Tony and Big Pussy later tortured and interrogated Matt. With that being said, why is it that Tony killed Christopher on The Sopranos? Over the course of the show, it becomes increasingly clear that Christopher is unable to change. If the biggest running theme in the show is the gradual loss of Tony's soul, the second biggest is the idea that the mafia, for all its perks, is not worth the trouble. Thereafter, offer an apology and expect to be forgiven. Chris is also one of the few (along with Furio Giunta) to know Richie Aprile was murdered by Janice Soprano, and (along with Silvio Dante) to know about Tony Soprano's murder of Fabian Petrulio, about the aborted plan to hit New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi, Sr. and about Silvio's murder of Christopher's fiancee, Adriana La Cerva. One of the earliest examples of this was in season 1, episode 5, "College," in which Tony Soprano takes his daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) to various college open days while tracking a known FBI informant. The two engaged in a cat and mouse game before Tony cornered him at the travel agency and strangled him using a wire. These are all factors that build to a fateful car accident involving Tony and Christopher, with the latter admitting that he's unable to pass a drug test, one of the final straws for Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti's relationship. At Jackie's funeral, Chris is arrested on a gambling charge along with Patsy Parisi and Silvio Dante. Thebookie Willie Overall was the person through whom Tony "made his bones" (earned his first kill). Over 86 hours, the series dared us to loveor, rather, arranged it so we couldn't help lovingthe. Christopher then began sleeping with Julianna Skiff, a woman Tony was also eyeing. Tony got himself free and Christopher asked that he help him out of the drivers seat. As they speed down the highway the two argue about the deal going bad while Christopher keeps messing around with the car's sound system. He's also currently working on a book about multiplex theaters and a documentary about Doctor Who fandom in the 1990s. Tony was also close to Tracee. He "makes his bones" by killing Emil Kolar in order to settle a dispute with the DiMeo crime family over the Triborough Towers garbage routes. The episode after Christopher's death really zeroes in on how bad Tony's gotten, as he can no longer bring himself to even pretend to mourn the death of the person he once cared so much about. Tony Soprano was certainly not known for being tolerant throughout the entirety of The Sopranos. Whereas seasons 1 through 5 mark Tony's gradual descent into an irredeemable person, season 6a was a brief period where Tony pulled back from the brink and made an honest attempt to change his trajectory. However, the meeting ends badly when it is revealed that Chris had accidentally killed Adriana's dog by sitting on it when high. Christopher was never reliable except for one trait he was explosive. 15 years later: Did Tony die in 'The Sopranos' finale? - New York Post The deterioration ofCristopher and Tony's relationship was surprising, given how close they had been in the first few seasons. RELATED: The Sopranos Characters, Ranked Least To Most Likely To Win The Hunger Games More posts you may like r/thesopranos Join 10 days ago Scariest scene on the show? On rewatch, one of the most heartwarming aspects of the early seasons is the relationship between Christopher and Tony. Petrulio was a made guy whosnitched and went into the Witness Protection Program. He later ends up at his "friend" J.T. RELATED:The Sopranos: Tony's 10 Closest Friends, Ranked By Likability. Christopher Moltisanti is born in 1969 to Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti, a soldier in the DiMeo crime family, and Joanne Blundetto. While DiMeo crime family capo Paulie Walnuts had the highest kill count (9), Tony Soprano came in at a close second with 8 kills. While Chris is traveling to North Carolina to pick up cigarettes, Tony and Adriana are involved in a car accident. Its no different with The Sopranos when you think about it. Why did Tony Soprano kill Christopher Moltisanti? - This Interests Me This drug habit led to many issues between him and Tony throughout the show. Freya Crawford is a self-confessed geek. Tony Soprano murdering Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos was one of its most shocking moments. Tony trusts Christopher with sensitive tasks, such as disposing of the bodies of murdered captains Richie Aprile and Ralph Cifaretto, and arranging the assassination of New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi. Feuds were settled more by taking livesrather than sitting down and coming to an understanding. It's a moment that shows how hypocritical Tony is, because he had previously forbidden Paulie from killing Ralphie for disrespecting his mother. While he did not directly participate in the hit (it was carried out by Silvio Dante - see article on Adriana La Cerva), Christopher did park Adriana's car (after disposing of a suitcase that he had stuffed with her belongings and clothes) at an airport's "Long Term Parking" lot in an attempt to make it look like she had fled. The mob boss' nephew is spitting up blood and gasping for air, clearly struggling with internal injuries. They may bust each