Now, unlike certain other television producers who have shows on Sundays at 9:00 (and who also have a C as their last initial), David Chase chooses to eschew any sort of graphic or hip, squiggly font (tm djb) to let us know we're in flashback-land. Instead, he pans down from a TV news report about the OJ Simpson civil trial to a considerably more hirsute Tony and a clearly-not-dead Jackie Aprile Sr. (who will obviously be known as "The Late Lord Fuckpants" for the remainder of the recap). And when you stop to think about it, using the OJ trial to "frame" the episode is actually pretty damn funny. The boys are seated in a booth in some diner off the boardwalk, and since I don't recap OJ jokes (though I'm apparently not above making them), we'll just move on. They're joined by Big Pussy, and oh how I've longed to write those words this season. In any context. Pussy grunts and grabs his ever-troublesome bad back as he sits, this time blaming the injury on "Fucking ValuJet. Trying to save $50." I'm so forwarding a copy of this tape to the MBTV accounting department along with a copy of my most recent expense voucher (and incidentally, those Vegas bills to The Chicken Ranch were for research on the whole "little hookers giving little blowjobs" thing. That's a perfectly legitimate business expense, and I've got dirty pictures of anyone who says otherwise). Pussy proceeds to explain that he flew down to Boca to meet with Junior, who's apparently afraid that The Late Lord Fuckpants wants him dead for some reason. For the record, "Boca" is the only episode title mentioned this week, so I guess David Chase thought it was a pretty good recap too. Thanks, Sars. ["Thank you." -- Sars]

The conversation makes its way outside, and Pussy continues (at great length) about some sort of contretemps involving Junior being upset that Jackie Sr. got made Lord instead of him, and yeah, we've all heard this plot before. I usually find the constant repetition on this show oddly comforting in a way, but this week it all just seemed so forced. On the other hand, as a repetitive writer myself, I can certainly sympathize. I mean, what are you gonna do? Anyway, The Late Lord Fuckpants orders Tony to set up a meeting, and turns the chat into a sit-down by, well, sitting down. Pussy starts bitching about some cruise Angie has booked him on, thus giving The Late Lord Fuckpants the perfect opportunity to mention that he'll be skipping his vacation this year so that Little Lord Fuckpants can study for his SATs. "Pray he goes to a state school," says Pussy, bemoaning the high price of a college education these days. And since Rutgers is in fact known as the "State University of New Jersey," I guess some prayers do get answered. I have to take time out for a tangent here, and mention that my friend Marc's father works at Rutgers. None of you care (and to be perfectly honest, neither do I), but Marc's been my friend since the sixth grade, and his last name is Tannenbaum, and he was more than a little upset that I didn't mention him in conjunction with Noah. And he's sorta got a point. If there ever was a real Chasidic Homeboy, it'd be Marc. Pussy complains about his finances some more, and Jackie offers to give him whatever money he needs. "Don't be moving that 'H' no more, Pus," warns Tony. Pussy doesn't answer, just turns to stare out at the waves. "I always wanted a house by the ocean," he sighs. "Maybe in another life."