Whereas the previous episode, "Down Neck", is about coming to terms with the negative effects that family can have on life and how one can break the cycle, "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" is about the pressure we feel to conform to certain standards from our heritage and upbringing. The title of this episode is not just a witty reference of Adriana's reaction to Christopher's screenplay, as Tennessee Williams himself felt at odds with the rigid and hyper-masculine nature of his father and yearned to delve into the arts. Whereas the eponymous playwright was able to break free of these pressures, Christopher's predicament is much more entrapping and while the movie will eventually be made, he will of course never be able to leave behind the mob life and it is no coincidence that his death comes soon after fulfilling his dream. His fate appears already to be set in stone from the opening scene at the beginning; we see Christopher in the opening shot among the pigs painted on the wall of Satriale's, before he moves (notably without walking) to the front of store. As he comes face to face with death in the form of his first kill, Emil, who drags him forcefully and orders that he "WILL have (their) sausages". In addition, he sees his girlfriend, Adriana, seductively chewing on these sausages, before she transforms into Carmela. From this, it is clear that Christopher subconsciously realises that the mafia itself is literally a slaughterhouse (hence the pork imagery) that force feeds violence and death, while also realising that he and Adriana are on a dangerous ride that they can no longer get off. This explains why Christopher later explains his feelings to Tony as being a physical change; one that he describes to be cancerous. Predictably, Christopher misinterprets the dream as stemming entirely from his guilt in killing Emil, as he goes through various mental exercises in the episode to silence his real thoughts, even though they are already beginning to spill out in his script.
The undeniable Shakespearean influence in the first season of 'The Sopranos', specifically the influence of 'Hamlet', permeates this episode in particular. While it is usually Tony that draws comparison to Hamlet (with Junior and Livia being Claudius and Gertrude respectively), Christopher is the one who actively displays one of Hamlet's most unfortunate traits in this episode - avoidance of the inevitable. This is shown primarily through two events - digging up and moving Emil's body (reflecting 'Alas poor, yorick!'), and the impulsive outburst of violence at the bakery (reflecting Hamlet's killing of Polonius). This is not only evidence of Christopher very clearly displacing his emotions, but is something that plays into another one of Christopher's fantasies - martyrdom (or as Tony calls it, 'cowboyitis'). Given how Brendan Filone is portrayed on the news, it is easy to understand why Christopher would believe that a substantial death could elevate someone's existence, but what Christopher doesn't realise is that this "fame" is fleeting - the real change that comes with death is shown in the decay of Emil's body when it is dug up later on. Whereas most of the other men in the crew with are concerned only with the here and now, Christopher desperately craves for existence to have meaning (think "to be or not to be"). Tony calling this "cowboyitis" is not just a throwaway line in this respect - as we learn from the episode, Christopher has a deep passion for American films and pop culture, so to him the ultimate goal is to have as cinematic of a life as possible. Of course, Christopher is so deeply embroiled in this cinematic world that he entirely forgets that linear arcs and resolutions are absolutely not guaranteed in life.
With such a concept in place, it makes sense that the somewhat unavoidable Italian-American stereotype conversation came in this episode, as David Chase preempted the complaints that would follow given the subject matter of 'The Sopranos'. It would have been easy for Chase to have taken a one-sided approach and to ignore criticisms entirely, however what we are given is a fairly equal argument that almost plays like an internal conflict within Chase's head. In this way, Dr. Melfi and her ex-husband, Richard, act as the two opposing sides. The argument is presented in a rather jarring way that clashes with the usual subtlety of the show's writing, however I think it was necessary for Chase to explicitly spell out his beliefs. That being said, Melfi's storyline is not without its allusions to Christopher's storyline (and vice versa), with the aforementioned themes of choice and individuality. When Melfi laments the fact that Richard wants to sell the property that she once hoped they could live in together, we see that Melfi too has built something of an arc for her life and her disillusionment with the treatment of Italian-Americans in the media (unlike her ex-husband) shows a sense of individualism that will supposedly give her life meaning beyond others, something which Christopher yearns to have. Indeed, Christopher appears actually to play INTO Italian-American stereotypes rather than establishing his own personality. This is seen particularly in the bakery scene, which plays out very similarly to the scene in Goodfellas where Tommy shoots Spider in the foot, with there being the added irony of Spider being played by Michael Imperioli. In addition, there is a direct connection made between the episode's two main storylines when Christopher uses the word 'guinea' to describe himself, a word which Melfi said would drive Tony ballistic earlier on in the episode. Nevertheless, once Melfi's ex-husband insists that Tony is evil, Melfi's hypocrisy begins to reveal itself - her deliberate provocation of Tony during their therapy is a display of unprofessionalism comparatively similar to Christopher's 'cowboyitis'. As a matter of fact, both Christopher and Melfi will precariously juggle with Tony's psyche as the series goes on, albeit to differing degrees.
