The Fleshy Part Of The Thigh
Updated 2006-04-06 17:00:00
Tony has surgery to close up his wound, which starts him on the road to recovery and going home. Unfortunately, it's not happening fast enough for his insurance company. While in the hospital, Tony makes friends with some of the other patients, and has various visitors. One such visitor is Janice's ex, Aaron, and his religious friend, who tries to get Tony to consider becoming born again. Tony seems to consider it. A rapper named Da Lux is brought to the hospital after being shot. Bobby befriends Da Lux's protégé, who worries that he's being overlooked while Da Lux recuperates. Bobby empathizes, and accepts cash to shoot the guy in the leg for the rapper's publicity and street cred. Paulie finds out that his aunt, dying in a convent, is actually his mother. She got pregnant and gave Paulie to her sister before taking her vows. Paulie feels betrayed, so he tells the woman he thought was his mother that he's cutting her off financially and emotionally. Meanwhile, the owner of Barone Sanitation, Tony's business front, dies, and his son wants to sell the business â to Cinelli Sanitation, Johnny Sack's business front. Tony spends the episode trying to broker a deal on the sale so that he will continue to get a W2 and health insurance from the company, as well as a financial piece. Paulie goes so far as to threaten the son, a civilian named Jason Barone, if he can't work out a deal where Tony still gets his share. Jason's mother comes and begs Tony not to hurt her son. Tony gets released from the hospital and seems to realize how lucky he is even to be alive. With his new mellow attitude, Tony accepts a deal on Barone from Johnny Sack, through Phil. Paulie is still pissed, and kneecaps Jason Barone and forces him to pay Paulie $4K every month -- coincidentally, the same amount Paulie's "mother"'s senior residence costs him -- and also never to tell Tony about it.