Kennedy and Heidi

18th episode of the 6th season of The Sopranos

"Kennedy and Heidi"

The Sopranos episode
Episode no.| Season 6
Episode 18
Directed by| Alan Taylor
Written by| Matthew Weiner
David Chase
Featured music|

* "Comfortably Numb" by
Roger Waters, Van Morrison and The Band
* "The Adultress" by
The Pretenders
* "Minas de Cobre (For Better Metal)" by
Calexico

Cinematography by| Alik Sakharov
Editing by| William B. Stich
Production code| S618
Original air date| May 13, 2007 (2007-05-13)
Running time| 52 minutes
Episode chronology
| ← Previous
"Walk Like a Man"  | Next →
"The Second Coming"

|

The Sopranos season 6
List of episodes

"Kennedy and Heidi" is the 83rd episode of the American crime drama The Sopranos, the sixth episode of the second half of the show's sixth season, and the 18th episode of the season overall. Written by Matthew Weiner and series creator and showrunner David Chase and directed by Alan Taylor, it debuted on May 13, 2007, on HBO in the U.S. The episode focuses on the aftermath of a car crash involving Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti, while Tony's son A.J. adjusts to life with antidepressants.

With nearly 6.5 million viewers, "Kennedy and Heidi" was the sixth straight Sopranos episode to lead the Nielsen weekly cable ratings. Critical reception was positive, with the character traits of Tony and A.J. attracting analysis. Taylor won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2007 for directing "Kennedy and Heidi".

## Starring

[edit]

* 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
* Ray Abruzzo as Little Carmine Lupertazzi
* Dan Grimaldi as Patsy Parisi
* Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
* Kathrine Narducci as Charmaine Bucco

* = credit only

### Guest starring

[edit]

* Julianna Margulies as Julianna Skiff
* Sarah Shahi as Sonya Aragon
* Daniel Baldwin as himself
* Gregory Antonacci as Butch DeConcini
* Max Casella as Benny Fazio
* Cara Buono as Kelli Lombardo Moltisanti
* Michael Countryman as Dr. Richard Vogel
* Michael Drayer as Jason Parisi
* Frances Ensemplare as Nucci Gualtieri
* Frank John Hughes as Walden Belfiore
* Marianne Leone as Joanne Moltisanti
* Arthur Nascarella as Carlo Gervasi
* Dennis Paladino as Al Lombardo
* Joseph Perrino as Jason Gervasi
* Bambadjan Bamba as Cyclist
* Al Roffe as Operations Manager
* Phyllis Kay as Rita Lombardo
* Mark La Mura as Alan Kaplan
* Joey Perillo as John Stefano
* Elizabeth Dennis as Andrea
* Chris Bashinelli as Kevin
* Lindsay Campbell as Professor Kline
* Christiana Anbri as Heidi
* Leah Bezozo as Kennedy
* Gregory Zaragoza as Croupier
* William DeMeo as Jason Molinaro
* Artie Pasquale as Burt Gervasi
* John Wu as Morgan Yam
* Matt Sauerhoff as Victor Mineo
* Edward Furs as Driver
* Alexander Flores as Kid
* Ray DeMattis as Gerry Gaultieri
* Maureen Van Zandt as Gabriella Dante
* Denise Borino-Quinn as Ginny Sacrimoni
* Elizabeth Bracco as Marie Spatafore
* Danielle Di Vecchio as Barbara Soprano Giglione
* Anthony J. Ribustello as Dante Greco
* John Cenatiempo as Anthony Maffei
* John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia as Albie Cianflone
* Jonathan LaPaglia as himself
* Vinnie Orofino as Bryan Spatafore
* Ed Vassallo as Tom Giglione
* Joe Pucillo as Beppy Scerbo
* Michelle Maryk as Jo Lewis
* Dina Pearlman as Ellen Reinstein
* Mickey Pizzo as Sal Pisano
* Sejal Shah as Chandrakanta Pisano
* Zuzanna Szadkowski as Elżbieta
* Marc Wolf as Mark Lewis

## Synopsis

[edit]

Phil discovers that the construction/demolition waste that Tony has been sending to Barone Sanitation contains asbestos. At a meeting in New York, he says that he will not accept any more unless he receives a 25% cut; Tony refuses. As Christopher drives him back to Newark, Tony admits he may have to yield, but the waste is eventually dumped into a lake.