What this episode really boils down to is that people do not fit within categories. It is no coincidence that a dolly shot showing both sides of Tony is present right before the scene where we see Tony be both a selfish manipulator and a sympathetic father figure within the space of two minutes. The same can be said of the inclusion of the song 'Frank Sinatra' by Cake, with Sinatra's legacy continuing to be divisive to this day. Overall, 'The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti' is indubitably another one of the most significant episodes of the entire series and one of my personal favourites of the season.
The undeniable Shakespearean influence in the first season of 'The Sopranos', specifically the influence of 'Hamlet', permeates this episode in particular. While it is usually Tony that draws comparison to Hamlet (with Junior and Livia being Claudius and Gertrude respectively), Christopher is the one who actively displays one of Hamlet's most unfortunate traits in this episode - avoidance of the inevitable. This is shown primarily through two events - digging up and moving Emil's body (reflecting 'Alas poor, yorick!'), and the impulsive outburst of violence at the bakery (reflecting Hamlet's killing of Polonius). This is not only evidence of Christopher very clearly displacing his emotions, but is something that plays into another one of Christopher's fantasies - martyrdom (or as Tony calls it, 'cowboyitis'). Given how Brendan Filone is portrayed on the news, it is easy to understand why Christopher would believe that a substantial death could elevate someone's existence, but what Christopher doesn't realise is that this "fame" is fleeting - the real change that comes with death is shown in the decay of Emil's body when it is dug up later on. Whereas most of the other men in the crew with are concerned only with the here and now, Christopher desperately craves for existence to have meaning (think "to be or not to be"). Tony calling this "cowboyitis" is not just a throwaway line in this respect - as we learn from the episode, Christopher has a deep passion for American films and pop culture, so to him the ultimate goal is to have as cinematic of a life as possible. Of course, Christopher is so deeply embroiled in this cinematic world that he entirely forgets that linear arcs and resolutions are absolutely not guaranteed in life.
With such a concept in place, it makes sense that the somewhat unavoidable Italian-American stereotype conversation came in this episode, as David Chase preempted the complaints that would follow given the subject matter of 'The Sopranos'. It would have been easy for Chase to have taken a one-sided approach and to ignore criticisms entirely, however what we are given is a fairly equal argument that almost plays like an internal conflict within Chase's head. In this way, Dr. Melfi and her ex-husband, Richard, act as the two opposing sides. The argument is presented in a rather jarring way that clashes with the usual subtlety of the show's writing, however I think it was necessary for Chase to explicitly spell out his beliefs. That being said, Melfi's storyline is not without its allusions to Christopher's storyline (and vice versa), with the aforementioned themes of choice and individuality. When Melfi laments the fact that Richard wants to sell the property that she once hoped they could live in together, we see that Melfi too has built something of an arc for her life and her disillusionment with the treatment of Italian-Americans in the media (unlike her ex-husband) shows a sense of individualism that will supposedly give her life meaning beyond others, something which Christopher yearns to have. Indeed, Christopher appears actually to play INTO Italian-American stereotypes rather than establishing his own personality. This is seen particularly in the bakery scene, which plays out very similarly to the scene in Goodfellas where Tommy shoots Spider in the foot, with there being the added irony of Spider being played by Michael Imperioli. In addition, there is a direct connection made between the episode's two main storylines when Christopher uses the word 'guinea' to describe himself, a word which Melfi said would drive Tony ballistic earlier on in the episode. Nevertheless, once Melfi's ex-husband insists that Tony is evil, Melfi's hypocrisy begins to reveal itself - her deliberate provocation of Tony during their therapy is a display of unprofessionalism comparatively similar to Christopher's 'cowboyitis'. As a matter of fact, both Christopher and Melfi will precariously juggle with Tony's psyche as the series goes on, albeit to differing degrees.
What this episode really boils down to is that people do not fit within categories. It is no coincidence that a dolly shot showing both sides of Tony is present right before the scene where we see Tony be both a selfish manipulator and a sympathetic father figure within the space of two minutes. The same can be said of the inclusion of the song 'Frank Sinatra' by Cake, with Sinatra's legacy continuing to be divisive to this day. Overall, 'The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti' is indubitably another one of the most significant episodes of the entire series and one of my personal favourites of the season.