Where's Johnny?

"Where's Johnny?" is the 55th episode of The Sopranos, serving as the third installment of the fifth season. Michael Caleo wrote it, John Patterson directed it, and it first aired on March 21, 2004. Notably, it marks the only episode in the entire series where Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) does not appear.

The episode follows Sal Vitro, a longtime gardener in a neighborhood that Feech claims now belongs to his nephew, Gary La Manna. When Sal refuses to back off, Feech breaks his right arm, but Tony Blundetto intervenes, reminding Feech he's on parole. Paulie hears about this and offers to fix things for a cut of Sal's profits. Paulie confronts Feech at his bakery, then finds and assaults Gary and his brother, taking Gary's wallet and ordering him to share profits and cover Sal's medical bills. At a sit-down, Tony rules the neighborhood be split between Gary and Sal, though Paulie later adds that Sal must provide free lawn care for certain "friends of ours," including Tony and Johnny Sack.

In New York, tensions mount as Lorraine Calluzzo and her boyfriend Jason Evanina collect debts for Little Carmine. Johnny Sack's men—Phil, his brother Billy, and Joey Peeps—attack them, with Phil staging a mock execution of Lorraine. Lorraine, Jason, and Angelo meet with Tony and Junior, and Tony suggests the Lupertazzi family form a triumvirate of Johnny, Carmine, and Angelo. Angelo declines, citing semi-retirement. Tony then pitches this idea to Johnny as Angelo's, but Johnny accuses Tony of empowering Carmine during the HUD scam. A subsequent sit-down fails when Christopher, ignoring Tony's instructions, interrupts, and Johnny angrily ends the meeting.

Tony mends fences with Artie Bucco over a past loan incident, offering him a bedroom in his mother's house, which Artie accepts after hesitation. Tony also offers a room to Tony Blundetto. Junior's dementia worsens: he mistakes Larry David and Jeff Garlin on Curb Your Enthusiasm for himself and Bobby. At a family Sunday lunch, Junior insults Tony, who angrily warns him not to repeat it.

When Junior does, Tony storms out, unaware the dementia is the cause. Later, Junior wanders out in a bathrobe, drives to a former family hangout (now a church), gets kicked out, forgets where he parked, and is found by Newark police after dark. Janice and Bobby discuss his condition with Tony, who says his uncle is "dead to me," leading to a fight where Janice slaps Tony, he chokes her, and Artie gets elbowed in the eye while trying to break it up.

Janice flees crying. Later, Junior's neurologist explains the behavior may stem from mini-strokes. Tony visits Junior, asking, "Don't you love me?" Junior doesn't answer, and both tear up.

First appearances include Sal Vitro, a gardener indebted to the DiMeo family, and Billy Leotardo, Phil's younger brother and a Lupertazzi soldier seen during Lorraine's mock execution. The end credits play "Earth, Wind, Water" by Mitch Coodley. Other music includes "Let Your Love Flow" by The Bellamy Brothers (at the bar), "Sirius" by the Alan Parsons Project (during a Tony Robbins TV appearance), and "Hypocritical" by Methods of Mayhem (in the Bada Bing office).

The episode drew over 6.5 million viewers, earning a 6.1 Nielsen rating, leading all cable programs for the week of March 15–21, 2004. Television Without Pity gave it an A, and TV Guide's Matt Roush called it "exceptional," highlighting Junior's dementia and the lawn mower conflict. Alessandra Stanley noted that Junior's Curb Your Enthusiasm scene showed how the series "laughs at itself before anyone can take it too seriously."