"Do Not Resuscitate" is the 15th episode of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

original series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' and the second of the show's second season. Written by

Robin Green Robin Green (born July 31, 1945) is an American writer and producer. She was a writer and executive producer on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' and was the co-creator and executive producer of the CBS series '' Blue Bloods''. In the 1970s, Gre ...

Mitchell Burgess Mitchell Burgess is an American writer and producer. He was a writer and an executive producer on ''The Sopranos''. He was a creator and executive producer for '' Blue Bloods''. He frequently works with his wife Robin Green. Career ''The Sopra ...

, and Frank Renzulli, and directed by

Martin Bruestle Martin Bruestle is an American television producer best known for his work on ''Northern Exposure'' and ''The Sopranos''. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1987, Martin Bruestle was selected to participate in the Academy of Tel ...

, it originally aired on January 23, 2000.

Starring

James Gandolfini James John Gandolfini (; September 18, 1961June 19, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007 ...

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...

Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress best known for her performance as psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on the HBO crime drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007) and for her breakthrough role portraying Karen Friedman Hil ...

as Dr. Jennifer Melfi * *

Edie Falco Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. A prominent figure in American television, she is known for her roles both on stage and screen and has received numerous accolades including four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe A ...

Carmela Soprano Carmela Soprano (''née'' DeAngelis), played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is married to Mafia boss Tony Soprano. A young Carmela, portrayed by Lauren DiMario, appears in the 2021 prequel fi ...

Michael Imperioli Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

Christopher Moltisanti Christopher Moltisanti, portrayed by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character of the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course o ...

Dominic Chianese Dominic Chianese (; ; born February 24, 1931) is an American actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), Johnny Ola in ''The Godfather Part II'' ( ...

as Corrado Soprano, Jr. *

Vincent Pastore Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an Italian American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. He also made notable appearances in the HBO ...

Pussy Bonpensiero This is a list of characters from the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', and its prequel film ''The Many Saints of Newark.'' Main characters Cast table Main character biographies Tony Soprano Jennifer Melfi Carmela Soprano Christopher Moltisanti ...

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

Silvio Dante Silvio Manfred Dante is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', portrayed by Steven Van Zandt. He is the consigliere and right-hand man to Tony Soprano in the DiMeo crime family. John Magaro portrays a young Silvio Dante ...

Tony Sirico Genaro Anthony Sirico Jr. (; July 24, 1942 – July 8, 2022) was an American actor. Often cast as a mobster, he portrayed Paulie Gualtieri in ''The Sopranos''. Born in Brooklyn to an Italian-American family, Sirico had a tumultuous early life ...

Paulie Gualtieri Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Sirico on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'', one of the chief henchmen of series protagonist Tony Soprano. Sirico auditioned for the role of Junior Soprano, Uncle Jun ...

Robert Iler Robert Michael Iler (; born March 2, 1985) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of A.J. Soprano on ''The Sopranos''. His film roles include '' Tadpole'' (2002) and '' Daredevil'' (2003). Career He made his debut in 1995 as ...

as Anthony Soprano, Jr. *

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Jamie-Lynn Sigler (born May 15, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' from 1999 to 2007. Early life Sigler was born in Jericho, New York, on May 15, 1981, the daughter ...

Meadow Soprano Meadow Mariangela Soprano, portrayed by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. In the early seasons, Meadow is introduced as a smart but spoiled partygoer, whose over-dramatic personality and tendency ...

Drea de Matteo Andrea Donna de Matteo (born January 19, 1972) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Adriana La Cerva on the television drama ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2006), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sup ...

Adriana La Cerva Adriana La Cerva is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', portrayed by Drea de Matteo. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti. For her performance, de Ma ...

* *

Aida Turturro Aida Turturro (born September 25, 1962) is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Janice Soprano on the HBO drama series ''The Sopranos''. Early life and education After graduating from high school, Turturro earned a Bachelo ...

Janice Soprano Janice Soprano Baccalieri is a fictional character in the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' and in the film '' The Many Saints of Newark''. She is the eldest sibling of the show's protagonist, Tony Soprano ( James Gandolfini). On t ...

Nancy Marchand Nancy Lou Marchand (June 19, 1928 – June 18, 2000) was an American actress. She began her career in theater in 1951. She was most famous for portraying Margaret Pynchon on '' Lou Grant'' – for which she won 4 Emmy Awards – and Livia Sopra ...

Livia Soprano Livia Soprano (née Pollio), portrayed by Nancy Marchand, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. She is the mother of Tony Soprano. A young Livia, played by Laila Robins and later by Laurie J. Williams, is sometimes seen i ...

