Another Point of Singularity

I'm not a huge fan of THE SOPRANOS, HBO's leading drama/soap opera about mob and family life in New Jersey, but I do watch it regularly and try to keep up with the show. THE SOPRANOS has had its ups and downs over the years, but this season, which is three episodes old and is assumed to be the last, has really been over-the-top great. One of the better innovations has been to write the big fat goombah, Vito Spatefore, as being secretly gay. At the end of last season, the "Finn" character ("Meadow's" boyfriend) had been given a Summer job on one of those mob sinecure construction sites. He pulls into the parking lot very early and sees the security guard from the site sitting in the car next to him. Suddenly Vito's head rises up from the guard's lap and he spots Finn staring at him. Finn, who is no hero, undertands that this is his death warrant, and immediately proposes to Meadow with the idea that his ass will be saved if he's the son-in-law of Tony Soprano. There's a little bit of interplay between then two but we don't see gay Vito after that for a while.

THIS season, gay Vito has emerged as a major plot driver and it's clear he will be a breakout character. In the current episode (SPOILER ALERT! DON'T READ IF YOU WISH TO SEE IT), the Soprano crew is at Johnny Sack's eldest daughter's wedding. Vito appears to be ill or upset about something and leaves early (with his surprisingly attractive wife!). Later on we see her in bed, asleep, and him getting on his jacket to go out "to make some collections" (but not the money kind, as we will soon see). A couple scenes later and ther is gay Vito, all dolled up to the nines in a classic 1980s leather outfit.. vest, chaps and little cruiser hat. It is in this outfit that he bumps into a couple of Soprano gang wiseguys bump into him as they make their collections at the gay club. Their horrified homophobic reaction to Vito's unexplained presence is frankly, one of the most hilarious moments on the Sopranos, a show that has had its funny moments.

Vito checks into a "no-tell Motel" and pulls out a gun.. you can see he is contemplating suicide.. but he's not the fall-on-your-sword type. Asthe show has already had a mob guy commit suicide this season (show opener), it would seem pretty redundant. I'm glad that he's staying on the show. A gay character, even one in the closet, is a neat couterpoint to the relentlessly macho ethic of mob life. It will make for some good writing this season.

So what will happen to gay Vito, now that he's been "outed"?

A) Suicide
B) He will off the two low-ranking legbreakers before they tell on him.
C) He will turn state's evidence to get away from the derision (and possible death sentence)
D) He will admit it...

My vote is for D. Sure, it seems improbable in such a macho assemblage, but come on, would they wack a guy that was a good earner just because he's "queer"? I don't think so. Tony, the head of the Soprano family and the guy who would ultimately have to make the decision, has shown himself to be a remarkably tolerant character, for a mob boss. I suspect he would have feel pity more than disgust for Vito.

As it turns out, it was the actor playing Vito (Joe Giannascoli) who came up with the idea of turning the charater into a closeted homosexual. Giannascoli, who is not gay, came up with the idea after reading about a gay mobster in the Gambino family. Giannascoli's character, Vito, had been largely (and I mean LARGEly) in the background until now, and with this bit of inspired character revision it would seem that his place as a frontline character is assured.

The leather bar thing may or may not be de rigeur in gay bars these days, but I would kind of doubt it. It was like walking into a music video for the Village People. That was an solid moment of unintentional hilarity on the part of the art director for the Sopranos...

Follow up: Another Point of Singularity: Gay Vito Denouement