other's balls, sure, but you can tell Tony genuinely loves his nephew and wants the best for him, and Christopher sees Tony as a father figure and respects his decisions. One of those was street soldier Chucky Signore. Chris takes a road trip to Pennsylvania with Tony just before the feast. The relationship between Tony and Chris is one of The Sopranos' most compelling arcs, as both men grow further and further apart as the show continues. Tony clearly favors Christopher, causing tensions between his cousin and Paulie, but by season 6 of The Sopranos, Tony has no qualms about killing his cousin. For more information, please see our Later, Chris is carjacked by a Puerto Rican gang while trying to buy heroin. When Imperioli auditioned for the role of Christopher, he thought that series creator David Chase was unimpressed with his audition and was surprised when he was offered the part.[2]. Another highlight from his time at SR so far is getting the chance to champion Seth MacFarlane's brilliant The Orville on a weekly basis. The Sopranos is one of the cult classic series of the early 2000s. Pets babies. RELATED:The Sopranos Characters, Ranked Least To Most Likely To Win The Hunger Games. Adriana gives him a choice: He could flip on Tony and enjoy a life free from the mob, or he could betray the woman he loves so he can continue living the lavish lifestyle of a made man. Tony bumps into Febby Petrulio (Tony Ray Ross), now living in witness protection as Fred Peters, at a gas station in Maine. The rest of the crew seems sad to hear the news, but they get over it quickly. Examples include Ralph in season 4, Richie Aprile in season 2, and others along the way. He choked me to death." He deals with personal and professional power struggles, affairs, violence, the threat of. The FBI was responsible for one of the biggest surprises in the history of "The Sopranos" when they suddenly launched an early-morning raid on Johnny's New Jersey house while Tony and Johnny. He pleads for Tony's help, mumbling that he wouldn't pass a drug test and could lose his license. Meanwhile, Tony anticipates yet another Christopher meltdown after he throws Paulie's nephew through a window. He uses Chris to organize a sensitive hit on Rusty Millio. With shows that stretch out with drama and depiction of the mafia lifestyle for 6 seasons, Tony is the De facto Boss. In The Sopranos season 4, episode 1, "For All Debts Public And Private," Tony told Christopher that his father Dickie was killed by Barry Haydu, a New Jersey detective. [3] Tony and Christopher knew each other before Tony met Carmela because their fathers were both involved in the Mafia and because they are both cousins, through unrelated sides, to Tony Blundetto; Christopher's girlfriend Adriana La Cerva also believes that Tony and Christopher are distantly related through Christopher's mother. However, because of their family ties, Tony was willing to give him extra leeway in the hope that he would finally straighten up. He insists Chris go into rehab and assigns Patsy to guard him. Moreover, Christopher narrates The Many Saints of Newark as a disembodied voice from hell. and our As Christopher was attempting to change the radio station while chatting to Tony, he swerved into the wrong lane and in an attempt to avoid crashing into the other car, overturned his own on the side of the road. First, Ralph insulted the wife of Johnny Sack, yet Sack was Tony's friend. And that meant a handful of cold, merciless kills throughout the course of The Sopranos. Mark Donaldson is a film and TV features writer for Screen Rant. Chris reconciles with Vito and Tony. Tony saw how Adrianna turned FBI informant and probably figured that an angry and heroin-addicted Christopher would quickly flip if the FBI were to get any leverage on him whatsoever. Imperioli returns in the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark. The Sopranos TV series is packed with action from start to finish. Despite a number of attempts at getting clean, it always ended with him relapsing. Chris marries Kelli Lombardo after learning that she is pregnant with his child. Reddit community dedicated to the HBO hit TV series, The Sopranos, and movie, The Many Saints of Newark. Tony, Silvio, and Paulie figured out that Chucky was the person most likely to come after Tony so they made plans to whack him. Chris being Tony's nephew in a complex roundabout way, Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti's relationship. As a result, he's directly responsible for eight murders, the second highest after Paulie's surprising Sopranos kill count. Out of everyone under Tonys command, Chrissy was probably the most likely person to flip or do something incredibly stupid. The relationship between both men appears irreparable after Christopher's Saw rip-off, Cleaver premieres and clearly plays out as Christopher's revenge fantasy against Tony following the death of Adriana. Chris couldn't handle the realities of being a gangster and retreated into drugs to cope. Tony is able to climb out of the SUV, but Chris is badly injured and coughing up blood. After a dream in which Big Pussy hinted he was an informant, Tony searched his house and found wires. In Martin Scorsese's 2006 film, the track plays as Leonardo DiCaprio's Billy Costigan spirals out of control during an undercover investigation and