"He's got to go!"
"You can talk about every day being a gift and stopping to smell the roses, but regular life has got a way of picking away at it. Your house, the shit you own—it drags you down. Your kids, what they want. One bad idea after another. Just trying to work a cell phone menu is enough to make you scream."
— Tony Soprano
Chris attends an addicts meeting where he runs into Kevin Mucci. Mucci relates what he learned from his cousin, Sal Iacuzzo, that Vito was seen dressed in black leather in a gay bar. Chris in turn passes it on to the other mobsters at the Bada Bing. Both Chris and Carlo race to the conclusion that Vito is gay and must be punished. But Tony insists that there must be definitive proof before taking any action against Vito. They make numerous attempts to call Vito, but Vito never replies.
Benny and other mobsters try to bring Vito in, but Vito gets into his car and frantically drives away. He returns to his house and packs away cash that had previously been hidden in paint cans to enable a permanent escape. He looks longingly at his children and kisses them goodbye while they sleep. He also packs a photo of Marie and himself while they had been a young married couple. He drives away in the night in the rain. An incoming call from Phil prompts Vito to throw his cellphone out of his car window. His car breaks down after running over a large branch that had fallen during the rainstorm. He's forced to walk it to the nearest hotel in New Hampshire.
Tony and Silvio begin to search in earnest for Vito. Tony calls on Vito's now discarded cellphone. But his rudeness to the Black roadside worker provokes the worker into tossing the phone in the path of an incoming road roller. Tony loses his chance to ascertain where Vito discarded the phone.
Silvio then visits Marie with Tony waiting outside. Marie becomes defensive in response to Silvio's questions about her sex life with Vito. Silvio relates to Tony that Vito and Marie have not copulated in years.
Vito makes his way to a hotel and spends the night in a room. He goes to the hotel restaurant in the morning and immediately becomes attracted to the cook he soon nicknames "Johnny Cakes".
Tony struggles with his questions about Vito during a therapy session with Dr. Melfi. He dislikes how the media pushes homosexuality in every show but tolerates it more than the other mobsters. He's ambivalent over matters such as the occurence of homosexuality in prisons, and his desire to retain Vito as his top earner.
Rumors of Vito's homosexuality spread like wildfire in both Jersey and New York. Meadow overhears Carmela and Rosalie discussing the rumors. She then indicates to Carmela, and then Tony, that Finn told her he saw Vinn blowing a security guard when he still worked the construction job. Tony obliges Finn to reveal what he saw to the other Jersey mobsters. Vito now faces a certain death sentence should he ever return to either New Jersey or New York.
Tony contemplates allowing Vito back into the fold. But both Carlo and Silvio warn him that he will lose the respect of his men if he does.
Meadow and Finn get into an argument. Meadow accuses Finn of being ashamed of being Italian when he fails to share her outrage over how Johnny Sack was treated during his daughter's wedding. Finn in turn counters that justifying the actions of her crime family is hypocritical, especially now that both of them know the Jersey family will seek to murder Vito for being a homosexual. Meadow says, "This is untenable" and leaves, strongly implying that she and Finn have now broken up.
Phil in his turn resolves to murder Vito, who is married to Phil's cousin Marie and brings shame on the family.
Tropes:
- Accidental Pun: Tony describes Vito as a "come from behind kind of guy".
- Actor Allusion: After Finn confirms to the Soprano crew that he caught Vito performing a sex act on a security guard, Christopher suggests that he should cut off his penis and "feed it to him." This same fate befell Michael Imperioli's character at the hands of the Viet Cong in Dead Presidents.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Patsy bursts out laughing at Chris's "greasing the union" joke, and Carlo gives a half amused smirk before the scene ends.
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- Marie squirms when Silvio asks about how hers and Vito's love life has been of late.
- When his capos start getting angry at Tony being hesitant to kill Vito, Tony asks which one of them would take care of his children and wife.
- Finn bluntly asks Meadow what she thinks her "family" will do to Vito if they catch him, which heralds the end of their relationship.
- Authority Equals Ass Kicking: Chris is much more agreeable and respectful with Tony, in the wake of Tony's Curb-Stomp Battle against Perry during the previous episode.
- Blatant Lies: Chris tells Finn that they'll get Vito some therapy.
- Boomerang Bigot: Meadow all but calls Finn one during an argument over Johnny Sack being humiliated at his daughter's wedding
- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Tony patches things up with Perry after their scuffle that ended the previous episode.
- Cannot Tell Fiction from Reality: Tony mentions The L Word and ponders if Jennifer Beals is a dyke in real life.
- Celebrity Paradox: The gay couple mention watching Cold Case. Paul Schulze (Fr Intintola), Kathrine Narducci (Charmaine Bucco), Patty Mc Cormack (Adriana's mother), Tommy Savas (Xavier), Robert Cicchini (Dr. D'Alessio), Louis Mustillo (Sal Vitro), Jonathan La Paglia and Charley Scalies (Coach Molinaro) all appeared on Cold Case.
