Finally, HBO gave us a decent episode. It wasn’t one of their best but, it was so much better than the past three or four that it seems to stand out.

AJ starts out the episode doing his dark and brooding routine. Until this episode, I haven’t been very impressed by this story line. Neither his meds nor his psychiatrist are helping. When the rest of the Sopranos leave him home alone, AJ decide to tie a cinder block to his ankle and throw himself off of the diving board into the pool. Even more than Christopher’s death last week, this one made me actually sit up in surprise. Once he is underwater AJ realizes that this isn’t such a good plan and begins fighting for his life. Fortunately for him the rope is long enough that he can get some air. Tony arrives home and hears AJ calling for help as he clings to the diving board by his finger tips. Tony dives in and rescues his beleaguered son. AJ get carted off to the psych ward.

Carmela blames Tony and tells him she thinks his depression is a load of you know what and that is what AJ is feeding into. Tony makes several visits to the good Dr. Melfi’s office to discuss this with her. She tells him depression is real, he should know. She also suggests that AJ suicide attempt was a cry for help. She even suggests that AJ purposefully left the rope too long. Tony’s comeback is fantastic, “Or he could just be a f#@&!^g idiot, historically thats been the case.” In the home, Carmela and Tony go to Therapy with AJ at which point AJ reveals that it was Tony’s mother who really messed up his head. The episode ends with an obviously depressed Tony shuffling into the psych ward, put his arm around AJ, as the two of them walk slowly together into the hospital ward. That was fantastic imagery.

The other major story line was the worsening of relations with the New York family. Phil is still playing hardball and won’t compromise regarding the 25% he is demanding from Tony to allow him to dump the asbestos. One of Phil’s guys, Coco, starts giving Meadow a hard time on a date in NYC. He made some lets call them very inappropriate remarks. Tony stops by Coco’s restaurant, pistol whips him, threatens blowing the head off of the guy Coco is with, and finishes his visit by knocking out Coco’s teeth. Now that’s the Tony Soprano we all know and love. Carmine comes to visit Tony and tells him he is on the brink with Phil. Tony admits he lost it and maybe went a little too far but, it was his daughter. Carmine convinces Tony to go visit Phil with him to ask forgiveness. Phil tells him to get lost.

Its obviously only a matter of time until the New Jersey and New York families have it out. The problem is there are only two episodes left! Even if they go to war, can they really finish it in two episodes and do the story justice? I’ve heard rumors that they were looking to setup a Sopranos movie. I’ll be really disappointed if they don’t close out the show in the next two episodes. If they leave it hanging for a movie I will be very unhappy with HBO.

Oh and as usual HBO likes to drag these things out as long as possible. So there will not be a new episode next week. We will have to wait two weeks before we get to see The Beginning of the End. And three weeks before I cancel HBO.

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