"
Kennedy and Heidi" is the eighty-third episode of the HBO television series
The SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created and produced by David Chase. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 10, 1999 and ended its original run of six seasons and 86 episodes on June 10, 2007. The show has also been broadcast on A&E in...
. It is the sixth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season (the broadcast of which was split into two parts) and is the eighteenth episode of the season overall. It was written by executive producer
Matthew WeinerMatthew Weiner is an American writer, director and producer of television drama. He is the creator, executive producer, head writer, and show runner of the AMC television series Mad Men. He is also noted for his work on the HBO series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer...
and series creator/executive producer
David ChaseDavid Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
and was directed by longtime series director
Alan TaylorAlan Taylor is an American television director. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO. Besides his television work, Taylor has directed three feature films: Palookaville, The Emperor's New Clothes and Kill the Poor.Taylor's...
.
"
Kennedy and Heidi" is the eighty-third episode of the HBO television series
The SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created and produced by David Chase. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 10, 1999 and ended its original run of six seasons and 86 episodes on June 10, 2007. The show has also been broadcast on A&E in...
. It is the sixth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season (the broadcast of which was split into two parts) and is the eighteenth episode of the season overall. It was written by executive producer
Matthew WeinerMatthew Weiner is an American writer, director and producer of television drama. He is the creator, executive producer, head writer, and show runner of the AMC television series Mad Men. He is also noted for his work on the HBO series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer...
and series creator/executive producer
David ChaseDavid Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
and was directed by longtime series director
Alan TaylorAlan Taylor is an American television director. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO. Besides his television work, Taylor has directed three feature films: Palookaville, The Emperor's New Clothes and Kill the Poor.Taylor's...
. It originally aired in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on May 13, 2007.
Episode recap
The episode begins with a late-evening meeting between the
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
families regarding the removal of
asbestosAsbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos is a borrowed Greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the miracle mineral because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand...
from a building project. Phil is upset because he was unaware that Tony was dumping asbestos. Tony states he should have known that this type of activity is status quo, and suggests there should be minimal repercussions. Phil disagrees, asks for a 25% cut of what they get for the illegal dumping, but Tony rejects his offer.
After the unsuccessful meeting,
TonyAnthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is a fictional character on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, portrayed by James Gandolfini and conceived by series creator David Chase. The show's exceedingly complex protagonist, he is the only character to appear in every episode of the show...
and
ChristopherChristopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
drive home along a winding road and talk about the events of the past year, including Tony's shooting at the hands of
Uncle JuniorCorrado John Soprano, Jr., played by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually referred to as "Uncle Junior" or "Uncle June", he is the mentor and surrogate father for mob boss Tony Soprano. A younger Corrado sometimes appears in flashbacks and is played...
. While fumbling with the car's radio buttons, Christopher swerves into the opposite lane, nearly hitting a sedan driven by two teenage girls named Kennedy and Heidi. Christopher's truck avoids the oncoming vehicle but veers off the road and rolls several times.
Tony, wearing a safety belt,suffers only minor injuries. Christopher is badly injured, begins to have trouble breathing, and begins coughing up blood. Visibly disoriented, he asks Tony to "call [him] a taxi", telling him that he will never pass a drug test and will lose his driver's license. Tony, angry, shaken and distraught, exits the car, limping around to the driver's side and begins to dial
9-1-19-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan . It is one of eight N11 codes...
on his cell phone. when he notices the infant carrier seat in the back has been impaled by a tree limb during the accident, he closes the phone and takes another unexpected action. He reaches out to Christopher and tightly pinches his nostrils, and Christopher suffocates.
Tony is rushed to the emergency room of Saint Clare's Hospital in
DenvilleDenville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 15,824. Denville is known as the "Hub of Morris County" for its location along major transportation routes at the center of the county...
