The Sopranos: 15 Greatest Betrayals, Ranked

The iconic series The Sopranos It remains incredibly watchable, and a key reason is the sheer number of trials and rampant backstabbing that make every episode of the mafia drama nail-biting. The groundbreaking HBO series revolved around New Jersey crime boss Tony Soprano as he struggled to find a balance between his home life and the criminal empire he ruled over. Of course, the series was based in the world of organized crime, and as with all mafia movies and TV shows, it featured betrayal after betrayal.

Every character in The Sopranos Was willing and ready to double-cross others, from family members to childhood friends, to the closest of associates. However, betraying someone in this world could easily lead to death – and it often did. Loyalty and trust are the two most essential qualities in the world of The Sopranos. Breaking this oath can have dire consequences. That is where the controversial Sopranos The ending really hammered home the feeling of betrayal, and how, even at the end, Tony always had to keep looking over his shoulder, never knowing where the next betrayal might come from.

15

Jackie Jr. leaves Dino to die

The son of a large Dimeo family boss has none of his father’s loyalty

Many of the worst betrayals in The Sopranos That result in a character’s death are premeditated killings, with the motivations being anything from greed, to revenge, to politically motivated heat to promote the killer’s standing in any of the various mafia families. However, this is not always the case, and sometimes one character is fatally betrayed by another for no real reason. Such was the case when Jackie Jr. betrayed Dino Zerilli and left him to die due to nothing but cowardice.

The moment came The Sopranos Season 3, Episode 12, “Amour Fou”. Jackie Jr. recruits Dino, along with another friend, Carlo, as his crew to rob Eugene’s poker game, a crime that mimics a similar heist pulled off by Jackie Jr.’s father. However, everything goes wrong. Jackie Jr. decides to save his own skin and steals a car. He leaves Dino, a loyal friend, behind, and Dino is shot by Christopher and Albert. Of all the betrayal in the sopranos, This was easily one of the most avoidable.

14

Johnny Soprano is happy to let Livia die during a miscarriage

Few husbands have betrayed their wives so deeply on The Sopranos

The worst betrayal in The Sopranos Aren’t always gangsters killing other gangsters. There are many times when the wives and girlfriends of the various characters are betrayed as well, mostly by their husbands who are unfaithful. However, there are also some incredibly brutal ways that various characters in The Sopranos Have betrayed their spouses who had nothing to do with cheating. Arguably one of the worst of these was the revelation that Tony Soprano’s father, Johnny, once left his wife Livia alone in hospital to have a miscarriage – one that he believed she might actually die from.

This contribution in The Sopranos was much worse than any kind of adultery. Livia had, until this moment, believed that Johnny was not exactly the best husband. However, even by the standards of Tony Soprano’s father, being so cold and callous that he would happily not be there during one of the worst moments in his wife’s life was a low point.

13

Noxy doesn’t tell Paulie the truth about his mother

Maria was happy to let Paulie live a lie

The relationships between many Sopranos Characters and their parents are incredibly complex, though few more so than that of Paulie Gualtieri and his mother, Nuxie. Nuxie had always been incredibly proud of her son, although also quite overbearing, though not so severely that she was taller than when he got out of prison as a child. however, Nucci is also responsible for one of the worst long-term betrayals in the sopranos, Because she’s been pestering him about Paulie’s parents for almost his entire life.

Paulie’s understanding of himself and his heritage was flipped on its head when he learned that Nuxie was not actually his mother, but his aunt. He does not reveal the truth until The Sopranos Season 6, Episode 3, “The Fleshy Part of the Thigh”, when his “Aunt” Dottie reveals on her deathbed that she is actually Paulie’s mom, not Noxy. Paul is completely devastated by learning the truth, although Tony’s advice helps, and he is able to reconcile with Nuxie (who is still, after all, the woman who raised him).

12

Sean and Matt’s unsanctioned hit on Christopher

The couple burned many bridges to attempt to gain Richie’s respect

While Christopher Moltisanti was far from the most morally clean character in the sopranos, And was also behind some of his biggest betrayals, he was the victim of one when upcoming band members Shawn and Matt tried to perform an unsanctioned hit on him to gain Richie’s respect. Sean and Matt’s plan goes completely off course, resulting in Sean’s death and Matt having to go into hiding. Of all the betrayal in the sopranos, This is perhaps the most driven by blind greed and ambition.

If Shawn and Matt would stop to think for a second, they would know that Richie would not appreciate Christopher Moltisanti being killed on his behalf. This becomes all-too-clear when Matthew tells Richie what they’ve been trying to do, to which Richie’s response is to try and kill him. Ultimately, Christopher Moltisanti and the DiMeo family provided Sean and Matt with every opportunity they needed to make it in the world of organized crime, so their betrayal was not just Christopher’s, but the entire DiMeo outfit.

