Tony's income is down thanks to a slowing economy but it's having an effect on everyone. He makes sure his capos know they're supposed to be earners. Uncle Junior meets Tony and he's worried about his trial that's starting in just over a week. He's also going broke because of lawyers fees and wants Tony to give him a bigger cut of the pie. Tony won't hear of it. Carmela is shocked to see Angie Bompiensero working in a grocery store and begins to worry about her own future should anything happen to Tony. She wants him to do a little estate planning. Tony however wants to start investing in property. FBI agent Deborah Ciccerone is still undercover working as Adriana's BFF. Christoper isn't keen on driving Tony around instead of Furio. He's also taken to using hard drugs. Tony has an important piece of information for him. Janice takes an interest in Ralph Cifarello. Junior puts Bobby Bacala in charge of his business affairs during the trial. Paulie is in jail on a gun charge but still ... Written by garykmcd

Christopher is named Paulie's replacement but Patsy Parisi is none too pleased. Paulie isn't doing well in prison and his frustration against Tony is growing. He doesn't think Ralphie's latest joke about Johnny Sack's overweight wife is very funny. The crew starts to reap the benefits of the big construction project. Christopher makes a mistake however. Ralph Cifaretto and Janice are seeing each other. Tony and Carmela are frustrated with Meadow who has spent the summer lounging around despite her repeated promises to work. Meadow then announces that she's going to take a year off. Every time her parents try to talk to her about it, her excuse is that she's still traumatized by Jackie Jr.'s death. Carmela wants her to see a counselor Dr. Melfi recommended to Tony. The counselor doesn't help things much however. Chris tells Adriana he thinks her friend is a dyke. When the FBI has break off its undercover operation, they line up the next best person to feed them information. Written by garykmcd

Paulie gives Johnny Sack a call and tells him about the joke Ralphie made at his wife's expense. Johnny lets his displeasure be known. Ralphie ends his relationship with Rosalie Aprile so he can move in with Janice but Janice's reaction isn't quite what he expected. Many in the crew, especially Sylvio, are upset when they hear that Native Americans are going to disrupt the annual Columbus Day parade. Their first attempt to do something ends up with several of them going to jail. Tony thinks they're over reacting but feeling he has to support his men, he gets in touch with man in charge of a large Native American-owned casino to see what could be done. Uncle Junior's trial starts, the first Soprano trial in 16 years. He's upset because he's learned that the FBI had an undercover agent in his doctor's office. There are problems at the church when a guest speaker insults some of the wives, including Carmela. They are taken aback however when they learn that Karen Baccalieri is killed in ... Written by garykmcd

Johnny Sack is still upset about the wisecracks over his wife's weight and goes on the warpath seriously beating up one of Ralph Cifarello's men. When Ralphie returns from a trip to Miami, Tony tells him to make amends. After Ralph botches it, Johnny goes to Carmine and Junior for permission to get rid of him. When they say no he takes matters into his own hands. As tensions rise, Tony feels he has no choice but to defend one of his captains but there's a risk of an all out war between the two families. Sylvio and Christopher visit Junior's suggestion on outside help but it all proves to be a somewhat surreal experience. Meadow signs up as a volunteer at the law center. Carmela still wants to invest some of their money in a stock portfolio but Tony isn't sure. She also starts flirting with Furio who has bought his own house. Written by garykmcd

Adriana is increasingly worried about Christopher. He and others are conducting more and more of their business at the club and sometimes, she can't even get in to use her office. Christopher's heroin habit seems to be getting worse. Then of course she has the FBI on her back for more information. They're calling her to meetings and tell her a few home truths. They also want her to get more information on Tony. Janice decides that widower Bobby Bacala needs taking care of and she pushes her way into his house and his family. Bobby is inconsolable however and is still blaming himself for his wife's death. There's a bit of chill in the air when Tony refuses to set up an insurance trust that Carmela's cousin Brian recommends. Tony is far more interested in Ralph's investment, a racehorse by the name of Pie-O-My, especially after the horse wins a race at 8-1. At his trial, Uncle Junior is upset over the courtroom artist's rendition of him. Written by garykmcd

Tony wants to reduce the risk of being caught on a wiretap and tells Christopher that in future he will be giving more and more orders through him. He sees Christopher replacing him some day. Christopher's drug habit is growing and it's beginning to affect his work however. Tony is upset and blames himself when he leans that Gloria Trillo committed suicide. Artie Bucco's new hostess Elodi introduces him to her brother Jean-Philippe who tells him that he needs $50,000 to secure North American distribution rights for a French liqueur. Artie sees an opportunity to make some quick cash and borrows the money from Tony with a promise to repay it all in two weeks. When it all goes sour and the money disappears, Tony proves to be a good friend no matter how difficult Artie makes it. AJ's friends, especially his rich girlfriend Devon, are impressed with his family's mob ties. He's embarrassed however when he sees just how rich her family is. Written by garykmcd