contemplates suicide. RELATED:The Sopranos: 10 Actors Who Also Appeared In Goodfellas. The hit failed, and Christopher was able to kill Sean before passing out from his injuries. According to Tony, Barry was taking orders from a criminal named Jilly Ruffalo, who had his eye gouged out by Dickie. Unfortunately, Christopher continuously proved that he might not be capable of being such. Season 2 featured its main antagonistic figure Richie Aprile (David Proval) being taken down not by any of the main gangsters, but by a spur-of-the-moment decision made by his fiance, Janice (Aida Turturro). However, what truly makes Christopher's final The Sopranos moment so justified is how Christopher Moltisanti, while high on heroin, sat on a dog and killed it. Because of his gambling problem, Vin is in Tony's pocket and Tony lets him slide on some debts in exchange for the cop passing him insider info and sometimes running errands. Towards the end of the show, he starts to come off the rails. The attempted hit failed but Matt still went to Richie and told him that he did it for him. His idealism, especially in this scene, was his initial belief that he would make it out of the car. After a break-up, A.J. Ralph was definitely the craziest mobster to appear on the show. For Tony, this episode marked the tail end of the conclusion of his own psychological dilemma. Throughout The Sopranos, Christopher killed nine people, most notably Emil Kolar (his first kill) and J.T. Christopher was getting distracted and far less reliable, leading to a rift in the group and with Tony. All 8 Characters Tony Kills In The Sopranos (& Why) - Screen Rant RELATED: Does Tony Soprano Know Junior Killed Dickie Moltisanti? People changing themselves for the better just reminds Tony of how he's only changed for the worse over the years, and it brings out the most spiteful side of him. Just think about the episode where Adriana is reportedly shot because of him. 514 354 r/thesopranos Join 20 days ago Best or funniest use of props in a violent scene? Of course, after that scene, Christopher still made everything about him. Chris finds out, gets drunk, starts a fight with Vito, and pulls a gun on Tony in the Bada Bing. He becomes distracted by the movie business. By the sixth season, he is promoted to captain, and Tony tells Christopher that he will lead the family into the 21st century. He also loves comedy, and his SR highlight so far was when his comedy hero Tim Heidecker shared one of his articles. Chris later travels to his uncle Pat Blundetto's farm alongside Tony and Tony B. And that meant a handful of cold, merciless kills throughout the course of The Sopranos. (11 Reasons Why), Why Does Batman Not Kill? Christopher causes a car crash as he is driving Tony home while high. Over the course of The Sopranos' six seasons, Tony Soprano authorized the deaths of twelve people from his offices at the back of Satriale's Pork Store of the Bada Bing strip club. Christopher was one such problem that had to be removed. As Jackie's death from cancer begins The Sopranos, no charges could be brought against him. Tony, who has a well-documented affinity for animals, is furious about this and confronts Ralphie at his home, resulting in a brutal fight between both men. Mark also has a passionate love of TV, from prestige dramas like Better Call Saul to classic sci-fi like Doctor Who. By this point, the family was at risk and it could no longer be tolerated. The Sopranos: Why Tony Killed Christopher In Season 6 - Screen Rant He still made plans to continue grooming Christopher and was even under the impression that he was clean. Matthew Bevilaqua | The Sopranos Wiki | Fandom Eventually, Vito Spatafore carries out a contract killing on Jackie in the Boonton Projects, shooting Aprile in the back of the head, on the orders of Ralph Cifaretto and Tony Soprano. Tony Soprano was certainly not known for being tolerant throughout the entirety of The Sopranos. Ambushing his cousin as he was opening the door, Tony got him with a single shot to the head using a12-gauge shotgun. Blundetto went into hiding but Tony knew it was only a matter of time before he was found. He thus decided to give him a more decent death as he knew the New York crew would torture him. They became engaged before he is sent to rehab. Throughout the episode's remainder, Tony displays the proper decorum for the family in mourning yet can barely restrain his relief that he is finally free of the burden Chris has placed upon him for so long his insubordination, his substance abuse, his reckless behavior, and his complaints. Tony is prepared to kill Chris, but their cousin Tony Blundetto steps in and saves his life. Throughout season 5, Tony's constantly going back and forth between shaming Christopher for his addiction and then shaming him for his sobriety. In the scenes from the accident, you see a damaged child seat in the back of the car. The Many Saints of Newark Ending Explained: An Answer to a - IGN The mangled car seat is another angle: Tony saw that Christopher posed a danger not only to him, but also to his family, including his infant child. What's worse is that even this wasn't enough of a signal for Christopher to stop using. The final straw is when Ralphie orchestrates the death of his and Tony's horse, Pie-Oh-My for the insurance money. Tony eventually strangled