Chris is restless as he drives, and Tony looks at him carefully, realizing Chris has relapsed. Their car drifts into the opposite lane, then swerves sharply to avoid an approaching car. They go off the road and the car rolls many times as it descends an embankment. Tony exits the wreckage in pain but with only minor injuries. Chris, who was not wearing a seat belt, is seriously injured, with internal bleeding. He manages to tell Tony to call a taxi as he would not pass a drug test. Tony begins to call 911 for help but, after glancing at a child seat in the rear of the car, changes his mind. He pinches Chris's nose shut so that he cannot breathe, and he chokes to death on his own blood.

Tony dreams that he tells Dr. Melfi that he killed Chris, Pussy, and Tony B. During his actual session, he recalls Chris as a liability and an embarrassment and says he resents having to feign remorse in front of his family. At the wake, he is disgusted by the display of sorrows. He and Carmela also go to the wake of Paulie's adoptive mother Nucci, who has died of a stroke; Paulie is angered by the poor attendance but appreciates Tony and Carmela's presence.

A.J.'s therapist sees that the prescribed drugs are working: he is happier and calmer, and taking college courses again. He continues to spend time with Jason Parisi and Jason Gervasi at their frat house. They laugh about Victor, whose toes were amputated after they injured him with sulfuric acid. The two Jasons and others assault a Somali student while A.J. pushes him and damages his bike. He relapses into depression. "Why can't we all just get along?" he says to his therapist.

Tony decides to get away to Las Vegas. He meets Sonya, a stripper who was Chris's mistress. They have sex, smoke marijuana, and take peyote. Playing roulette, he has a winning streak. He mumbles, "He's dead," and collapses on the casino floor laughing. With Sonya, he watches the sun rise over the Red Rock Canyon. There is a flash in the sky, and Tony cries: "I get it!"

## Deceased

[edit]

* Christopher Moltisanti: seriously injured in a car crash and then murdered by suffocation by Tony, who squeezes his nose shut when he is gasping for air; Tony subsequently claims he dies choking on his own blood.
* Marianucci Gualtieri: dies of a stroke

## Final appearances

[edit]

* Ginny Sacrimoni: Johnny Sack's widow

## Production

[edit]

* The truck in which Christopher and Tony crash on the side of the road was initially shown to be a newer model Cadillac Escalade EXT, but is revealed to be the previous model year truck, when shown after the crash.

## Music

[edit]

* The first song heard in the car is "Cat's Squirrel" from the album Fresh Cream by Cream. The song that Christopher puts on the car stereo and on full volume as he is driving Tony right before the crash is Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", performed by Roger Waters featuring Van Morrison & The Band, the first track from the soundtrack of The Departed.
* The song playing when Tony is first being driven in a taxi in Las Vegas is "Are You Alright?" by Lucinda Williams.
* The song playing in the background when Tony first meets Sonya is "Outta My Head" by M. Ward.
* The song playing in the background as Tony and Sonya are having sex is "The Adultress" by Pretenders.
* The song playing in the background when Tony and Sonya are talking in bed is "Space Invader" by Pretenders, which was also featured in the season 2 episode "House Arrest."
* The song played over the end credits is "Minas de Cobre (for Better Metal)" by Calexico.

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

On its premiere, "Kennedy and Heidi" had 6.49 million viewers and led the Nielsen cable TV ratings for the sixth straight week.[1]

Television Without Pity graded the episode with an A, with Kim Reed finding A.J.'s interest in politics and literature to be unusual for his character.[2] Similarly, Dan Iverson of IGN found A.J. to be "more interesting than he has ever been before", in a review grading the episode 8.7 points out of 10.[3]

The scene of Tony killing Christopher after the car crash attracted much criticism of Tony. Lisa Schwarzbaum, reviewing the episode for Entertainment Weekly, found Tony to be "a practical, emotionally shuttered monster", in contrast to previous scenes showing him as a "tender lug" who enjoyed small talk.[4] Iverson of IGN also criticized Tony's conduct around the car crash as "egocentric" and added: "...Tony's character has been turned back into the villain which we often forget that he is."[3] Paul Brownfield of the Los Angeles Times called Tony "despicable and lost, beyond empathy."[5] Noticing how "Comfortably Numb" played on the car ride before the crash, Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger suggested that should have been the episode title because it described Tony's attitude.[6]

