Kaisha (The Sopranos)

"Kaisha" is the 77th episode of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and the 12th episode of the sixth season. It served as the midseason finale to the first part of Season 6, which HBO broadcast in two parts. The episode was written by executive producer Terence Winter, series creator/executive producer David Chase and co-executive producer Matthew Weiner, and directed by longtime series director Alan Taylor, and originally aired in the United States on June 4, 2006. Its premiere garnered 8.9 million American viewers.

Starring
* = credit only
 * James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
 * Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi
 * Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano
 * Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
 * Dominic Chianese as Corrado Soprano, Jr.
 * Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante
 * Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri
 * Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr.
 * Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano*
 * Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano Baccalieri
 * Steve Schirripa as Bobby Baccalieri
 * Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo
 * Ray Abruzzo as Little Carmine Lupertazzi

Guest starring
• Julianna Margulies as Julianna Skiff

• Tom Aldredge as Hugh De Angelis

• Gregory Antonacci as Butch DeConcini

• Denise Borino as Ginny Sacrimoni

• Cara Buono as Kelli Lombardo Moltisanti

• Max Casella as Benny Fazio

• Geraldine LiBrandi as Patty Leotardo

• Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi

• Dania Ramirez as Blanca Selgado

• Matt Servitto as Agent Harris

• Suzanne Shepherd as Mary De Angelis

• Lenny Venito as James "Murmur" Zancone

• Angelo Massagli as Bobby Baccalieri, Jr.

• Miryam Coppersmith as Sophia Baccalieri

• John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia as Albie Cianflone

• John Bianco as Gerry Torciano

• Taleb Adlah as Ahmed

• Donnie Keshawarz as Muhammad

• Patty McCormack as Liz La Cerva

• Jeffrey M Marchetti as Peter "Bissell" LaRosa

• Brianna and Kimberly Laughlin as Domenica Baccalieri

• Aasif Mandvi as Dr. Abu Bilal

• Arabella Field as Amy

• Matilda Downey as Yaryna

• Anthony Garcia as Teenager #1

• Kelvin Santos as Teenager #2

• Jonathan Marino Cuellar as Teenager #3

• Kadin and Kobi George as Hector Selgado

• Samuel Smith as Orderly

• Eric Zuckerman as Scott

Synopsis
Carlo disposes of Fat Dom's head in a sewer drain in Connecticut, while Benny blows up Phil's wire room. By chance, Phil is walking towards the place with a woman when it explodes, and they are blown onto their backs.

At a sit-down mediated by Little Carmine, Phil and Tony agree to end hostilities. However, things go wrong when Carmine thoughtlessly mentions Phil's murdered brother Billy; Phil, enraged, insults Tony and Carmine before storming off. Phil then discusses his next step with his capos Gerry, Butchie DeConcini, and Albie Cianflone. When Phil rejects Butchie's suggestion to kill Tony, Butchie suggests picking "somebody over there." Later, Agent Harris quietly tells Tony that his sources in the FBI are saying that someone in his organization may be in danger of retaliation by the Lupertazzi family.

Phil has a heart attack. At first, Tony finds joy in his misfortune; but later surprises the New York mobsters by visiting Phil at the hospital. Tony shares with Phil the spiritual knowledge that came to him in his coma; tells him to take his time recovering and enjoy his grandchildren and the good things in life, and says that later there will be enough for everyone. Phil is left emotional by the scene, silently tearing up.

Tony completes the Jamba Juice deal and tries to revive his relationship with Julianna, only to learn that she is now Christopher's mistress, having met him at an AA meeting. The two relapse into drug use, telling themselves that they can integrate the drugs into their lives. Chris tells Tony and the crew he is seeing a black girl named Kaisha, who he prefers not to introduce to them. Eventually, he tells Tony the truth in order to prevent him from finding out that he is using drugs again. Tony acts indifferent, but to Dr. Melfi he expresses his anger that his reward for marital fidelity is Chris's relationship with the woman he desired for himself.

Carmela is thinking about Adriana again because of her dream in Paris, and because her mother, Liz La Cerva, has tried to kill herself in despair. Carmela wants Tony to hire a private investigator to track Adriana down; he tells Silvio to lean on the building inspector so that she can work again on the spec house. When the stop order is lifted, Carmela immediately realizes that it is Tony's work and thanks him profusely. She throws away the detective agency's business card.

At the construction site, A.J. meets Blanca Selgado, a Dominican woman who works in the office; she is 10 years older than him and has a toddler named Hector. On their first date, while they watch television in her apartment, a group of youths begin playing loud music outside, waking Hector. She says her ex-boyfriend used to beat the youths. A.J. resolves the dispute by bribing them with an expensive mountain bike given by his parents. He and Blanca then have sex.

