"Whoever Did This" is the 48th episode of the HBOoriginal seriesThe 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.
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 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".
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.
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.
