO first read the script, they objected to Tony's murder of Febby. Executives said that Chase had done so well in building Tony up as a sympathetic character that they believed if Tony committed such a cold-blooded killing, fans would turn on him and the show would lose its protagonist. Chase said that he believed fans would turn on Tony if the character didn't commit murder, because the omission would make him appear weak. Eventually, Chase won the decision and the episode has become a fan favorite.
  • Chase named this as his favorite episode because of its self-contained nature. James Gandolfini and Jamie-Lynn Sigler similarly cite this installment.
  • Gas station and car chase scenes were in Rockland County; 9W Palisades, Pearl River and Orangeburg locations. Restaurant scene was filmed in 'The Old 76 House' in Tappan, NY.
  • The college locations and the Maine scenes in "College" were actually filmed in rural New Jersey. The college exteriors are located at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
  • This is the first episode where Father Phil is played by Paul Schulze. He was originally portrayed by Michael Santoro in the pilot.

    • Music

  • The song played when Christopher plays pool in the backroom of the Bada Bing when Tony calls him the first time is "Eye on You" by Rocket from the Crypt.
  • The song played when Tony and Meadow have dinner and discuss how Tony came to be involved in the mob and during the end credits is "Gold Leaves" by Michael HoppĂ©.
  • The song played when Tony leaves Meadow with two girls from Colby College is "Maine Two-Step" by The Basin Brothers.
  • The song playing in the bar when Fabian enters to ask whether anyone has been asking about him is "Cadence to Arms", a version of "Scotland the Brave" by the Dropkick Murphys.

    • Awards

    James Manos Jr. and David Chase won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for their work on this episode. Edie Falco received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination and win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Carmela in this episode.

    References

    College (The Sopranos) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA