The Sopranos. S3/E12: “Amour Fou″ (Timothy Van Patten, 2001) CRCX - Harsimus Branch Lift Bridge Kearny, New Jersey - Jersey City, New Jersey (USA) Bridge over the Hackensack river Type: vertical lift bridge. & PATH - Hackensack River Bridge Kearny, New Jersey - Jersey City, New Jersey (USA) Bridge over the Hackensack river Type: vertical lift bridge.

i feel like there's so much to dig into with what melfi says to tony here, that he's too selfish to divorce carmela, but i can't put it into words right now. definitely one of the show's iconic therapy scenes i think

Je n'ai pas vu cet amour fou venir

Emily St. James' Sopranos Reviews for the AV Club

Season One The Sopranos 46 Long & Anger, Denial, Acceptance Meadowlands & College Pax Soprana & Down Neck The Legend of Tennesse Moltisanti & Boca A Hit is a Hit & Nobody Knows Anything Isabella & I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano

Season Two Guy Walks Into a Psychiatrist's Office... & Do Not Resuscitate Toodle-Fucking-Oo & Commendatori Big Girls Don't Cry & The Happy Wanderer D-Girl & Full Leather Jacket From Where to Eternity & Bust Out House Arrest & The Knight in White Satin Armour Funhouse

Continues under the cut :)

Season Three Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood Proshai, Livushka Fortunate Son Employee of the Month Another Toothpick University Second Opinion He is Risen The Telltale Moozadell ... To Save Us All From Satan's Power... Pine Barrens Amour Fou The Army of One Season Four For All Debts Public and Private No Show Christopher The Weight Pie-O-My Everybody Hurts Watching Too Much Television Mergers and Acquisitions Whoever Did This The Strong, Silent Type Calling All Cars Eloise Whitecaps

Season Five Two Tonys Rat Pack Where's Johnny? All Happy Families... Irregular Around the Margins Sentimental Education In Camelot Marco Polo Unidentified Black Males Cold Cuts The Test Dream Long Term Parking All Due Respect

Season Six Members Only Join the Club Mayham The Fleshy Part of the Thigh Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request... Live Free or Die Luxury Lounge Johnny Cakes The Ride Moe n' Joe Cold Stones Kaisha

Season Six Pt. 2 / Season Seven Soprano Home Movies Stage 5 Remember When Chasing It Walk Like a Man Kennedy and Heidi The Second Coming The Blue Comet Made in America

Incomplete list of minor Sopranos characters I want to know more about:

Birgit Olafsdottir, the tennis instructor who was blatantly hitting on Adriana

Janine Cammarata, Carmela’s cousin’s wife who, upon meeting a dental hygienist (Jessica, the woman Carmela set Furio up with), immediately started talking about how she finds going to the dentist erotic

The “fuck you, Santa” child

Saskia Kupferberg

Alexandra Lupertazzi

Dale, the manager of Totally Not Starbucks who was unfazed by Patsy and Burt trying to shake him down

Ambujam, Meadow’s friend who came with her to catch Jackie Jr. cheating

Will Arnett’s character, Agent Ciccerone’s husband who definitely has a name but I don’t remember what it is and I don’t really care because he’s just Will Arnett to me

Michael K. Williams’ character whose name I also don’t remember

The woman who’s with Mahaffey in the pilot when Tony and Christopher attack him, then later in the episode she’s in bed with Christopher (I didn’t realize it was the same woman until I listened to Talking Sopranos; apparently there was a scene of her flirting with Christopher that got cut)

Father Obosi, the priest Carmela talks to in “Amour Fou”

Dr. Sam Reis, the family therapist who, when Melfi and her ex-husband are arguing about whether she should treat "Patient X," chimes in to boast about having a distant connection to Murder Incorporated

Richie Aprile’s possibly gay, definitely ballroom-dancing son

"Bethlehem des Now Jazz"

