He is a fan of the television show Cops. 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. Adriana's offer comes at a pretty opportune time for him as he's become increasingly dissatisfied with his life, particularly in the way he's been treated by the rest of the crew. Examples include Ralph in season 4, Richie Aprile in season 2, and others along the way. (2004), Adriana La Cerva: Once she confessed to Christopher that she had been an FBI informant, divulging important information about the DiMeo crime family Christopher's loyalty to Tony proved to be greater than his love for Adriana. In one of The Sopranos' final episodes, "Walk Like a Man," the long-time friends joke around with each other and appear to be on good terms, despite some conflict to resolve with Paulie. Christopher has helped dispose of several people murdered by other people throughout the series, mainly Tony. He then bonds his nephew to him by having him murder the recently retired Lieutenant Detective Barry Haydu, after telling Chris that Haydu had murdered his father. However, the background of Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti's relationship is revealed in The Many Saints of Newark, HBO's Sopranos prequel movie. He describes Chris as a "drag" on his emotions, and "a weak, lying drug addict". 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. However, the meeting ends badly when it is revealed that Chris had accidentally killed Adriana's dog by sitting on it when high. Tony eventually strangled him. An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu. 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. In the sequence leading up to Christophers death, Tony was being driven by Christopher. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Tony resented too that Chris could use drugs to escape a reality that was unpleasant; he was almost jealous of it. That is until the car accident in which Christopher revealed to Tony he wasnt. However, at that moment, Tony believed that Christopher had the matter under control. Tony Soprano was certainly not known for being tolerant throughout the entirety of The Sopranos. On: July 7, 2022. Meanwhile, Tony anticipates yet another Christopher meltdown after he throws Paulie's nephew through a window. The biggest test of Christopher's loyalty to Tony happens when Adriana reveals she's been an informant for the FBI. His volatile behavior was put up with for so long because of his family ties and Tonys wish to have a leader in place. Christopher Moltisanti's death, years before Christopher narrates The Many Saints of Newark, was thematically foreshadowed in "Walk Like a Man" through Tony's interactions with his son A.J. Moreover, initially, the two seemed to have moved on from the animosity over the conflict created by fellow mob associate, Paulie Gualtieri. RELATED: The Only Sopranos Episode Carmela Wasn't In (& Why). Most great, if not all, series hinge on a lead character and supporting lead characters that have a defined emotional or psychological dilemma, and The Sopranos was no different. 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. As a result, he's directly responsible for eight murders, the second highest after Paulie's surprising Sopranos kill count. (2002), J.T. Tony realized that Pussy was an FBI informant in a vivid dream involving talking fish while struggling with food poisoning. Ralph had been beaten and choked to death by Tony. 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. Tony, Silvio, and Paulie figured out that Chucky was the person most likely to come after Tony so they made plans to whack him. Dickie is killed when Chris is very young. Tony sees he could not put an end to Christopher's (Michael Imperioli) rampant drug use in "Kennedy and Heidi," just before killing his cousin, whose former fiancee became an FBI informant.. Richie refused to protect Matt because he knew DiMeo street boss Tony Soprano would kill anyone involved in the attack. This particular kill was led up to when you consider the premise of the show but it still took fans by surprise in the end. However, in the writing of the series finale season, the writing team aimed at putting these psychological dilemmas in conflict with one another, just as when Christopher is killed by Tony during the penultimate episode of the series. Tony was also close to Tracee. While DiMeo crime family capo Paulie Walnuts had the highest kill count (9), Tony Soprano came in at a close second with 8 kills. 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 ends up strangling made-man Ralphie to death, in clear contravention of the Mafia code. He drunkenly kills his writer friend, J. T. Dolan. Tony and Silvio thus paid Chucky a visit as he was preparing to sail off on his boat. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Following the car accident, Tony decided that his nephew was a lost cause. A flashback scene showed Overall pleading for his life before Tony shot him (only Tony's hands were shown). Tony B arranges a meeting with a doctor who treated Tony and Adriana, who explains that both passengers were upright and had their seat belts fastened when it occurred. The two come to blows over Patsy's continued theft from the construction site, despite orders from Tony. When Christopher is shot and nearly dies in season 2, Tony's devastated. But why did Tony do it? The first real sign of decay comes in season 4, in which Christopher's heroin addiction progresses to the point where an intervention's necessary. After consulting Silvio and Paulie, he decides to remove Chucky Signore (Sal Ruffino), one of Junior's trusted lieutenants, before Junior can make a third attempt. Why The Sopranos Biggest Success Cant Be Repeated. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Netflix Originals So Bad? Dolan (his last). As Tony and Chris drive back from a meeting with Phil Leotardo and the New York crew, Chris clearly impaired by drugs and alcohol crashes his Cadillac Escalade. Let's take a look back at the hit show and break down why it all happened as it did. The hit show officially premiered with the first season in 1999. He also tries to distance himself from the criminal lifestyle and stays away from the Bada Bing. This is a man who Tony was hoping to groom into becoming the next leader of the family. 