Toodle-Fucking-Oo

"Toodle-Fucking-Oo"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed byLee Tamahori
Written byFrank Renzulli
Cinematography byPhil Abraham
Production code203
Original air dateJanuary 30, 2000 (2000-01-30)
Running time50 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Do Not Resuscitate"
Next →
"Commendatori"
The Sopranos season 2
List of episodes

"Toodle-Fucking-Oo" is the sixteenth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the third of the show's second season. It was written by Frank Renzulli, directed by Lee Tamahori, and originally aired on January 30, 2000.

Starring

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Guest starring

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Synopsis

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Dr. Melfi becomes tipsy while dining in a restaurant with some female friends. On the way out, she sees Tony at a table with his companions and awkwardly attempts small talk. Leaving, she waves and calls "Toodle-oo!" The men make crude comments about Melfi, and Tony pretends she is an old girlfriend. Melfi is mortified by her own behavior and acknowledges to her therapist, Dr. Elliot Kupferberg, that in order to evade her responsibility as a therapist she behaved like "a ditzy young girl."

Meadow throws a party for a few friends at Livia's house. However, the party spins out of control when a lot of uninvited people show up, leading to drug use and heavy drinking. The police arrive, and an officer who knows Tony contacts him. Tony finds Meadow drunk and drives her home, but he and Carmela do not know how to punish her. She prompts them to take away her credit card for three weeks, while still providing cash for gas. She walks away, smiling to herself.

At first, Janice defends Meadow, saying she is showing her independence, but when she sees the state of the house, she is furious. Tony and Carmela tell her to stop interfering with their parenting. Janice says she ought to leave the Soprano house, but she and Carmela reconcile and she is persuaded to continue to stay. Meadow overhears their argument and, when Tony goes to the house to have the locks changed, he finds her scrubbing the floor. He turns away, perplexed by this remorse.

Jackie Aprile's older brother Richie is released after ten years' imprisonment. He says he has mellowed out by taking up meditation and yoga, but he cannot accept that Tony, a younger man, is now the boss of the DiMeo crime family. Richie also resents that he does not have the same privileges he enjoyed before his imprisonment. When Tony says these things will come in time, Richie says, "What's mine is not yours to give me."

Richie demands payments from a former associate, "Beansie" Gaeta, now a pizzeria proprietor. When Beansie refuses, Richie viciously assaults him. Another night, he waits in a parking lot and threatens Beansie with a gun, but he manages to escape. Later, when Beansie returns to his car, Richie rams into him and then drives over him as he lies on the ground. In the hospital, Beansie is told he may never walk again. Tony asserts his authority over Richie and tells him there will be a problem if he does not show respect.

Between the two assaults on Beansie, Richie meets with Uncle Junior and pledges his loyalty to him. Richie happens to meet Janice at a yoga class and begins trying to revive the relationship they had years previously.

First appearances

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Title reference

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  • "Toodle-oo" is an informal form of "good-bye". An annoyed Melfi adds her own twist on the saying while mulling over her run-in with Tony.

Production

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  • David Proval (Richie Aprile) is now billed in the opening credits.
  • Proval originally auditioned to play the role of Tony Soprano. He was turned down because creator David Chase felt he looked "too right" for the part.

Connections to future episodes

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  • When meeting with Tony at the mall, Richie reminds Tony that he helped Tony and Richie's brother Jackie get a "pass" after robbing a card game of DiMeo capo "Feech" La Manna. This is the first reference to a story retold with more detail in later seasons.

Music

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Filming locations

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Listed in order of first appearance:[1]

References

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  1. ^ Ugoku. "The Sopranos location guide - Filming locations for". www.sopranos-locations.com. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
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