Silvio knew exactly what he was doing. He started off by validating Tony, which made him listen. Then he begins telling him what he needs to hear. Silvio is the best consigliere
Silvio is a student of Machiavelli: "Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries- for heavy ones they cannot"
Say want you want about Tony, but he did at least have some good traits and ethics. He was disgusted that Ralph killed that girl. He had a soft spot for animals. He didn't want to order the hit on one of his capos and top earners, Vito, for being a queer. And his uncle, whom he presumably loved, he gave a pass even though he put a hit on Tony. This is one of the reasons I liked the Sopranos. They're all arguably pretty bad people, willing to rob and murder for their own interests - but they're not portrayed as one dimensional villains.
Believe it or not it's a real mob rule. Their businesses are fronts where they launder their dirty money. An employee suddenly disappearing would have gave the police the cause they needed to obtain a warrant to search the Bing. Or better yet audit the Bings books. Doing anything bad for business is a big no no in the mob and that was a huge violation. If Tony had gone to New york, had a sit down with Carmine to get the Ok. He could have easily had Ralph whacked. Made or not. Believe me he wanted to. The only problem he had was he knew John Sacrimoni would have for certain talked Carmine out of it. John was Carmines consigliere and he had lucrative side business with Ralph. After that back fire Ralph would have wanted the ok to whack Tony. Tony only made Ralph copo to avoid a war. He had no other choice.
I always loved how similar and yet different Richie and Ralph were. Both were psychopaths but in much different ways. Richie had that evil aura about him. Any scene with him was intense and you were on edge. He was like impending doom. Ralph was an evil troll. Almost like the Joker.
They were both comparable as loose cannons. You can’t help but compare them if you followed the show. My question is who would you rather have as a cellmate? 😂 Thinking about it I’d have to pick Ralph. He could at least have a joke and at least give the impression that he could be a social animal. Ritchie? Not so much. 😂 I think if there’s more chance you could upset Ritchie but not realise it till he’s trying to kill you in your sleep. After quietly brooding laying on his bunk. While I think Ralph is a more ‘open book’. 😂
Ra HoWa; He was a solider before being promoted to consigliere in the backstory leading up to the first season. I think Craig meant it as a general term, which he was the epitome of a true and loyal soldier in the trenches
no, the best line is at the end: ralphie (talking about having thanksgiving dinner at tony's house): 'f**k him and his turkey, i ought'a shove a drum stick up his ass!' vito looks at him with raised eyebrows......
I have to disagree. While I absolutely love Sil as a character, I have to admit that to me, he always was a yes-man. Was there anytime where he dissuaded Tony to do it? The most cases aren't really that difficult to solve, Tony already knew what to do, Sil just pointed out the obvious. The one who really helped him was Junior. He was the real consigliere of Tony.
@@O.G.H. some good points you have there but remember Uncle Jun was always looking for ways to get rid of Tony. Sil actually told Tony his problem was pride and stubbornness, got Tony to support the Columbus Day demos despite his wishes, and got Tony out of Fat Dom's murder room. Oftentimes his gestures were subtle and even Tony admitted him to the most 'level-headed guy I got'. But I admit you have a good shout about uncle Jun
"Don't be surprised, if Paulie pops the question." After Ralph disrespecting Tony, Paulie suggested whacking Ralph 0.01 seconds after Ralph walked away. LOL
I love the moment where Silvio says 'she was not related to you by blood or marriage', and the subtle way Tony nods his head as if saying 'Yes, yes you are making reasonable points'. Such wonderful writing, acting and directing.
He means that you don't have the right to get revenge. Because she's not related to him . If he felt he need to get revenge then he should start by himself for killing .. because they're all killers
@@H.EL-Othemany not true at all, revenge has absolutely zero to do with it theres 1 simple reason Tony is in the wrong a made guy cant be touched unless the whole family votes that he has to go and even than it might not happen because he could be earning too much money for the family making a move against the boss or his relatives is probably the only legit death sentence there is other than that a made guy can do as he pleases with basically no concequences like getting promoted for killing a innocent girl because Tony got to emotional thats the bottonline here
Chase said the wrote this storyline because he thought the audience was starting to see Ralphie and the gang almost as a comedy troupe. He wanted to remind people of the reality of who these guys are.