- Chekhov's Gift: Carmela wants Tony to turn his attention back to getting the permits needed to complete the spec house.
- Cutting the Electronic Leash: Vito throws his cellphone out the car window, with an incoming call from Phil proving to be the catalyst.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: The series itself is a constant exercise in the Dissonance, especially as it concerns the racism held by believable Mafia characters. Special mention is warranted for this episode though since it embarks on a deliberate deconstruction of homophobia. And in a twist of Irony, Tony's practical desire to keep Vito as a top earner motivates him to provide a lot of that deconstruction against his more intolerant crime family members.
- Double-Meaning Title: "Live Free or Die" is the state motto of New Hampshire, where Vito goes to seek refuge. It's also a perfect description of Vito's situation at this point: he can find a new life and live free in New Hampshire (where no one knows of his past). His other option is staying in Jersey, but he knows he would eventually get killed for being outed as a Gayngster.
- Double Speak: Tony describes the pending hit on Rusty by an analogy of tailoring him a suit with the best tailors, and readying a pair of scissors.
- Dramatic Irony: Tony is apparently unaware that Vito tried to get out of helping out Carmela.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Unlike the rest of the mobsters, Patsy explicitly says he doesn't care one way or another if Vito's gay, though he does share a chuckle with Chris at the latter's "greasing the union" line.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While the Soprano crew are contemplating killing Vito for the crime of being gay, they are all given pause when Tony points out that Vito is a man with children. Although part of this is because the social club doesn't want to be financially responsible for them if Vito were gone for good, Chris also echoes the sentiment that they don't deserve to lose their father over this.Christopher: Poor little guys. They didn't do nuthing.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Vito looks longingly at his children and kisses them goodbye while they're sleeping, and as he's preparing to leave for good.
- He also packs a photo of him and Marie, which indeed confirms that he Was Once Quite A Looker. That suggests that he still has fond feelings for Marie in spite of his homosexuality.
- Et Tu, Brute?: How the Jersey mobsters feel about Vito being homosexual, given the hypermasculine and homophobic subculture of The Mafia. Paulie in particular likens it to being stabbed in the heart.
- Family Honor:
- Phil is just as much a Heteronormative Crusader as Chris or Carlo. But It's Personal for Phil because Vito is married to Marie, Phil's cousin, and he therefore views the whole matter as bringing shame to his family.
- Carlo also tries to suggest that Vito needs to be taken out for the sake of the DiMeo crime family's honor.
- Fate Drives Us Together: Vito's first meeting with Johnny Cakes comes across this way, especially as it is on the heels of Vito's Plot-Driven Breakdown.
- Flipping the Bird: Pasty gives Paulie the finger for insinuating that Patsy must also be a 'flambe'.
- Forced Out of the Closet: The gossip and rumors about Vito being in black leather at a gay bar, and Finn testifying to the Jersey mob about Vito blowing a security guard together result in Vito's homosexuality becoming an Open Secret.
- Foreshadowing:
- Meadow going full Soapbox Sadie about the War on Terror heralds that several other characters are going to have their own story arcs involving Middle Eastern Terrorists.
- Carlo gets promoted to the captaincy previously held by Vito and Ralph. That starts another arc of its own.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Finn finally calls out Meadow for constantly excusing Tony and his associates' misdeeds because of the life of poverty their ancestors went through and tells her that none of that justifies executing a person just because they're gay.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Tony finds homosexuality between men disgusting. Lesbians, on the other hand, he doesn't mind, even watching The L Word.
- Half-Truth: Phil assures Marie that he wants to bring Vito back so that he can "do something about it."
- Heel–Face Revolving Door:
- Meadow's work at the Law Center functions as one for her. She is for the moment trying to do right for those facing gender and/or racial persecution. So she is presently a true Soapbox Sadie. But the work and skills she acquires will also enable her to potentially become a Mafia Princess and Amoral Attorney in one package.
- In fact, her outrage over how Johnny Sack was treated by Federal Marshalls at his daughter's wedding Foreshadows what direction the Door will lead her to.
- The sights of a quiet New England town, and the prospect of a romance with Johnny Cakes, have Vito seriously contemplating leaving the mob life behind him for good.
- Homophobic Hate Crime: Discussed. After Finn reveals the truth, Christopher and Carlo in particular push to have Vito killed for being a Gayngster. Tony puts all plans to that effect on ice for the moment, as he wants to consider his options.Bobby: We can't have him here in our social club no more, that much is clear.
Carlo: "Social club"? He's gotta go! - Hypocrite:
- Chris: "Human frailty, makes me sick sometimes".
- Finn responds to Boomerang Bigot accusations from Meadow by pointing out that her family members now plan to murder Vito in cold blood for no reason other than being gay.
