The Sopranos is one of the greatest television shows of all time. Its complicated characters, excellent storytelling, and all-around excitement has made it a timeless classic. That being said, there are still some elements of the show that never get true resolutions or otherwise feel as if they were created without a purpose beyond making characters suffer. This is to be expected, no show is going to be perfect, and there may even be some reasoning to do so.
At its core, The Sopranos is a show about violent members of the mafia, so its main characters were never going to have happy endings or even completely satisfying ones. Reality is a core aspect of this show, and it is reflected in how some storylines unfolded — or rather, how they didn’t.
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20
J.T. Dolan’s Murder Could Have Been the End for Christopher
Instead, It Was Just One More Step in Christopher’s Downward Spiral
There’s a joke about the TV series Yellowstone that the show’s built on the premise that no one ever actually truly decides to investigate any of the crimes that the Duttons commit, because any ONE of their crimes should have gotten them all arrested. That was a similar situation on The Sopranos with Christopher’s murder of screenwriter J.T. Dolan.
Christopher met the screenwriter in A.A., and later forced him to write a movie for Christopher (and then take the credit/blame for basing the lead character on Tony). Later, when Christopher relapsed, and visited J.T. during a binge, Dolan berates him, and Christopher just shoots him in the head. And…nothing ever happens about it. That’s just life sometimes, of course, but it’s still bizarre that a high profile murder never factored in at all.
19
Adriana Didn’t Realize Her Tennis Instructor Had Eyes For Her
Birgit Didn’t Seem to Get That Adriana Wasn’t “In Play”
The Season 3 premiere of The Sopranos spotlighted two recurring plots on the series. One, Carmela looking for male validation through a number of “flirtmances” that helped her get by her day-to-day life with Tony, and two, that Adriana was really oblvious when people were hitting on her.
Camela was obsessed with her tennis instructor, and was upset when he left the club (AND revealed that he was married), and his replacement, Birgit, was openly flirting with Adriana, who didn’t pick up what Birgit was putting down. The plot never went past this episode, however.
18
Janice’s Feud With Svetlana Could Have Gotten Out of Hand
Instead, It Just Got Out A Leg, as It Were
In Season 3, Janice becomes obsessed with her mother’s record collection, with her mother’s nurse, Svetlana, insisted that Livia had given to her before she died. Janice could not accept that, and actually stole Svetlana’s prosthetic leg, and offered to trade the leg back for the records.
Svetlana instead enlisted some low-level Russian mob guys to threaten Janice, and get the leg back. They did so, but then that brought Tony into things, as the Russians roughed Janice up a bit, and Tony turned to a Russian mobster who he had been working with, and they worked out an arrangement where Tony would assault the man who hit Janice. It had the promise of something that could have escalated, but it just petered out after that.
17
Meadow’s Roommate Seemed Destined for Drama That Never Came
It’s Possible That Her Plot Was Resolved in the Final Season
The Season 3 premiere also saw Meadow attending college, and her Freshman roommate, Caitlin, was a major source of drama for Meadow. She had mental health problems, and Meadow spent a lot of her time helping Caitlin out, even as her relationship with her boyfriend at the time, Noah, suffered as a result of the inattention.
However, Caitlin eventually just vanishes, and we never see her again, although in Season 6, Meadow noted that her Freshman year roommate jumped off of a library balcony. That was presumably a reference to Caitlin.
16
Paulie’s Virgin Mary Sighting Went Nowhere
One of the Show’s Most Bizarre Sequences Wasn’t Followed Up On
In the show’s final season, Paulie Walnuts is put through the wringer. Not only was he diagnosed with colon cancer, but he also discovers that his aunt (a nun) is actually his birth mother. He does not take the news so well.
At the end of one of the episodes, he returns to the Bada Bing club late at night, and he is shocked to see the Virgin Mary in a supernatural scene that the show not only never explains, but it never follows up on at all for the rest of the season.
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15
Ralph Was Written Out as Abruptly as He Appeared
The Fate of His Son Was Also Never Explained
Ralph is one of the most hated The Sopranos characters. He showed up out of nowhere in Season 3, though it’s said that he was looking after real estate in Florida during his absent years, and felt like a character perfectly designed to disgust the audience. Tony Soprano was a complex character whose nuanced personality constantly made viewers wonder if he really was a complete sociopath. With Ralph, there was not a moment of doubt: his sadistic remarks, bizarre sexual impulses, and propensity for heinous acts were difficult to digest.
The worst thing Ralph ever did was beat a young sex worker to death, but it was only when he presumably set fire to the stable housing Tony’s beloved horse that Ralph got what he deserved. Suspicions about Ralph’s sudden disappearance emerged, but Tony’s crew were quick to forget about their top-earner captain. Johnny Sack didn’t seem to mind getting the blame for Ralph’s presumed death either. The consequences of Ralph’s death were, essentially, non-existent. Deep down, everyone knew that Tony whacked Ralph, but the lack of confrontation felt odd for a show like The Sopranos. In addition, the fate of Ralph’s son Justin is never mentioned: the boy was left severely injured after an archery incident, and it’s unknown whether he lived or died.