Chase always let you start feeling sympathy for these characters andthen reveal their true selves. Like when Paulie and Chris murder a waiter out of the blue.
@@Zapp__Brannigan I hear you, when it first aired it was very controversial. Chase caught a lot of heat over that, so did HBO. Part of the reason I think ralphies character was killed off.
0:48 When Silvio starts giving his advice, that look Tony gives him, like "Yeah, I know, you're right, I know those rules already" but at the same time you can sense Tony feels grateful to Silvio for his advice and make him focus on facts. Both actors are spot on, the scene is 100% believable.
@@cjj9127 the part with the teeth still haunts me 🥲 Yes, I can only imagine what Tony would have done to Ralph for even putting a finger on Meadow’s forehead 🔥
I was thinking the same thing when Ralphie said that... If he had beaten Meadow to death or even unconscious, Ralphie would have been immediately executed right there in the parking lot at the Bing... No questions asked
2:29 This line goes to show what little self-awareness these guys have. Ralph thinks if he beat Meadow to death then Tony would be justified in his anger. No Ralph, you'd be tortured to death ala what Phil wanted to do to that animal Blundetto.
+nottmdude Knowing how Ralph paused himself from lending Artie Bucco money, he wouldn't get close enough to Meadow to even bring up that kind of a situation. But Tracee would not have been any one Tony really cared about, which was _mostly_ true.
I love how the restaurant decor subtly contrasts the power dynamic between Tony and Ralph. Tony and Silvio drink wine surrounded by elegant paintings while Ralph and his crew drink water and look out onto the dark street. This highlights both the difference in power within the mob hierarchy as well as the level of sophistication with which they strategize against each other. Tony receives cogent advice from his wisest counselor while Ralph allows a sycophantic subordinate to feed his confirmation bias and ignores his future successor who states the rather obvious truth: "He is the boss. He can do what he wants." This all dovetails with the apology scene as Tony ultimately has to put Ralph in his place since he refuses to acknowledge it on his own. Excellent writing and cinematography.
This is when I respected Silvio (who's always been up there as my fav) the most. Consigliere to the 1st degree. He gives detailed pros and cons for what T might have to do. Sil, despite beating women, seems to be the most level headed and moral character. He knows how to talk to T with sincere emotions that played a big part in saving the life (for the moment) of Ralph.
lol moral. silvio later on can't even remember why ralph beat the girl to death. he analyses situations good but he's as much of a piece of shit as the rest of the crew.
Looks at Vito "No offense" LOL, this was the perfect blend of a character you absolutely hate yet is absolutely hilarious at the same time. Never a character like him on the Sopranos.
Dark Eco yep, I’d say he was just behind Richie Aprile. Man... something about Richie was just meaner and even darker than Ralphie. Maybe because he spent so much time in prison. David Proval did an amazing job playing Richie. When he said "I'll build a ramp up to your ass, drive a Lionel up in there” to Paulie and Silvio, I was shocked. Guy was sinister.
there have been a couple gay jokes made by the other members within Vitos presence, before everyone found out he was gay, and his reactions to all of them are priceless
@@thundersquid5715 you're acting as if him being gay was in the cards all along but it wasn't. It was a spontaneous character idea suggested by the actor himself. Even here, there's nothing really special about the acknowledging glance he gave Ralphie after he said what he said. You guys are reading way to into it all for the sake of RU-vid likes.
@@jimsty5222 It was not a spontaneous idea. Vito’s first appearance was that scene in the bakery with Christopher in season one. When the actor was brought back for season two, he had the idea for a gay mafioso in his head already based on real life gay mafioso, John D’Amato. D’Amato was a North jersey crime boss who was assassinated by his own family when they discovered his lifestyle. The actor has said as much in interviews. It wasnt until season 5 that the gay storyline happened. The actor pitched it to David Chase presumably sometime between seasons two and four. Youre probably right that people are seeing what they want to see but even at this point in the show, the actor has the idea that his character is gay.