w71: Trevor Watts / John Edwards / Tollef Østvang

Rigobert Dittmann / bad alchemy

Teil 2

Gestärkt mit Elsbeths Schockoladenkuchen – John und Trevor – und dem von Felix empfohlenen Weihnachtsbier – ich – geht's um Halbsieben los, und Østvang entpuppt sich als Drummer der perkussiven Sorte, der hingebungsvoll mit Klangfarben spielt, mit Metallschalen, Muscheln, Glöckchen, Ketten, Rasseln, Flexaton, Beats schlägt er gerade mal mit Besen, von denen er auch ein Paar rote federt. Links vor ihm, aus meiner Sicht im gut gefüllten Club, agiert Edwards, und wie! Wie er da, mit dem Temperament von Joe Fonda und der Groovepower von Håker Flaten, die Saiten rupft, knurpst, patscht, wetzt, schnalzen lässt, mit Bögen sägt, harkt, knurrt, flageolettisiert, wie er sie plonken, murren und pfeifen lässt, wie er sich summend und mit sichtbarer Begeisterung reinkniet in seine Amour Fou, das ist, wie er hinterher sagt, dennoch das Gegenteil von Arbeit. Auch wenn es Schweiß kostet, ist es die pure Lust, dem Instrument alles zu entlocken, was in und an ihm steckt. Und einiges, das nur er entdeckt hat! Rechts wechselt Watts souverän und ohne Schweißperlen zwischen Alto und Soprano, feuriger als man es bei britischem Plinkplonk erwartet, mit selbstverständlichstem Spaß an Kakophonie und spitzestem Altissimo und zugleich erfreulichster Vogeligkeit. So wechseln in einem langen Set mit nur einer Beifallspause turbulente Verdichtungen mit nuancenreichem Klingklang, grooviger, von Edwards angestoßener Drive – daher meine Assoziation zum Bass bei The Thing – und Krach as Krach can mit detailverliebtem Gepfriemel und das gleich wieder mit sanglichem Tirili. Die heftig erklatschte Zugabe in ihrem nochmal gewagtem Auf und Ab gelingt ihnen so gefühlvoll und innig, dass ich sie in mir dem Andenken an Brötzmann und Mars Williams widmen kann. Edwards bringt sogar so was wie das 'A Love Supreme'-Motiv, Østvang lässt die Filzbeats rollen und Watts beschert raukehlige Melodik, die, wie er, noch aus den 1930ern herrühren könnte. Das letzte i-Tüpfelchen zu setzen, ist dann auch beim dritten Mal ein Kunststück für sich. Auch danach zeigt sich der 84-jährige nochmal als entspannter und redseliger Zeitgenosse, der gut lachen hat, wenn Edwards erzählt, wie der Zahn der Zeit Schlippenbach den Rücken krümmt, dass Paul Lovens keine Hand mehr rühren kann und andere das Schicksal des in Alkohol eingelegten und schon mit 67 abgegangenen Paul Rutherford teilen. Denn nach einem kleinen Hitech-Eingriff am Herzen ist er so fit wie's nur geht. Die Seeluft in Hastings, wo er seit über 40 Jahren lebt, und der 'Jazz'n'Roll' mit Edwards & Østvang, mit Veryan Weston, Liam Genockey oder Jamie Harris halten ihn jung. Und unsere Heimfahrt über Nassau und die B19 ist erfüllt vom einhelligen Eindruck, dass uns ein erstaunliches und fesselndes Konzert vergönnt war. [Rigobert Dittmann, bad alchemy 122]

Can we say that there are certain kinds of people who are drawn to fire? Looking for an inevitable result like a moth to a flame?

The Sopranos, from ‘Amour Fou’

You know what, Tony, the woman is a fucking psycho, yes, but you brought this on yourself thinking only with your dick so fuck you Also Melfi isn't jealous, dickhead, she was trying to warn you without actually discussing her other patient (I mean, she's a little jealous, but that doesn't negate everything else)

The Sopranos, "Amour Fou” / Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

also today on Jim and directors created Tony soprano the action line in amour fou when he stops choking gloria is something like, gloria's words get through to Tony and he suddenly stops. and gandolfini DOESNT play it like that? like there's an implication of fear/humanity in that line that was not played at all. I dont know whats played instead but it isnt fear of himself or anyone

since we're at the end of the season and i feel like it's so significant this episode, the major relationship of this season is father and daughter. season 1 gave us jun and livia as a way of exploring tony's relationship with his parents, season 2 gave us richie and janice as a way of exploring tony's relationship with his siblings, and season 3 gives us jackie jr. and meadow. it seems like the main antagonist of the season is richie, but it's actually jackie, and richie's prominence, on reflection, is just an extension of jackie's focus.