- Both Tony and Carlo mention Catholicism and sinning to condemn Vito's practices, all while their line of work consist on cheating, extortion, stealing, and worse, on a regular basis, including occasional murdering.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: The antique store owner praises Vito for having a natural eye for value. It becomes a painful reminder to Vito that his considerable talents that until recently allowed him to thrive in The Mafia are now going to fall into disuse.
- It's a Small World, After All: Chris attends an addicts meeting where he runs into Kevin Mucci, the cousin of Sal Iacuzzo, who saw Vito in black leather at a gay bar.
- Jerkass: Tony is totally one to the Black roadside worker who picks up Vito's discarded cellphone and thereby ruins any chance to learn where Vito's phone was found.
- "Last Supper" Steal: In the scene where Finn confirms Vito's sexual preference, the table and the seating of the crew around the table suggest The Last Supper in placement, as well as mood, as "betrayal" is an oft-repeated suggestion by Christopher, Paulie among others.
- Like Father, Like Son: Meadow not only disparages the FBI and rationalizes the business like Tony would, she also goes to the fridge to help herself to some of the same orange juice his father drinks.
- The Loins Sleep Tonight: Tony doesn't feel ready for sex with Carmela so soon after his surgeries.
- Love at First Sight: Vito and Johnny Cakes feel an instant attraction to each other the moment Vito comes into the hotel restaurant as a customer.
- Malicious Misnaming: Finn derisively calls Johnny Sack "Johnny Macaroni" during his argument with Meadow.
- Manly Gay: Volunteer firefighter and biker Johnny Cakes, and Vito notices right away.
- The Mutiny: Both Carlo and Silvio as The Consigliere warn Tony that he will face one if Vito is allowed back into the fold.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Finn has a haunted look both before and after he tells all as a Surprise Witness, knowing that he's helped sign Vito's death warrant.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: The temptations that might arise from a drop-dead gorgeous babysitter are predictably not on Vito Spatafore's radar.
- Off the Grid:
- Vito is shown early on to be extremely reluctant to go outdoors for fear of being seen.
- He then Drives Like Crazy away from Benny and a couple of other mobsters once he realizes that he's more or less been outed.
- He returns to his house and packs his Emergency Stash of cash that had been hidden inside paint cans to enable getting out of Dodge asap.
- He then holes up in a hotel in New Hampshire. A budding romance with the hotel cook named Johnny Cakes means Vito will try to stay off the grid for good.
- Oh, Crap!: Vito, when he notices that Phil is trying to call him on his cellphone.
- One of the Guys:
- Angie shows up for the wives' dinner, dressed up in leather so as to make her look more like one of the male mobsters instead of the wives. She then proves that she's actually Married to the Job of running the auto body shop by bolting on the wives almost the moment she arrived.
- Carmela, later on, walks in on Angie conducting mob business with Benny and Patsy.
- Rosalie then informs Carmela that Angie herself "puts money on the street" in partnership with the mobsters. Rosalie even lampshades that Angie has become "one of them" instead of "one of us".
- Open Secret:
- You know Vito's homosexuality has become one when even a street-level junkie like Corky Caporale has heard about it.
- Tony instructs the gang not to say a word about Finn's testimony. Phil immediately knows every detail about it.
- Pet the Dog: Patsy says he couldn't care less whether Vito is gay or not, not exactly a small thing to admit in a room full of homophobic mobsters.
- Plot-Driven Breakdown: Vito runs over a fallen branch in the rainstorm, resulting in a breakdown of his car. He's forced to take out his luggage and walk it, leading him to a hotel in New Hampshire.
- Political Overcorrectness: How Tony views increasing demands for tolerating homosexuals and transgender people.
- Politically Incorrect Villain:
- Several of the mobsters, especially Carlo, Paulie, and Chris, are Heteronormative Crusaders who become outraged at the very thought that Vito may be homosexual. Their outrage becomes that much worse when Finn confirms everything for them as the Surprise Witness.
- This even extends to the wives with Rosalie joking about how Vito is "playing for the pink team" and that Marie should get herself tested for AIDS and Carmella calling Vito a fanook.
- Tony is as racist as ever. He assumes Meadow is talking about helping a Black family on welfare. And he openly mocks her when she tries to correct him that it's a Muslim family fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan.
- Tony admits to Dr. Melfi being personally disgusted by homosexuality. But he's relatively more tolerant than Heteronormative Crusaders like Carlo and Chris and says part of him has a "live and let live" view on the subject. He's not out to Bury The Gays but wishes they'd refrain from public displays of affection and keep it behind closed doors. And he would like to tolerate it in Vito's case because Vito is his top earner.
- Chris truly wants to live up to the billing of Heteronormative Crusader. He volunteers himself to give Vito a Cruel and Unusual Death preceded by a Crippling Castration just because he feels it would be an honor to do so.