Sil was the voice of reason which is why he had the position he had. Even Jackie asked him if he wanted the Big Seat, but Sil turned it down. Some people in everyday life and throughout history in many roles were content to be a power behind the throne rather than be on the throne themselves. They didn’t want the headaches, or probably in this case, the target.
I love how real his portrayal of Silvio is. He said something to the effect of 'When I sit down in that makeup chair I'm Steven Van Zandt. When I leave that trailer I'm Silvio Dante until the cameras stop rolling for that day".
I fucking loved Silvio. Those two were an amazing duet. Silvio was super smart (and maybe the only 100% loyal) and understood every situation well enough to help Tony and be his “ambassador”. The best Tony could get,
0:34. I always laughed at how, “disrespecting the Bing,” was worse in their twisted eyes than killing Traci was. It was always said first, not just in this scene.
Tony said it first because he knew nobody else really cared about Traci. He thought using that bada bing line would be more useful. He definitely was affected by traceys death more than everybody else
Its true, the Bing was far more important. It was the hangout, the business building, the enjoyment, a decent money maker. You would stick some random whooar over it?
The Sopranos was so irresistible. The video ended when you wanted it to last longer. I wish I had the whole series on DVD. RIP James. Your death was like a bad bolt of lighting to me. So sad. Say hello to our friends in heaven. You were a blessing to us here on Earth.
When Tony said over his dead body the look on Sils face. It was like he was conveying to Tony "Yeah don't say something like that especially in our business"
Tracee was an investment to Silvio, one that would never pay off now for him now because of Ralphie. The only person who truly felt bad for the death of Tracee was Tony, and that's because Tracee was the same age as Meadow.
What a great adviser Sil was, the thing is, Ralphie knew he was untouchable. He was far and away the biggest earner, as he himself once said, he brought in $3M a year from construction alone. You can't fuck with a guy who brings in that kind of cash. Even the Boss of New York refused to touch Ralphie during the whole joke thing about Ginny Sac. Johnny wanted Carmine to sanction a hit on Ralphie and Carmine shut him down immediately, saying "there are millions of dollars at stake". They made too much money with Ralphie and his unions. See, in the mob, if you're known as a top earner by everyone, you're almost nearly untouchable, even more so than your own rank, the most important thing is the cash you bring in to the bosses! Ralphie had major support even in New York and Tony knew that.
Lietiel Hmm not quite. He was pulled out of his car just as a bomb which was planted underneath went off. Obviously someone attempted to kill him, but I do get your point, from the point of view of the bosses De Niro's character was working for, he was untouchable!
Kanguesso Kang Precisely. It was believed to be Joe Pesci's crew who planted the bomb, not the bosses, who had Pesci whacked. And it's because the bosses knew what a good earner De Niro was. It's all about the bottom line with those guys. Dollars and cents.
Lietiel Yep, I can recall that now. You're right on the money. I feel in the mob your ability to earn and be a great earner can be more important than your rank within the crew. Joe Pesci's character had a higher ranking than De Niro's character yet De Niro was such a great earner that he was the one who was untouchable.
This scene shows that Ralph really doesn't think he did anything wrong. Tony, Silvio, and later Johnny Sack, all know Ralph got what was coming to him, but Ralph really can't think of a reason as to why Tony struck him. Ralph thinks, if anything, Tony did it just to spite him, not because he'd just killed a young girl with a kid.
Yea a kid that was in care of her mother after coming out of care because she was putting out lit cigarettes out on him. Not to mention the H and coke she was doing while pregnant. Real classy young girl.
You gotta look at it from their perspective. Even Silvio says “he’s got a legitimate beef” according to the rules in La Cosa Nostra if you strike a made guy then you’re subject to death. That’s it. Tracee hit Ralph and Ralph enforcer the rules.
They always talk about how being made, made you basically untouchable. Yet, we constantly see made guys being attacked. Mikey palmice getting beat down then stapled, Chris getting jumped at his intervention, etc... It's almost like they bend more rules than the Catholic church.
