With Big Pussy Bonpensiero no longer available to wear a wire, the FBI is desperate to get Tony on tape. They decide that bugging his house - specifically the basement where he would sometimes have conversations with Big Pussy. They obtain a warrant that will allow then to break into the house twice: once to determine where in the basement would be the best place to place the bug and then a second time to plant it. The whole exercise turns into a major operation when they assign teams to each of the occupants - Tony, Carmela, Meadow, Anthony Jr. and the cleaning lady Lilliana - to follow then and ensure they don't return unexpectedly. They decide to rebuild an old desk lamp but their first attempt to plant the bug goes wrong when most of the family members return to deal with a crisis. Meanwhile, Tony is hearing rumors about Patsy Parisi who is still grieving for his dead twin and may be out for revenge. Written by garykmcd

Tony is stressed and having to deal with a number of problems. Big garbage collecting contracts are up and several crews want a bigger share of the pie. As well, he's afraid his mother may testify against him in the stolen airline tickets scam. When Meadow comes home with a classmate to get some work done Tony takes an immediate disliking to the young man who describes himself as Jewish and African-American. Tony gets a reprieve on at least one front when they get the news that his mother Livia has died. He's torn between jumping for joy and maintaining a proper sense of loss. He insists that Janice return from Seattle assuring her there will be no problem with the Richie Aprile issue. She comes back reluctantly but soon decides to have a proper funeral for Livia, even though the dead woman specifically requested there be none. When Janice asks people at the wake to say something nice about their dealings with Livia no one has much to say. Carmela lays it on the line however. At ... Written by garykmcd

Tony follows through on his promise and Christopher becomes a made man reporting to Paulie. His dreams of making lots of money are quickly shattered however. Paulie gives him the sports book but expects $6000 per week in tribute. When they have something of a setback and he can't pay Paulie the full amount, he quickly learns that there's no friendship when it comes to cash. Tony is still seeing his psychiatrist and they have a breakthrough of sorts when Tony recalls his father cutting off a butcher's pinkie finger when the man couldn't pay up. It leads to Tony having his first panic attack. Meadow is still giving her father the cold shoulder over his treatment of her new boyfriend. At school, AJ becomes something of a leader on the football field but it leads to him passing out from a panic attack. Written by garykmcd

Things are not going well in the garbage wars and Tony decides to put one of his own men in charge Richie Aprile' old crew, ousting Ralphie Cifaretto who has been in charge temporarily. At least part of the reason he replaces him is that he let Jackie Aprile Jr. help him beat up a client when trying to collect a debt. Dr. Melfi meanwhile is brutally attacked and raped in the stairwell of her office building. When the police are forced to release the suspect due to procedural errors on their part, she is outraged and seriously considers asking Tony for his help. As Tony had warned her, Janice learns there is a price to pay for refusing to return Svetlana's stolen leg. Written by garykmcd

As Tony requested, Carmela goes with him to one of his sessions with Dr. Melfi. It starts off okay, but suddenly Carmela feels she's the one on the hot seat and it quickly degenerates into name calling and anger.On the way home Tony gets speeding ticket from a no-nonsense policeman who isn't at all impressed that he stopped Tony Soprano. Tony approaches his crooked Assemblyman, Ronald Zellman, to get the ticket fixed but there are unexpected consequences. When one of the Spatafores is beaten by Mustang Sally, who is having a argument with his girlfriend, Gigi Cestone gets the green light from Tony to take action. Tony clears it with Mustang Sally's godfather, Bobby Bacala Senior, who is visiting from Miami. He's not well and Bobby Junior is worried when he hears that it's his Dad who will make the hit. Uncle Junior gets Johnny Sack to talk to Tony but his intervention is not welcome. Now that he's a made man, Christopher insists that Adriana quit her job at Artie Buco's restaurant. It... Written by garykmcd

Ralph Cifaretto, who is still having a relationship with Rosalie Aprile, is having girlfriend problems with one of the dancers at the Bada Bing, Tracee. She asks Tony for help when she gets pregnant by Ralph since she isn't sure Ralph will take care of her if she has the baby. Ralph has been acting over the top lately and when he kills Tracee in the Bing's parking lot, Tony teaches him a lesson. At Columbia, Meadow and Noah's relationship is moving forward but Meadow's roommate Caitlin Rucker is behaving very oddly. She's not fitting in with university life and reaches out to Meadow who is sympathetic but doesn't appreciate just how serious the problem is. Noah is also sympathetic, at least at first, but eventually gets his entertainment lawyer father to get a restraining order against Caitlin. Meadow gets to meet Noah's Dad but Noah shows his true colors. Written by garykmcd

Junior undergoes an operation to have his cancerous tumor removed. His doctor tells him it's possible that malignant cells weren't removed and recommends a second round of surgery. Tony feels he should get a second opinion but when Junior's original doctor stops returning his call, Tony pays him a visit on the golf course. Carmella visits Dr. Melfi on her own saying she's worried about Tony's mood swings but really is in need of help herself. Melfi refers her to another psychiatrist who provides her with some realistic advice. Carmela runs into Angie Bompensiero who doesn't seem to be coping well with Big Pussy's sudden disappearance especially on the money front. Tony pays her a visit but is less sympathetic when he sees she has a Cadillac sitting in the driveway. Christopher chafes under Paulie's thumb and the probationary period he has to through as a newly made man. Paulie makes him undergo a strip search and then visits him at two in the morning to search his apartment. Written by garykmcd