The Baccalieris, DeAngelis, and Moltisantis join the Sopranos at their home for Christmas Eve, although Meadow has stayed in California. A.J. arrives with Blanca and Hector. His parents welcome her but, aside, murmur their reservations. Carmela takes Tony's hand; the Christmas tree is piled high with gifts; Christmas music is playing; almost the entire extended family is gathered, it seems, peacefully.

First appearances

 * Blanca Selgado: A.J.'s new Dominican girlfriend.
 * Butch DeConcini: a Lupertazzi family capo who is in favor of most aggressive action against the Jersey crime family, such as the murder of someone close to Tony or Tony himself.

Title reference

 * The episode's title, "Kaisha," is the name of Christopher's imaginary black comàre.
 * In "Whitecaps", Credenzo Curtis, Chris' former heroin dealer mentioned his ex, "Kaisha", right before he was assassinated after the hit on Carmine Lupertazzi was called off.

Production

 * "Sentimental Journey" was the working title for this episode.
 * The episode is dedicated to the director John Patterson, who directed every season finale for the first five seasons and worked regularly on the series, but died after its fifth season.
 * The exploding storefront is an actual location in the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood on Fresh Pond Road (one of the two main local shopping streets).

Other cultural references

 * When Benny calls Tony to confirm the destruction of Phil's wireroom, he refers to Phil as "the Shah" due to his resemblance to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, last Shah of Iran.
 * Christopher's comments about penguins spending a long time guarding an egg only to lose the chick inside refers to the documentary film March of the Penguins.
 * During his sit-down with Tony, Phil notes the disappearance of "Fat Dom" Gamiello and surmises that the Soprano family killed him because Dom was last seen in Jersey. Tony denies that claim and adds: "So was the Hindenburg," referring to the disaster which took place in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
 * Christopher tells Julianna to save her semen-stained dress just like Monica Lewinsky in the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.
 * When Carmela approaches Tony about hiring a private investigator, Tony is watching A&E's 2005 documentary Lincoln.
 * Phil and Butch believe Tony killed Dom in retaliation for Phil's murder of Vito. Butch compares this to 9/11—Tony now has their attention, and it is time to defeat him.
 * Patty Leotardo calls the irritable Phil Ebenezer Scrooge when discussing Christmas dinner with him.
 * Julianna questions Christopher's intention to title his film Cleaver because of the possibility that people will think of Beaver Cleaver (Leave It to Beaver TV show).
 * Christopher mentions Saw and Hostel as examples of successful one-word horror movie titles.
 * A.J. and Blanca are watching the comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin in her apartment before the noise outside wakes Hector up.
 * A.J. gives the street punks making noise outside Blanca's place a Gary Fisher mountain bike.
 * Blanca says A.J. was born on the same day as Jesse Ventura, a "politician."
 * Junior says that baccalà refers to dried and salted cod.
 * Christopher and Julianna are watching Hitchcock's Vertigo at a movie theater after smoking heroin in his car.
 * In what appears to be a joke towards writer Terence Winter, Christopher mentions that the "50 Cent movie," i.e. Get Rich or Die Tryin', was being given away free at the car wash. Winter wrote the script for that film and co-wrote this episode.
 * Christopher tells Tony he told Julianna to buy a Luther Vandross boxed set for Kaisha for her birthday.
 * Christopher mentions The Jerry Springer Show when he walks and talks about his AA meetings. He tells "Murmur" that there is nothing but "white trash and narcotics" who talk about their problems, he recalls it as a "Fucking Jerry Springer Show!"
 * Junior references the JFK assassination to Bobby Bacala when he says he "didn't act alone" in the shooting of Tony.
 * Carmela says the Christmas toy drive charity she participated in gave away an Xbox video game system.
 * Bobby Jr. watches the 1938 film A Christmas Carol on TV before starting to flip through channels.
 * Bobby Jr. is later watching Casablanca.

Music

 * The episode opens and closes with The Rolling Stones song "Moonlight Mile."
 * "Precious" by The Pretenders plays when A.J. gets Blanca's phone number at the bar.
 * The three street youths play the Latin hip-hop songs "Culo" and "Toma" by Pitbull.
 * The opening theme music to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo by Bernard Herrmann is played during the montage of Chris and Julianna using heroin again and watching the movie at the theater.
 * The song playing at the Bada Bing! when Tony learns of Phil's heart attack is a version of "The Little Drummer Boy" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
 * Frank Sinatra's "The Christmas Waltz" as well as his version of "Silent Night" is playing during the episode's final moments.