* = credit only Following a change in Jackie Jr.'s behavior, Meadow begins to suspect he is cheating on her.
Gloria and Tony's relationship is growing increasingly unstable and the two frequently argue, though they always reconcile.
Melfi says Gloria is depressive, unstable, and impossible to please, asking Tony if that reminds him of anyone (implying his mother).
Tony instructs Paulie to make a collection from Valery, a Russian, on behalf of Silvio, who is ill.
In the snow-covered woods, Paulie and Chris prepare to dump the body but find that Valery, who is revealed to be a trained commando, is still alive.
Long after nightfall, faint with cold and hunger, they find an abandoned van where they take refuge.
In the middle of the night, Paulie manages to call Tony despite poor cell service and pleads for help.
Paulie gives a false version of what caused the fight with Valery, and Chris backs him up.
Shortly after Valery escapes into the Pine Barrens, Paulie shoots him, apparently in the head, but he still vanishes.
At one point, the camera shifts away from Paulie and Christopher to an aerial viewpoint, suggesting that Valery was watching them from a tree.
Series creator David Chase has said that he never intended to have Valery return and that the story is richer and more realistic with some mystery to the plot.
Some Boy Scouts found the Russian, who had the telephone number to his boss, Slava, in his pocket.
[3]Discussing the episode in a June 10, 2007 New York Times article titled "One Final Whack at That HBO Mob", Imperioli depicted the lack of closure regarding Valery as an example of the series' overall subversiveness, saying, "This show was never what people expected.