The Sopranos season 4, episode 2
Original air date: September 22, 2002

Carmela's worried about Meadow as she gets ready to go back to college. She spent the whole summer at home, dropped the internship that Tony and Carmela bought her a car to get to and from, and is now talking about dropping out of college to go to Europe for a year. Carmela pesters Tony about sending Meadow to a therapist, because she's worried that Meadow's depressed.

Meanwhile, Christopher's been elevated to interim capo in Paulie's place, in Tony's family advancement program. Things are not going smoothly, though, because Patsy, Paulie's nephew (also named Paulie), and Silvio seem to have a problem with Christopher's leadership. They keep boosting materials from the job sites that Paulie's crew is working for Mazarone Construction. Mazarone complains to Tony, since he's under Tony's protection, and Tony comes down on Christopher. The first time it happens, it seems like just a misunderstanding, and Christopher makes it clear to the whole crew that it's unacceptable. Silvio goes behind Christopher's back, though, and openly tells Patsy to continue. When Tony confronts Silvio about the second boost, Silvio chalks it up to misunderstanding again.

Meanwhile, life's not going so well for Ralph, either. Tony interrupts him and Janice at Janice's and is disgusted by Janice's choice. Ralph mistakenly believes that it's good for his career to keep seeing Janice, though. At the same time, he's being told to hand over five of his crews to Paulie for the duration of Paulie's incarceration, since Paulie can't earn in prison.

Christopher continues to get high, under continuing job stress. Adriana chides him for continuing with the heroin, now that he's gotten the promotion. Christopher shoots back that he's not too thrilled with Adriana's new friend, Danielle (aka Deborah, the undercover federal agent). He thinks, because she doesn't have a boyfriend and doesn't want to get high with them, that she must be a lesbian. To test his theory, he gets together with her and Adriana, and starts groping Danielle while making out with Adriana. Danielle pushes him away, which draws Adriana's attention. Adriana's furious at Christopher, but also at Danielle for not pushing him away sooner. She stops returning Danielle's phone calls, at which point the Feds decide that the undercover operation has to be stopped and Adriana has to be brought in. She is, and she's given the choice to either cooperate and give them information, or to face possession and distribution charges related to the cocaine they found in her club and to "explain to Tony Soprano why she brought a federal agent to his house during Sunday dinner." She's traumatized by the choice and pukes all over the table and the agents.

Meadow does go to see a psychiatrist, one recommended by Dr. Melfi. The shrink tells her that it's OK to go to Europe, that she can pick up her education here, there, and everywhere in the vast world. Meadow has revealed that her father's in the mob, so the therapist may be motivated as much by a desire to see Meadow break free of her family as by her permissive, somewhat flaky nature. When Meadow tells her parents about the therapy visit, Tony explodes at her, after she calls him, "Mr. Mob Boss" and says that she's through telling people he's in "waste management." Carmela reassures Tony that it's not him Meadow's angry at, it's her (my read of the subtext: Meadow's angry at Carmela for staying with Tony and permitting his lifestyle, for raising her children in that environment, for being that kind of "role model" for Meadow).