Honestly I respected the was Silvio thought things out. He was always the quiet one and was always the one to think things through before any major moves were made.
Season 3 is where I really started to have great interest in Silvio! I really do love it when Silvio mentors and counselors Tony privately. It makes me fathom that Tony and Silvio are best friends. I think Tony always loved Silvio Dante like a brother just like Tony loved Big Pussy like a brother. I especially love it when Silvio counseled Tony about Ralph Cifaretto killing a young innocent girl. I also especially loved it when Silvio helped his best friend Tony come up with a plan to kill Richie too!
I always got that vibe when I watched the show, that Sil and Tony were like brothers and in instances of the show it almost came across like Paulie was jealous of Tony and Silvios' friendship and closeness
@@rimacidih9350 Not as big a no no as putting hands on a made guy. Once you're made, you're part of the family. Untouchable. Your little finger is worth more than a thousand civilians. Tony acted out of rage and broke the rules. As far as I know, there's no rule against killing civilians. When it's unnecessary it's definitely frowned upon, but not technically a violation.
@@felynecomrade killing a civillian at the mafia headquarters while the boss is there is a big no no. I would assume enough to get a couple slaps or punches. A made guy should know not to do that. When it comes to the bosses safety no status can help you .
@@rimacidih9350 You'd assume wrong. Once you're made, no one can lay hands on you. NO ONE. If you're made, the only way you're getting harmed within the rules is if you become a rat. Tony should have cussed him out, HEAVILY penalised him monetarily, and hell, maybe even spit on him. But he was out of line to get violent with him. Everyone in the show agrees on that. Tony acted out of rage. HE broke the rules, not Ralphie. Ralphie was just being a reckless piece of shit. Over time, yes, repeat offenses like that would need to be amended lest it bring unwanted heat on the crew, but you need to understand just how sacred being made is.
The first scene here with Ralph, he is given a drink and he says thank you, yet somehow he cannot see how turning down a drink from the boss could be offensive 😂 brilliant writing all around
Silvio is always the most level headed and politically sound. Fucking love his character. He make look like a greaseball but he’s a fucking tactical genius.
Out of show, that's a wig, Steven Van Zandt is bald (there's a reason he always wears a bandana during shows). In show it's vague but the prequel film confirmed Silvio was already severely balding by age 30 so it's a wig if you consider it canon.
I wonder if Tony was particularly angry at Ralph because Tracee represented innocence, something Tony had lost. When he kills Ralph he says (supposedly about the horse), "she was a beautiful, innocent creature, and you killed her!"
The great thing about David Chase's plots was the amount of ambiguity. Do we really know to what T really was referring? Tracee behaved like an innocent, and T appeared to have a soft spot for her, so he might have seen her as such.
@@andrewthegraciouslordrober327 Why can't he be referring to both of them? Remember, the horse was female, too. He might be mixing his grief from both killings, since both the victims represented something personal to him that couldn't be explained or admitted (neither the killing of Tracee or the horse would have been considered just cause for his killing Ralph by the Mafia......or the law, for that matter).
ZippyMufo Exactly - this ambiguity was not accidental. David Chase was very particular about managing the scripts and dialogue. He is leaving us twisting in the wind on this.
She represented Meadow. They explicitly made tracee the same age as Meadow in the episode she was apart of. You’re not wrong with the innocence aspect, because Tony absolutely believes his children can do no wrong as represented by how many times they let Meadow get away with anything she wants. But Tracee was primarily meant to be compared to Meadow.
"I could see it if it was his daughter, or a niece of his." Really shows how warped these guys are. To Ralphie, Tony hitting him would only be acceptable if Ralphie murdered a member of Tony's family. But for killing a random person, *Ralphie is owed an apology*
Silvio expressed private frustrations at times like with Livias funeral, but he really was a clear cut right hand man. Assessed and validate some feelings of Tony, then gave clear objective advice based on the set of rules dictated by the game. He did the same thing when Tony was prideful with New York and Vito. Told him what he needed, then when dismissed, asked if he needed anything else and left. All business.
