The first few times I watched this show, I just passively enjoyed it. And I always wondered what Tony Uncle Johnny's problem was with Tony Uncle Al cause Tony seems to have this attitude with Tony B the whole episode that I never understood.. But thanks to this rewatch, I'm actively trying to analyze and think about things I've never comprehended before. Usually I'm unsuccessful, but I think I might've at least come close to figuring this one out..
Tony gets upset when Tony B says "If things had gone differently.." The way this was said seemed innocent and it would've gone unnoticed to anyone watching if Tony didn't make a big deal out of it. It definitely did not feel like it was said with malice or hatred or with an intent to provoke and yet Tony gets offended by it to the point where he stops in his tracks to ask what Tony B meant. This scene could be interpreted as Tony feeling guilty..
Tony gives this look to Tony B when TB(Tony B) tells him that he doesn't want to get back into the mob life. TB wants to go straight and become a massage therapist which is obviously a more noble profession. It's also a lot less likely to get you killed or put in jail. The look on Tony's face might be confusion or disgust, but I think it might also be resent. I mean he offers Tony B a job to get back on his feet and TB turns it down because he wants nothing to do with his old life.. On the other hand, Tony is too far in to just go straight now. In a future scene, Tony calls TB at 3 in the morning. TB is working a shitty job that he has to wake up for in 2 hours and sleeping in his mother's basement while Tony is lonely and drunk, and looking for someone to talk to. It made me wonder if this evoked some childhood memories and makes Tony miss living in his parent's care while being protected/having no responsibilities (obviously not in real life but to miss that feeling itself psychologically speaking).. Add them together and those scenes could be interpreted as Tony feeling jealous..
Then there's the piece of dialogue that could explain it all:
That was a great party the other night.
Fuck him. Guy is fucking useless to me.
Could it be as simple as TB being 'out' of this thing of ours and therefore useless to Tony? I know he's been extremely selfish before but I don't know about this one.. TB is not just a soldier, he's family.
What do you guys think about why Tony seems upset at Tony B for no reason? Was it his guilt for not being with TB? Jealousy for TB's ability to start a new life? Was it just Tony being a Boss? Tony being a sociopath and realizing he can't use TB for his own purposes? Or something else?