, where he calls
CarmelaCarmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character overview:...
to tell her about the accident. Largely unscathed, Tony is home the next morning, and is visited by the members of his crime family who all lament the death of Christopher. Tony is ambivalent towards Christopher's passing, and has a dream in which he admits to
Dr. Melfi Jennifer Melfi, M.D., played by Lorraine Bracco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the psychiatrist of Mafia boss Tony Soprano....
that he killed Big Pussy Bonpensiero, his cousin
Tony BlundettoAnthony "Tony" Blundetto, played by Steve Buscemi, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is Tony Soprano's cousin who is released from prison at the beginning of the show's fifth season. Tony Blundetto first appears as a calm, composed, and reformed criminal ready to pursue...
, and Christopher. In reality, Tony finds himself unable to discuss his true feelings about Christopher's death with anyone, only hinting to Carmela that he feels relieved.
During the preparations for Christopher's wake, Tony hears that Paulie Walnuts' adoptive mother, Nucci Gualtieri, has died of a stroke. (In an earlier episode Paulie's true mother, who was dying, revealed that Nucci was actually Paulie's aunt and had adopted him on account of Paulie's real mother being unwed and subsequently became a nun.) The Soprano family and associates attend Christopher's wake in morbid celebrity fashion, with Tony appearing noticeably disgusted by the ostentatious display of Mafia grief. Meanwhile, Nucci's wake is poorly attended, deeply upsetting Paulie, which he admits to Tony during the latter's brief appearance at the ceremony.
In a side story,
A.J. SopranoAnthony John "A.J." Soprano, Jr. , played by Robert Iler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually just called "A.J.", he is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano and a constant source of anxiety for his parents...
is spending time at the college with Jason Parisi, Jason Gervasi, and Mark Iscaro. The boy that they tortured last episode for not paying his gambling debts is revealed to have had some toes amputated due to damage from the
sulfuric acidSulfuric acid, , is a strong mineral acid. It is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid has many applications, and is one of the top products of the chemical industry. World production in 2001 was 165 million tonnes, with an approximate value of US$8 billion...
that they used. (To save his dignity, the boy invented his own story, saying that the burns and amputation resulted from an accident with battery acid.) Gervasi carelessly opens his car door causing a Somalian college student to crash his bicycle. A.J.'s friends pick a fight with the bicyclist, call him a "
niggerNigger is a pejorative term and common ethnic slur against black people, and is English slang. In denoting “black person”, nigger originated as a variant of the Spanish and Portuguese noun negro derived from the Latin adjective niger...
," and then beat him up. Although A.J. does not help his friends beat up the bicyclist, he does shove the youth away from him which caues the youth to fall to the ground where he is beaten. One of the kids also throws the bike in the path of an oncoming vehicle and it is crushed. The incident visibly disturbs him and he later laments to his therapist.
A.J. tells his therapist he has begun taking college courses again and is taken in particular with one that deals with the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Displaying a show of interest, A.J. remarks that "nobody knew who started it." This, combined with (and in relation to) his experience during the morally confusing beating of the Somalian biker causes A.J. to exhibit symptoms of extreme distress. He ends by quoting
Rodney KingRodney Glen King is a Black American who, on March 3, 1991, was the victim of police brutality, committed by Los Angeles police officers. A bystander, George Holliday, videotaped much of the incident from a distance.The footage showed LAPD officers repeatedly striking King with their batons...
, imploring, "Can't we all just get along?"
Fed up with the outpouring of grief over Christopher, Tony arranges to fly to
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
on a private plane. In Vegas, Tony receives a phone call from Phil Leotardo, insincerely offering condolences for Christopher's passing, while providing no relief for the original asbestos impasse. He meets up with Sonya, a beautiful exotic dancer with whom Christopher used to spend time. He tells her that Christopher has died, and she begins to accompany him during his Vegas trip. The two have sex, smoke marijuana and take
peyoteLophophora williamsii , better known by its common name Peyote, , is a small, spineless cactus. It is native to southwestern Texas and through central Mexico...
, with an inebriated Tony winning a large amount of money on
rouletteRoulette is a casino and gambling game named after a French diminutive for "little wheel". In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a number, a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
while high on mescaline. Believing his recent bad luck has ended, he mumbles happily, "He's dead," and subsequently collapses in a laughing fit on the casino floor. The episode concludes with Tony and Sonya looking out on the Nevada desert. Tony sees the sun flicker in the distance. He stands up to walk towards it. Both crying and laughing, he yells out at the sun, "I get it. I get it!"
