"Long Term Parking" is the 64th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the 12th of the show's fifth season. Written by Terence Winter and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on May 23, 2004. This episode was the most watched program on U.S. cable television on the original week of broadcast. Critical reception was positive, regarding the plot depth and acting of Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo.

Starring

• = credit only

Guest starring

• Frankie Valli as Rusty Millio • Ray Abruzzo as Carmine Lupertazzi Jr. • Karen Young as Agent Robyn Sanseverino • Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo • Matt Servitto as Agent Dwight Harris • Leslie Bega as Valentina La Paz • Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore • Frank Pellegrino as Bureau Chief Frank Cubitoso • Chris Caldovino as Billy Leotardo • Emad Tarabay as Matush • Homie Doroodian as Kamal • Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi • George Loros as Raymond Curto • Frank Albanese as Uncle Pat Blundetto • Santos as Gilbert Nieves • Patty McCormack as Liz La Cerva • Vinnie Vella Sr. as Jimmy Petrille • Felicity LaFortune as Dr. Sarah Klum • Danny Petrillo as Teenage Tony Soprano • Kyle Head as Teenage Tony Blundetto • Adam Sietz as Walter • Marc Damon Johnson as Ship Leader • Jelani Jeffries as Sea Scout #1 • Esley Tate as Sea Scout #2 • Tony Siragusa as Frankie Cortese

Synopsis

Little Carmine recoils from the escalating violence of the New York mob war, and Johnny becomes the new boss of the Lupertazzi family. In a sit-down with Tony, both Johnny and Phil make threats against his blood relations. Johnny says he wants Tony B "on a fucking spit". In hiding, Tony B calls Tony to apologize. Tony tells him not to come back and says he will look after his sons. He further admits why he was not at the hijack where Tony B was arrested decades earlier, saying that he has always felt guilty; "Now we're even." Ending the call, they tell each other to take care. Tony then has the call traced and learns that Tony B is in upstate New York, near their uncle's now-empty house. Tony tells Johnny he knows where Tony B is and what has to be done; Johnny refuses to let Tony handle it himself and states that Tony B will be at Phil's mercy. Tony subsequently refuses to give up Tony B's location and the meeting ends in antagonism. Tony punishes Christopher for bungling a cigarette smuggling operation. Back home, Chris rants about Tony's treatment and what he sees as his favoritism towards Tony B. Adriana, under intense stress, is diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. When FBI surveillance catches her behaving oddly with a bag of garbage behind her nightclub, she is brought in. She admits that she was cleaning up after a murder in her office: drug dealer Matush Giamona killed a customer who claimed he had been ripped off. Threatened with imprisonment for covering up the murder, Adriana is told she has to wear a wire. She refuses but persuades the FBI that Chris is ready to turn. They let her go, with a deadline for bringing him in. When Adriana tells Chris she has been talking to the FBI, he reacts violently and begins to strangle her before he breaks down crying. They eventually agree to flee and start a new life. Getting gas for his Hummer H2 the next morning, Chris pensively observes a poor family in front of the gas station, their meager possessions strapped to the roof of a run-down car. Adriana soon receives a call from Tony, telling her that Chris has made a suicide attempt; Silvio will come to take her to the hospital. Instead, he drives her to an area of deserted woodland, turns off the road onto a track, and stops. Adriana realizes that Silvio has been ordered by Tony to kill her and begs for her life. He drags her out of the car. As she crawls away, crying, he shoots and kills her off-screen. Chris dumps a suitcase of her belongings in a riverside dumping ground and puts her car in long-term parking at Newark Liberty International Airport. At the Bada Bing, Tony sees that Chris is doped on heroin; he says the pain is too much. Tony loses control and beats him up, saying Chris is not the only one in pain. Tony and Carmela negotiate over her desire to build a house on spec in partnership with her father Hugh. Tony agrees to pay $600,000 for the land and promises that his "midlife crisis will no longer intrude anymore" into their marriage. They are reconciled and he moves back into their house. Tony goes to see Valentina in the hospital and breaks up with her. She is furious with Tony, and devastated.

Deceased

Additionally, Billy Leotardo murder by Tony Blundetto, previously mentioned only, is shown in Phil Leotardo's flashback.

Title reference

Production

References to other media

References to past episodes

Music

Awards

Reception

"Long Term Parking" had nearly six million viewers on its original broadcast, for a 5.5 Nielsen rating that led all U.S. cable television programming for the week of May 17 to 23, 2004. Television Without Pity graded this episode with an A+. The Star-Ledger critic Alan Sepinwall praised the depth of the plots in this episode and praised the acting of Michael Imperioli as Christopher and Drea de Matteo as Adriana. Sepinwall regarded the scene of Christopher angrily reacting to Adriana being an informant as "one of the most terrifying 'Sopranos' moments ever."