Now the end is near for Vito, becaue he wants to die. The man is driving back to NJ where all his old friends want to kill him, guzzling gin and listening to "My Way". Why did Vito kill that stubborn New Englander who wanted to call the cops, I think it is because he is ready to die but wants to do it his way. Preferably, eating. The scene with him cooking dinner for "Johnny Cakes" and playing Dean Martin in tbe background shows how nostalgic he was getting for his old life. He does nto like to or want to work. No wiseguys work. Vito is not the only one facing the end. In one hour, Johnny Sack plead guilty, Tony crushed Carmela's dream of independence, Paulie revealed that he is battling cancer, Meadow edging closer to dumping Finn, always thought he was ugly, and Tony finally making peace with Janice's role in his life. (Poor Ginny Sack) I think all these characters are getting center stage before the final curtain. Artie, A.J. and now Johnny Sack. Johnny has smarts, a temper and a love of family, but also what Tony aspires to be. Hes the archetypal gangster, dressed to the nines, always clutching his cigarette, calculating and ruthless in a way that Tony can occasionally be. I heard actor Vincent Curatola who plays Johnny Sack has only started acting. He is doing a great acting job. He has become an essential part of the show and it was painful to watch him portray how completely the feds broke Johnny. Years ago, he would go nuclear if someone tried to change the terms a deal the way Tony kept doing. Now he just shrugs it off. He was always one of my favorite characters on the show. Another favorite, Janice, she is one of the characters who has changed the most and the least since she was introduced. She is not doing yoga and calling herself Parvati anymore, but she is still out for herself every second of the day. Because Janice is only capable of performing "acts of Janice" the story line had to be less about her and more about Tony's feelings towards her. Janice annoys everyone but Tony has the real reason to hate her as exposed in his therapy session. She left the house and left him with the devil incarnate of the mother. Of all his sessions with Dr. Melfi, his resigned acceptance of Janice and all her diva nonsense was another step forward for him. But he is still selfish enough to sabtoage Carm's business. Carm has rolled over for now, blaming the inspector instead of seeing though Tony's lies, but her ambitions are not going to disappear. Did you notice how fixated she was on Angie during Ginny's party?
Side question, can Paulie beat cancer the way his hair has beaten chemo. We shall see.
"Life is not measured by the number
of breaths we take, but by moments
that take our breath away."
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain."
