Live Free or Die (The Sopranos episode)

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“Live Free or Die”
The Sopranos episode
Episode no. Season 6
Episode 71
Guest stars see below
Written by David Chase & Terence Winter and Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess
Directed by Tim Van Patten
Production no. 606
Original airdate April 17, 2006 (HBO)
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Live Free or Die" is the 71st episode of the HBO original series, The Sopranos. The episode was written by David Chase, Terence Winter, Robin Green, and Mitchell Burgess, and was directed by Tim Van Patten. It was the sixth episode for the show's sixth season. It originally aired on April 16, 2006.

Contents

[edit] Guest starring

[edit] Episode recap

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The New York wise guys who spotted a leather-wearing Vito Spatafore dancing in a gay bar have spread the news. An acquaintance from Yonkers, New York tells Christopher Moltisanti and James "Murmur" Zancone the story, who repeat it to Tony Soprano and his capos at the Bada Bing. Paulie Gualtieri describes the news as slander, and Tony agrees more proof is needed.

Benny Fazio, Dante Greco and Doria] visit Vito at the beach house of Vito's goomar, where he's been laying low. They try to take him to see Tony, but Vito speeds away. He returns to his home, looks in on his sleeping children, grabs a couple family pictures and a stash of money, and drives off into the rainy night. After his car hits a downed tree branch, Vito finds himself stranded in a small town in New Hampshire.

Vito’s hasty disappearance suggests to Christopher and others he has something to hide. Further evidence is gained from Silvio, who after speaking to the mobster's wife Marie Spatafore, declares, "I'm around a lot of women. That one ain't getting laid."

The gossip soons spreads further, and Meadow reveals to Carmela and Rosalie that Finn witnessed Vito performing oral sex on a security guard. Tony takes Finn to the backroom of Satriale's, and urges him to repeat the story for the assembled wiseguys, which convinces even Paulie. The fact that Vito was "pitching" instead of "catching" the favor seemed worse to the group. Finn is intimidated by the interrogation and repulsed by the thought the mobsters will "mete out their own justice" on Vito over his sexual orientation, and he later challenges Meadow's rationalization of her father's business as Italian tradition.

Meadow also has her values and relationships questioned when she sympathises at the law center with an Afghan Islamic family whose son was detained by police on suspicion of terrorist activity, but can find no support at home. Her recounting of the tale merely prompts Tony to ask Christopher if his Arabic friends, Ahmed and Mohammed, are possibly "al-Qaedas". Christopher tells Tony the pair seem too tolerant and Americanised to be terrorists, but is obviously concerned by the suggestion.

Paulie, feeling personally betrayed, leads the cries for Vito's blood. Rumors swirl about how the fugitive capo's crew won't follow his orders and many openly express the desire to kill him themselves. Tony, who expresses to Dr. Melfi his ambivalence over whether Vito's sexual orientation truly matters, manages to quell immediate calls for bloodshed while he considers the effect on the man's wife and children and on his own income. After Tony implies he will not go after Vito, Silvio suggests Tony's captains will use clemency as an excuse to kick back even less money.

Phil Leotardo arrives to comfort his distraught cousin Marie, both of them now well-informed of the accusations against her husband Vito. Phil inquires if Marie can help him locate Vito, supposedly to help him get some sort of help.

In his New Hampshire hideaway, Vito tries (unsuccessfully) to locate a cousin, socializes with the friendly townsfolk, and notices a gay couple being welcomed at a local diner. Among the peace and quiet, Vito stops by a picturesque whitewater river, then visits an antique shop where, after admiring the most expensive piece in the store, he is told by the friendly proprietor he is "a natural" who has "a good eye".

Meanwhile, Carmela discovers that Angie Bonpensiero has secretly branched out into business with some members of Christopher's crew, putting money up for street loans and buying stolen car parts. Carmela tries to coax Tony into having the local building inspector allow further work on her spec house, but to no avail; he forgets about her request, and Carmela is appalled to find that her father Hugh De Angelis has set about selling whatever can be salvaged from their construction site.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Title reference

  • The episode's title "Live Free or Die" refers to the New Hampshire state motto, which Vito notices on a license plate while stranded in the fictional town of Dartford, New Hampshire.
  • The title also refers to the decision that must be made about Vito; i.e., whether to let him live free or die. It could also refer to Vito's contemplating suicide (he has been taking long pensive looks at his gun).

[edit] Trivia

  • The scenes filmed for the town of Dartford, New Hampshire were actually filmed in Boonton, New Jersey.
  • At a diner in Dartford, Vito is introduced to jonnycakes, tasty pancakes made with white corn meal, which will be the title of the subsequent sixth season's episode 8.
  • In the scene with Dr. Melfi, Tony referenced the controversial comments made by Senator Rick Santorum (pronouncing his last name as "Sanatorium") who once claimed the government's allowance of gay marriage would be the first step in a slippery slope leading to tolerance of more taboo practices, including bestiality.
  • The song played during the end credits is "4th of July" by X.
  • This is the final episode to be written by the writing team of Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess. Green and Burgess left the series to produce a new project for HBO. Prior to their departure, they had both been regular writers and executive producers on the series since season one in 1999.
  • Sharon Angela (Rosalie Aprile) is now billed in the opening credits.
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