Why Tony Kills Christopher in Season 6

Although it has been years since The Sopranos Season 6 aired in 2006, there are still many questions about why Tony killed Christopher Moltisanti. Tony Soprano was the head of the crime family in the series with his nephew Christopher as one of his soldiers with his own personal issues. in one of The Sopranos‘ latest episodes, “Walk like a man“ The two men seem to be on good terms, despite some unresolved issues. However, the inherent vices of the underworld soon catch up with Christopher, leading to the season 6 episode “Kennedy and Heidi”, When Tony Soprano kills Chris.

Tony killing Chris was one of the most significant deaths in The Sopranos Still, the show didn’t give a clear answer as to why Tony chose to leave his nephew. The background of Tony and Christopher’s relationship is revealed in The Many Saints of NewarkHBO’s Sopranos Prequel movie, adding more context to the moment. Moreover, Christopher tells The Many Saints of Newark like a broken voice from hell. Although The Many Saints of Newark is focused on Dickie Moltisanti and a teenage Tony, Christopher’s season 6 death in Hunts the Dimeo crime family even in the past.

As The Sopranos explains why Tony kills Christopher

Christopher’s death coincided with Tony’s concerns about his son

While Tony murders Chris in The Sopranos came as a shock to viewers when the episode aired in 2006, the show dropped subtle hints leading up to it. Christopher’s death was thematically foreshadowed in “Walk Like a Man” by Tony’s interactions with his son AJ (Robert Eller) and Dr. Melfi. Although they initially seem unrelated, they reveal a lot about Tony Soprano’s worldview and outlook. At the time, which by extension explain why he killed Chris.

Christopher was not killed by Tony as part of a mob hit however Because of what Christopher represented in regard to Tony’s sonAnd where Tony was on his journey as a parent. After a breakup, AJ becomes severely depressed and shows suicidal behavior, at least according to his sister Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler). Tony then tells Dr. Melfi that he is done with therapy and calls the sessions – A shock. He refers to his failures as a parent, and how he passed “rotten” Genes to his son. Meanwhile, Tony anticipates yet another Christopher meltdown after he throws Paulie’s nephew through a window.

Importantly, Tony does not realize that Christopher is no longer sober. These are all factors that build to a fateful car accident involving Tony and Christopher, with the latter admitting that he can’t pass a drug test. Although Tony can never change what he genetically passed on to AJ, he can prevent Christopher from destroying lives Different than their own. Christopher’s life is certainly worth saving, but Tony’s subconscious guilt takes over, and he strangles Christopher until he chokes to death on his own blood.

Tony Soprano saw killing Christopher as compassionate

Tony also made a choice about which family to save

The Sopranos Also put Tony killing Christopher in a clever way through the soundtrack of the show. Although the moment was shocking, Tony’s motivations presciently link to a song that plays before the accident, with Christopher referencing The departed soundtrack and playing Pink Floyd’s “Convenient name.” In Martin Sources’ 2006 film, the track plays as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy Kosigan spirals out of control during an undercover investigation and contemplates suicide.

As Tony and Christopher drive, “Candy and Heidi” Plays, with The lyric “The dream is gone” underlining the central message of the scene and foreshadowing Tony’s subsequent actions when the mob boss kills Chris to save him from a more tragic death. Prophetically, David Chase shows the audience that in the last moments of Christopher Moltisanti, he is not afraid but complete “Conveniently numb.” As Tony and Christopher’s relationship comes to a bittersweet end, there is a faint sense of acceptance—and even relief—from both characters.

Delving further into this scene, it is clear that this is pivotal Sopranos Moment stems from many additional reasons. Considering Tony’s position in the Dimeo crime family, Tony needs to be absolutely convinced that someone like Christopher won’t spiral out of control and reveal information about their organization. Tony trusts his protégé to a certain extent and loves him like a son.

Unfortunately for Christopher, however, he simply went too far this time by driving under the influence with Tony in the passenger seat. After the accident, Tony sees a crushed baby seat and seemingly thinks about his own children, forcing him to take control because he can, and essentially choose one family over the other, by killing Christopher (who, tellingly, is not his direct blood relative).. Tony chooses his own family, the ones he shares his last moments with in the final scene of the show.

Christopher’s The Many Saints of Newark narrative role adds weight to his death

Christopher tells the story of Young Tony Soprano’s strength in their relationship

The Sopranos Backstory is revealed in the prequel movie The Many Saints of NewarkAnd Christopher tells it to further establish the impact of Tony and Christopher’s relationship on the Dimeo crime family. Christopher’s narration begins in the opening sequence showing his tombstone, during which he provides context for the film’s title by explaining that Moltisanti is a religious name that literally means “Many saints.” Notably, Christopher’s voice functions as the narrator to continue the series’ long tradition of using elements of mysticism to punctuate critical points in the lives of the Dimeo crime family members.

