Whoever Did This

"Whoever Did This" is the 48th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the ninth of the show's fourth season. Written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by Tim Van Patten, it originally aired on November 10, 2002.

"Whoever Did This"
The Sopranos episode
Carmela comforts Ralph after his son Justin is gravely injured in an archery accident.
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 9
Directed byTim Van Patten
Written byRobin Green
Mitchell Burgess
Cinematography byPhil Abraham
Production code409
Original air dateNovember 10, 2002
Running time56 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

see below

Starring

* = credit only

Guest starring
  • Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
  • Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore
  • Robert Funaro as Eugene Pontecorvo
  • Leslie Bega as Valentina La Paz
  • Murielle Arden as Elodi Colbert
  • Dan Castleman as Prosecutor Castleman
  • Richard D'Alessandro as Dennis Capozza
  • Frances Ensemplare as Nucci Gualtieri
  • Tim Kang as Dr. Harrison Wong
  • Dane Curley as Justin Cifaretto
  • Ellen Orchid as Dr. Sharon Zalutsky
  • Frank Pando as Agent Grasso
  • Richard Portnow as Harold Melvoin
  • Allia Kliouka Schaffer as Svetlana Kirilenko
  • Paul Schulze as Father Phil Intintola
  • Matt Servitto as Agent Harris
  • Susan Jhun as News Reporter Allison Pak
  • Marissa Matrone as Ronnie Capozza
  • Rosa Nino as Iñez Muñoz
  • Elena Solovey as Branca Libinsk
  • Maria Elena Ramirez as Neighbor
  • Manon Halliburton as Lois Pettit, the horse trainer

Synopsis

Junior is hospitalized with a concussion after a boom mic sends him falling down the courthouse steps. He soon recovers and enjoys his hospital stay as respite from the RICO trial. Tony recognizes this as a potential advantage and convinces Junior to feign dementia during his competency hearings. He gives a good performance, but begins exhibiting actual signs of dementia in private.

Ralphie's 12-year-old son Justin is hit in the chest with an arrow while play-acting The Lord of the Rings with a friend, resulting in significant blood loss and brain damage. Delivering a wad of cash to Tony, Ralphie cries openly. Tony tells him he is now seeing Valentina; Ralphie smiles and pats his cheek. Expressing a desire for some kind of redemption, he meets with Father Phil and establishes a scholarship at Rutgers in Jackie Jr.'s name. Everyone sympathizes with him except Paulie. His mother recently received a traumatic prank phone call, and he correctly suspects that it was from Ralphie, retaliating against Paulie for ratting him out to Johnny.

There is a fire at the stables, thought to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring. Pie-O-My is badly burned and has to be euthanized. Tony immediately suspects Ralphie, and confronts him at his home over the suspicious timing of the fire: there will be a $200,000 insurance pay-out. Ralphie vehemently denies the accusation, but their argument escalates into a physical fight, ending with Tony killing Ralphie with his bare hands. He calls Christopher to help with the clean-up. A doped-up Chris arrives late and helps Tony dismember Ralphie's body, then dispose of his remains in separate locations. Tony never outright admits to Chris that he murdered Ralphie, and Chris never expresses outright suspicion. After completing the disposal, they clean up at the Bada Bing, where Tony passes out and wakes up alone the following morning.

Deceased
  • Pie-O-My and several other horses: Killed in a stable fire. Cause is deemed accidental by insurance company.
  • Ralph Cifaretto: beaten and strangled to death by Tony Soprano due to suspicion that he caused the fire that killed Pie-O-My, which Ralph denies. His body is then dismembered and decapitated with the help of Christopher Moltisanti.

Title reference
  • Tony uses the phrase "whoever did this" when discussing with Christopher who exactly was responsible for Ralphie's death. Earlier, he used the phrase in reference to the guilty party responsible for the prank call to Paulie's mother.

Connections to prior episodes
  • When Tony confronts Ralph about the fire, he asks him about Corky Ianucci. Tony believes Ralph hired him to start the stable fire which killed Pie-O-My. Corky was also apparently used by Silvio to help blow up Vesuvio, the restaurant owned by Artie Bucco, in the pilot episode.
  • When Tony looks in the mirror the morning after killing Ralph, he sees a picture of Tracee, the Bada Bing stripper whom Ralph killed in the episode "University."

Other cultural references
  • Carmela is seen wearing a Columbia University T-shirt when talking to Tony and her son in the kitchen.
  • After Ralph's murder, Tony and Christopher watch The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) on Ralph's television.
  • Father Phil asks Ralphie "Were you there when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain?" This is a near-verbatim quotation of a line from the Rolling Stones' song "Sympathy for the Devil" ("I was 'round when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain").

Music
  • "When I Need You" by Leo Sayer is playing when Ralph is in the bath.
  • The Moonglows' original recording of "Sincerely" plays while Carmela and Rosalie dine at Vesuvio.
  • The song played over the end credits is "The Man with the Harmonica" by Apollo 440. It is originally from the Ennio Morricone score of Once Upon a Time in the West, a Sergio Leone film. The man with the harmonica was played by Charles Bronson.
  • Though not heard, the song "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones is referenced four times through various dialogue directly alluding to Ralph as the devil. The references allude to the fact that Ralph in this episode for the first time is portrayed somewhat sympathetically.
    • Ralph to surgeon: "Please, allow me to introduce myself."
    • Ralph to Father Intintola: "Pleased to meet you."
    • Father Intintola to Ralph: "Were you there, when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain?"
    • Tony to Paulie: "Paulie, his kid's in the hospital. A little fuckin' sympathy, huh?"

True-crime inspiration

Jason Bautista was convicted of killing his mentally ill mother in Riverside, California, on January 14, 2003, then dumping her decapitated body with its hands removed off Ortega Highway in Orange County. Jason's half-brother, Matthew Montejo, who was 15 years old when Jason killed their mother, testified in court that he helped dispose of her body, and that they got the idea to chop off her head and hands to hide the crime from this episode.[1][2]

Awards

"Whoever Did This" was Joe Pantoliano's 2003 winning submission for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, along with the episode Christopher.

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References
  1. Derrik J. Lang, AP Entertainment Writer (20 April 2012). "'Call of Duty' latest fiction to inspire nightmare". =Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  2. "Son sentenced to 25 years for mother's murder". nctimes.com. Santa Ana, California: North Country Times. 9 April 2005. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
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