All Due Respect

Did You Know?

• The phrase "all due respect" is used by Vito, Rusty, and Silvio before delivering criticism to someone of equal or higher status.
• Tony repeats the phrase with ironic politeness when answering Silvio.

Synopsis

A.J. and a friend plan a party, each making $300 in profit. Carmela tells Tony that A.J. asked his guidance counselor about colleges offering event planning, and they take some comfort that he is at least enthusiastic about something. Christopher disposes of Adriana's remaining possessions; when Carmela calls looking for her, Chris says they broke up and she left town. Tony asks Chris if he ever mentioned Matthew Bevilaqua or Ralphie Cifaretto to Adriana that she could have repeated to the FBI; Chris denies it and assures Tony he is staying sober and exercising.

They share a long, emotional hug before Tony leaves. Phil reclaims his brother Billy's body from the morgue and demands Johnny retaliate against the New Jersey family. At Ray Curto's birthday dinner, those present are restless over Tony's continued protection of his cousin Tony B, as Phil's revenge puts them all in danger. Tony gives a speech about saving Tony B from torture and stresses family unity, but they remain largely unconvinced.

Phil tries to track down Chris as an alternative target, threatening Chris's mother; Chris goes into hiding with Benny's help. Phil finds Benny and beats him, fracturing his skull. Tony visits Junior for advice but finds him unable to help due to worsening dementia. Dr. Melfi reminds Tony that his concern for Tony B stems from guilt.

Silvio tells Tony of growing discontent and accuses him of shielding Tony B out of pride, which Tony angrily rejects. Tony visits Paulie, having heard of his dissatisfaction, and discovers the painting of himself with his horse Pie-O-My that he had wanted destroyed. Paulie had kept it and altered Tony's clothes to those of a colonial general. When Tony demands to know why he was painted as a "lawn jockey," Paulie says it was out of admiration. Tony rips the painting off the wall and puts it in a dumpster, then realizes he must kill Tony B for the family's sake.

Production

John Patterson, who passed away in 2005, directed this final episode; he also helmed the season finales for the show’s first five seasons. Tony stepping out of rustling bushes at the episode’s end reinforces the bear as a symbol of his control over the house, though who exactly was rustling remains ambiguous. Production designer Bob Shaw appears as Ignatz Pravalkis, the architect collaborating with Hugh De Angelis on Carmela’s spec house. In DVD commentary for the prior episode, Drea de Matteo noted that Tony Blundetto was not originally slated to die in the fifth-season finale. Johnny Sack’s arrest scene reappears in the sixth-season episode “Soprano Home Movies,” but with a different take.

Music

Van Morrison's "Glad Tidings" plays over the end credits and also appears earlier when Christopher talks to Silvio at a Roy Rogers and during Tony B's arrival at Uncle Pat's farm shortly before his murder. A review noted the song's importance as a recurring motif, with the verse "And we'll send you glad tidings from New York" closing with "Hope that you will come in right on time" heard moments before Blundetto is shot. A children's choir singing "Mr. Tambourine Man" is heard when Tony sits on the steps of an elementary school. "Smoke N' Mirrors" by Grade 8 plays as Benny tries to leave after seeing Phil enter the Crazy Horse.

Reception

The episode had 11 million viewers, about 1.5 million fewer than the season four finale "Whitecaps," and finished second in weekly U.S. cable Nielsen ratings. Television Without Pity graded it an A. Alan Sepinwall praised it for wrapping up most of the season's story arcs in tidy fashion. Alessandra Stanley called it "surprisingly tame" with a satisfying amount of violence, psychology, and dark humor. Liane Bonin offered a mixed view, finding Tony's run through the snow memorable but the tidy conclusion disappointing.