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. Sanitation over waste management contracts, in the backroom of, Michael "Mikey Grab Bag" Palmice: Shot in the chest by Chris and Paulie for conspiring to kill Tony with Junior and for killing Brendan Filone, Christopher's friend. He becomes distracted by the movie business. Of course, after that scene, Christopher still made everything about him. Christopher took advantage of his standing and poorly represented his family in doing so. Mark Donaldson is a film and TV features writer for Screen Rant. While the seasons ahead of the series finale had focused on embellishing the world of the story, writings on the sixth season indicated that the series finale season was aimed at finally exploring the psyche of its beloved characters. 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. Prophetically, David Chase shows audiences that in Christopher Moltisanti's final moments, he isn't terrified but rather "comfortably numb." (11 Reasons Why), Why Does Batman Not Kill? The two express their love for and loyalty to each other, though when the two later try to recreate their camaraderie sober, it falls flat and ends in awkward silence. Big Pussy served as an FBI informant for a long time before he was finally discovered. Every action led to disappointment. 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). Tony sees a tree branch impaling a car seat where Christopher's daughter could have been sitting. As much as Tony bashes Christopher for his relapse in season 6, it might not have happened if Tony had been even a tiny bit more supportive. Unfortunately, Christopher continuously proved that he might not be capable of being such. As a child, he preferred watching movies like Goodfellas and North By Northwest instead of Home Alone. The hit failed, and Christopher was able to kill Sean before passing out from his injuries. In season 6, Christopher produces a movie about an assassin who gets revenge on his boss in part for sleeping with his fiance; the clear implication is Christopher still on some level believes Tony slept with Adriana and resents him for it. In the series' final episodes, Chris' picture is hung in the pork store in his honor; Paulie is disturbed that the resident cat spends its days staring at the picture. Tony survives both attempts on his life. However, from an organizational perspective, it made sense. For years, Chrissy had a drug habit that he was unable to shake. He pinches Chris' nostrils shut, causing him to choke to death on his own blood. Though never seen on screen, he acts as the narrator of the film. More so than anyone else on the show, Christopher was dealt multiple opportunities to separate himself from the mob. Christopher confronts Haydu at his home and Haydu denies having heard of Dickie Moltisanti and claimed that someone was "obviously" setting him up. Reddit community dedicated to the HBO hit TV series, The Sopranos, and movie, The Many Saints of Newark. They became engaged before he is sent to rehab. Tony, whose beloved racehorse was killed in a fire set by Ralph, becomes very angry. Sure, Tony had other reasons to want Chris dead. Ralph then killed his girlfriend Tracee outside the Bada Bing. (Robert Iler) and Dr. Melfi. When pleading with Tony for help, he asks him to not call 9-1-1, stating, "Ill never pass the drug test. The rest joined in too. It also shows that he resents Tony for her death. and our While Tony killing Chris in The Sopranos was a shock to viewers when the episode aired in 2006, the show had dropped subtle hints about Chris Moltisanti's murder. 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. Advertisement. NEXT:The Sopranos: 10 Unpopular Opinions About The Show (According To Reddit). Throughout the entire show where Christopher is involved, we see nothing but trouble. Brendan is shot in the eye by Mikey Palmice. He killed Chris because tony sympathizes with any living thing that's harmless. Chris marries Kelli Lombardo after learning that she is pregnant with his child. He and Silvio then used chains and cement blocks to dump Chucky's body into the sea. Although The Many Saints of Newark is focused on Dickie Moltisanti and a teenaged Tony Soprano, Christopher Moltisanti's death in Sopranos season 6 haunts the DiMeo crime family even in the past. Cookie Notice This is why Tony felt a sense of relief after the car accident. At Jackie's funeral, Chris is arrested on a gambling charge along with Patsy Parisi and Silvio Dante. Chris finds out, gets drunk, starts a fight with Vito, and pulls a gun on Tony in the Bada Bing. Months later, Chris is back in AA meetings. Before the car accident, we see plenty of times where Christopher caused death and drama. However, time and time again, his protg disappointed him. 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. Throughout The Sopranos, Christopher killed nine people, most notably Emil Kolar (his first kill) and J.T. And this brought on yet another fresh wave of disappointment. 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. From a personal point of view, this was a horrible act on Tonys part. Here's the truth about why Tony killed him. However, all three got what was coming to them, especially Christopher. Dolan's home, looking for someone to talk to. Christopher struggles throughout the series with major drug and alcohol addictions and repeatedly spends time at AA and drug rehabilitation centers. In The Sopranos season 2, the release of Richie Aprile (David Proval) leads to a clash with his brother Jackie's successor, Tony Soprano. 