Paulie's out of jail and his friend's throw him a party at the Bada Bing. He's still not very happy about he's been treated both before and after he went to jail and the fact that Tony did little while he was there. He turns to Johnny Sack who lends a sympathetic ear. Adriana, still under pressure from the FBI to provide more information, learns from a TV show that a wife can't be forced to testify against her husband. Christopher's not having anything to do with it, especially after she tells him she may not be able to have kids. He relents but not before Adriana learns that she could be called to testify after all. Carmela's cousin, financial analyst Brian, tells Tony of a way to scam the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carmela's feelings for Furio may be mutual but he starts to avoid her. Assemblyman Zellman tells Tony he's seeing his old girlfriend Irina. Tony seems to take it okay but he's obviously irritated. It's all too much for him in the end. Written by garykmcd

Furio has to return to Italy after his father falls seriously ill. Once there he gets advice from his uncle about his feelings for Carmela. Paulie arranges for his mother to move into Green Grove but is taken aback when some of the ladies there, some of them the mothers of fellow mobsters, won't let her into their circle. With is mother unhappy and in tears, Paulie is forced to go the their sons to get their moms to play nice. At the track visiting Pie-O-My, Tony meets Ralph Cifaretto's new girlfriend Valentina La Paz. She's an art dealer which comes in handy when he decides to have a portrait of himself and the horse painted. It also leads them straight to bed. Tony's uncomfortable seeing another mobster's girl but is intrigued when she tells him about Ralph's weird sexual preferences. Carmela catches him out however and decides to get even by spending some of the money he has stashed in the garden shed. Written by garykmcd

After Uncle Junior falls on the courthouse steps, he's admitted to the hospital and Tony thinks they have the basis of a mistrial on the basis of diminished capacity. They set him up with home care and rehearse him with the questions government doctors will likely ask him. Ralphie thinks he's figured out who told Johnny Sack of the joke he made at his wife's expense and sets out to even the score. Things turn deadly serious when his son Justin is seriously hurt playing with a friend. Tony brings Carmela to the stables to see Pie-O-My for the first time. Tony is devastated however when he learns that the horse was badly injured in a fire at the stables and had to be put down. He suspects Ralphie had the fire set so he could collect on insurance and they get into a fight. Tony needs Christopher's help to clean up the results but soon realizes he's high on drugs. Written by garykmcd

Christopher's heroin addiction is now completely out of control. After he accidentally sits on Adriana's dog killing it, she freaks out. Her FBI contact tells her of the need to convince him to get help. Tony is also concerned and when Christopher is car-jacked and beaten up trying to buy heroin - Christopher's reaction when he gets home and Adriana suggests rehab is to slap her around - he decides it's time for him to intervene. Needless to say, not everyone seems to understand how an intervention is supposed to work. Everyone is wondering what's happened to Ralph but some begin to suspect Tony of getting rid of him. Johnny Sack wants a piece of some of Tony's recent scores but Tony won't share. Tony starts a rumor that Johnny Sack may be the one responsible for Ralph Cifarello's disappearance. Furio returns from Italy, his feelings for Carmela still unresolved. She too is still attracted to him and starts finding reasons to stop by his house. Tony opens up about his loss to Dr. ... Written by garykmcd

Tony's been having strange dreams of late but isn't happy with Dr. Melfi's inexact interpretations. He's on the verge of quitting therapy, or so he says. Bobby Bacala is still grieving for his late wife but that doesn't mean Janice has given up her pursuit. She manipulates him quite easily. New York mobsters Carmine Lupertazzi and Johnny Sack want a 40% cut of Tony's HUD scam. Johnny sounds out Paulie on where his loyalties lie should Tony be replaced. They also tell Tony's appraiser that he's working for them now. For his part, Tony decides to approach Carmine Jr. to see if he they could make a deal. Tony makes it clear that he's prepared to go to war if necessary. Uncle Junior is worried about his upcoming competency hearing. AJ scares Bobby's kids when he takes out the Ouija board after dinner and then decides to hold a séance. Written by garykmcd

Tony's not happy with Carmine and Johnny's new proposal and he retaliates by trashing Johnny's soon to open restaurant. Carmine responds by sicking the laborers union on the Esplanade site, which is shut down. With everybody hurting financially, Paulie takes it on himself to speak to Carmine and try to settle the dispute. He has a rude awakening when he realizes Carmine has no idea who he is. Out on the town with Tony and a few women, Furio is disgusted and very nearly takes a fatal step. He leaves suddenly for Italy without saying goodbye to anyone and Carmela is depressed over his sudden disappearance. Meadow hosts a dinner at her new apartment for her parents but it's apparent that Carmela is not happy. Meanwhile, an outing with his mother and two of her friends drives Paulie to extremes. Written by garykmcd

Tony is surprised though not displeased when Johnny Sack suggests that eliminating Carmine may be the best way to resolve the differences between the two families. A plan of action is set in motion but is interrupted when Carmine suddenly becomes more flexible. Money is still tight with the Esplanade site shut down, but Tony decides to make an offer on a seaside property. Even Carmela smiles for the first time in ages when she sees the house. All hell breaks loose however when Tony's old girlfriend Irina calls Carmela to tell her he is now having sex with her cousin, the one-legged Svetlana. It's the last straw for Carmela who tells Tony their marriage is finished and she wants him out of the house. Tony is now faced with having to terminate the deal to buy the beach house and uses his own unconventional methods to convince the sellers to return his deposit. Meanwhile, Uncle Junior's trial comes to an end and his men have sought a little bit of extra insurance to get the verdict they ... Written by garykmcd