The Sopranos (TV Series)

Army of One (2001)

Tobin Bell: Major Zwingli

Photos 

Quotes 

• Major Zwingli : [First meeting privately without AJ's parents]  stealing an exam that's quite a personal defeat isn't it?

  A.J. Soprano : It was wrong

  Major Zwingli : That sounds pre-programmed. Is that how you saw your future self? When you were a younger man? A cheat?

  A.J. Soprano : No

  Major Zwingli : How'd you explain it?

  A.J. Soprano : There's like all this academic pressure about getting into college, my school their like obsessed

  Major Zwingli : Is "like academic pressure" or academic pressure?

  A.J. Soprano : There's all this pressure, my parents too. My sister goes to Columbia and I know my parents expect me to go

  Major Zwingli : Around here we call that "stinking thinking" precisely the same as an alcoholic. No one puts that drink to his lips but himself

  A.J. Soprano : I'm not an alcoholic

  Major Zwingli : How do we do things different here at HMI than at your former school?

  A.J. Soprano : I don't know

  Major Zwingli : Well, I realize you don't know I'm about to tell you. At your school and it's not a bad school your right there's too much emphasis on what's good for you. What's good for Johnny, what's good for Janie? Here, the higher good is the corps as general MacArthur said in his farewell address at the Point: "the corps, the corps, the corps."

  A.J. Soprano : [Nods] 

  Major Zwingli : [while pointing to a blackboard listing their daily schedule]  now how do we achieve this revolutionary change in thinking on your part? Cadet corps has first call in formation at O' five thirty each day, march in formation to first mess to O' six twenty, followed by dorm inspection O' seven hundred, classes to O' eight hundred to fourteen forty, athletic formation fifteen hundred except Thursdays, which is "drill" or "commander's time", nineteen hundred to twenty-one hundred is evening study time, taps lights out: twenty-two hundred hours what's missing? Give up? Television

  A.J. Soprano : What's O' five thirty mean?

  Major Zwingli : 5:30AM

  Major Zwingli : [after AJ rolls his eyes]  I just outlined for you a blue print for total self discipline that will take you through your entire life and that's your only question?

  A.J. Soprano : Why do guys in the army, or like spies use that "O" thing to tell time?

  Major Zwingli : That will be abundantly made clear to you, for now we have an expression around here: keep it simple

• Major Zwingli : I for one think Anthony can greatly benefit from our program which as I candidly told him is very rigorous

  Carmela Soprano : I will be very frank with you Major Zwingli, I do not agree with this hard-nosed discipline

  Carmela Soprano : Mother's seldom do until he starts opening doors for you and pulling back your chair

  Tony Soprano : Now that'd be a miracle, that's something we thought we could hope for

  Carmela Soprano : What about creativity Tony? Independent thought?

  Major Zwingli : I stressed rather heavily with Anthony notions of duty and group think but I didn't think for now mention the army's motto of today: Be an Army of One

  Carmela Soprano : Why be an army at all? How about a veterinarian? Isn't there enough war? Amputees? Horrible displaced...

  Tony Soprano : [Interrupts her]  his just going to march around a little bit

  Major Zwingli : I wouldn't get too hung up on the marching aspect, its part of it but it's nothing compared to the mentoring that comes through small class size, faculty involvement, and dorm life

  Carmela Soprano : Well, that sounds wonderful certainly

  Major Zwingli : We've created too many options for our kids you can't blame them for being confused and when things go wrong we file them off to the ever burgeoning for profit substance recovery industry

  Tony Soprano : This "Army of One" thing, what happens when each army of one decides "fuck it I'm not going over the top of the fox hole" or blew the lieutenant's head off? Because they've been told "be an army of one"

  Major Zwingli : I would submit Audie Murphy was an army of one

  Carmela Soprano : [to Tony]  is that what we're preparing him for? A career in the military?

  Tony Soprano : No, no

  Major Zwingli : One day at a time