Was Christopher A Rat? | The Sopranos Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2021
- Now, the issue as to why Tony Soprano killed Christopher and phycology and analysis behind this is something I’ve already discussed in a video called “Why did Tony kill Christopher?” It might be worth checking out that video before you continue with this one, as I discuss in great detail Tony’s line of reasoning for killing Chris and his mindset behind the decision, and for the sake of people who have already watched that video I want to avoid going over the same points.
This video is basically an extension of that one, but of course that video is already very long, so here I wanted to discuss a further possibility with regards to Christopher’s death, a Sopranos theory which is a lot more obscure than many I’ve discussed on the channel but one that is worth talking about, and that is - did Christopher become a rat, and was he wearing a wire when he was with Tony in the car?
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*The Downfall of Christopher Moltisanti | The Sopranos Explained:*
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I like your videos and analysis but you're wrong on this one. Chrissie is a stand up guy.
I hate to correct you but that song was originally used in the 1980's cult classic The Wall. Then it was in The Wall live in Berlin where Van Morrison performed it on the condition that he would be behind the wall they built on stage due to being a shut in. Also you could say that the song was more reflective of Tony. Tony has become so numb that he doesn't hesitate to kill his nephew or anyone else at this point as long as he can protect his own ass.
Maybe the FED'S really did find out that he killed JT that night. He was drunk & very sloppy so he was not covering up his actions. Just saying that could get him to flip. Life in jail or a plea deal with a very short sentence or immunity cause he was so high up? If he was forced to flip he could of just been giving them disinformation & mind fucking those donkeys? Who knows, phenomenal show regardless!!
wtf !? NO! He wasnt a rat.! f you have to ask why Tony killed him then i think you need to rewatch the show i mean its a really dumb question.
Chris was no ratt. He gave up Adriana . Ashpet
Tony “ A rat must’ve died in the wall” . Chris died playing Comfortably Numb which is from The Wall
Yeah but it was a different version from The Departed soundtrack I guess it doesn't really matter
this is such a brilliant point i never would have thought of
oh damn!
In the film adaptation of The Wall one of the visions Pink sees is a memory of him trying to care for a sickly rat, and only in hindsight realizing that the rat probably made him sick as a child. These memories play during Comfortably Numb as his character is having a drug induced fever dream. In the end!of the song he finds his little rat dead, so he tosses it in the river to float away…
@@dillonwalshpvd it's not a brilliant point it is a complete reach. If you go on the Talking Sopranos podcast they let people know that theories like this are stupid. David Chase himself has debunked so many of them.
I don’t think he ratted. He wears the cap in his final appearance because that’s how we first saw him in the pilot as Tony’s driver. Now he’s been bumped down in respect to that same level. Chris never had an arc..
Good catch. Never put it together.
He was in the same spot after all those years. H addict driving Tony
You know who had an arc? Noah.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 ARK. Ark ya mook. /Silvio
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 He had one, in those old Tarzan movies.
@Unism he did when they went to Italy and he wasn’t allowed to go to the dinner
"One of Tony's darkest and most sickening moments.."
That it was, but I was way more sickened by how apathetic he was about it afterwards. That was when I lost all hope for Tony Soprano.
He wasn’t apathetic so much as straight up joyous. He even went and banged his girlfriend and clearly wanted to do the same with his widow.
I watched this episode live and I couldn’t even finish my dinner after he killed Chris lol I was so shocked and disgusted
The only reason Tony did it was because Chris told him he'll never pass a drug test. After all Chris's shenanigans he just admitted that he's back on drugs?? Tony understandably must've been extremely relieved afterwards.. he gets a pass for that
@@Damidas you better go see Carmelas therapist if you wanna give Tony a pass. I don’t mourn Christopher but still recognize Tony’s sociopathy. Are you just conveniently forgetting how much Tony made fun of Chris’ sobriety and tried to get him to drink? Also all the other ways he treated him
@@baptizednblood6813 that old jew 🤣
tony warned chris if he started using again he’s kill him plain and simple. People keep trying to justify or make theories to why he killed chris. The whole baby seat is what tony tells himself and others so he doesn’t feel guilt but it comes down to tony looking down on chris for being a junkie.