11

The show betrays viewers with the cut-to-black ending

Many felt that the Sopranos finale was the greatest betrayal of all

While there are many who appreciate the sudden end of the sopranos, There are also many more who feel that the show betrayed viewers by deciding to end on such an incredibly ambiguous note. The Sopranos Ended by cutting-to-black more or less mid-scene. It was one of the most divisive endings to a TV show ever, with many still irked by the creative choice decades after the episode originally aired.

This is also why it is one of the most interesting and meta biases in The Sopranos. Some don’t consider it a betrayal at all, while others immediately state that the show owes them some kind of definitive conclusion after investing so heavily in Tony Soprano and the various other characters. There are even those whose feelings about the ending are so strong that they claim it ruined the rest of the show. Although this is a little extreme, it does not change the fact that The number of viewers who felt their loyalty to The Sopranos is betrayed by the ending is notably high.

10

Tony burns down Artie’s restaurant

The fallout of Tony’s arson: a family torn apart

Tony Soprano and Artie Bucco were childhood friends but they both grew up to be two very different people, especially through the Sopranos ending For example, Tony runs the Dimeo crime family, and Arite owns Vesuvio Restaurant. Artie loves this restaurant more than anything in the world. However, in the pilot, Tony burns down Artie’s restaurant to prevent Uncle Junior from committing a crime in Vesuvio. The hit was against another organized crime member and when Artie wouldn’t shut down for a short time to stop it, Tony had to go to the extreme to temporarily shut it down.

What is most interesting about this Sopranos Betrayal is that Tony is doing it to help Artie. He knew that if Junior killed someone at Artie’s restaurant, it would end up shutting down, possibly for good. By burning it down, Artie can collect his insurance and reopen it, with only a brief loss in income. However, Toy couldn’t tell Artie why he did it, so his old friend felt incredibly betrayed when he found out the truth. In season 4, Tony tried to use Artie, and they had a temporary falling out.

9

Carlo Gervasi flips on Tony

The consequences of Carlo’s treason

Tony often fears that a member of his crew will turn on him. As it turns out, some of Tony’s closest allies betrayed him. however, The most consequential may be Carlo Gervasi. Carlo was a capo and top earner for Tony. In the series finale “Made in America,” Tony discovers that Carlo has become an informant and posed the greatest threat to Tony going to prison. Of course, Carlo made the decision to protect his son from going to prison. In the end, Carlo flipping out on Tony is just the beginning of his problems.

This actually played out in the US Sopranos End, where the FBI arrested Carla’s son on drug charges. Tony’s lawyer revealed to him that someone was testifying before the grand jury and indictments were coming, and Tony quickly realized that it was Carlos who threatened to testify against him. After years of betrayals on The SopranosIt was one of his top men who ended up turning on him just to save his own flesh and blood.

8

Tony and Peter Junior

A Family Betrayal: Tony and Uncle Junior’s conflict

Tony and Peter Junior have a complicated relationship. Sometimes they were close and at other times they betrayed each other. In many ways, Junior was a father figure to Tony. However, Junior resented Tony’s rise to power. Junior thought he was the boss but soon discovered that Tony was running things. Therefore, Junior placed a hit on Tony’s life, which was not different. Tony chose not to directly retaliate against Peter Junior, but instead sent his own message. He killed Mikey and Chucky, which destroyed any power Junior had in the family.

Despite the betrayal, Tony allowed Junior to remain the figurehead boss. Junior went to jail and took the heat for the family. Even in Junior’s later years, Tony eventually shuts Junior down completely after Junior shoots him in a state of confusion. This culminated in the Sopranos Ending where Tony went to visit Junior one last time, only to realize that his dementia was too advanced, and that was worse than any revenge Tony could ever take on him.

7

Ray Curto, the secret informant

The Betrayal Within

For Tony Soprano, there is no betrayal worse than working as an informant for the FBI. For the FBI, there is nothing worse than working for Tony. Many characters betrayed Tony, but there was one he never knew. Ray Curto held a high-ranking position in Tony’s organization but was an informant for the Feds for most of the series. Indeed, he shared a lot of information about Tony but suffered a massive heart attack before he could testify. Tony Soprano never found out about Ray’s ultimate betrayal.

6

Jimmy Petrile betrays Johnny Sack

A friend became an enemy

John Sacrimoni, alias Johnny Sack, was the powerful head of the Lupertazzi crime family in New York. He ruled with fear and with an iron fist. John often thought three steps ahead of his enemies. However, it was one betrayal that caused his empire to crumble. Jimmy Petrile and Johnny are close friends. Indeed, Johnny even made Jimmy his consigliere. Despite being close as brothers, Jimmy turned on Johnny by giving evidence of criminal activities from 1981. It helped the FBI prosecute him.