14
Meadow and Finn’s Relationship
The Two Abruptly Broke Off Their Engagement
Finn DeTrolio wasn’t exactly a likable The Sopranos character, but his reckless innocence towards the mafia granted plenty of highlights. The scene where Tony yells at Finn because he paid the restaurant bill was gold, and the brief storyline about Finn working at the construction site was as hilarious as it was tense. It hinted that something bad was about to happen the whole time, until Finn found out about Vito’s secret sex life and desperately quit.
This revelation occurred in Season 5 and only paid off in Season 6, where Finn was summoned by Tony and his men to tell them what he saw. Finn constantly expressed to Meadow the injustices of the criminal underworld, and, intimidated by Tony and his peers, tried to avoid conflict at all cost. In the second part of The Sopranos‘ sixth season, it was revealed that Finn and Meadow broke off their engagement, but the show didn’t provide any details about it. Finn just abruptly disappeared from The Sopranos. It’s possible that he heard about Vito’s death and felt guilty about it, realizing that marrying Meadow would bring him even closer to the mafia’s illicit affairs.
13
Artie Bucco’s Infatuation For Adriana
The Two Stopped Interacting Almost Entirely
Halfway through The Sopranos‘ third season, Artie confessed his love for Adriana La Cerva to Tony. It was not uncommon for small personal affairs to escalate into bloody deaths in the show, and this storyline had the potential to spread chaos between Tony’s closest acquaintances. The whole thing spiraled out of control very quickly, with Artie asking Adriana on a date and Chris threatening to gouge the chef’s eye out with a fork.
However, Artie’s infatuation turned out to be just another The Sopranos storyline that went nowhere. It served as the last straw before Artie and his wife Charmaine separated, which in turn, led to another pointless arc. Artie lost the house during the divorce and was in pretty bad shape throughout seasons 5 and 6, but he and Charmaine ended up getting back together. As for Artie and Adriana, the two never had another meaningful interaction ahead of her decision to leave the restaurant.
12
Eugene Pontecorvo’s Tragic Demise Was Overshadowed by Tony Getting Shot
His Wife Deanne Was Keen on Having Tony Killed
The final season of The Sopranos kicked off in explosive fashion. In the premiere episode, Eugene Pontercorvo’s failed attempts to get Tony’s permission to retire to Florida took the shape of a potential conspiracy. Deanne heavily encouraged Eugene to carry out a hit on Tony, and although Eugene wasn’t immediately drawn to the idea, he knew it was a solid alternative to getting out of mob life.
However, his family and he would never feel safe again: the Soprano crime family and the FBI would hunt them down ceaselessly. Sadly, Eugene decided that the only way out was to take his own life. His tragic death was overshadowed by Tony’s fatal shooting at the hands of Junior, and viewers never heard of Deanne again. However, her anger and frustration were palpable in the aftermath of Eugene’s death. In The Sopranos‘ controversial ending, a suspicious guy with a “Members Only” jacket is seen on the counter. A popular theory suggests that this man killed Tony in the show’s final scene. Knowing that Eugene Pontercorvo had the same jacket and that Deanne wanted Tony dead suggests that this Sopranos storyline reached an explosive conclusion, only there’s no way to ever know for sure.
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11
The Spatafores Were Failed by Their So-Called “Family”
Vito Humiliated “the” Family, and Vito’s Family Was Humiliated in Response
When Vito Spatafore was killed by Phil Leotardo for being gay, it left quite a few things in the lurch. Tony was left without his biggest earner and Phil had overstepped his boundaries by handling what was essentially Tony’s business. Perhaps the most overlooked aspect in the aftermath of Vito’s murder was what became of his family. Vito was a husband and father, and though his sexual orientation caused some problems in his marriage, it was very clear that he loved and wanted to support his family. Vito’s death left a void in his family’s lives, both emotionally and financially.
This was best exemplified in the behavior of Vito’s son, Vito Jr. Without his father around, Vito became a rebellious kid, expressing his problems by embracing the Goth subculture. A tough conversation with Phil, the man who murdered his father, did nothing to help. Tony tried to assist the family but ended up gambling away the money he planned to use to help Vito Jr. In the end, he recommended that Vito Jr. be sent to a boot camp to be straightened out. Vito Jr. and his family were last seen in tears as he was dragged away against his will by the camp staff, further breaking apart the already wounded family. That was the last time anyone ever heard from the Spatafores. Vito’s death was just the wound, everything else was salt in it with no further resolution.
