"The Fleshy Part of the Thigh" is the 4th episode of Part 1 of Season 6 of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It is the 69th overall episode of the series. Written by Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider and directed by Alan Taylor, it originally aired on April 2, 2006.
Starring[]
- 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. *
- Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante
- Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri
- Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano Jr.
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano
- Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano Baccalieri
- Steven R. Schirripa as Bobby Baccalieri
- Vincent Curatola as Johnny "Sack" Sacrimoni
- Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo
- Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore
- Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi
* = credit only
Guest starring[]
Also guest starring[]
- Max Casella as Benny Fazio
- Carl Capotorto as Little Paulie Germani
- John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia as Albie Cianflone
- Chris Diamantopoulos as Jason Barone
- Frances Esemplare as Nucci Gualtieri
- Will Janowitz as Finn DeTrolio
- Angela Pietropinto as Helen Barone
- Turk Pipkin as Aaron Arkaway
- Paul Schulze as Father Phil Intintola
- Judith Malina as Aunt Dottie
- Ron Leibman as Dr. Lior Plepler
- Tracey Silver as Beth Kaplan
- Rob Devaney as Pastor Bob Brewster
- Michael DeNigris as Charles Cinelli
- James Vincent Romano as Cary DiBartolo
- Hal Holbrook as John Schwinn
- Lord Jamar as DaLux
- Gina Tognoni as Catherine Lipman
- Sandra Daley as Nurse Fiona Macken
- Anthony "Treach" Criss as Marvin
- MuMs da Schemer as Mop
- Ash Roeca as Rudy Diaz
- Alberto Vazquez as Julian
- Gustavo Cunha as Armando
- Chazz Menendez as Goon
- Marcos Muniz as Ramon
Episode recap[]
Tony's condition improves as he awaits surgery. He tells a nurse he now sees life in a different way. Aaron Arkaway and Pastor Bob Brewster, an evangelical minister, wish Tony and Carmela for a good outcome of his operation. After the surgery, Tony is disgusted when he learns the insurance representative wants to send him home as soon as possible. Tony spends his remaining days at the hospital interacting with two patients, John Schwinn and rapper Da Lux. Da Lux expresses admiration for Tony and invites him to watch a boxing match in his hospital room. While watching the fight, Paulie moans about how alone everyone is and Schwinn discusses the interconnectivity of all life. Da Lux agrees with Schwinn, saying: "everything is everything, I'm down with that." Later, Tony confides to Schwinn he is starting to believe they are all part of something bigger, but Schwinn tells him the doctors found out that he has laryngeal cancer. Tony offers his condolences.
Tony learns Carmela and A.J. have reconciled and that his son got a job at Blockbuster. He meets the paramedic that checked his wallet and accuses him of stealing $2,000 from it. The man denies taking any money for himself, but Christopher and others intimidate him to pay the money back. Paulie visits his dying Aunt Dottie, a nun, who informs him that she is actually his mother; because she broke her vow of celibacy and did not want to shame her family, she had her sister raise Paulie as if he were her son. He confronts Nucci, the woman who raised him, and his worst fears are confirmed. Devastated by the news and questioning his own identity, Paulie struggles to remain focused at work, angering Tony. After Dottie's funeral, Paulie tells Nucci he will no longer support her financially and throws her flatscreen TV out of a window. When Paulie confesses the news about his true mother to Tony, he urges him to reconcile with Nucci, saying his foster mother brought him up and helped him numerous times in his childhood.
Tony criticizes Bobby for his model train hobby, and Bobby apologizes for his absence that led to Tony getting shot by Junior. Tony insists that he never wants to hear his uncle mentioned again. In the hospital, Bobby meets Marvin, a member of Da Lux's entourage, writing a song. Da Lux's injuries, many of his followers and colleagues believe, will help his career by providing him a huge boost in "street cred," while Marvin is struggling to attain fame. Bobby then proposes an idea to Marvin the next time he meets him: for $8,000, Bobby will help jump-start Marvin's career by shooting him in the "fleshy part" of the thigh. Marvin agrees but can only pay $7,000, which Bobby reluctantly accepts. Marvin also requests that he not be informed when the hit is about to take place. A few nights later, after leaving a fast food restaurant with his girlfriend, Marvin is instead shot in his buttocks. As the rapper cries in pain, Bobby flees the scene. Bobby later brings a hefty envelope of cash to Tony, saying he had "a good week."
Following Dick Barone's death, his son Jason takes over ownership of the Soprano family's sanitation front and tries to sell the company without Tony's approval. After Tony, Paulie and Patsy Parisi order him to not 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, Cinelli Sanitation, is associated with Johnny. After a violent encounter between two garbage crews, and after some back-and-forth negotiation between Tony and Johnny, Tony agrees with a more favorable offer from Johnny and allows the sale to go through. 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.
On the day Tony is leaving the hospital, he passes Schwinn's room but does not say goodbye. The EMT worker accused of stealing from Tony approaches him with an envelope of cash, but Tony does not take it. As he is wheeled outside, Tony takes a few moments to observe the bustle of life outside. He grabs Janice's hand and comments that "every day is a gift" to him now. Back home, Tony lounges at the patio, seemingly enjoying the elements of nature, listening to the wind rustle the tree leaves. At the bank of a river, Paulie finds Jason getting ready to row in his boat and viciously beats him with a metal pole. Paulie demands a monthly cut from Jason equal to the cost of Nucci's retirement home expenses, warning him not to say a word to Tony as he brandishes his gun. Paulie walks away from the pier as the wind stirs the tree leaves around him.
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