James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano looking serious in The SopranosImage via HBO
By
Andrea Ciriaco
Published 13 minutes ago
Andrea Ciriaco is a long-time script reader and former entertainment editor who specializes in classic movies and Hollywood history. She was a student film critic at Kent State University for three years and worked at Warner Bros Studio in Burbank and The Safran Company for several years. Based on her vast taste and range of knowledge, many consider Andrea to be a walking IMDb who knows dozens of underrated movies and is a vital assesst to any trivia night. While movies are her expertise, Andrea is also a diehard fan of iconic shows including The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, Will & Grace and South Park. Some of her favorite filmmakers are Walt Disney,John Huston, Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Mel Brooks, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Howard Hawks.
Sign in to your Collider account
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
When it comes to iconic TV shows, David Chase's The Sopranos ranks as one of the most influential series that ultimately redefined the traditional television drama with its award-winning performances, exceptional writing, and memorable characters, making it a timeless contribution to small-screen entertainment. James Gandolfini stars in the hit series as the infamous New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, whose struggles to maintain his double life as a family man and a no-nonsense gangster take a toll on his mental health, which ultimately leads him to reluctantly seek professional help.
For the most part, The Sopranos caught viewers by surprise with unexpected twists, shocking storylines, and, of course, its controversial series finale, but there are some moments, such as Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand) orchestrating a hit on her son and the demise of Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), that many fans had predicted from the start. From Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) and Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) losing the Russian in the Pine Barrens to Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore) flipping for the Feds, these are plot twists from The Sopranos that everyone saw coming.
10 The Russian escapes after being presumed dead
"Pine Barrens" – Season 3, Episode 11 (2001)
Paulie and Christopher make Valery walk through woods at gunpoint in Pine Barrens, season 3 of The SopranosImage via HBO
"Pine Barrens" is considered by many fans to be one of the greatest episodes of The Sopranos, and essentially involves Paulie and Christopher, who, while collecting from a Russian associate, Valery (Vitali Baganov), get into a physical altercation with Valery that ends with the mobsters believing they accidentally killed Valery. As they head out to the Pine Barrens to dispose of the body, they're surprised to discover Valery is still alive, and instead of finishing the job right then and there, Paulie makes a dramatic choice that was destined to backfire.
At this point, fans are well aware that whenever Paulie takes things too far or lets his emotions get the better of him, the situation is guaranteed to go south. Some fans might not have foreseen Valery still being alive, but once Paulie made the idiotic choice to make him dig his own grave, it was obvious that this was not going to end well for Paulie and Chrissy. The fate of the Russian has sparked dozens of fan theories, making it one of the show's biggest mysteries, but there's no denying that once fans realized Valery was still alive, he wasn't going out without a fight.
9 Tony attacks Zellman over dating Irina
"Watching Too Much Television" – Season 4, Episode 7 (2002)
Image via HBO
In "Watching Too Much Television," Ronald Zellman (Peter Riegert) makes the mistake of telling Tony that he has been seeing Tony's ex-gumad, Irina (Oksana Lada), for some time and that their relationship has become serious. Initially, Tony doesn't seem to be bothered by the news, but when he stops by Zellman's house and sees Irina there, the reality of the situation finally hits him. Unable to let it go, Tony, after a night of drinking, decides to go over to Zellman's house, where he brutally beats him with his belt in front of Irina.
Tony always had the childish tendency to not care about something or someone until someone else showed interest, which is why this particular plot twist was less than surprising. Despite his initial reaction, fans knew that Tony was not the kind of person who would ever be okay with Irina seeing someone else (even though he encouraged her to find someone else), especially not with someone he personally knew. Once he saw Irina and Zellman together, it was clear as day that Tony wasn't going to be able to move past it and inevitably react as if Zellman had stolen the love of his life from him.
8 Jackie Aprile Jr. gets killed after a failed robbery
"Amour Fou" – Season 3, Episode 12 (2001)
Image via HBO
Jackie Aprile Jr. (Jason Cerbone) was a ticking time bomb who fans knew would eventually make a mistake that Tony couldn't even help him out of. Between his relentless attempts to be a part of this thing and his reckless and impulsive behavior, it's hard to believe that any fan didn't see him digging his own grave in the end. In Season 3, episode 12, "Amour Fou," Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), who is well aware of Jackie's ambition to be a gangster, tells him the story of how his father and Tony earned their buttons after robbing a poker game run by Feech La Manna (Robert Loggia).
As Ralphie expected, Jackie is inspired by the story and comes up with the less-than-bright idea of robbing one of Gene Pontocorvo's (Robert Funaro) games. Fans immediately knew that this robbery was going to end horribly (which it did), and considering Jackie's track record with Tony and Ralphie secretly loathing him, it was obvious that he wasn't going to make it out of this alive. Sadly, Jackie Jr. was a lost cause from the beginning, and while he did make some genuinely stupid choices, everyone around him failed him, especially Tony, who should have never left his fate up to one of the most evil characters in The Sopranos.