10
Barbara Giglione’s Character Development
The Only Sopranos Who Turned Out Fine
A recurring topic in The Sopranos is that once you become part of the mafia, there’s no way out. That goes for the people who aren’t directly involved — siblings, wives, sons, and daughters. Outside of Tony’s mob circle, characters like Carmela, Janice, or Meadow constantly suffered the consequences of their inner circle, but there was one The Sopranos character who managed to turn out fine amid all the mess: Barbara Giglione.
Tony and Janice were the living specters of their respective parents, while Barbara, the youngest child of Johnny and Livia Soprano, married a civilian and led a peaceful suburban life in Brewster, New York. Her appearances in The Sopranos were so infrequent that two actresses played Barbara and few fans noticed it. There’s no substantial explanation as to why Barbara became a “good” Soprano. It’s suggested that she was spared Livia and Johnny’s compulsive behavior for being a neglected child, but the lack of character development around Barbara made her a huge question mark in The Sopranos family tree.
9
Dr. Melfi’s Crisis of Conscience Only Served to Test Her Resolve
Dr. Melfi’s Brutal Sexual Assault Was Never Solved
In one of the show’s most difficult scenes, Dr. Melfi, Tony Soprano’s longtime therapist, was sexually assaulted by an unknown assailant. The man was quickly arrested by the police, but Melfi and her family were enraged to learn that he was released due to a loss in the chain of custody. The trauma and anger of this event stayed with Melfi, and she began to contemplate ways to get revenge.
She knew that Tony Soprano cared for her in his own way. She also knew that if she told him what happened, the man responsible would be dead. More than that, he would suffer every bit as much as she had and more for what he had done to her. Melfi would wrestle with the temptation to tell Tony, almost doing so before stepping back, realizing that if she went through with it, she would be just as guilty as Tony and it would compromise their relationship as doctor and patient. So while Melfi maintained her morals, she ultimately suffered greatly for no other reason than to test her resolve.
8
Barry Haydu Was Falsely Accused of Killing Christopher’s Father
Christopher Died Without Knowing the Truth
Barry Haydu was something of an enigma for Christopher Moltisanti. He was a crooked police detective who worked for the DiMeo/Soprano crime family as a hitman to pay off his ever-increasing gambling debts. It was during his time working for the crime family that a rumor began to go around that Barry was the one who killed Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher’s father.
Christopher learned of this rumor from Tony and broke into Barry’s house. He handcuffed him and proceeded to shoot him, but not before Barry tried to explain that he was not the one that killed Dickie. Christopher never got his answers and chose to believe that Barry was responsible, finding some measure of peace from his death. The Sopranos never did reveal the truth of the matter. It wasn’t until years later in The Many Saints of Newark that it was revealed that Dickie was killed by an unnamed hitman on the orders of Junior Soprano.
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7
The Lamp Bug Could Have Been a Bigger Deal
The FBI Was A Big Failure Throughout the Series
Throughout The Sopranos, the looming threat of the FBI is a constant source of concern for the main characters. This wasn’t a baseless fear either. There were numerous rats within the Soprano crime family over the show’s history and the FBI even went the extra mile to plant a listening device inside a lamp in the basement of Tony Soprano’s house. This would have given them unfettered access to Tony’s personal life and anything he might have said that could compromise him.
At least, this is how it should have gone but for a twist of fate. Meadow arrived home, and after an angry argument with her father, took the lamp back to her college dorm with her. In an act of pettiness, Meadow accidentally ruined the FBI’s attempts to spy on her father, potentially saving him from going to jail. Still, it seemed like such a major plot point to simply be eliminated by one comedic blunder.
6
Janice and Her Final Con
Janice Tried to Take Advantage of Uncle Junior’s Dementia
Now, there are really no truly “good” people on The Sopranos, at least, according to the creators. Janice Soprano, Tony’s older sister, is by far one of the most disliked characters on the show. Throughout her many appearances, Janice has meddled and attempted to con money and security out of the men in her brother’s crime family. Tony was always wise to Janice’s schemes and usually tried to keep her from stealing from his people. The most notable instance of this came towards the end of the show when he had Bobby Baccalieri’s assets put into a trust to go to his children when they were old enough. This was to secure their future and to make sure Janice couldn’t claim the trust for herself as Bobby’s widow, which was undoubtedly her intent.
To compensate, Janice then attempted something even lower: manipulating her Uncle Junior, who was in the later stages of dementia. Junior could barely remember his own past, much less that Janice was his niece. Yet, Janice visited him continuously to try and build enough of a rapport that she might wheedle whatever money he had left. Tony tried to stop this, but realized Junior was too far gone to really care what Janice was doing. The show never elaborated on whether Janice succeeded, or even what became of her after this, leaving it possible that she took advantage of one of her last living relatives while he neared the end of his life.
