Television Review: Kennedy and Heidi (The Sopranos, S6X18, 2007)

Kennedy and Heidi (S06E18)

Airdate: May 13th 2007

Written by: David Chase & Matthew Weiner
Directed by: Alan Taylor

Running Time: 52 minutes

The final season of The Sopranos has long been a subject of heated debate among fans, with many arguing that its rushed pacing and unresolved threads diminished its legacy. Episode Kennedy and Heidi, however, stands out as a poignant, if uneven, exploration of consequence and legacy, particularly in its handling of Chris Moltisanti’s death. The previous episode, Walk Like a Man, had already signalled his impending doom, framing him as a redundant character whose storylines had grown increasingly disconnected from the show’s core themes. With only four episodes remaining, his demise was inevitable, but the manner of his death—neither a calculated hit nor a dramatic showdown, but a banal, accidental collision—reveals David Chase’s commitment to subverting expectations. The decision to let Chris die in a car crash, orchestrated not by Tony’s cunning but by a series of mundane misfortunes, underscores the show’s recurring motif of life’s unpredictability and the futility of trying to control fate.

The episode opens with an illusion of normalcy, as Chris, despite having all but alienated Tony through his drug use and erratic behaviour, attempts to play the role of the loyal soldier. Driving Tony to a meeting with Phil Leotardo, he offers pragmatic advice about negotiating the waste disposal deal, momentarily resembling the “voice of reason” he once aspired to be. This fleeting display of competence contrasts starkly with his tragic flaws: his decision to drive Cadillac-Escalade EXT on a wet, foggy night while high on drugs, coupled with his failure to buckle his seatbelt, sets in motion a chain of errors that culminate in the crash. The scene is a masterclass in irony, as Chris’s final act of “helping” Tony inadvertently seals his fate. Tony’s subsequent choice to smother him—a cold, deliberate act of mercy killing—adds another layer of moral ambiguity. By making the death look accidental, Tony avoids suspicion, yet the moment is devoid of catharsis. Instead, it lays bare his capacity for callousness, even toward a man he once considered a surrogate son. The scene’s grim efficiency, punctuated by Tony’s detached phone call to 911, underscores how the Soprano worldview reduces human life to a series of transactions, where loyalty and affection are conditional on utility.

The aftermath of Chris’s death reveals the corrosive effects of his absence on Tony’s psyche and the Soprano crew. While the family mourns—the DiMeo soldiers’ sombre reflections, including his bitter rival Paulie, hint at genuine grief—Tony struggles to feign sorrow, his relief at being rid of a problematic heir apparent clashing with societal expectations of mourning. His retreat to Las Vegas, framed as a “well-earned” vacation, becomes a surreal interlude where he indulges in escapism. The subplot involving Sonya Aragon—a stripper with ties to Chris—is problematic in its contrivance. Sarah Shahi’s performance brings a measured sensuality to the role, yet Sonya feels like a plot device rather than a fleshed-out character. The peyote-induced hallucination sequence, while visually striking in its desert landscapes, leans into pretension, evoking the excesses of 1970s counterculture rather than deepening Tony’s character. His apparent “spiritual revelation”—a vague, almost New Age epiphany —feels tonally at odds with the show’s gritty realism. The Vegas trip, though cinematically lush, reads as a last-ditch effort to exploit the city’s symbolic associations with organised crime, rather than advancing the narrative in meaningful ways.

Meanwhile, AJ Soprano’s arc offers a glimmer of hope amid the show’s descent into nihilism. Having emerged from depression, he attempts to reclaim his life through college, yet his lingering association with the Two Jasons—a pair of dimwitted henchmen—leads him to witness a racially motivated assault on a Somali cyclist. The scene, visceral and unsettling, marks a turning point for AJ, who confronts his own complicity in systemic hatred. In therapy, he voices a moral clarity absent in his father, lamenting the world’s “hate and intolerance” and expressing a desire to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This moment positions AJ as a flawed but evolving character, grappling with conscience in ways Tony never has. Yet the episode’s resolution leaves his future ambiguously suspended, mirroring the series’ broader refusal to tidy up loose ends.

The writers, however, falter in their handling of the episode’s latter half. The simultaneous deaths of Nucci Gualtieri and Chris—a contrived coincidence that forces Paulie to attend dual wakes—feels like a cheap narrative device, prioritising emotional shock over plausibility.

Ultimately, Kennedy and Heidi succeeds most in its depiction of Chris’s death—a narrative choice that is both heartbreaking and thematically resonant. His demise, stripped of melodrama, reflects the series’ unsentimental worldview, where even the most charismatic figures are subject to the whims of chance. Tony’s cold calculation in covering up the death and the crew’s conflicting reactions to it further illuminate the moral rot at the heart of the Soprano dynasty. Yet the episode’s weaker elements—a disjointed Vegas subplot, underdeveloped character moments—hint at the creative exhaustion plaguing the final season. Still, as a tribute to Chris Moltisanti’s tragic arc, it remains a fitting coda to one of television’s most compelling antiheroes.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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