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. Despite it being years since The Sopranos season 6 aired in 2006, there are still many questions about the Chris Moltisanti death scene the biggest being why exactly did Tony kill Christopher? He was a liability to his business and potentially to his freedom due to his drug use, but in that moment I believe it was the branch. We also see a lack of loyalty on Christophers part. As Tony and his family dined, his daughter joined them at the restaurant all while a hitman was waiting to attack. That's because Tony Soprano is perhaps the most morally ambiguous of them all, and his writing and characterization proved so popular and so interesting that it helped influence countless other shows that followed. When talking about his childhood with his cousin Tony Blundetto he describes himself as an urban youth, something Blundetto disagrees with. He wonders about whether these men have links to terrorism. Tony's enraged when he finds out Christopher accidentally smothered Adriana's (Drea de Matteo) dog to death, then disgusted by the revelation that Christopher was high during his mother's funeral. 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 crash. For instance, lead character, Tonys psychological dilemma was straddling between who he is between the cold-hearted Mafia boss, who was always ready to kill, and the kind-hearted and caring family man, the same family man who was cheating on his wife, whom he loved. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV, but he just keeps returning. Christopher wasnt just putting himself at risk and hadnt been for some time. That car accident seems to have been the trigger that finally set Tony off after everything else. RELATED: Does Tony Soprano Know Junior Killed Dickie Moltisanti? Christopher then marries his new girlfriend, Kelli Lombardo and they have a daughter, Caitlyn, but his interest in his new wife soon wanes. As Tony's last direct kill in The Sopranos, the tragedy of the decline in his and Christopher's relationship makes it one of the most memorable deaths in the whole series. Additionally, looking at Christophers character, he always battled the moral question of his affinity for material possessions which came in conflict with his romanticised sense of idealism. For Tony, this episode marked the tail end of the conclusion of his own psychological dilemma. The murder haunts Chris' dreams, and he twice has to dig up and move Kolar's corpse. It served as a wake-up call. He references his failures as a parent, and how he has passed "rotten" genes to his son. During the film, an infant Christopher cries when he sees Tony at a welcoming back party for Tony's father, "Johnny Boy" Soprano. By the time we reach "Kennedy and Heidi," Christopher's gotten everything he wanted on a surface level: He's got a nice wife and kid, an impressive house, a position of general power and respect. Tony blames Chris' trip to Los Angeles for the dispute not being settled quickly. Christopher's life is worth saving, of course, but Tony's subconscious guilt takes over, and he squeezes Christopher's nostrils until he dies. The Sopranos TV series is packed with action from start to finish. He indulged her aspirations for a career in music by allowing her to produce a demo and later giving her a club to run. He was aware that his nephew was a ticking time bomb whose drug addiction would inevitably cause him to flip or do something stupid. 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. 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. Christopher's supernatural presence in Many Saints of Newark reveals how Christopher's spirit views his death. Junior and Tony were at war at the start of the series. If anyone else had done this they probably would've been whacked, but because Tony still has some semblance of humanity left, he makes an effort to find a solution, and the two of them manage to work things out. This was made most clear the season 5 episode "Cold Cuts," where Janice starts working on her anger problems, and Tony stomps all over it to make himself feel better. Rumors begin to spread that the crash was caused by Adriana performing oral sex on Tony. Because this is a show about emotionally stunted mob guys, the intervention goes poorly. Hence, his death saw the two dilemmas converge into a version of a happy ending for Christopher. A couple of incidents took Ralph's relationship with Tony to the drain. Christopher's narration begins during the opening sequence showing his tombstone, during which he provides context for the movie's title by explaining that Moltisanti is a religious name that literally means "many saints." While there, Chris recalls being bullied by the two Tonys, and they exhibit such behavior by ribbing him over his addiction problems. 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. He's somebody with creative ambitions, but he can't pursue them because to do so would be to abandon the mafia world he's always known. But as much as Tony claims he wanted him to get better, nothing annoys Tony more than the sight of someone becoming a better person. Christopher snaps at Tony, saying "The way you eat, you'll have a heart attack by 50." When the job is called off and Tony urges him to make sure it can't be traced to them, Chris has Benny Fazio and Peter "Bissell" LaRosa shoot Curtis and Johnson to death while he waits in his car watching over the hit. 