The hit man, on the other hand, begged to differ. "You can't get out of the  business" Jason said angrily. "Michael is proof. Why can't you see that?"

Sonny took Jason's reluctance as insubordinance  and immediately projected his own guilt on to him, suggesting that he was blaming the godfather for the boy's condition. Truth be told, it was Sonny who was blaming himself. "I remember who you were - the kid who use to ask a lot of questions, who could never lie, who didn't know the difference between guilt and innocence" Sonny said. "Now, it's like something changed. You want me to pay for what happened to Michael for the rest of my life.  Don't you think that I pay every day of my life?"  Jason stood his ground, his voice rising, as he pointed out that Michael never had a normal life and no matter what Sonny's choices were from this day forward, Morgan and Kristina would never have normal lives either.

Sonny rubbed his eyes in frustration, as he knew there was truth in what Jason was saying. "All you got to do is take the business, and you let everyone know that I'm no longer involved."  "Listen", Sonny said breathlessly, his voice cracking "we use to be friends and you would die for me - so I'm asking you as a friend, take the business over so I can have a life."

We've never seen this side of Sonny or Jason, worn out and feeling powerless, alone without options.  But each man wore those emotions in very different ways. Sonny, in exhausted, vulnerable abandon and Jason, in angry determination.

Bravo to both Maurice Benard and Steve Burton for making their characters frustration so moving.