(this season is described as "tony as a father", but i feel like this season doesn't focus much on AJ and i think it really specifically is how tony feels about meadow. in many ways aj is a reflection of tony himself, but i think meadow makes tony think more about how he feels about women in general.)

i think this episode really highlights that, even though meadow doesn't get a lot of screentime this episode. after a whole season of meadow and jackie, we get dual storylines about tony's relationship with gloria and his relationship with carmela. tony is drawn to an extremely toxic person in gloria, while carmela is drawn to an extremely toxic person in tony. Meadow initially isn't, she's drawn to Noah, an option that neither of her parents would ever pick and one they ultimately push her away from.

now at dinner carmela is shocked at how meadow has gotten over jackie so quickly (and, while not commented on, she actually got over noah pretty quickly as well.) season 1 shows how tony's foundational relationship is ruining his life and how he's perpetuating toxic beahviours he learned from his mother and father.

season 2 draws a lot of parallels between tony and janice; they have the same upbringing and are drawn to manipulation and violence in the same way, but janice and tony refuse to see how similar they are to each other.

now, in season 3, we see meadow struggling with the same lessons, continuing toxic behaviour set out by her parents. she gravitates towards a violent man like her mother did, and she ignores the plight of her roommate the way that carmela and tony become involved in their own issues and refuse to think about how they impact the world around them. but in the end, unlike tony, meadow is able to escape the cycle. she goes to university. she breaks up with jackie. and she doesn't become consumed with the breakup the way tony fixates on gloria.

(one last thought, i think each season is marked by a large event in the life of the focus character. for season 1, it's livia going to a retirement home. for season 2, it's janice returning home after being gone for years and almost going no contact with her family. for season 3, it's meadow going to university and living on her own.)

The Sopranos’ Best End Credit Songs

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There are so many legendary aspects of The Sopranos that it’s hard to pick just one. Between masterful storytelling, deep character development, and uncanny acting, everything comes together to create a show that has been enjoyed for over two decades now. The most artistic aspect of the package, however, may just be the use of music, specifically the unique songs curated personally by creator David Chase that run during each episode’s end credits. 

Ranging from oldies, foreign ballads, jazz compositions, and pure instrumentals, the variety is stunning and can keep you exploring the track list of the series for days. We’ve decided to narrow all of the end credit songs down to the best 15 in the series, listed in chronological order of airing. Enjoy! 

Season 1 Episode 4: Meadowlands 

“Look on Down from the Bridge” by Mazzy Star

The nice father-son moment between Tony and A.J. at the closing of this episode is accompanied by this beautiful track from Mazzy Star. A.J. sees his dad in a whole new light after Meadow tells him that he’s in the mafia, but a simple smile and wink from Tony reassures the youngest Soprano child that he certainly will still “look on down from the bridge” and see his family as the only priority in his life, no matter what criminal occupation he tries to hide on a daily basis. 

Season 1 Episode 7: Down Neck 

“White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane

This one follows the pattern of the show choosing to play a song earlier in an episode and then again during the final scene and credits. The Jefferson Airplane hit refers to drug use and being intoxicated, therefore changing as a person in the process. The song plays when Tony is taking prozac mid-episode and during the final scene in which Tony and A.J share an ice cream sundae and some whip cream together. No matter how much the therapy and the meds try to alter Tony’s life, he’ll remain the same man: a depressed mobster and a father who softens for his children. 

Season 2 Episode 10: Bust Out 

“Wheel in the Sky” by Journey

If you haven’t noticed by the time you’re done watching the show, The Sopranos loves to point out how trapped all of the characters are in the lifestyles they have either chosen or been forced into. Tony has betrayal surrounding him at every corner at the end of the second season: Richie and Janice plotting his removal, Carmela falling for a painter who is working in the family home, and Pussy’s FBI informancy reaching a climax. Still, the “wheel in the sky keeps on turning”. Tony finishes the episode having some fun with A.J. on the Stugotz, and he doesn’t “know where he’ll be tomorrow” but he’ll enjoy the time he has in the present. 

Season 2 Episode 12: The Knight in White Satin Armor 

“I Saved the World Today” by the Eurythmics

Tony returns home after disposing of Richie Aprile’s body because Janice shot him to death over a domestic dispute. After informing Carmela of the night’s bloody events, she quickly moves on to the list of chores and homemaker responsibilities she is going to lay at Tony’s feet for the next week while she goes on vacation with Ro Aprile. This apt song from the Eurythmics exemplifies everything Tony has to be in the lives of friends and family around him: always there to save the world for them.