Johnny spent the rest of his years behind bars. Jimmy’s betrayal sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld, Especially since no one knew if he had turned over any evidence to the Dimeo or Lufertazi crime families at the same time. This is also a rare case where no one knows if Jimmy paid for his betrayal The Sopranos Since he disappeared after that, probably in witness protection.

5

Sal Bonpensiero became an FBI informant

A hidden threat to the family

In the world of the sopranos, It can be hard to tell the good from the bad. Sal Bonpensiero took an oath never to betray his crew or boss. Of course, he also promised never to tell his friends. Indeed, Tony, Sal, Silvio Dante, and Pauli “Walnuts” Gualtieri are close friends. Sal’s outlook changed when faced with the threat of 30 years in prison to life, and Sal knew it could mean spending the rest of his life behind bars. He ended up as an informant for the FBI and gathered information to use against Tony.

Even while working as an informant, Sal was trying to protect Tony and his friends, Often breaking many laws himself while he told the FBI only what he felt he could get away with. However, Tony discovered Sal’s hidden secrets and felt incredibly betrayed. Tony could never forgive anyone who worked for the FBI and this resulted in one of the show’s most heartbreaking and shocking moments when Paulie, Silvio Dante, and Tony Soprano killed him, gunning him down on a boat and dumping him. him overboard.

4

Christopher and Adriana

A heartbreaking loss

Christoper Moltisanti and Adriana La Cerva are madly in love with each other. Indeed, they seemed like the only couple to care for each other. Of course, the relationship isn’t always perfect, and they have their fair share of problems. However, Adriana began working for the FBI as an informant. This was because the FBI saw her as a weakness in the family and figured she could replace Sal as their new informant. The FBI threatened her with prison time on drug charges.

That didn’t matter. The secret almost destroyed Adriana until she finally told Chris. He has to choose between loyalty to Tony and loving Adriana. In the end, he decided to betray the love of his life. Unfortunately, this is not only the end of their love, but the end of Adriana’s life. He went to Tony and confessed everything that Adriana had told him. Chris’s betrayal meant the end for Adriana. Tony had Silvio Dante drive her into the country, where he executed her.

3

Tony & Carmella

A marriage betrayal

Throughout the series, Tony was worried that someone in his family or crew would flip on him. Indeed, he was always stressed that someone would break the sacred oath. However, Tony is breaking a promise himself. Tony is often unfaithful to his wife, Carmella, having had several girlfriends throughout the series. Carmela was a respectable woman who sought his attention. Of course, his attention was always somewhere else. They have an epic argument in the season four finale.

Eventually, Carmella left Tony, but they got back together even though Tony never had his heart fully in the marriage. Despite this, Carmella mostly put his indiscretions behind her when Junior shot Tony, nearly killing him, and she cared for and helped him after he recovered from his coma and began to rehabilitate. but soon, Tony was back to cheating again The SopranosBetraying his commitment to his wife again.

2

Tony Beatrice Christopher

The ultimate betrayal

Christopher looked up at Tony Soprano. He always dreamed of joining the Sopranos crew and would do anything for Tony. Indeed, Christopher even betrayed the love of his life, Adriana, for Tony. It was Christopher who sold Adriana into becoming an FBI informant, even though she tried hard not to betray the family in her feelings with the feds. However, Tony did not feel the same way about Christopher. Tony began to worry that Christopher and his addiction would be the end of him. This was what really kept pushing the two apart, as Christopher not only became an addict himself but made bad decisions in bringing drugs into other people’s lives.

Tony then took Christopher’s life after they were involved in a car accident – Chris’s loyalty to Tony means nothing to him. The Sopranos End for Christopher came when he and Tony were in a car accident, And it was obvious that Christopher was impaired. Tony saw that a tree branch impaled the baby seat in the car, where Chris’s daughter would have been sitting if she had been with them. All Christopher could think of was Tony helping him cover up the fact that he was under the influence. Instead, Tony Soprano smothered Christopher, killing his nephew in the ultimate act of betrayal.

1

Livia betrays her son Tony

A mother’s betrayal

There is a long list of people Tony Soprano has no problem betraying. However, there was one person he didn’t expect to betray him; His mother. Tony has a complex relationship with his mother, Livia Soprano. Eventually, Tony places Livia in a retirement community to help make her life better. Of course, Livia didn’t feel that way. For Livia, she felt that it was Tony who betrayed her by locking her away in a retirement community, and she developed a deep hatred of her son. This hatred caused Livia to do the impossible.

Eventually, she is the one who manipulated Uncle Junior into placing a hit on Tony’s life. She is also the one who told Artie Bucco that Tony was the one who burned down his restaurant, causing a rift between the two lifelong friends. Tony was devastated and felt betrayed to learn the truth about his mother and went to kill her. However, she had a pseudo-move and mocked Tony when he was ushered out by doctors. Tony never got revenge. Livia died after a stroke The SopranosShortly after the actor Nancy Marchand died in real life.