Yesterday, the industry lost a legend when James Gandolfini passed away at 51.
When “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999, it rewrote the rules for television and it instantly made HBO a major player in the world of TV dramas. Gandolfini’s performance as the lead character, Tony Soprano helped create a character unlike any other on TV. Tony could be a loving family man who occasionally cheated on his wife. But Tony also had an unflinching dark side in his role as mob boss. And he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty even if it meant committing a few murders.
During the first season of “The Sopranos,” HBO executives were afraid that fans would reject Tony if he went through with a murder himself. Instead, the fans embraced Tony and accepted him despite his flaws. That changed the game in terms of what an protagonist could be on a TV series. The leading men of “Boardwalk Empire,” “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” owe a large debt to Tony Soprano. And it should come as no surprise that the creators of “Mad Men” (Matthew Weiner) and “Boardwalk Empire” (Terence Winter) were writers on “The Sopranos” before moving on to their own creations.
In honor of Gandolfini’s unforgettable role, we’ve assembled a list of Tony Soprano’s ten defining moments from “The Sopranos.” If we left any out, feel free to let us know and share your favorite Tony Soprano moments in the comments below!
Tony Soprano's Greatest Hits
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Tony & The Ducks
Episode 1.01 “The Sopranos”
From the very beginning of the pilot episode, it was clear that Tony was a brutal man who had a dark side. But Tony also had a childlike love for the ducks that moved into his family’s swimming pool. The departure of the ducks and Tony’s subsequent panic attacks unveiled his hidden anxieties about his family and his life while setting the stage for the drama to come.
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Tony Whacks a Rat
Episode 1.05 “College"
While on a college trip with his daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), Tony spots Fabian "Febby" Petrulio (Tony Ray Rossi), a former wiseguy turned FBI informant. And in a series defining turn, Tony carves out a little time to permanently silence Febby himself. This was Tony’s first on-screen murder of the series. But it wouldn’t be his last…
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Big Pussy Sleeps With The Fishes
Episode 2.13 “Funhouse”
“The Sopranos” creator David Chase loved using dream imagery during the series. Thus when Tony finally figured out that his best friend, Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore) had flipped on him to the feds, it was Big Pussy himself who delivered the news during a dream… from the mouth of a dead fish.
Of course Tony’s dream was just telling him what he secretly suspected. Once he had the proof that he needed, Tony personally made sure that Big Pussy went to a watery grave.
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Tony Wrecks Ralph
Episode 4.09 "Whoever Did This"
One of the biggest rules in the mob is that a made man can’t simply be killed. Thus Tony had to put up with Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) for years, even after Ralph beat a pregnant stripper to death.
But when Tony believed Ralph was responsible for the death of a horse that Tony loved, Tony unleashed his fury and beat Ralph to death in his own home before getting Christopher (Michael Imperioli) to help him dispose of the body.
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Tony vs. Carmela
Episode 4.13 “Whitecaps”
The tensions between Tony and his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco) finally rose to the surface as their marriage breaks apart during a riveting sequence. Tony really did love his wife, but his infidelities finally caught up with him here.
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Blood Is Thicker
Episode 5.13 “All Due Respect"
After nearly taking his crime family to war over the actions of his cousin, Tony Blundetto ( Steve Buscemi), Tony Soprano realizes that the only way to end the conflict is to give up Tony to the New York crime family.
But rather than condemn his cousin to a slow painful death, Tony Soprano tracks down Tony and shoots him… as a mercy killing. In the process, Tony angered Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), the man who would become his greatest nemesis.
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Dream a Little Dream
Episode 6.02 “Join the Club”
After suffering a near fatal gunshot wound from his uncle, Tony re-imagines himself as a normal salesman in a dreamlike world as he struggles to grasp his identity and survive his coma. This was perhaps the most surreal plot of the entire series, but it was also one of the most fascinating.
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Got Your Nose
Episode 6.18 “Kennedy and Heidi”
For a long time, Tony realized that his “nephew” Christopher was becoming a major problem. When Christopher’s drug addiction led him to crash a car carrying himself and Tony, Tony took advantage of the situation by suffocating Christopher and ending his problem.
In the aftermath, Tony couldn’t share his relief that Christopher was gone, forcing him to hide his feelings.
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Marco Polo
Episode 6.19 “The Second Coming"
Tony barely arrives in time to save his son, A.J. (Robert Iler) from committing suicide in the family pool. In that tense scene, Tony wasn’t a mob boss, he was simply a father frightened out of his mind for his son’s life.
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Fade to Black
Episode 6.21 “Made in America”
After a war with Phil Leotardo nearly cost Tony everything, he emerged victorious and reunited with his family over dinner. Even with a government indictment hanging over his head, Tony seemed oddly positive despite a sense of foreboding doom from the audience.
The ending of the episode and the series abruptly cut to a silent black screen, causing some fans to howl with rage over the lack of closure. But Tony Soprano’s life couldn’t fit into a box, so why shouldn’t his ending also defy the standard conventions?
To this day, the debate rages on about whether Tony was whacked or whether he survived. And that may have been the point all along. Either way, Tony’s story was over. And as Shakespeare said, “the rest is silence.”