- Phil likewise wants to get his hands on Vito. In Phil's case, there's the additional dimension that Vito is married to Marie, Phil's cousin. And from Phil's point of view that dishonors his family.
- Downplayed with Bobby; unlike many of the other mobsters, he doesn't want Vito killed for being gay, but he does want him banned from their hangout spots.
- Averted with Patsy. He openly says he doesn't care in the slightest about Vito being gay and doesn't see what the big deal is.
- Pragmatic Villainy:
- Tony doesn't want Vito to be killed because he's a good earner who makes Tony a lot of money.
- Silvio isn't as personally outraged by Vito's sexuality as Chris, Paulie, or Carlo, but he still wants Tony to deal with him harshly because he thinks Tony will lose respect and income if he's lenient.
- Precision F-Strike: Meadow, when describing her outrage at how a Muslim immigrant family of clients is being treated.
- Protectorate: Paulie makes a point of assuring Finn that no harm will come to him from Vito, though in doing so he clearly implies that Vito is now marked for death.
- Rank Up: Carlo is trusted by Tony with most of Vito's business.
- Rule of Symbolism: Tony enjoys himself lounging in his backyard, with the wind blowing through the trees. It is suggestive of Tony still trying to internalize Aesops that he learned shortly before he came home from the hospital. But then he gets distracted repeatedly by rattling from the nearby heat pump. The suggestion is that real life will distract him from his Aesops and ultimately lead to Aesop Amnesia. Tony himself lampshades the dilemma during a therapy session with Dr. Melfi.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Vito gets into his car and Drives Like Crazy away from Benny and a couple of other mobsters once he knows that word of his homosexuality has gotten out.
- Sexless Marriage: Silvio picks up that Vito and Marie have been in this state for years when Marie squirms and struggles in response to his Armor-Piercing Question.
- Shout-Out:
- When the highway department worker finds Vito's phone on the side of the road and is antagonized by Tony, Tony says "Oh, yeah? Telephone tough guy, eh?" Leo Getz says this exact line while arguing with Martin Riggs in a scene from Lethal Weapon 4.
- When Christopher's friend "Murmur," standing outside the AA meeting, asks the guy from Yonkers if he's "lost," it recalls the title of Lost in Yonkers.
- Situational Sexuality:
- Tony relates to Dr. Melfi that while mobsters are normally homophobic, they get a pass for doing it while in prison, and in recognition of the obvious unavailability of women in male prisons.
- When Finn shows up at Satriale's as a Surprise Witness, the mobsters may have been willing to cut Vito a little more slack if he had been receiving head instead of giving it. Finn correcting Silvio that it was Vito going down on another man sends the mobsters, especially Carlo and Paulie, into total outrage.
- Stealing from the Till:
- Carmela accuses Hugh of pillaging the spec house site while Tony was in a Convenient Coma.
- Silvio explains to Tony that most capos are not giving their full kick-up and accept it as the price of doing business. However if Tony starts protecting Vito they are likely to hold even more back to show their disrespect to Tony.
- Surprise Witness: Finn serves the same function for purposes of the Jersey mob wanting definitive proof that Vito is gay and finally getting it. Finn reveals to the room full of Jersey mobsters that he saw Vito give a blowjob to a security guard. Neither Vito nor Tony is in any position to stop Vito from becoming marked for death and dead in the eyes of both the Jersey and New York mobs.
- Suspicious Missed Messages: Vito won't return calls to anybody. Not to Tony, not to Phil, not anyone. He makes it permanent by tossing his cellphone out his car window.
- Take Care of the Kids: One of Tony's hangups about authorizing a hit on Vito.
- Tropaholics Anonymous: Chris is seen attending an addicts meeting, along with a few other mobsters.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Vito's homosexuality was up to a point a matter of Gossip Evolution that could not be definitely proven or confirmed. Or at least there was enough Plausible Deniability to allow Tony to avoid forcing the issue. Meadow telling Carmela and then Tony about Finn seeing Vito blow a security guard will now guarantee a death sentence for Vito should he ever turn up in Jersey again.
- Visual Title Drop: Vito notices a New Hampshire license plate that reads: "Live Free or Die". It also doubles as a newfound Aesop for Vito.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Dr. Melfi tells Tony that standing by Uncle Junior long past when it was a good idea was fueled by a misguided need to gain Livia's approval when that just wasn't possible.
- World's Smallest Violin: Tony silently does this when Meadow rants about the plight of Muslims.
- You Can't Go Home Again: Vito fled New Jersey terrified of being outed because of the gossip and rumors about him doing Leatherman in a gay club. And Vito for sure cannot return to Jersey on pain of death once Finn confirms that Vito blew a security guard
- You're Not My Father: Tony again affirms that Uncle Junior is dead to him.
