Who betrayed Tony Sopranos?
The Sopranos has one of the most divisive TV finales of all time, and while it’s confirmed that Tony Soprano dies after the final scene fades to black, a new theory puts this infamous moment in a new light. While Tony’s fate at the end of The Sopranos season 6 has been confirmed, there are still questions about who actually kills him. Given Tony’s place in the mafia and his increasingly hostile business dealings, it’s not all that surprising that someone puts a hit on him. And one theory reveals that Tony was betrayed in The Sopranos season 6, leading to his inevitable demis
Following The Sopranos series finale, it’s been posited that Paulie set Tony up to be killed during the last episode. Paulie Walnuts is one of Tony’s longest and closest friends, and the thought of him killing the show’s lead seems outlandish early on. However, The Sopranos drives home the fact that no relationship is too great to get in the way of business, with the characters turning on loved ones on multiple occasions. And as Paulie and Tony’s relationship evolves, it’s clear that the pair are often at odds with each other — especially during The Sopranos’ later seasons.
While things grow tense between Tony and Paulie toward the middle of the show, Tony is outright questioning his friend’s loyalty during The Sopranos season 6, enough so that he seems prepared to kill him during the episode “Remember When?” While Tony doesn’t actually go through with it, Paulie likely realizes his days are numbered. And if he really does betray Tony at the end, the boss probably had actual cause to kill him, making it an inevitable choice between Paulie’s life and Tony’s. Saving himself is enough reason for Paulie to betray his old friend, but there’s also the possibility that he was lured by new opportunities.
As James Khubiar notes on Medium, Paulie appears to be demoted between The Sopranos seasons 2 and 6. Tony refers to him as the underboss during the second outing, but New York states Bobby Baccalieri is the underboss during the final season. This means the power dynamic shifts at some point during the show, giving Paulie reason to resent Tony. It also could be enough to make him look to New York for a higher position, betraying Tony and staging a coup in exchange for a better role.