Season 3 Episode 4: Employee of the Month 

“Fisherman’s Daughter” by Daniel Lanois

This Dr. Melfi-centric episode is one of the most deservedly acclaimed hours in the drama’s history. When the final scene gives her a chance to let Tony loose on the monster who assaulted her, she powerfully takes the moral route and declines his services. The camera pans to black solemnly with this haunting instrumental track by Daniel Lanois, a perfect backdrop to allow the audience to ponder everything that just happened and why Melfi was able to maintain strength that so many others wouldn’t have mustered. Anything with singing would have detracted from the environment the writers were trying to create, so this is a great song choice. 

Season 3 Episode 12: Amour Fou 

“Affection” by Little Steven and the Lost Boys

The penultimate episode of the third season features the climax of the relationship between Tony and Gloria, in which the crazy affection that they have for one another boils over into violence. Yet another of the brilliant musical choices this show made was to use the same song twice: once earlier in an episode, and then again in the final scene and credits. This tune, sung by Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) himself, plays with Tony and Gloria spending time together mid-episode and then again at the end credits. 

Season 4 Episode 4: The Weight 

“Vesuvio” by Spaccanapoli

Another example of double dipping on the same song in one episode. The above scene between Carmela and Furio dancing and falling in love right underneath Tony’s nose uses this romantic Italian track by Spaccanapoli, and then uses it again in the final seconds when Carmela is daydreaming about Furio while having sex with Tony. So sensual and heavy, the audience knows that Carmela is going down a path she can’t see through to the end, but the music signifies the passion that she will inevitably entangle herself in for the time being. 

Season 4 Episode 7: Watching Too Much Television 

“Oh Girl” by The Chi-Lites

When an assemblyman starts an affair with Tony’s ex-lover, Irina, there is quite a bit of jealousy and ownership that exudes from the mob boss. This classic from the Chi-Lites plays in the car on the way over to the assemblyman’s house as Tony drives over to confront him about “taking” his mistress from him. It is a song which causes deep reflection and nostalgia for a lost love, and prompts Tony to get emotional listening to it. Wonderful acting by Gandolfini and superb use of in-world music that plays over to the credits, something the show got down to an art and a science simultaneously. 

Season 5 Episode 10: Cold Cuts 

“I’m Not Like Everybody Else” by The Kinks

No, Tony Soprano is certainly not like anybody else. He insists that Janice see anger management counselors at the beginning of this episode, and when she actually improves her mood because of it, his narcissism makes him antagonize her until a typical Soprano family fight breaks out at dinner. Tony walks out of the house with a despicable smile on his face to the tune of this intense rock anthem.

Season 5 Episode 11: The Test Dream 

“Three Times a Lady” by The Commodores

In an episode in which Tony spends 20 minutes literally dreaming about past and future problems in his life, culminating in the murder of Billy Leotardo by Anthony Blundetto, The Commodores soft romance hit plays us out. Tony calls Carmela to report about said dreams, part of which were repeat ones that have happened previously in Tony’s life. It’s nice for the audience to see these two having a tender exchange rather than the tense arguing that normally characterizes their marriage, especially because this was when the two were still separated previously throughout the fifth season. 

Season 6 Episode 4: The Fleshy Part of the Thigh 

“One of These Days” by Pink Floyd

Paulie Walnuts is a fan favorite for a myriad of reasons. Between his gray-haired wings and his immature one-liners, many forget that the mobster had one of the scarier violent streaks in the show. After discovering that his mother was actually his aunt, Paulie gets jealous of Jason Barone’s mother trying to protect him from the mafia after selling the sanitation business that serves as a front for the DiMeo crime family. This psychedelic, hard-rock snippet from Pink Floyd that blares in the credits after Paulie threatens Jason’s life at the end of episode is a strong reminder to the viewer that this is a character who borders on sociopathic most of the time. 

Season 6 Episode 12: Kaisha 

“Moonlight Mile” by The Rolling Stones

Unlike other iconic dramas, The Sopranos loved ending their season finales (and “Kaisha” is technically a season finale with season 6 split into two parts) with relative closure and absolutely no cliffhangers. The family has an enormous Christmas gathering at the Soprano residence, marked by A.J. bringing over an older girlfriend and Meadow’s rare absence from family time. This classic from The Rolling Stones that describes the feeling of trying to get back home off the road fits lovingly with the rare moment of calm before the storm that is the final season of the show.  

