Episode Nine -
"Rats and Other
Pest Control Problems"
By Sopranos Blueprint
Dr. Melfi: Welcome back. Last time when we had to stop, you’d been telling me about your household dynamics  growing up during your childhood. Do you want to continue where we left off?Â
Also, just as a general point: When I ask you these questions that may seem very deep or even invasive, it’s not to judge you. Everything you tell me just helps give me a better understanding of you and your life, so that I can give you my most sincere and helpful professional insight.Â
But in any case, everything we speak about here is confidential, with exceptions, of course, if you tell me that someone is in serious danger.
Meadow's Next Panic Attack
Meadow: Panic attacks.
Dr. Melfi: Pardon?
Meadow: I had another panic attack. Well, actually, it happened right after I left our appointment last week.
Dr. Melfi: Go on.
Meadow: I know you say no judgment, but it’s hard for me to accept that. Maybe it’s the lawyer in me, but aren’t we all in a constant state of judgment? And aren’t we a little full of sh*t when we say no judgment?
Dr. Melfi: Perhaps that depends on who you ask. Did the attack happen right after you left the appointment, like right when you got into the car?
Meadow: Well, I sort of knew what was coming this time, or at least I had a better idea than the previous time. All of a sudden, things get fuzzy. Not just fuzzy, like uncomfortably fuzzy. And then I start to clam up and sweat. It’s just, I feel like I lose complete control. And then everything turns black.
Carlo and Jason Gervasi Strike Again?
(Meadow picks up a call from Carmine Lupertazzi Jr.)
Carmine: Hey there, how’s the weather?
Meadow: How’s the water?
Carmine: The good news: the Waterfront commission is out and the Port of New York and New Jersey is officially the busiest shipping port in the country.
Meadow: What’s the bad news?
Carmine: The Longshoremen’s Union is on a work stoppage over wages and other benefits. It’s only been a few days, but there have already been ripple effects in the supply chain given the logistical nightmare that happens in situations like this.
Meadow: So, what do they want?
Carmine: More like what does Jason not want?
Meadow: Jason? Parisi?
Carmine: Gervasi.
Meadow: As if he hasn’t caused enough agita over the years…
Carmine: Look, we’ve talked about this, you and I are on the same page when it comes to taking care of business. Not being sloppy. But some of these guys still go out there acting like they have something to prove. Is his father still in the picture?
Meadow: Carlo? Last I heard he had moved and was trying to get in on the ground floor with the recreational Cannabis Market.
(Meadow speaking to herself/the reader): Where is he, you ask? Well, it’s a hill…overlooking a little river with pine cones all around. You see where I’m going with this?
More About Meadow's Panic Attack
Dr. Melfi: About how long did it take you to come to and regain consciousness?
Meadow: It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, but of course in that moment it felt like forever.
Dr. Melfi: So this person isn’t in the picture anymore, just his son?
Meadow: Yeah, it was right around the time of the fire, that;s what I like to call it. It was a really bad time for our family. So much shit was going on. A cousin of mine died in a horrible car crash, then my brother attempted suicide, followed by two of my uncles getting shot and killed. Oh, and someone we thought was family betrayed all of us.
Dr. Melfi: Go on.
Meadow: Carlo’s son, Jason, who’s around my brother’s age, got caught dealing ecstasy. Not that that wasn’t bad enough, but he already had a record, too, so he could have been seriously screwed. But lo and behold, daddy comes to the rescue Jason’s shitting his pants and Carlo’s in a pissy mood from having to lay low for a few days while some work shit got settled. So what, that’s all it takes? To betray people? To throw away your loyalty and your family along with it?
Gervasi Rats and Other Pest Control Problems
Dr. Melfi: I thought you said he was trying to help his family, I mean, with his son.
Meadow: There was a disagreement among vendors over whether or not the procurement selection committee had chosen the right vendor for this particular contract, and my father wanted Carlo to chill out and back off for a bit. So then the next day, when Carlo’s son needed a lifeline Carlo decided to point fingers at my father to get his son, Jason, a deal.Â
And, as you can imagine, with the assumptions everyone already had of people involved in waste management, they naturally took the bait. Jason got a slap on the wrist, if you can even call it that. More like a light tap on the wrist. And they went after my father instead for the umpteenth time.
Although, I guess on the bright side if you want to call that we knew what was up immediately. It wasn’t like your Donnie Brasco type scenario.
Old Rats on a New Ship?
Dr. Melfi: And what happened with Carlo after that?
Meadow: I think he went into witness protection or something. I love how he still thinks people would actually go after him like that. So, anyway, Jason G gets out of that mess unscathed and slowly but surely he worked his way up the chain to where he is today. After the fire, our family in some ways had to just start from scratch.
Dr. Melfi: So, Carlo was out of the picture, but his son Jason stayed around? There wasn’t some sort of conflict with that?
Business is Business
Look, business is business. if an entire family had to be punished because of something that one family member did, none of us would ever survive.
We can try to control as much as we can, but at the end of the day someone can still make their own choices, for better or worse. They just have to decide if it’s worth the consequences.
But that doesn’t mean that their son was a rat, too. Well, unless the son encouraged it, but I don’t want to go there right now. It may come as a surprise but this industry is very very similar to every other industry. It’s political.
Dr. Melfi: Unfortunately, it looks like we’ve reached our time again, so we’ll have to stop. But I think we had some really good conversation today, and I’d like to continue that dialogue.