Meadow and Jackie Aprile Jr. meet at a frat party and start taking an interest in one another. Tony and Ralphie Cifaretto are still feuding with Ralph refusing his offer to buy him a drink. The insult leads Tony to cancel their previous invitation to Thanksgiving dinner but Carmela's story about canceling dinner doesn't hold up for very long when Jackie Jr. shows up at the house to see Meadow. Carmela's not too keen on the two of them seeing each other. Ralph meanwhile goes to Johnny Sack to see if he could possibly switch families. He follows Johnny's advice and goes to Tony to apologize. When Gigi Cestone dies unexpectedly, Tony has to decide whether to make Ralph a capo. At Dr. Melfi's office, Tony runs into another of her patients, Gloria Trillo, a Mercedes salesperson. Tony decides to get himself a new car. Written by garykmcd

Thanks to somebody's bad bet, Christopher becomes the owner of a bar and he makes Adriana the owner of record and the manager. She renames the place Crazy Horse. When a drug dealer, Matush, is thrown out of the club for selling drugs in the men's room, he approaches Jackie Jr. for help. Jackie, the would be gangster, tells him he'll take care of it. Christopher flatly refuses permission to sell drugs on the premises but that isn't quite the message Jackie gives Matush. Jackie Jr. and Meadow are seeing a lot of each other and Carmela in particular isn't at all comfortable with the arrangement. Tony speaks to Jackie who assures him that school is going well and that he has nothing to worry about. AJ gets into deep trouble when he and some of his friends vandalize the pool area at his school. Tony begins spending more time with Gloria Trillo. Written by garykmcd

Christmas is coming and it all proves to a stressful time for Tony who has another panic attack. Tony keeps thinking about his old friend Pussy - he usually played Santa at the Christmas party - and recalls a past meeting Pussy missed, perhaps to meet with the FBI. He also begins to wonder about one particular Christmas where Pussy was not himself and thinks he may have been wearing a wire. Janice wants to host Christmas dinner but Carmela ends up doing most of the work because of a sore wrist from her encounter with the Russians. Which reminds Tony of another chore he has to take care of. When Tony sees Jackie Jr. getting a lap dance at a strip club he teaches him a lesson and begins to doubt Jackie Jr.'s reliability. On Christmas day Tony isn't quite prepared for the gift he receives from Meadow. Written by garykmcd

Christopher and Paulie are out making collections but things get out of hand and they soon have a body to dispose of. They decide to dispose of it in Pine Barrens in South Jersey. They get to the woods only to find that their victim is still alive. He manages to run off on them and in the pursuit, Christopher and Paulie get themselves lost. As darkness falls, the cold takes over, and it's particularly hard on Paulie who has lost one of his shoes. They take refuge in an abandoned truck but have no choice but to call Tony and ask him to rescue them. Tony is still seeing Gloria Trillo, usually at lunch time. He decides to come clean and tell Dr. Melfi that he's seeing another of her patients. Gloria is something of a Jekyll and Hyde however with wide mood swings. Melfi asks Tony if Gloria's behavior reminds him of anyone. When Jackie Jr. fails to call her, Meadow is certain he is cheating on her. She sets out to find out what he's up to. Written by garykmcd

Meadow tells her mother that it's over with Jackie after she caught him cheating with some bimbo. Carmela is delighted Jackie has flunked out of college and has moved back home. He still wants to be a hood and takes inspiration from Ralph Cifaretto who tells him that his father, Jackie Sr. made his name by hijacking a high stakes card game. He decides to do the same but it all goes wrong leading to a wild shoot-out. Christopher is at the game and recognizes Jackie despite the mask. Ralphie blames himself for what's happened. Gloria meets Tony in a parking lot to apologize for throwing dinner at him. They meet again for sex but she is becoming ever more erratic even making a point of meeting Carmela at the Mercedes dealership. When Gloria calls her at home under the pretense of making a sale, Tony realizes just how crazy she is. Patsy Parisi pays her a visit with a message. Carmela is having a particularly hard time, especially after a psychiatrist tells her she is living a lie. She's ... Written by garykmcd

AJ gets into trouble at school yet again, this time for stealing an exam. The result is expulsion and Tony decides he has to go to military school. The three of them soon troop off to the Hudson Military Institute for interviews but Carmela is against the idea. AJ's reaction gives Tony pause for thought. Jackie Jr. is hiding out and Ralphie comes under pressure to do something about him. Everyone will soon have a funeral to attend. Paulie's mother has a tour of the retirement residence but he is upset that Ralphie hasn't paid him $50,000 that he's owed. It takes a formal sit down to solve the problem but Paulie's not pleased with the outcome. The FBI is again looking at prosecuting Uncle Junior and hopefully Tony as well. They decide to send in someone undercover to cosy up with Ariana. Written by garykmcd