him. Richie attempts to kill Matt by attacking him with a baseball bat. Tony does trust his protege to a certain extent and loves him like a son. The use of numbers from Nuovo Vesuvio[I] leads to a violent dispute between Benny and Tony's friend Artie Bucco. You see multiple episodes where he reacted in explosive manners and even times this led to a death. Brendan is shot in the eye by Mikey Palmice. Check out what I found below. As Tony and his family dined, his daughter joined them at the restaurant all while a hitman was waiting to attack. Both Christopher's character development and Michael Imperioli's performance have received universal acclaim. He grows disillusioned with Tony and frustrated with his progress in the family, and distances himself from the business by making a film and trying to become a Hollywood screenwriter. On the one hand was his love for his materialism, and as such, his addiction to alcohol was the physical signifier of this. The two are ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to Junior and leave the trucks alone. However, Matt runs off and is chased by Richie. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Why Do People Hate Caillou? During the TV series episode 'For All Debts Public and Private', Tony tells Christopher that the retired police investigator Barry Haydu killed Dickie. Was Christopher a rat? : r/thesopranos - Reddit However, he went too far when he killed the brother of Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) in revenge for the Leotardos' murder of Angelo. Appropriately, Christopher dies suffocating on his own blood as Tony smothers him. She also enjoys collecting old NES and Gameboy games. However, the inability of Christopher to get over his drug addiction caused Tony to start disliking him. To avoid war with Johnny Sack's crew, Tony went to see Blundetto at the lodge where he was lying low and shot him dead, a strange act of kindness given that Tony B likely faced an even more brutal fate from Phil Leotardo. (11 Reasons Why). Notably, Sopranos-era Christopher's disembodied voice functions as the narrator to continue the series' long tradition of using elements of mysticism and magic to punctuate crucial points in the lives of the DiMeo crime family members. A flashback scene showed Overall pleading for his life before Tony shot him (only Tony's hands were shown). His decision to kill Christopher was not a cold-hearted murder, but a sympathy death in order to avoid the fallout of Christopher being found alive and drunk behind the drivers seat. Tony often tried to play a guiding role in Christopher's life, and it was presumed for a while that he would be Tony's successor, but that changed as his behavior grew worse. Copyright 2023 Distractify. (2002), J.T. The shocking moment in 2007 when Tony killed Christopher wasn't an impulse decision, but the product of years of resentment seemingly building within Tony towards his nephew. (2006), In Season 1 Moltisanti shoots a bakery clerk in the foot in retaliation for a perceived lack of respect and service a nod to Imperioli's, This page was last edited on 19 April 2023, at 12:32. Chris and Paulie are put in charge of a cigarette smuggling operation. After the accident, Tony sees a crushed baby seat and seemingly thinks about his own children, forcing Tony to take control, because he can, and essentially choose one family over another by killing Christopher (who, tellingly, isn't his direct blood relative). Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Even the Showrunner Has Weighed In, Show Creator David Chase Sheds New Light on Tony's Fate in 'The Sopranos', 'Many Saints of Newark': Mattea Conforti, Who Plays Young Janice, Talks Prepping for the Role (EXCLUSIVE). This plays into Tony's reasons for killing Chris in the episode "Kennedy and Heidi" because he realizes his cousin is a liability that could jeopardize Tony's criminal operations. The Sopranos 20th Anniversary: The Whack That Changed Everything Ralph then downplayed the death of Pie-Oh-My, a beautiful racing horse that Tony was very attached to. TV Guide rated him #13 on their list of "TV's Top 100 Characters"[when?]. Tony and Christopher knew each other before Tony met Carmela because their fathers were both involved in the Mafia and because they are both cousins, through unrelated sides, to Tony Blundetto; Christopher's girlfriend Adriana La Cerva also believes that Tony and Christopher are distantly related through Christopher's mother. He was aware that his nephew was a ticking time bomb whose drug addiction would inevitably cause him to flip or do something stupid. Moreover, the plot follows Tony having an affair with his psychologist, Jennifer Melfi. RELATED:The Sopranos: 10 Best Cars On The Show, Ranked By How Much They Cost. This was the type of person who could cause real damage to Tony and the rest of the family. Does Tony Soprano Know Junior Killed Dickie Moltisanti? - Screen Rant Christopher snaps at Tony, saying "The way you eat, you'll have a heart attack by 50." Sure, Tony had other reasons to want Chris dead. Why Did Tony Soprano Kill Christopher? (7 Reasons Why) When Christopher is shot and nearly dies in season 2, Tony's devastated. (2000), Tracee: Ralph Cifaretto beat the stripper to death; Silvio told Christopher to "get a sheet" from inside the strip club to cover up her