Cunnilingus & Psychiatry: "Live Free or Die"

Cunnilingus & Psychiatry is the title for my weekly Sopranos recaps. Each week usually on Mondays I will post my thoughts on the past week's Sopranos episode.

SPOILER SPACE (Do not scroll down past the picture of Vito Spatafore if you don’t want any of the last episode of Sopranos spoiled for you)



I have lived a long time and grown up to be a tolerant person with a true belief and equal rights and justice for all. But let the blood stop flowing from my body the day I find episodes like last night’s Sopranos not funny. “Let’s take this in the back”, “a real come-from-behind kinda guy”, “greasing the Union”, “maybe he’s got a hard-on for Vito”. Last night’s gay joke a minute gigglefest was an enjoyable hour. The Sopranos tackled gay rights with the same views that exist in most of the general public between Paulie and Phil’s view of Vito as a “disgrazi” and Tony’s “I’m no fag, but who gives a shit” attitude (which I believe is shared by about 75% of the country) last night’s episode, which you knew was coming at some point was both funny and socially relevant which the show struggles to be both at times. Shocking references to Showtime’s “The ‘L Word’”, Cold Case, and Senator Rick “Sanitarium” were inserted very well.

Of course at the center of all of this was Vito being outed to the family and having to go on the lam to of all places, New Hampshire. Reading the blurb on my cable guide that last night’s episode was titled “Live Free of Die”, I knew New Hampshire would be mentioned or intricate in the plot somehow. I was very curious as to exactly how it would be. As in “What about Bob?” and “On Golden Pond” the writers chose to send Vito to Northern New Hampshire to show a pigeonholed view of what New Hampshire is really like. Vito could’ve stopped in Southern New Hampshire and experienced the same polite hokeyness from the people while walking its strip highways, shopping malls and abundance of gas stations, but that probably wouldn’t have been enough of a contrast from North Jersey. For the record, I have never been to Danforth or stepped inside an antique shop.

Other passing thoughts:

Anyone else feel dirty after that shot of Vito’s babysitter?

So did they whack Rusty or not?

I have no idea where this Arab angle is going.

I know Meadow isn’t marrying Finn and for all her volunteering, internships and grad school education she’s still “Tony Soprano’s kid”.

It looks like next week is the obligatory “poor Artie” episode. Wake me up when it’s over.