For TV Squad, Tom Biro rated the episode seven points out of seven, believing the death of Christopher to foreshadow a compelling series finale.[7]

Matt Zoller Seitz found the choice to name the episode after two minor characters in a cutaway scene to symbolize "a moral test" that they failed.[8]

### Awards

[edit]

* Director Alan Taylor won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "'Survivor's' ratings keep dropping". Los Angeles Times. May 16, 2007. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
2. ^ Reed, Kim (May 17, 2007). "Kennedy and Heidi". Television Without Pity. pp. 1, 7, 8. Archived from the original on June 15, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
3. ^ a b Iverson, Dan (May 14, 2007). "The Sopranos: 'Kennedy and Heidi' Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 9, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
4. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (May 14, 2007). "Heir Cooled". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
5. ^ Brownfield, Paul (May 14, 2007). "'The Sopranos': Did Tony go too far?". Show Tracker. LATimes.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
6. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (May 14, 2007). "Sopranos Rewind: Kennedy and Heidi". All TV. NJ.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
7. ^ Biro, Tom (May 13, 2007). "The Sopranos: Kennedy and Heidi". TV Squad. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
8. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (May 14, 2007). "Sopranos Mondays: Season Six, Ep. 18, 'Kennedy and Heidi'". The House Next Door. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
9. ^ Mesger, Robin (September 16, 2007). "59th Primetime Emmy Awards" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved June 9, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* "Kennedy and Heidi" at HBO
* "Kennedy and Heidi" at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

The Sopranos

Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "The Sopranos"
* "46 Long"
* "Denial, Anger, Acceptance"
* "Meadowlands"
* "College"
* "Pax Soprana"
* "Down Neck"
* "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti"
* "Boca"
* "A Hit Is a Hit"
* "Nobody Knows Anything"
* "Isabella"
* "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"

|

Season 2|

* "Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office..."
* "Do Not Resuscitate"
* "Toodle-Fucking-Oo"
* "Commendatori"
* "Big Girls Don't Cry"
* "The Happy Wanderer"
* "D-Girl"
* "Full Leather Jacket"
* "From Where to Eternity"
* "Bust Out"
* "House Arrest"
* "The Knight in White Satin Armor"
* "Funhouse"

Season 3|

* "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood"
* "Proshai, Livushka"
* "Fortunate Son"
* "Employee of the Month"
* "Another Toothpick"
* "University"
* "Second Opinion"
* "He Is Risen"
* "The Telltale Moozadell"
* "To Save Us All from Satan's Power"
* "Pine Barrens"
* "Amour Fou"
* "Army of One"

Season 4|

* "For All Debts Public and Private"
* "No Show"
* "Christopher"
* "The Weight"
* "Pie-O-My"
* "Everybody Hurts"
* "Watching Too Much Television"
* "Mergers and Acquisitions"
* "Whoever Did This"
* "The Strong, Silent Type"
* "Calling All Cars"
* "Eloise"
* "Whitecaps"

Season 5|

* "Two Tonys"
* "Rat Pack"
* "Where's Johnny?"
* "All Happy Families..."
* "Irregular Around the Margins"
* "Sentimental Education"
* "In Camelot"
* "Marco Polo"
* "Unidentified Black Males"
* "Cold Cuts"
* "The Test Dream"
* "Long Term Parking"
* "All Due Respect"

Season 6|

| Part I|

* "Members Only"
* "Join the Club"
* "Mayham"
* "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh"
* "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request..."
* "Live Free or Die"
* "Luxury Lounge"
* "Johnny Cakes"
* "The Ride"
* "Moe n' Joe"
* "Cold Stones"
* "Kaisha"

|

Part II|

* "Soprano Home Movies"
* "Stage 5"
* "Remember When"
* "Chasing It"
* "Walk Like a Man"
* "Kennedy and Heidi"
* "The Second Coming"
* "The Blue Comet"
* "Made in America"

Characters|

* Tony Soprano
* Jennifer Melfi
* Carmela Soprano
* Christopher Moltisanti
* Junior Soprano
* Silvio Dante
* Paulie Gualtieri
* A.J. Soprano
* Meadow Soprano
* Adriana La Cerva
* Bobby Baccalieri
* Janice Soprano
* Livia Soprano

