"Live Free or Die" is the 6th episode of Part 1 of Season 6 of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It is the 71st overall episode of the series. Written by David Chase, Terence Winter, Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on April 16, 2006.
Starring[]
- James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
- Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi
- Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano
- Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
- Dominic Chianese as Corrado Soprano, Jr. *
- Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante
- Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri
- Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr.
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano
- Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano Baccalieri *
- Steven R. Schirripa as Bobby Baccalieri
- Frank Vincent as Phil Leotardo
- John Ventimiglia as Artie Bucco
- Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore
- Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi
- Toni Kalem as Angie Bonpensiero
- Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
* = credit only
Guest starring[]
- Tom Aldredge as Hugh DeAngelis
- Edoardo Ballerini as Corky Caporale
- Elizabeth Bracco as Marie Spatafore
- Max Casella as Benny Fazio
- Will Janowitz as Finn DeTrolio
- Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
- Anthony J. Ribustello as Dante Greco
- Suzanne Shepherd as Mary DeAngelis
- Lenny Venito as James "Murmur" Zancone
- Maureen Van Zandt as Gabriella Dante
- Louis Gross as Perry Annunziata
- John Costelloe as Jim Witowski
- Frank Borrelli as Vito Spatafore Jr.
- Paulina Gerzon as Francesca Spatafore
- Ron Castellano as Terry Doria
- Danny Mastrogiorgio as Kevin Mucci
- Selenis Leyva as Jill Dibiaso
- Susan Blommaert as Betty Wolf
- Ray Anthony Thomas as Flagman
- Donna Villella as Rae 'Rafaella' Martino
- Adam Trese as Michael Kardish
- Jacqueline Antaramian as Mrs. Fahim Ulleh Khan
- Afeefa Ayube as Afaf Khan, Vitos's mistress
- Laith Nakli as Mr. Fahim Ulleh Khan
- Michael Malone as Antique Store Owner
- James Hindman as Carty
- Leo Daignault as Don
- Robert Feeley as Rehab Patient
- Cal Crenshaw as Local Man
- Amanda Magnavita as Babysitter
Episode recap[]
Tony gives Perry some money as compensation for the beating, leading the two to make peace. Meanwhile, the New York associates who spotted Vito in the gay bar have spread the news. Christopher and Murmur hear the story outside of an AA meeting, then repeat it to Tony and his crew at the Bada Bing. Paulie dismisses the news as slander, and Tony insists more proof is needed. Benny, Dante Greco and Terry Doria visit Vito and his mistress at a beach house on the Jersey Shore, where he's been lying low. They try to escort him to see Tony, but Vito speeds away. Vito returns home later that night, looks in on his sleeping children, grabs some keepsakes and necessities, and drives off into a stormy night. After his car hits a downed tree branch, Vito proceeds on foot and finds himself stranded in a small town in New Hampshire. Exhausted, he checks into an inn.
Vito's hasty disappearance suggests to Chris and others he has something to hide. Further testimony is gained from Silvio, who remembers Vito phoned him the night he was spotted at the gay bar. After speaking to Vito's wife Marie, Silvio declares, "In my business, I'm around a lot of women, and that one ain't getting laid." All the while, Tony continues calling Vito, but to no avail. A road crew worker finds Vito's ringing phone; after being offended and puzzled by Tony's questions, the worker throws the phone into the path of a steamroller. Meadow reveals to Carmela and Rosalie that Finn witnessed Vito performing oral sex on a security guard. Tony takes Finn to the back room of Satriale's and asks him to repeat the story for the crew. The reactions range from laughter to immediate calls for Vito's execution. Finn is terrified after the interrogation.
Meadow has her values questioned when she sympathizes with an Afghan Muslim family whose son was detained by police. When she says George W. Bush's policies are eroding the society's "constitutional protections," Tony teases her while Carmela says she voted for him. Meadow starts a new internship at a law firm which handles white collar crimes. She later discusses a case from her new job while smoking marijuana with Finn, but they argue over Johnny's treatment by the government at his daughter's wedding. Finn challenges Meadow's rationalization of her father's business as Italian tradition, and notes her hypocrisy since Tony's crew is poised to punish Vito over his sexual orientation. Meadow storms out.
Meadow's mention of terrorists prompts Tony to ask Chris if his Arabic friends, Ahmed and Muhammed, are possibly "al-Qaedas". Chris tells Tony the pair seem too tolerant and Americanized to be terrorists, but is somewhat concerned by the suggestion. After Tony gives Vito's construction business to Carlo, the capo reveals that some members of the crew desire to kill Vito. Tony, who expresses to Dr. Melfi his ambivalence over Vito's sexual orientation, manages to quell calls for bloodshed while he considers the impact of Vito's death on his family and on his own income. After Tony suggests to Silvio he will not go after Vito, Silvio notes Tony's men will use clemency as an excuse to kick up even less money.
Phil arrives to comfort his distraught cousin Marie and asks if she can help him locate Vito, ostensibly to get Vito "therapy." Meanwhile, Carmela discovers that Angie Bonpensiero has secretly branched out into business with some members of Chris' crew, putting money up for street loans and buying stolen car parts. Angie seems to be too preoccupied with her work to have dinner with the mob wives and donates a large sum of money for Carmela's charity auction. Rosalie concludes that Angie used to belong to their circle but is now a full mobster. Carmela tries to pressure Tony into having the building inspector allow her to move forward with her spec house. Tony seems to forget her request, and Carmela is appalled to find that Hugh has set about selling materials salvaged from the construction site.
Tony informs Chris that two Italian hitmen will be sent over to the U.S. to kill Rusty, and tells Chris to hire a "third party" to equip them with weapons and to act as an intermediary between the assassins and the DiMeo family. Chris later gives the task to Corky Caporale, a DiMeo family associate, and gives him heroin as an advance partial payment. In his New Hampshire hideaway, Vito tries unsuccessfully to locate a cousin and poses as a tourist while socializing with the locals. He notices a gay couple being welcomed warmly at a diner. While visiting an antique shop, Vito picks up and admires a pot. Its proprietor tells him he has "a good eye" and is "a natural," as it happens to be his most expensive piece.
Gallery[]
Title reference[]
The title refers to the New Hampshire State motto.
Trivia[]
- [1] Breaking Bad has an episode with the same title, also representing a character on the run.