AllMovie

A witness could bring an organized crime family crashing down in this episode of the HBO television series created by David Chase. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is distressed to learn that a witness has identified him as being in the area where a traitorous mob lieutenant was murdered. He visits his lawyer, Neil Mink (David Margulies), to discuss a strategy of stalling the feds, and delivers a bag of cash, Tony's rainy day fund for his wife and kids should he be arrested. Tony's also upset when his son, Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler), prefers to hang out with his friends at the mall rather than spend time with his dad, but Tony then promptly forgets his son's swim meet. After a meeting with Tony, Soprano family muscle Richie Aprile (David Proval) complains to Tony's Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) about the shoddy treatment they're both getting. Junior warns Richie about the treacherous Janice (Aida Turturro), who's letting Richie hold a gun to her head during sex. As payment for the massive gambling debt of his old pal, Davey Scatino (Robert Patrick), Tony and his crew take over Davey's outdoor store, running up the limit on all of Davey's lines of credit, intending to sell the merchandise on the street and bankrupt the business. A depressed Davey sleeps in a tent in his store, never returning home and contemplating suicide. Meanwhile, Pussy (Vincent Pastore) gives the FBI a list of investors in the Webistics scam and Tony's wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), has a crush on virile, widowed wallpaper hanger Vic Musto (Joe Penny), Davey's brother-in-law. Their flirtation threatens to become something more, but then Vic meets Davey for lunch and learns that Carmela's husband is a mob kingpin who has ruined Davey's family. Vic offers to pay for the college tuition of his nephew and breaks off his friendship with Carmela, sending an assistant to finish the wallpaper job. Tony learns that the witness against him learned of his identity and is now refusing to testify. The mob boss is so elated, he walks out of a therapy session with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). His daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), learns that she's been accepted at some top colleges, giving the family cause for celebration. "Bust-Out," which was called "Deus Ex Machina" until a last-minute title change, originally aired March 19, 2000.