7 Feech La Manna is set up to violate parole
"All Happy Families..." – Season 5, Episode 4 (2004)
Robert Loggia in The SopranosImage via HBO
In Season 5, Feech La Manna (Loggia) is one of several guys who are paroled after serving lengthy prison sentences and inevitably shake things up for Tony and New York. Right off the bat, it's apparent that Feech, who is an old-school mobster, still sees Tony as a kid and fails to respect him and his position as boss. At first, Tony is rather lenient towards Feech, but even though he lets a few things slide and gives him the benefit of the doubt, it's obvious that Tony's patience is starting to grow thin.
In "All Happy Families...", Feech orchestrates a massive carjacking at Dr. Ira Fried's (John Pleshette) daughter's wedding without Tony's permission, which everyone knew was the final straw for Tony. Considering Feech was on parole, Tony couldn't exactly make him disappear, and as Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) pointed out, he was well-liked by others who could cause problems for Tony and his crew, so it was a no-brainer that he was going to set him up to violate his parole, which landed him back in prison.
6 Johnny Sack manipulates Paulie Walnuts
"Army of One" – Season 3, Episode 13 (2001)
Tony Sirico walking next to Vincent Curatola in The 'Sopranos.'Image via HBO
As much as fans love him, Paulie Walnuts has his fair share of shortcomings, notably his tendency to take certain business decisions too personally and also his bad habit of running his mouth to whoever will listen. When Tony rules against Paulie in a sit-down in The Sopranos Season 3's "Army of One," New York underboss, Johnny Sacramoni (Vincent Curatola) seizes the opportunity to use Paulie's discontent to his advantage, ultimately playing him like a fiddle.
Johnny Sack is a master manipulator whose ability to conceal his ruthlessness through empathy and consideration makes him an unpredictable opponent, which is why this plot twist was obvious from the get-go. As soon as Paulie started talking to Johnny about his dissatisfaction with Tony, fans knew he would play right into the New York gangster's scheme. As Johnny lends a seemingly sympathetic ear, fans are well aware that Johnny couldn't care less about Paulie's problems and that everything coming out of his mouth was a bald-faced lie. ("He asks about you.")
5 Vito Spatafore is murdered after returning to New Jersey
"Live Free or Die" – Season 6, Episode 6 (2006)
Joseph R. Gannascoli as Vito Spatafore in The SopranosImage via HBO
After Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) is seen at a gay club in "Live Free or Die," he quickly skips town and hides out in a small town in New Hampshire, where he meets and starts dating Jim Witowski (John Costelloe). While most of the guys mocked Vito and his situation, Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) is out for blood, believing that Vito has disgraced their family. Despite his new start and relationship, Vito eventually begins to miss his former life and family, and after previously speaking to his wife, who said Phil wanted to help him, he reluctantly returns home.
Once Vito's hidden sexuality was revealed, his fate was undeniably sealed. No matter how much the show tried to convince viewers that Vito was happy and safe in his new life, everyone knew he would eventually miss his old life and make the fatal mistake of going back to Jersey. Considering Phil's growing disgust with Vito, there was no question in anyone's mind that he would be the one who would whack Vito one way or another. Fans might not have known when Vito would meet his demise, but there's no doubt that his death was inevitable, making it one of the show's most obvious plot twists that every fan knew was coming.
4 Tony Blundetto is executed by Tony Soprano
"Long Term Parking" – Season 5, Episode 12 (2004)
Steve Buscemi as Tony Blundetto with a bag of groceries outside a farmhouse in The Sopranos' All Due RespectImage via HBO
Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto (Buscemi), is among the recently paroled crew in Season 5 who, unlike the others, initially wanted to make an honest living as a massage therapist, which, to no surprise, doesn't last that long. Even though Tony brings his cousin back into the fold of things, Tony B. is still envious of his cousin's wealth and seemingly perfect family, which is essentially what fuels him to accept the job to whack Joey Peeps (Joe Maruzzo) without Tony's knowledge.
Between his growing jealousy and secret resentment towards Tony, fans knew that Tony B. was going to become a serious problem at some point and would eventually have to go. His self-serving actions not only incited a feud between New York but also put Tony and his crew in the line of fire, forcing Tony into a difficult spot that he honestly didn't deserve. Because of the immense guilt Tony had for not being there the night his cousin was arrested, fans knew that he would never hand him over to Phil and that he would be the one to take him out to spare him a drawn-out and torturous death (resulting in a satisfying death on The Sopranos).
3 Livia Soprano conspires with Junior to have Tony killed
"Isabella" – Season 1, Episode 12 (1999)
James Gandolfini bending down to Nancy Marchand's who is lying on a hospital gurney in The Sopranos.Image via HBO
Tony's mother, Livia Soprano (Marchand), was a major source of Tony's stress and was never happy with anything her son did for her. Initially, fans believed that Livia was just a classic complainer who always looked at the glass half-empty, but as Tony started opening up about her to Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), it became clear that she was mentally unstable and potentially dangerous. When Livia decided to tell Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) about Tony, not only meeting with the capos behind his uncle's back, but also seeing a psychiatrist, she knew exactly what the outcome would be.