I have to agree. I truly thought that's all it really was. Tony knew in this world of theirs, it had to be done and he needed to rationalize it to himself as it was family.
Wait that actually happened I saw that movie I thought it was bullshit
@@43hat ?????? Bro what are you doing here? LMFAO. This is for fans of the show. Why would you even watch the movie without watching the years of the show first?
@@nataliaalfonso2662 it’s a quote from the sopranos lmao it’s when Chris is talking to Paulie in the episode Pine barrens before seeing the Russian
@@43hat 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 with the interior decorator who killed 16 Czechoslovakians. Got it.
Tony deals with people in a purely transactional way. Christopher had outlived his usefulness.
basically. And remember the scene where he is talking to Dr. Melfi about the accident and he says wanna know the truth? I'm fucking relieved. We come to find out he is dreaming but this goes to show Tony's mindset and how he viewed Chris as a liability especially more when he finds he is using drugs by saying he can't pass a drug test.
Steady Roosevelt, exactly. Chris was a reflection of Tony’s own weaknesses and Tony hated that reminder.
I don't know. If Chris didn't have a drug problem and if Chris would have been effective as Tony's #2 guy I doubt Tony ever kills christopher. You can argue that would make Chris useful again to Tony... therefore keeping him alive. But Tony did truely love Chris. Tony character like anybody else is complicated and people have a habit of oversimplying his character. Tony definitely loved Chris the show made that apperent. If Chris didn't become such a big threat to Tony where he could go to prison for life over I doubt Tony kills him. Alot of mobster characters would have killed chris out of fear of him flipping over drugs and putting them away for life. Earlier in the series when Chris first gets caught using drugs uncle junior said chris should be whacked. Saying in his day that was a no brainer. Tony even agrees and said if it was anybody else then chris they would be dead. Tony loved Chris or else he would have killed him back then. Tony didn't want to kill chris. Seeing Chris high again showing chris would never really get over drugs pushed Tony over the edge. If Chris didn't crash the car because he was high... Tony would have never killed him. Tony didn't plan anything. He just took the opportunity to get away with it. If anything Chris's car accident over driving while high is exactly the kind of mistake that would get Chris arrested and ready to flip on Tony. Other mobsters would have killed Chris many seasons earlier. If Paulie was boss he would have whacked Chris in a heart beat if he feared chris would flip over drugs and put him away for life despite there friendship. Compared to the other mobsters Tony gave Chris way more chances than anybody else would have as boss
I never liked what they did with Christopher because I felt he could of lead a spin off series, where he does take over. No disrespect to Gandolfini but I always felt Tony Saprano should of been killed off and Christopher is the one who has the sit down and ends the war in the final season which would lead into his show. And he could even take AJ under his wing much like his father did for Tony.
Baroque Guitarist, I know what you mean. I don’t simplify Tony at all. Yes, Tony loved Christopher, but love from a man like Tony can only stretch so far. Think about Tony being tempted to end Paulie on the boat. He didn’t follow the code at all with Ralphie or Christopher. Tony, at the end of the day, was totally self-serving. He talked about the code when it served him. I don’t think he killed Christopher just because of his drug use. I think it goes deeper than that.
With that beak, if he flipped he'd fly off into the clouds like Mary Poppins.
That's not a beak it's a bill
@@mathewbates4652 maybe on the way home we can stop by beakskill
@@Paul-cl3sy if beaks could kill that one will?
@@mathewbates4652 I could have you ichabod crane... buy I did-ent!
Hey Jimmy, ya hear what I told him? I said if he flipped he'd fly off into the clouds like Mary Poppins....
Show ended years ago and we still analyze it. Proves the greatness.
Just a rehashing of previous discussions.
Totally agree!! Greatness!😊
A lot of things led Tony to kill Christopher. The real estate agent, the drug use, and Chris’s movie business.
And that little dog CORSETTE!
I think you're right about the hat as a coded symbol of Chris' permanent immaturity. It also bookends his first and last episode in a circular way, which is neat.
Where's Chris'arc?
@@Dickiemiller179His arc is a circle.