5
The Final Fate of the Soprano Crime Family
Heavy Casualties Led to the Ruin of the Family
The war between the Soprano crime family and Phil Leotardo when he took over as boss inflicted losses on both sides. However, the Sopranos arguably suffered worse than their New York counterparts. Most of Tony’s inner circle was either killed off, or too seriously injured to continue working for Tony. In fact, the only member of Tony’s core group that survived the war unscathed was Paulie, who was given control of the Aprile crew before the end of the final episode.
All of this, coupled with the mysterious final fate of Tony Soprano, leaves an ambiguous ending for the New Jersey-based crime family. No matter what happened, they were entering a new era. If Tony did die in the finale’s final moments, then the organization was essentially crippled. It would either have had to disband or agree to be folded into New York’s organization in order to keep functioning. Even if it could have kept going independently, it would have been like a shadow of its former self.
4
Does Silvio Ever Come Out of His Coma?
Tony and Silvio’s Last Scene Together Felt Like a Definitive Farewell
Tony’s loyal consigliere managed to come out of the final conflict of The Sopranos alive, but just barely, and not in good condition. The war with the Lupertazzi crime family pushed its members to plan an assassination attempt against Silvio, hoping to weaken Tony’s position by eliminating his right-hand man. While Silvio managed to survive, the injuries he sustained left him in a coma.
According to the doctors, Silvio was unlikely to wake up from his coma. He was last seen being visited by Tony, but what became of him after is unknown. It was another harsh reminder of the cost of Tony’s livelihood, yet it still presented another mystery. In all likelihood, Silvio passed away from his injuries, or his wife might have had him taken off life support when it became apparent he would never wake up. Still, the story remains unresolved to this day.
3
What Happened to Furio Giunta?
He Fled to Italy and Never Returned
Image via HBO
Furio Giunta was originally a member of the Zucca crime family over in Italy. He would later impress Tony Soprano, who requested that he be transferred to the Soprano crime family. Furio quickly proved to be an asset. He was a ruthless enforcer, a brilliant bodyguard, and had no small amount of charm. He was probably one of Tony’s most loyal followers save for one thing: Furio fell in love with Tony’s wife, Carmela.
Furio and Carmela formed an unspoken bond over time, and as he began to notice Tony’s philandering ways he became resentful of his boss. It almost resulted in Furio killing Tony one night, but he managed to talk his way out of the situation. He immediately left for Naples, no longer trusting himself to act rationally around Tony. When Carmela later told Tony about her true feelings towards Furio, her enraged husband requested that the Zucca family put a hit on him. What happened to Furio after this point is unknown, although Furio’s actor envisions that the Zucca family did not honor this request from Tony because Furio was both an asset to them and a cousin to the family’s boss, Annalisa. According to him, he imagined that Annalisa would eventually get arrested and Furio would take over the Zucca, then proceed to cut ties with the Sopranos entirely. Whether this is true or not is up for debate, but it is certainly fun to think about.
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2
The Russian Who Escaped in the Pine Barrens Never Reappeared
And Paulie Was Forced to Purchase a New Cadillac Eldorado
One of the biggest questions left by The Sopranos to this day is this: What became of the Russian? In the episode “Pine Barrens,” Paulie and Christopher go to collect money from a Russian man named Valery. Paulie, believing he was being insulted by the man, deliberately broke his things, leading to a brawl. After this, he and Christopher believed they had killed the man and took him to the Pine Barrens to dispose of his body. To their shock, the Russian is alive and manages to get away from them by sprinting into the woods — but not before Paulie shoots him in the head. Somehow, Valery keeps runnings.
The chase to find Valery sends Paulie and Chris on a wild goose chase where they got lost in the Pine Barrens. They never did find Valery, and Paulie’s car being stolen lent some credit to the idea that he evaded the two, doubled back and stole their car. For better or worse, the Russian’s escape is one of The Sopranos’ best episodes, and this is in no small part due to the mystery that fans are still pouring over to this day.
1
What Was Tony Soprano’s Final Fate?
You Probably Don’t Even Hear It When It Happens
No list of unresolved storylines for this show would be complete without bringing up its biggest mystery: What was the final fate of Tony Soprano? The Sopranos is infamous for its final scene cutting to black suddenly without an explanation of why or what happened. The prevailing theory is that Tony Soprano was killed by an unknown hitman, most likely one of the other customers at the diner he was having dinner at with his family.
The sudden cut to black might be a representation of Tony’s life being ended swiftly, with his perception of the diner gone as his life ebbs away. A dark thought to be sure, but there is no clear confirmation from anyone else if this was the case. It is equally possible the show simply cut off like that because the story was completed. There was nothing more to tell. Tony’s crew had been decimated, one of his surviving men had likely been flipped by the FBI, and Tony himself would either face an indictment or the monumental task of rebuilding if he lived and remained free. Whatever the case, it is a mystery fans still love to debate.