Guest starring
- Christiana Anbri as Heidi
- Gregory Antonacci as Butch DeConcini
- Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor, producer and director. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors.-Early life:...
as Himself
- Bambadjan Bamba as Cyclist
- Denise Borino-Quinn as Ginny Sacrimoni
- Elizabeth Bracco
Elizabeth Bracco is an American actress who is best known for her role as Marie Spatafore, wife of Vito Spatafore, on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos....
as Marie Spatafore
- Chris Bashinelli as Kevin
- Leah Bezozo as Kennedy
- Cara Buono
Cara Buono is an American actress, screenwriter and director.-Early life:Buono was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, in a blue-collar family. She made her acting debut in Harvey Fierstein's play Spook House....
as Kelli Moltisanti
- Lindsay Campbell as Professor Kline
- Max Casella
Max Casella is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the television series The Sopranos, Doogie Howser, M.D., and as the voice of Daxter in the Jak and Daxter video game series.-Biography:...
as Benny FazioBenito "Benny" Fazio, Jr., played by Max Casella, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Initially an associate of Christopher Moltisanti, Benny began working for the Soprano crime family with Chris under Capo Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri and continued to work for Chris after his...
- John Cenatiempo as Anthony Maffei
- John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia as Albie Cianflone
- Michael Countryman as Dr. Richard Vogel
- Michael Drayer as Jason Parisi
- Ray DeMattis as Gerry Gaultieri
- William DeMeo as Jason Molinaro
- Elizabeth Dennis as Andrea
- Danielle Di Vecchio as Barbara Giglione
- Frances Ensemplare as Nucci Gualtieri
- Frank John Hughes
Frank John Hughes is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of "Wild Bill" Guarnere in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Tom Fox in Catch Me If You Can, Tim Woods in 24 and Walden Belfiore in The Sopranos.-Early Life and Career:A native of the South Bronx, Hughes...
as Walden Belfiore
- Phyllis Kay as Rita Lombardo
- Mark La Mura as Alan Kaplan
- Jonathan LaPaglia
Dr. Jonathan LaPaglia, M.B.B.S. is an Australian actor known for his role as Frank Parker in the television series Seven Days, Kevin Debreno in The District and Det...
as Himself
- Marianne Leone Cooper
Marianne Leone is an American film and television actress and screenwriter. She is likely best-known for her recurring role as Christopher Moltisanti's mother on The Sopranos....
as Joanne Moltisanti
- Julianna Margulies
Julianna Luisa Margulies is an American actress.After several small television roles, Margulies achieved success in her continuing role as Nurse Carol Hathaway on the NBC medical drama ER, for which she won an Emmy Award. Since her departure from ER in 2000, Margulies has appeared sporadically in...
as Julianna Skiff
- Michelle Maryk as Jo Lewis
- Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
Carlo Gervasi, played by Arthur J. Nascarella, is a fictional mobster on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is a former Capo in the Soprano crime family, before turning FBI informant....
- Vinnie Orofino as Bryan Spatafore
- Dennis Paldino as Al Lombardo
- Artie Pasquale as Burt Gervasi
- Dina Pearlman as Ellen Reinstein
- Joey Perillo as John Stefano
- Ryan Sullivan as Jason Gervasi
- Miceky Pizzo as Sal Pisano
- Joe Pucillo as Beppy Scerbo
- Anthony J. Ribustello as Dante Greco
- Sarah Shahi
Aahoo Jahansouz , also known as Sarah Shahi is an American actress of Iranian descent. A former NFL Cheerleader, Shahi was named #90 on the Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list; she moved up to #66 in 2006. Sarah is married to actor Steve Howey, whom she met on the set of Reba in 2004...
as Sonya Aragon
- Sejal Shah as Chandrakanta Pisano
- Zuzanna Szadkowski as Elżbieta
- Maureen Van Zandt
Maureen Van Zandt is an American television actress best known for her portrayal of Gabriella Dante on the HBO series, The Sopranos, who is a close friend to Carmela Soprano....
as Gabriella Dante
- Ed Vassallo as Tom Giglione
- Marc Wolf as Mark Lewis
- John Wu as Morgan Yam
Deceased
- Christopher Moltisanti
Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...
