It's definitely Tony's show but you're right Christopher is a huge character, because he's so important to Tony. Christopher's father looked out for Tony in his youth, and now Tony takes that role for Christopher. Chris is like a son to him, and their relationship is intense. You're also right discussing how their generations are different, Hesh and Junior are the OGs, Tony is the current state of the mob and Chris, in Tony's mind, is the future.
The fascinating part about Furio is that we see him being so warm and charming at the party, and then he becomes a totally different person when he's on the job.
Yes. The real house that Tony Soprano lives in on the show is in West Caldwell but the butcher shop they hang out in is in Newark and the Bada Bing is in Lodi. The place that uncle Jr had the guy thrown off the bridge was in Patterson. The locations during the show are all over North New Jersey. Which makes sense as the family on the show runs all of North Jersey.
I always interpreted AJ’s look in the kitchen, to signify that he knows a Tony blow up is coming. He’s seen those gears turn before and he knows an outburst is on its way and as a young kid in the case of AJ, that’s a scary scene.
Carmela's father and Christopher's grandmother were brother and sister, so he's Carmela's nephew. Chris' father was Tony's mentor in the mob, who Tony regarded as like a big brother, so he calls Chris his nephew even though they're technically not related by blood.
Note the music selection in the massage palor. The producers chose "Touch It" by Monifah. That symbolizes one of aspect of the scene. That song samples the 80's song by Laid Back called "White Horse" which is slang or either heroin or cocaine. Drugs that Christopher use.
I got the feeling Christopher is too frail to deal with his issues, and that’s why Tony going to therapy was such a threat to him. It completely freaked him out after getting in touch with his emotions through the theater workshop, and made him back off of writing altogether, he’s afraid of what’s inside of him. All that leaves him is numbing escape through drugs.
Christopher’s father (Dickie Moltisanti) was Carmela’s *second cousin* and not a ‘blood' relationship to Tony, but merely an ‘in-law’ relation. Therefore, although Tony refers to Christopher as his “nephew”, he is completely incorrect. This happens a lot. It’s a very common popular misconception. Christopher (as the son of Carmela’s second cousin) is therefore - to Carmela - *second cousin once removed* . So Christopher’s relationship with Tony is not as nephew-uncle but as the ‘in-law’ version of *second cousin once removed* . [NOTE, I’ve made a slight error here. See my reply below in which I correct my mistake].
Michael Imperioli is only 5 years younger than Gandolfini in reality. They don't explicitly say how old Chris is, but here in Season 2 for instance, the actor is 34 and if you had to guess he was being portrayed as like 25. They sort of try to fix this later on, I wouldn't call it a retcon since they never gave him a specific age to be stuck with in canon. Imperioli was eventually approaching his 40s and it was made clear he and Tony were of the same generation, he was just younger and came up the ranks much later.
@@douglasmurphy3266 That’s not what’s indicated in all genealogical assessments of the Soprano (and extended) families. Christopher is the son of Dickie Moltisanti, who, in turn, is son of Dick and Lena. Lena is the sister of Hugh DeAngelis, who is Carmela’s father. This makes Carmela *second cousin once removed* to Christopher.
I’ve made a slight mistake. Carmela is to Christopher, *1st cousin once removed up* , while Christopher is to Carmela simply *1st cousin once removed* . However, it was another source that suggested my first assertion of “second cousins once removed”. My latest source (consulting with my own family genealogical research) states the *1st cousin once removed* scenario. Definitely NOT uncle or aunt and nephew though.
@@douglasmurphy3266 I don’t want to spoil but in a later season Chris has a conversation that indicates they are in terms of the show, closer in age. This is probably what you are referring to, but I don’t know if the show ever really eludes to a bigger gap in age between them.
@@LaCheeserie Age is irrelevant. You can’t assess a relationship based on relative ages. For example, there are a few hypothetical scenarios where you could have an uncle or aunt who is considerably younger than you: • Half-Siblings with Significant Age Difference If your parent had a child much later in life, that child would be your half-sibling and your child's uncle or aunt. Due to the significant age gap between you and your parent's child, it's conceivable that they could be younger than you. • Significant Age Difference Between Your Parents If your grandparents had children over a long span of time, your parent and their sibling (your uncle or aunt) could have a considerable age difference. In this case, your parent's younger sibling might be younger than you. • Blended Families In families where parents divorce and remarry, it's possible for you to have step-siblings who are considerably older or younger than you. If your step-sibling has a child, that child would be your niece or nephew despite the age difference. Okay, these situations are uncommon... but not impossible and have been known to occur, especially in today's family structures. The point is that such possibilities negate the use of age as a determining factor in familial relationships.
Imagine being a kid like AJ with such awful parents. His dad talks terrible about his sister in front of him, he uses violent language, throws a fit of rage and throws the phone basically right at him out of anger. Then his mom shames him telling him to go upstairs. Then Tony tries to "apologize" in the worst way possible without addressing the situation. One could only imagine the type of psychological damage that has on a kid.
100% - AND AJ’s parental situation/upbringing is a direct result of Tony’s upbringing/family conflict. The show does a great job of depicting that without spelling it out for you.
I don’t know if someone commented this before, but David Chase has said before that nothing in the show is don’t on accident. If you notice something like Chris saying “Fuxxking drug addict” that is 99.9% of the time out there on purpose. The second rewatch is for catching the foreshadowing 🤣 COYS
Richie answering the door like that and then not putting pants on is a power move which I always love. Also Tony was very out of line in that scene, especially talking about his own sister and fellating.
Any chance you guys would do full series retrospective reviews? Eg. A discussion with thoughts on Succession/Barry etc now that you’ve finished them. Could maybe feature comments from the final episode reactions too to discuss
22:44 The scenes with Chris stand out because he's one of a few characters in the show that do have a distinctive arc. Contrary to many's opinions, not every character has it. You'll learn where his highest point was after completing the series.