corpse. However, he inadvertently admitted knowing Dickie Moltisanti by stating "Look, whoever told you I had anything to do with his death is lying! Kenya. He's now placed under suspicion that he himself might flip, and the mockery over his addiction gets even worse. Christopher later avenges Brendan's death as part of Tony's revenge against Junior, when he and Paulie ambush and murder Mikey out in the woods. Ralph then killed his girlfriend Tracee outside the Bada Bing. Tony affectionately refers to Christoper as his nephew, but he is actually first cousin once removed to Carmela Soprano and a second cousin to Meadow Soprano and Anthony Soprano Jr. Tony Soprano has looked out for Chris over the years, as his father, Dickie, was killed when Christopher was very young. His volatile behavior was put up with for so long because of his family ties and Tonys wish to have a leader in place. 164 187 r/thesopranos Join 24 days ago For a moment we wonder what Adriana is going to do. You see a lot of TV series that make a habit of killing off big names in the show. Dickie is killed when Chris is very young. When the car accident happened, it became clear to Tony that Christopher was never going to change. Even before Christopher's death, the second half of the final season shows us Tony at the worst he's ever been. Despite this lack of absolute clarity, what's important is who Tony is with: his wife, his daughter, his son, the family Tony ultimately chooses. Willie Overall was the first person that Tony killed, when he was a young man coming up in the DiMeo family. Tony and Silvio thus paid Chucky a visit as he was preparing to sail off on his boat. In the third season, Chris finally becomes a made man. When an intoxicated Christopher crashed a car while he was driving Tony, the boss couldn't take it any longer. Although Christopher tries to tell himself he made the right decision, by season 6 he's a shell of his former self. It also shows that he resents Tony for her death. Tony sends Silvio Dante to meet with Adriana, purportedly to drive to the hospital to visit Chris, but in reality, he executes her in the woods. In "No Show", Chris is made acting capo of Paulie's crew while Paulie is imprisoned on a gun charge, being awarded a no-show job at the Esplanade construction site. Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter, and film critic based in Nairobi. After a relapsed Chris crashes the car and nearly gets himself and Tony killed, Tony makes the cold, calculated decision to suffocate him to death and tell everyone he died purely from the. As a result, he took the opportunity to remove his problem. The Sopranos: The 10 Worst Things That Tony Ever Did, Ranked - Screen Rant (2000), Valery: Possibly alive, he was shot in the head by Paulie in the woods when Chris and Paulie were chasing him. The show was focused on Tony Soprano, an Italian-American mafia head based in New Jersey. As head of the DiMeo crime family in The Sopranos, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) had to order the deaths of all manner of rivals, informants and enemies. Tony himself doesn't feel any real guilt over the situation; he's cracking jokes at Chris' funeral and keeps bringing up the fact that the car seat in the back for Chris's daughter was destroyed in the crash. One of the most infamous scenes in the show revolves around the death of Christopher Moltisanti, a main character and direct relative of the show's protagonist, Tony Soprano. However, the inherent vices of the underworld soon catch up with Christopher Moltisanti, which leads to the season 6 episode "Kennedy and Heidi" when Tony Soprano kills Chris. Tony affectionately refers to Christopher as his "nephew," but he is actually a cousin once removed of Tony's wife Carmela (Carmela's father Hugh and Chris's grandmother Lena were brother and sister). I try to analyze and explai. Distractify is a registered trademark. Chris' crew get involved in a credit card fraud scam; his AA sponsor James "Murmur" Zancone and Benny Fazio take numbers from local businesses and sell them on to associates Ahmed and Muhammad. One phone call and its over, the whole f**king castle comes down.. The two come to blows over Patsy's continued theft from the construction site, despite orders from Tony. That is until the car accident in which Christopher revealed to Tony he wasnt. Tony was in the car accident with Christopher and it was there he discovered that Chrissy had still been heavily into drugs, which caused a huge blowup between the two. (2003), Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson: After being released from the Eleuthera drug recovery program, Tony gave Christopher the responsibility of hiring a couple of assassins to take out New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi, Sr. at the request of, Raoul: Christopher threw a brick at him and then Paulie shot him. RELATED: Why The Sopranos Biggest Success Cant Be Repeated. He figured that the best way to do it was to kill Christopher in order to impress Richie Aprille. Anyway, some of you apparently disagree with this as a motive, so I'd just like to hear what you think was going through Tony's mind when he whacked his druggy nephew. Moreover, initially, the two seemed to have moved on from the animosity over the conflict created by fellow mob associate, Paulie Gualtieri.