''* = credit only''

Guest starring

Synopsis

Jack Massarone's

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

company, which provides

no-show job A no-show job or fictitious employment is a paid position that ostensibly requires the holder to perform duties, but for which no work, or even attendance, is actually expected. The awarding of no-show jobs is a form of political corruption, politi ...

s to Tony, is being picketed by black protesters led by Reverend Herman James, Jr. In return for payment by Massarone, Tony sends some thugs who beat up the protesters. In reality, Tony and Reverend James are colluding, and they split the payment. Meanwhile,

Pussy ''Pussy'' () is an English noun, adjective, and—in rare instances—verb. It has several meanings, as slang, as euphemism, and as vulgarity. Most commonly, it is used as a noun with the meaning "cat", or "coward" or " weakling". In slang, ...

meets with his

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

handler, Agent Skip Lipari, and attempts to stall Lipari's demands for information. Tony visits Uncle Junior in jail. Junior tries to convince Tony that

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC AD 29) was List of Roman and Byzantine empresses, Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption ...

had nothing to do with the attempted hit and urges him to make peace with her. Tony mocks him for being manipulated by Livia. Tony tells Junior's aide, Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri, that Junior will keep the title of

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

and will be permitted to "earn" on a "subsistence level"; the rest will be Tony's. Junior's release from prison on medical grounds is obtained, but he is placed under

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

with an

ankle monitor The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

. He conducts business at his doctor's office, which cannot be bugged. At an ostensible appointment there, Junior tells Tony that the owner of Livia's former nursing home, Freddie Capuano, has been gossiping about himself, Livia and Tony. Capuano disappears; a state trooper finds his abandoned

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, with his toupée lying nearby. Janice continues to visit Livia in the hospital. They antagonize each other, but when Janice plays old music that Livia loves, they bond for the first time in years. Livia speaks of the money she has hidden; she doesn't remember where. Tony contemptuously tells Janice they deserve each other; she can live with Livia in her house when she leaves the hospital. During a visit to his grandmother, A.J. innocently mentions DNR. Questioning him, Livia realizes that Janice and Tony are considering a DNR instruction for her. One evening, Junior slips in the shower and is badly hurt. He speaks of his guilt to Tony and again urges him to make peace with Livia. He will not accept an ambulance but allows Tony to carry him to his car and drive him to the

emergency room An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pat ...

First appearances

* "Black" Jack Massarone: owner of Massarone Brothers Construction, which was once run by Uncle Junior * Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri: a member of the Junior Soprano crew who becomes Junior's chief aide * Agent Skip Lipari: FBI agent handling Big Pussy Bonpensiero * Reverend James, Jr.: Christian minister, secret associate of Tony Soprano

Deceased

* Frederick "Freddie" Capuano: Director of Green Grove Retirement Community, presumed murdered by the DiMeo crime family for talking about Mafia business and about Tony's attempt to kill his mother, though his body is never shown on screen * Reverend Herman James, Sr.: dies of natural causes at the age of 83

Title reference

* The episode's title is a common medical clause known as

Do Not Resuscitate A do-not-resuscitate order (DNR), also known as Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR), Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR), no code or allow natural death, is a medical order, written or oral depending on the jurisdiction, indica ...

or DNR. Janice and Tony talk about signing a DNR for Livia.

Cultural references

* Janice quotes (slightly misquotes) from ''The Mourning Bride'' by

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regard ...

: "Music hath charms..." * Bobby quotes (slightly misquotes) the words of Senator

William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, the eleventh Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and the twenty-first U.S. Secretary of State. In the la ...

: "To the victor belong the spoils."

Production

* Although this was the second episode of Season 2 to air, it was the third to be produce

References to other media

*After Livia finds out about Janice's plans regarding the DNR (and that Janice will be moving in with her), she confronts her daughter, saying: "I've seen that movie with

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

." This is most likely a reference to the film '' Kiss of Death'' (1947), in which Widmark's character (a gleefully psychotic killer) pushes a wheelchair-using elderly woman down a flight of stairs to her death. This is reinforced by the fact that during this scene, Janice briefly hallucinates an image of Livia falling down the stairs on an "In case of fire use stairs" sign on the hospital wall. It may alternatively be seen as a reference to the 1978 film ''

Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

'', also starring Widmark. *When Tony finally gives his begrudging approval for Janice to live with Livia in the latter's home, he says "It'll be like 'Whatever Happened to Baby Janice?' over there," likely referring to the

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

film '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?''

Music

* The song playing as Janice drives home from the hospital while smoking marijuana is " Mother and Child Reunion," by

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

. * The song playing when Janice reconciles with Livia in the hospital is "Non ti scordar di me," sung by tenor

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

. * The song played over the end credits is " Goodnight, My Love" by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

and

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

Filming locations

Listed in order of first appearance: *

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

North Caldwell, New Jersey North Caldwell is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an ...

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

* Wayne Towne Center in

Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a Township (New Jersey), township in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New ...

* Satriale's Pork Store in Kearney, New Jersey *

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

West Orange, New Jersey West Orange is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from t ...

* Beneath the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

along the

Passaic River The Passaic River ( or ) is a river, approximately long, in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburb ...

in the Meadowlands

References

External links

"Do Not Resuscitate"
at

* {{The Sopranos The Sopranos season 2 episodes 2000 American television episodes fr:Acharnement thérapeutique (Les Soprano)