Universe|

* Satriale's Pork Store
* Bada Bing!
* Cleaver

Related|

* Awards and nominations
* Music ("Woke Up This Morning")
* Road to Respect
* Talking Sopranos
* The Many Saints of Newark
* Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

1950s|

* Jack Smight for "Eddie" (1959)

1960s|

* Robert Mulligan for The Moon and Sixpence (1960)
* George Schaefer for Macbeth (1961)
* Franklin J. Schaffner for The Defenders (1962)
* Stuart Rosenberg for "The Madman" (1963)
* Tom Gries for "Who Do You Kill?" (1964)
* Paul Bogart for "The 700 Year Old Gang" (1965)
* Sydney Pollack for "The Game" (1966)
* Alex Segal for Death of a Salesman (1967)
* Paul Bogart for "Dear Friends" (1968)
* David Greene for "The People Next Door" (1969)

1970s|

* Paul Bogart for "Shadow Game" (1970)
* Daryl Duke for "The Day the Lion Died" (1971)
* Alexander Singer for "The Invasion of Kevin Ireland" (1972)
* Jerry Thorpe for "An Eye for an Eye" (1973)
* Robert Butler for "Part III" (1974)
* Bill Bain for "A Sudden Storm" (1975)
* David Greene for "Part I: Chapters 1 & 2" (Rich Man, Poor Man) (1976)
* David Greene for "Part 1" (Roots) (1977)
* Marvin J. Chomsky for Holocaust (1978)
* Jackie Cooper for "Pilot" (The White Shadow) (1979)

1980s|

* Roger Young for "Cop" (1980)
* Robert Butler for "Hill Street Station"(1981)
* Harry Harris for "To Soar and Never Falter" (1982)
* Jeff Bleckner for "Life in the Minors" (1983)
* Corey Allen for "Goodbye, Mr. Scripps" (1984)
* Karen Arthur for "Heat" (1985)
* Georg Stanford Brown for "Parting Shots" (1986)
* Gregory Hoblit for "Pilot" (L.A. Law) (1987)
* Mark Tinker for "Weigh In, Way Out" (1988)
* Robert Altman for "The Boiler Room" (1989)

1990s|

* Thomas Carter for "Promises to Keep" / Scott Winant for "The Go-Between" (1990)
* Thomas Carter for "In Confidence" (1991)
* Eric Laneuville for "All God's Children" (1992)
* Barry Levinson for "Gone for Goode" (1993)
* Daniel Sackheim for "Tempest in a C-Cup" (1994)
* Mimi Leder for "Love's Labor Lost" (1995)
* Jeremy Kagan for "Leave of Absence" (1996)
* Mark Tinker for "Where's 'Swaldo?" (1997)
* Mark Tinker for "Pilot" (Brooklyn South) / Paris Barclay for "Lost Israel, Part 2" (1998)
* Paris Barclay for "Hearts and Souls" (1999)

2000s|

* Thomas Schlamme for "Pilot" (The West Wing) (2000)
* Thomas Schlamme for "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part I" & "Part II" (2001)
* Alan Ball for "Pilot" (Six Feet Under) (2002)
* Christopher Misiano for "Twenty Five" (2003)
* Walter Hill for "Deadwood" (2004)
* J. J. Abrams for "Pilot" (Lost) (2005)
* Jon Cassar for "Day 5: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m." (2006)
* Alan Taylor for "Kennedy and Heidi" (2007)
* Greg Yaitanes for "House's Head" (2008)
* Rod Holcomb for "And in the End..." (2009)

2010s|

* Steve Shill for "The Getaway" (2010)
* Martin Scorsese for "Boardwalk Empire" (2011)
* Tim Van Patten for "To the Lost" (2012)
* David Fincher for "Chapter 1" (2013)
* Cary Joji Fukunaga for "Who Goes There" (2014)
* David Nutter for "Mother's Mercy" (2015)
* Miguel Sapochnik for "Battle of the Bastards" (2016)
* Reed Morano for "Offred" (2017)
* Stephen Daldry for "Paterfamilias" (2018)
* Jason Bateman for "Reparations" (2019)

2020s|

* Andrij Parekh for "Hunting" (2020)
* Jessica Hobbs for "War" (2021)
* Hwang Dong-hyuk for "Red Light, Green Light" (2022)
* Mark Mylod for "Connor's Wedding" (2023)
* Frederick E. O. Toye for "Crimson Sky" (2024)

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