The Fleshy Part of the Thigh 4613049 224348331 2008-07-08T13:30:32Z Abu-Dun 358027 {{Infobox Television episode | Title = The Fleshy Part of the Thigh | Series = [[The Sopranos]] | Season = 6 | Episode = 69 | Guests= ''see below''| | Airdate = [[April 2]], [[2006]] ([[HBO]]) | Production = 604 | Writer = [[Diane Frolov]] and [[Andrew Schneider]] | Director = [[Alan Taylor (director)|Alan Taylor]] | Episode list = [[List of The Sopranos episodes|Episode chronology]] | Image = <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Ep69 02.jpg|300px]] --> | Prev = [[Mayham (The Sopranos episode)|Mayham]] | Next = [[Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request...]] }} "'''The Fleshy Part of the Thigh'''" is the sixty-ninth episode of the [[HBO]] original series, ''[[The Sopranos]]'' and the fourth of the show's sixth season. The episode was written by [[Diane Frolov]] and [[Andrew Schneider]], directed by [[Alan Taylor (director)|Alan Taylor]] and originally aired on [[April 2]], [[2006]]. ==Guest starring== * [[Jerry Adler]] as [[Hesh Rabkin]] * [[Max Casella]] as [[Benny Fazio]] * Carl Capotorto as [[Little Paulie Germani]] * John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia as [[List of characters from The Sopranos in the Lupertazzi crime family#Albert "Albie" Cianfalone|Albie Cianflone]] * [[Chris Diamantopoulos]] as Jason Barone * Frances Ensemplare as [[List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Marianucci Gualtieri|Nucci Gualtieri]] * [[Hal Holbrook]] as John Schwinn * [[Lord Jamar]] as Da Lux * Will Janowitz as [[List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Finn DeTrolio|Finn DeTrolio]] * Turk Pipkin as [[List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Aaron Arkaway|Aaron Arkaway]] * [[Treach|Anthony "Treach" Criss]] as Marvin * [[muMs da Schemer]] as Mop * [[Paul Schulze]] as [[List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Father Phil Intintola|Father Phil Intintola]] ==Episode recap== [[Tony Soprano]] has surgery to close the opening in his abdomen. With his condition improved, the insurance company representative wants to send Tony home as soon as possible. Before leaving, Tony interacts with two patients on his floor, John Schwinn, a former [[Bell Labs]] scientist, and Da Lux, a rapper. Da Lux expresses admiration for Tony, referring to him as an "Original G" (meaning "gangster"). Like Tony, he is hospitalized for gunshot wounds, injuries that many of his followers and colleagues believe will help his career by providing him "[[street cred]]". [[Bobby Baccalieri]] proposes an idea to Marvin, one of the other rappers visiting the hospital: Bobby will help jump start Marvin's career by shooting him in the "fleshy part" of the [[thigh]]. Marvin agrees, but later when the rapper doesn't come up with the entire fee for the "hit" Bobby instead shoots Marvin in the [[buttocks]]. [[Paulie Walnuts]] visits his dying Aunt Dottie and she informs him that she is actually his mother. Because she was a nun and did not want to ruin her career and shame her family, she had her sister raise Paulie as if he were her son. Devastated with the news, Paulie struggles to remain focused at work and questions his own identity. He confronts [[List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Marianucci Gualtieri|Nucci]], the woman who raised him, and tells her he will no longer support her financially, and furthermore wants nothing more to do with her. While watching a prize fight on satellite TV with Tony and Da Lux in Da Lux's hospital room, and when Paulie moans about how alone we all are, Schwinn discusses the interconnectivity of all life, telling them how no event or entity can be understood independent from the rest of the world (referencing the work of [[Erwin Schrödinger]]). Schwinn has ideas that are at odds with the beliefs of an [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] Christian minister who visits Tony. Da Lux agrees with Schwinn: "everything is everything, I'm down with that." Later, Tony confides to Schwinn he's starting to believe we're all part of something bigger. Following [[List of characters from The Sopranos in the Soprano crime family#Dick Barone|Dick Barone's]] death, his son Jason takes over ownership of Barone Sanitation (for which Tony is a paid consultant), and tries to sell the company without first getting approval from Tony. After Tony, Paulie and [[Patsy Parisi]] make it clear that it will not be in his best interests to proceed with the sale, Jason discovers he is too far along in the process to back out. The company trying to buy Barone's routes is associated with [[Johnny Sack]]. After a violent encounter between two garbage crews trying to work the same route, and after some negotiation, Tony agrees to terms with Sack (with [[Phil Leotardo]] working as intermediary) and allows the sale to go through. "Truth be told, there's enough garbage for everybody," Tony tells Phil. Tony also acquiesces to Jason's mother, who begs Tony to make sure no harm comes to her son. The pleading of a mother for her son drives Paulie to leave the hospital room in tears. As Tony is leaving the hospital, he again avoids confrontation by allowing an [[Emergency medical technician|EMT]] worker to keep money Tony originally claimed was taken from his wallet the night his [[Junior Soprano|uncle]] shot him. Upon his release from the hospital, and after a few moments of observing the bustle of life outside while in a wheelchair, Tony observes, "from now on, every day is a gift." At the docks, Paulie viciously beats Jason, warning him not to say a word to Tony as he brandishes his gun. Paulie demands from Jason a monthly cut equal to the cost of [[List of characters from The Sopranos - Friends and Family#Marianucci Gualtieri|Nucci's]] retirement home expenses. ==First appearances== * '''[[List of characters from The Sopranos in the Lupertazzi crime family#Albert_.22Albie.22_Cianfalone|Albie Cianflone]]''': [[Phil Leotardo]]'s consigliere. ==Deceased== * '''Aunt Dottie''': Paulie's biological mother who dies of [[natural causes]]. ==Title reference== * When discussing ways to increase a rapper's popularity, Bobby proposes delivering to him a relatively benign gunshot wound to "the fleshy part of the thigh". Further, when Paulie approaches Aunt Dottie from the foot of her death-bed, he attempts to cover her with a blanket, which she immediately pulls back away. Paulie is apparently disturbed by the view of her uncovered lower limbs. ==Music== *The song playing during the end credits is "[[One of These Days]]" by [[Pink Floyd]]. *The song that plays during the scene where Paulie Walnuts confronts Jason Barone is "[[The Three Bells]]" by "[[The Browns]]" *The song that Tony plays on the stereo under his meeting with Phil is "[[Foreplay/Long Time]]" by [[Boston (band)|Boston]]. *During the scene in the hospital as Tony and Paulie watch the fight, Schwinn makes a comment of everything being related to which DeLux responds "Everything is everything, I can dig that". The actor playing Delux is [[Lord Jamar]] from the rap outfit [[Brand Nubian]]. Brand Nubian's third album is titled "[[Everything Is Everything (Brand Nubian album)|Everything Is Everything]]" {{The Sopranos}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleshy Part of the Thigh, The}} [[Category:The Sopranos episodes]]