After the opening sequence, each scene, Christopher narrates in the Sopranos Prequel involves a key point in young Tony Soprano’s life. This includes Christopher talking about important Dimeo crime family players like Dickie (Alessandro Nivola) and Tony picking up Dickie’s father Dick Moltisanti (Ray Liotta), where Christopher also introduces Tony, – The little fat kid is my uncle, Tony Saffron… He choked me to death. Christopher also narrates the movie’s time jump from the 60s to the 70s, the scene where Tony moves to the suburbs, and, most importantly, Dickie’s funeral.

As Tony looks at the corpse of his uncle and mentor, Dickie’s hand moves to make a promise to his nephew while The Sopranos Theme song fades in – a sign of Tony’s dedication to Dickie and the Dimeo family. With the camera focused on Tony’s face, Christopher tells, “This is the guy, my uncle Tony. The guy I went to hell for.”

Christopher’s supernatural presence in The Many Saints of Newark Reveals how his spirit views his death. Although his last line seems acerbic, there is no bitterness or anger in his voice when he says the line, implying that Christopher understands why Tony killed him.

Christopher Moltisanti got what was coming to him

The shock of Christopher’s death does not excuse his crimes

Christopher Moltisanti’s death, in hindsight, was inevitable and deserved in many ways because of his past actions. In the end, just like how Tony views Dickie, Christopher can’t help but look up to Tony, even as he watches his uncle, mentor and father figure from hell. However, all three got what was coming to them, especially Christopher. throughout The Sopranos, Christopher killed nine people, mainly Emil Kolar (his first kill) and JT Dolan (his last).

However, what really makes Christopher’s final moment so justified is how he, while high on heroin, sat on a dog and killed it. What’s worse is that even this is not enough of a signal for Christopher to stop using. Just as Tony Soprano was haunted by dreams of the murders and injustices he committed, karma eventually caught up to Christopher, and his death was simply reaping what he sowed throughout his life.

What Michael Imperioli said about Christopher’s death

Imperioli also highlighted subtle foreshadowing of Christopher’s death

The Sopranos Actor Michael Imperioli runs a podcast called Steve Schirripa (Bobby Buckley). Talking sopranos And in episode 87, the two discuss the infamous season 6 episode “Candy and Heidi” where Tony kills Christopher. Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi) joins them to talk about Melfi’s arc throughout the series, but the second half of the episode discusses Christopher’s death in the larger context of the show. Imperioli notes that he is often asked about the scene, But found that while filming it simply felt like “Another day at work,” And much of the focus was on the car trick itself.

For Imperioli, the emotional impact of Christopher’s death didn’t hit home until after the episode aired. He called the experience both “emotional” and “funny.” Imperioli cites two cases surrounding Christopher’s death that he saw as bringing the series full circle. First, Christopher, who did not often wear baseball caps, was wearing one in his introductory scene and his death scene.

Second, in The Sopranos Episode “Lucky Son” When Christopher is made, he sees a crow in the window and considers it a bad omen. After his death, the scene is preceded by a crow caving, a subtle sign of the brilliance of The Sopranos.

How Christopher’s death impacted the future of The Sopranos

Tony reacts to Christopher’s death with a mix of guilt and relief

While Tony killing Christopher happened near the end of The SopranosGiven how big of a role Christopher played in the series, it’s not surprising that his death has an impact on the remaining episodes. Most of the discussion around it reflects on Tony and how he reacts in the aftermath of killing his nephew. While Tony behaves appropriately in front of his family and at the funeral, he is also unable to hide the fact that he is relieved to have this problem in his life.

However, there is also a sense that Tony is trying to justify the killing and convince himself that it was a good thing to do. As with many Sopranos In dream sequences, Tony’s subconscious communicates much more about how he really feels. He has a dream in which he admits to Dr. Melfi that he killed Christopher As well as several other victims Tony killed in The Sopranos. It is a sign that there is some guilt in him about what he has done.

Although Christopher did not appear in any of the final episodes after his death, he had a presence in the rest of the series. A photo of Christopher hangs on the wall of the clubhouse in honor of their fallen comrade. Eventually, a cat shows up and spends the entire time staring at Christopher’s picture, creeping Paulie out significantly and hinting at more of the supernatural and superstitious aspects of The Sopranos.