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Season 6 Episode 14: Stage 5 

“Evidently Chickentown” by John Cooper Clarke

This closing piece by John Cooper Clarke is actually considered a poetry performance, and the anger and fury that it inspires as Phil Leotardo laments being taken advantage of a few too many times is palpable. This is when we knew that war in New York was going to be bloody. The song also symbolizes the perpetual frustration both Christopher and Tony have with one another when they hug at the former’s baby’s baptism. The final season was certainly kicked up a couple notches as these final credits rolled. 

Season 6 Episode 17: Walk Like a Man 

“The Valley” by Los Lobos

This somber piece plays alongside Christopher picking up a tiny tree in his front yard after Paulie had attempted to destroy everything on his property as revenge for a violent incident. After Christopher thinks they’ve made up, Paulie and the gang start making fun of his infant daughter and laughing in his face. It is at this point that Chris understands he is forever an outsider, not loved by a single person on the planet. He will just trudge along and try to keep upright, which are themes displayed in this chilling and melancholy song of choice. 

Season 6 Episode 21: Made in America 

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey

The most famous song in the show is also the final one that plays right before the screen goes to black and Tony Soprano’s fate is left up to our own imagination (kind of). It’s technically not an end credits song, but there’s no way it can be excluded from this list. The song represents the nostalgia of sharing one final family meal together, the simplicities of the Soprano family when you strip away the mobster lifestyle and the murder, and it encourages the audience to never stop believing their favorite mob boss is still alive if that’s what they so choose to desire. A special ending to a legendary show!

The post The Sopranos’ Best End Credit Songs appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Top Ten Episodes of The Sopranos: #5. “Amour Fou” (Season 3, Episode 12)

The penultimate episode of the 3rd season, “Amour Fou’ stands as one of the most exciting episodes of the series. It is here where the roadmap of how to end a season of The Sopranos solidified itself within the show’s functionality.  Many of the season’s storylines come to a head here: Carmela’s feelings of sadness and depression, Jackie Jr.’s attempts to make a name for himself within the mob, and Tony’s relationship with car dealer Gloria Trillo. The show lobbed quite a few curveballs in Carm’s story to get the viewer to question if she was pregnant again or had contracted ovarian cancer, but it turns out it is just a thyroid issue. Much of the season showed Carmela questioning herself and whether she was a good person because of what Tony does for a living and how she handles it, but a priest in her parish advises her to enjoy only the good side of what Tony does for the family. Jackie Jr.’s attempts to impress the mob and find his way in come to a head when he and some friends decide to rob a card game hosted by Eugene Pontecorvo, a member of Ralphie’s crew. Unbeknownst to them, Christopher and Furio are at this game which leads to Jackie freaking out and killing Sunshine the dealer. A shootout breaks out which leaves Furio badly injured and members of Jackie’s crew dead. Jackie escapes and goes into hiding, ending his campaign to find his way into the mob. Jackie Jr. has been somewhat of a pest for Tony the entire season, and his pathetic attempts to find his way in have just essentially cost him his life. The conversation between Tony and Ralphie on what to actually do with Jackie is one of the best acted scenes in the entire series: passive, low key, and filled with subtext. Lastly, the relationship between Tony and his current gumar Gloria comes to an end after Gloria gives Carmela a lift home from the dealership. This leaves Tony furious to the point of visiting her at work and ending their relationship. When he goes to her house to try to end it quietly after she calls him sobbing, Tony realizes that Gloria is not everything he wants in a woman because she is exactly like his mother. The phrase “poor you” has always set off a tick in Tony’s mind, and when Gloria uses it in their argument it’s as if the lightbulb goes on in his head, proclaiming “I didn’t just meet you, I’ve known you all my life!”. We also see Tony act the most violent towards any woman in the series when Gloria talks badly about Carmela. Its jarring to watch Tony choke Gloria while she gasps for air and pleads for him to kill her, but it shows deep down just how much Tony respects Carmela. It takes Gloria calling Carmela bad names and insults for Tony to actually lay his hands on a woman. In conclusion, Tony has always struggled with what he thinks he wants vs. what he actually wants being two completely different things, and it’s the situation with Gloria in where this is explicitly prominent. 

by: Steve Conzo

for @velatavelenosa // here, my favorite songs or least the ones i listen the most (half english, half french) but you can find my playlist [here]. some songs are unfortunately unavailable on Spotify (like Les Jolies Choses), they are only in my playlist because i own a copy but i added a youtube link for each song. hope you like it! 😊