Fans saw this particular plot twist as soon as AJ (Robert Iller) told Livia about Tony going to therapy, knowing that Livia wouldn't pass up an opportunity to use such damning information to her advantage. When she learned that Tony was still running things behind Junior's back, it was a no-brainer that she would eventually inform Junior, knowing that the information would force his hand. For some, this plot twist may have been hard to wrap their heads around because the thought of a mother wanting her own son dead is unfathomable, but for the most part, the majority of fans knew that Livia was far from a cranky old woman who, as Tony pointed out, would be calling the shots if she had been born later.
2 Adriana is murdered after being revealed as an informant
"Long Term Parking" – Season 5, Episode 12 (2004)
Image via HBO
Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo) is one of the few innocent casualties in The Sopranos who, after agreeing to cooperate with the FBI, ultimately signed her death certificate, making her murder in "Long Term Parking" one of the show's most predictable plot twists. While some have no sympathy for Adriana, it still doesn't diminish the fact that she had always deserved better than Christopher, who failed to realize that she was the only person in his life who genuinely loved and cared about him. It was inevitable that Adriana would eventually have to tell Chrissy that she had flipped, which fans knew would not go over well.
Even when Christopher agreed to leave with Adriana to start a new life in Witness Protection, there was no way that Chrissy would ever give up this thing for an average life as a nobody. Why Adriana didn't immediately ask for a lawyer when the Feds first arrested her is a question every fan struggles to understand, but considering her lack of experience and childish naivety about how the world works, it kind of makes sense that she thought if she gave the Feds what they wanted, then things would eventually turn out okay in the end.
1 Big Pussy is executed for being an FBI informant
"Nobody Knows Anything" – Season 1, Episode 11 (1999)
Vincent Pastore standing in a doorway in The SopranosImage via HBO
In "Nobody Knows Anything," Vin Makazian (John Heard) tells Tony that his best friend, Salvatore 'Big Pussy' Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore), is an informant for the FBI. At first, Tony refuses to believe it and desperately tries to disprove Makazian's accusation, but when Makazian unexpectedly takes his own life, Tony thinks he will never know for certain if Big Pussy was a rat or not. When Jimmy Altieri (Joseph Badalucco Jr.), who had been arrested several hours ago, shows up at Tony's house asking a bunch of suspicious questions, Tony thinks that Jimmy is the real rat and that Makazian must have confused him with Big Pussy.
While Jimmy was a rat, that didn't mean that he was the only one, especially when so many guys had been flipping to avoid extensive prison sentences. The first solid indication that Big Pussy had flipped was when Melfi told Tony that some chronic pain can be caused by stressful secrets or heavy burdens. Of course, his unusual behavior and his sudden disappearance at the end of the season didn't help his case and ultimately led many fans to believe that Makazian didn't make a mistake. At the beginning of Season 2, their suspicions are confirmed as it's revealed that Big Pussy had flipped several years ago in an effort to avoid serving a lengthy prison sentence for selling heroin. Once Big Pussy's betrayal was confirmed, everyone knew what awaited him and that it was only a matter of time.
Like
Follow
Followed
The Sopranos
TV-MA
Crime
Drama
Release Date
1999 - 2007
Network
HBO
Showrunner
David Chase
Directors
Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García
Cast
See All-
James Gandolfini
Tony Soprano
-
Edie Falco
Carmela Soprano
Expand
Collapse
-
The Sopranos
-
James Gandolfini
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
Oct 25, 2025
10 Great Novels To Read if You Love ‘The Sopranos’
2 hours ago
The Best Crime Movie From Every Year of the Past Decade (#5 Is an Underrated Gem)
3 hours ago
Matt Damon Delivered His Most Sinister Performance Yet in This 85% RT Thriller Heading to New Streaming Home
5 hours ago
The Worst-Reviewed Series of Ryan Murphy's Career Is Also a #1 Hit on Streaming
More from our brands
The End of The Sopranos, Explained
37 Shows on Netflix That Couples Can Binge-Watch Together
50 Best New Movies on Streaming to Watch Right Now
The 25 Best Shows on Crave to Watch Right Now
Sons of Anarchy's 15 Saddest Deaths, Ranked
The 30 Most Tragic Deaths In The Breaking Bad Universe, Ranked
25 Greatest Gangster TV Series Every Fan Should Watch After The Sopranos, Ranked
What To Watch
July 20, 2025
The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
Trending Now
Stephen King’s Most Unsettling Sci-Fi Fantasy Series Will Be Much Easier To Watch This December
Sydney Sweeney’s Underrated True Crime Thriller Finally Has a Shot at Redemption on New Streamer
15 Years Later, Jason Statham's Star-Studded Action Movie Is a Streaming Sensation