Tony fucking curb stomped a guy and almost shot him in the face for making rude sexual remarks to his daughter. Imagine what he’d to do someone that beat his daughter to death lmao
This is one of my favorite Silvio scenes. He's levelheaded, and presents fairly unbiased opinion. All without making tony angry, which seems to be pretty hard to do in this show lol
Ray Liotta was almost cast as Ralph but he decided he did not want to commit to a tv series. Liotta's Ralph would have been interesting b/c he would have been more of a rival to Tony, on every level. It was clear that Joe P.'s Ralph was a weasel and no match for Tony but a Liotta-Ralph would have constituted a true threat to Tony's leadership. Also, with a Liotta-Ralph, it would be easy to see why Tony would be concerned that an opportunist like Johnny Sack might try and install Ralph as the boss of Jersey. On the other hand, I couldn't envision Joe P.-Ralph as the boss of anything.
Kris Adhikari You need to check your research. It is correct that Liotta was also considered for Tony but turned it down b/c he didn't want to do a tv series. David Chase was a HUGE fan of Goodfellas and wanted Liotta in The Sopranos, which is why he was also approached about playing Ralph.
James Kennedy Yes but Liotta-Tony going to see his shrink would kinda ruin it, as well as him dealing with his nephew Chris. Also Liotta dealing with Phil would be wierd too.
James Kennedy interesting. i didnt know that bit of trivia. Tho' the thought of Liotta in the role is intriguing, Joe P's take on the character was the way to go...not to mention his amazing acting abilities.
Ralph: "I could see if it was his daughter..." I dunno Ralph. Punching you over killing his daughter seems like overkill...you are a made guy after all.
I loved Silvio. He was the voice of reason kind of like Tom Hagen in The Godfather Movies. Isn't it amazing how Steven Van Zandt, and Michelle reinvented themselves from being Rock Legends to TV Actors/Actresses. In The UK a lot of former Members of Boy Bands/Girl Groups reinvent themselves on Soap Operas and do very well.
No. He listened.. Tony wanted to keep his cousin safe but if you see All Due Respect episode, it's that convo with Sil where he goes from blinded cousin to a real Boss of a family, so then, he goes to kill Tony B himself.. Sil chided and explained to Tony what everyone felt and that changed him in that, though he never acknowledged because of ego..
the hilarious out-come was one ended up with his head in a bowling ball bag and the other with bug spray in his face -- The Sopranos was the greatest comedy show ever
The Sopranos had some major flaws (call it artistic license if you like), the biggest one being how casually and openly people were shot and/or murdered, like Hollywood depictions of the Wild West. That links in with the issue with Ralphie. In the Sopranos world, Ralphie killing a beautiful young stripper who was an employee of the Bing and doing so outside the club which is on one of the busiest highways in New Jersey, and doing so during a mob party where Ralphie comes back in after beating her to death and puts his hand in ice; that is no big deal, maybe the equivalent of auto theft in the real world, and the real culprit is Tony for hitting him for it. But IRL mob world of 2000 or whenever this was filmed, what Ralphie did was all kinds of insane and a danger to all operations. There are so many ways that this could turn out badly. For starters, the other strippers at the party could have started talking to the police or at least leave the Bing if they didn't feel safe there. The police would have been all over this, a beautiful young woman who was pregnant and who they may have known was involved with Ralphie disappears. Just the type of thing to sway a jury.
That's why Tony reacted the way he did. And it was also a commentary on the fact that this girl, like so many people, was basically alone in life. She didn't have anyone to raise a fuss about it, and forget the strippers ratting to the cops. You kidding? They know how things work.
bearcat648This would've been a MAJORPROBLEM in reality!Killing not only a woman but an employee at a connected spot!He might've been whacked over this but had strong early with Sack.The point is a civilian was beaten to death there with a bunch of made guys present!Psycho time bomb .Tax him big let him earn with another borgata then whack him while another guy learns the ropes of Ralphies businesses. Whaddya think?