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. Appropriately, Christopher dies suffocating on his own blood as Tony smothers him. There are a lot of reasons for Christopher's relapse in season 6, but at the core of it is his understanding he made the wrong choice and he can never take it back. [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. As the boss, Tony also ordered the deaths of 11 other people during the events of the series. He could no longer tolerate this type of behavior or stand with it. Tony Soprano Saw Killing Christopher As Merciful Although the moment was shocking, Tony's motivations in The Sopranos presciently link to a song that plays before the accident, with Christopher referencing The Departed soundtrack and playing Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb." He then began working as a travel agent while also giving speeches at Colby College to Criminal Justice students. RELATED:The Sopranos: Tony's 10 Closest Friends, Ranked By Likability. Just as Tony Soprano was haunted by dreams of the murders and wrongdoings he committed, karma eventually caught up to Christopher Moltisanti, and his death was simply reaping what he'd sewn throughout his life. Following Chris' successful rehabilitation, Tony entrusts him with the planned hit on Carmine Lupertazzi; Chris contracts the job out to Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson, Black gang members and drug dealers who he had known from his period of heroin abuse. He then buried the bookie's body in the ground. And that meant a handful of cold, merciless kills throughout the course of The Sopranos. The aim was to have a fully realised moment for all its leading characters, whether the result was death or life at the end, like the surprising killing of Christopher Moltisanti by Tony. Chris and Brendan plan another heist while high on methamphetamine, but Chris backs down at the last minute out of loyalty to Tony. His idealism, especially in this scene, was his initial belief that he would make it out of the car. 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. Christopher's efforts to stay clean of drugs and alcohol cause him to spend less time at their regular haunts, further arousing Tony's suspicions. Over 86 hours, the series dared us to loveor, rather, arranged it so we couldn't help lovingthe. Sopranos-era Christopher also narrates the movie's time jump from the '60s to the '70s, the scene where Tony moves to the suburbs, and, most notably, Dickie's funeral. Their relationship nearly ends a season early in "Irregular Around the Margins," where Tony and Adriana get in a car crash in the middle of the night, leading everyone (Chris included) to believe Tony was sleeping with Chris's fiance. When the car accident happened, it became clear to Tony that Christopher was never going to change. The mafia was never known for friendliness. Tony didn't have time to rationalize all that stuff a few moments after a major car wreck. Its quite clear to us in many ways that Tony Soprano took Christopher under his wing. At Meadow Soprano's graduation, Tony proposes to let Chris be made. Given Chris' resentment towards Tony about Adriana's death, and his continued desire to enter the film business, the two continue to drift apart. Both Christopher's character development and Michael Imperioli's performance have received universal acclaim. We see possibilities of Tony making him his right hand many several times along the way. He has a belated bachelor party with the Soprano crime family at Nuovo Vesuvio, where "Larry Boy" Barese makes a toast to his future. This causes Chris to question Tony's leadership, calling him a hypocrite for not enforcing established rules of the mob protecting made men, which enrages Tony. 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. Despite this, the two don't get married. While Chris is traveling to North Carolina to pick up cigarettes, Tony and Adriana are involved in a car accident. He comes close to death when enraged about rumors that his fiance Adriana and Tony are having an affair, he pulls a gun on Tony, who is ready to kill him for doing so. Tony explained to Chris that the usefulness of the retired cop who killed Chris' father had expired (and that he killed Dickie Moltisanti) and Chris went on to kill him. 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. He uses his Italian-speaking associate Corky Caporale to communicate with hitmen and provide them with weapons and instructions while paying him off with heroin. His mob film Cleaver clearly insinuates that Tony had an affair with Adriana. He insists Chris go into rehab and assigns Patsy to guard him. He could allow him to survive and then wait for his next big f**k up. To learn more, you can also read our posts on why Michael killed Fredo, why Walt killed Mike, and why Voldemort wants to kill Harry. As Tony and Christopher drive, "Kennedy and Heidi" plays, with the lyric "the dream is gone" underlining the central message of the scene and foreshadowing Tony's subsequent actions as the mob boss kills his underworld son to save him from a more tragic death. 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. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Tony Soprano killed Christopher Moltisanti because he was a liability. Therefore, when looking at what The Sopranos finale season was aiming to explore, it can be argued that it reached its conclusion with this episode for Christopher. 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. This drug habit led to many issues between him and Tony throughout the show. 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). Relapsing from sobriety, Christopher crashes the car he and Tony are traveling in while under the influence. Tony saw Christopher as the future boss and often favored him above everyone else. Silvio was actually the guiding force behind Patsy's actions, as he was also jealous of Chris' promotion. (11 Reasons Why). Why The Sopranos Had To Kill Christopher In Season 6. 25 years later, they had to lie low in Miami when Larry Barese told the FBI where Willie was buried. But in the end he chooses the mob, and Tony sends Silvio to murder Adriana in the one of the show's darkest moments. Asked by: Chase Hauck. I.e. Chris reconciles with Vito and Tony. Importantly, though, Tony doesn't realize that Christopher is no longer sober. On rewatch, one of the most heartwarming aspects of the early seasons is the relationship between Christopher and Tony. Realizing that their friend has betrayed them, Tony, Paulie, and Silvio take Pussy out to sea on Tony's new boat and confront him for being an FBI informant before shooting him dead and dumping his body overboard.
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