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.
10 The Spatafores Were Failed by Their So-Called “Family”
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 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.
9 Dr. Melfi’s Crisis of Conscience Only Served to Test Her Resolve
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
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.
7 The Lamp Bug Could Have Been a Bigger Deal
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
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 hated 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
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 two 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 as a shadow of its former self.
4 Does Silvio Ever Come Out of His Coma?
Tony’s loyal consigliere managed to come out of the final conflict of the series 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?
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.
2 The Russian Who Escaped in the Pine Barrens Never Reappears
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?
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.