: suffocated by Tony after suffering massive trauma in a car accident
- Marianucci Gualtieri: stroke
Title reference
- Kennedy and Heidi are the names of the teenage girls driving the car that nearly collides with Christopher's vehicle. Heidi refuses to stop after the accident for fear of losing her learner's permit
A driver's permit, learner's permit, learner's licence or provisional licence is a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to drive but has not yet satisfied the requirements necessary to obtain a driver's license...
from the curfew violation.
- "Sonia" was the working title for this episode.
Music
- The song playing on the car stereo as Christopher is driving Tony is Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band who, in the late 1960s, earned recognition for their psychedelic and space rock music, and in the 1970s, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. Pink Floyd's work is marked by philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album cover art,...
's "Comfortably Numb", performed by Roger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English rock musician. He is best known as the bass player and one of the main songwriters and lead singers in the English rock band Pink Floyd from 1964 to 1985...
featuring Van MorrisonVan Morrison is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime...
& The BandThe Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and...
from the soundtrack of The DepartedThe Departed is a American crime drama film remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The Departed was directed by Martin Scorsese, written by William Monahan and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Mark Wahlberg...
.
- The song played over the end credits is "Minos De Cobre (for Better Metal)" by Calexico
Calexico is a Tucson, Arizona-based rock band. The band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records, while their 2005 EP In the Reins recorded with Iron & Wine...
.
Awards
- The following actors submitted this episode as their 2007 Emmy choice: Julianna Margulies
Julianna Luisa Margulies is an American actress.After several small television roles, Margulies achieved success in her continuing role as Nurse Carol Hathaway on the NBC medical drama ER, for which she won an Emmy Award. Since her departure from ER in 2000, Margulies has appeared sporadically in...
(Julianna Skiff), Cara BuonoCara Buono is an American actress, screenwriter and director.-Early life:Buono was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, in a blue-collar family. She made her acting debut in Harvey Fierstein's play Spook House....
(Kelli Moltisanti), Marianne Leone CooperMarianne Leone is an American film and television actress and screenwriter. She is likely best-known for her recurring role as Christopher Moltisanti's mother on The Sopranos....
(Joanne Moltisanti), Maureen Van ZandtMaureen Van Zandt is an American television actress best known for her portrayal of Gabriella Dante on the HBO series, The Sopranos, who is a close friend to Carmela Soprano....
(Gabriella Dante), John VentimigliaJohn Ventimiglia is an American actor, most famous for his role as Artie Bucco on the HBO television series The Sopranos. He has had parts in feature films such as Cop Land, Jesus' Son, and Mickey Blue Eyes and has appeared in numerous television shows including Law & Order and NYPD Blue...
(Artie Bucco) and Sarah ShahiAahoo Jahansouz , also known as Sarah Shahi is an American actress of Iranian descent. A former NFL Cheerleader, Shahi was named #90 on the Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list; she moved up to #66 in 2006. Sarah is married to actor Steve Howey, whom she met on the set of Reba in 2004...
(Sonya Aragon). Ventimiglia didn't have any lines in the episode.
- The episode's director, Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor is an historian specializing in early American history. He is the author of a number of books about Colonial America, the American Revolution, and the Early American Republic....
, won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy AwardsThe 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
.
Foreshadowing
- After leaving the meeting with Phil Leotardo
Philip "Phil" Leotardo, played by character actor Frank Vincent, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was originally a Captain within the Lupertazzi Crime Family, but following the death of the original Boss, Carmine Lupertazzi, the imprisonment and death of his successor...
at the beginning of the episode, Tony discusses with Christopher whether or not he should cut Phil 25% of the asbestosAsbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos is a borrowed Greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the miracle mineral because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand...
removal. Christopher advises him to "not worry about it just give it to him life's too short", an ironic statement considering Christopher would meet his abrupt demise moments later.
External links