Take Me To Church - Hozier

Hey Brother - Avicii

Protect Me From What I Want - Placebo

Young And Beautiful - Lana Del Rey

In My Veins - Andrew Belle (feat. Erin Mccarley)

Born To Die - Lana Del Rey

Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge

Wildest Dreams - Taylor Swift

All I Want - Kodaline

True Love - P!nk (feat. Lily Allen)

Dynasty - MIIA

Requiem pour un fou - Johnny Hallyday (feat. Lara Fabian)

Amour Siamois - Soprano (feat. Lili Poe)

Viens on s'aime - Slimane

Pour que tu m'aimes encore - Céline Dion

Je sais pas - Céline Dion

A Ma Place - Axel Bauer & Zazie

Les Jolies Choses - Axelle Renoir

S'aimer est interdit - Emmanuel Moire & Anne-Laure Girbal

Le crime de s'aimer - Elsa Esnoult

Miscellaneous reactions to the last five episodes of s3 of The Sopranos

Dr. Melfi is objectively the best character and I adore her and I'm so so so sad that she's going to have a smaller role in the second half of the show. But I saw on Wikipedia that she still appears in a majority of the episodes, so that's comforting, I guess.

EDIT: One thing that is not about the last five episodes but I forgot to say it elsewhere: Edie Falco was nominated for an Emmy for "Second Opinion," and Lorraine Bracco was nominated for "Employee of the Month." Falco won, and obviously she's a fantastic actress, but I would have given the award to Bracco.

I'm seriously impressed with how mature Christopher has been lately: not snitching on Paulie at the end of Pine Barrens, voluntarily apologizing to Tony in Army of One, etc. I'm sure he will continue on this trajectory and will eventually be so wise and mature that he'll see the error of his ways and get a legitimate job and live a respectable life (⬅️⬅️⬅️ that's me lying to myself)

Until I saw the FBI's bulletin board in the finale, I had totally forgotten that Paulie and Silvio have different job titles. I still don't know the difference between a capo and a consigliere.

I have some thoughts about similarities between Tony and Paulie that emerge in Pine Barrens, but I kinda want to make a separate post about that. Here's a preview: in different ways, in that episodes, they both try to have their cake and eat it too, and that ties into the overarching themes of blame and responsibility.

Speaking of character parallels (one of my favorite topics): I had already been thinking of Carmela and Melfi as parallels, in that they're both women close to Tony who are deeply conflicted about their loyalty to him and their arguable complicity in his bad deeds. These episodes further that parallel: in The Telltale Moozadell, they each receive a gift from Tony—a ring for Carmela, extra money for Melfi—that they're conflicted about. In Amour Fou, they both reject that gift: Melfi tells Tony she's not charging him this month since he overpaid last month, and Carmela stops wearing the ring. Neither one can bring herself to abandon Tony, but they can at least draw some lines.

I didn't find Jackie very interesting when he was with Meadow but I did find his interactions with Christopher interesting, all the more so because of his similarities to early Christopher. I wonder if Christopher is self-aware enough to notice those similarities? I'm not sure.

Speaking of self-awareness: at the end of Pine Barrens, when Melfi asks Tony if the qualities of his mistresses ("depressive personality, unstable, impossible to please") remind him of any other woman, he thinks for a second and then shakes his head. I totally thought he was lying, that he knew what she was getting at but didn't want to admit it. But I guess I overestimated him, because in Amour Fou, when he's fighting with Gloria, he's suddenly like "ohhhhh you're just like my mother!"

I don't get what Meadow's deal was in Army of One. I mean, some of her behavior is just grief and anger, but what I really don't get is why she argues with Jackie's sister for doubting the official story about his death, a story we know Meadow doesn't believe either. And why did she seem to take pleasure in doing it? I just don't get where that cruelty was coming from.

This is a very half-baked thought but here goes: it stood out to me that in Army of One, Tony tells Melfi that he doesn't want his kids following in his footsteps, that he wants a better life for them; then, when Carmela fears that military school will turn AJ into a "professional killer," Tony counters that the students are "soldiers," implying that that's a good thing to be. But last season, he had described himself as a soldier as a way of excusing his sins. Something something something I'm not sure where I'm going with this train of thought but I think there's something here about Tony wanting his son to break the cycle but maybe having a very shallow understanding of what that would actually entail?

EDIT AGAIN: Oh and similarly, in Army of One Tony rebukes AJ for crying—just like he did to himself in the pilot!