@@robertbusek30 haha
Arc? wtf does welding have to do with this?!
He he, ya hear what I said Ton’?
@@googlesucks8978 I saw that instructional video. I thought it was bullsh*t.
I thought of something else: In the many saints of Newark Christopher says as the narrator "This is the man I WENT to hell for". When Christopher got shot he saw hell too. When he gets made Tony says "As this card burns may your soul burn in hell if you betray this family" Not the most convincing but it certainly adds to it.
I like this theory. Especially the cat staring at Cristafah because he's a rat.
Or perhaps because cats know who in the room will die soonest.
Kinda stupid symbolism though...
Interesting the last time we see Paulie, the cat is staring at him. I don't think the cat stares at rats, but at dead men.
Paulie's next on the chopping block.
@@nikolaimyhre1187how
The cat could be reincarnated Adriana, starring at Christopher
It's an interesting theory, however a lot would have had to happen between him giving up Adriana and his death for him to be turned. I think they do a great job giving us the impression he can be turned at any point given the right circumstances. It's actually a more powerful EXPOSITION device for Tony's character (i.e. Chris not being an informant), since his loyalty has been proved when he ratted out Adriana. So, it's not his loyalty to Tony that Tony's worried about; it's the RISK of Christopher becoming an informant altogether that leads to Chrissy's death, which itself may have been a very SMALL risk indeed given his character's loyalty.
Why take a risk. At least that's how I feel about it.
Christopher was a high risk because of his addiction...to someone like Tony, Chris gotta go!
remember pussys christmas flashback -both sil and tony said they get you back on the street so you cant think -
@@geessaess1707Remo Gaggi 😂😂😂
Cool theory. I think it was rooted in his resentment towards Chris getting a lot of passes and still doing drugs. Adriana being a rat would have been a death sentence for Chris too and Tony didn’t do it. Tony never shows an ounce of sadness about killing Chris which is opposite to the decision and actions around killing Pussy.
The tragedy is Chris knew he would die being connected to Tony but I don’t think he ever thought Tony would kill him and while this theory is dope, I think we’re supposed know that Chris is a lot of things but a rat isn’t one of them and Tony knows it as well so this speaks to Tony’s cruelty.
Tony felt bad about killing Pussy because what Pussy did left him no choice but to have him killed even though Tony probably suspected that he was not providing useful information to the FBI. In other words, Pussy was not a major liability but had to be killed nonetheless. On the other hand, there was no rule that Christopher broke that required Tony have him killed but at the same time, he was a huge liability to the family. Worst of all, because he was considered "blood" family as well, his mere presence would always introduce conflict or the perception of favoritism. Where Pussy was a very manageable member of the family outside of his transgression, Chris was at all times extremely high maintenance. A burden that Tony carried so much that even when Chris tried to straighten out his personal life, it managed to cause a conflict. He was always rubbing Tony the wrong way. No matter what he did, there was always something that left an unpleasant aftertaste. This kind of dynamic exists in the real world and Chase did an excellent job of putting it onto the screen.
He inherited it from his mother
sometimes through the show he brings up selling his life story
tony may have suspected Chris might flip once he found out he was on drugs then after the misunderstanding with Adriana but I never thought he was gonna rat on tony I think he would've tried to kill tony before becoming an informant I just feel like that would've been consistent with his character
Exactly. Chris was emotional and violent at the same time he would've killed Tony himself before ratting and going into protection.
I think the episode "Walk Like a Man" quite strongly sets the stage for Chris to flip. By the end of that episode he has (almost) nothing left. He and Tony completely despise each other, he's no longer heir apparent, he's lost all respect for and respect from the other mobsters, the love of his life is dead, he doesn't love his wife because he can't be honest with her, he can't kick his addiction because he's constantly undermined by the others, everything he does achieve (settling down, becoming made and later capo, making a movie) don't affect his outlook and even prove disappointing. The only meaningful thing Chris has left is his daughter, who of course would follow him into witness protection. The only thing stopping him from flipping before with Ade was his fear of a mundane life, so it's very interesting he talks about living large near Hollywood if he decided to flip, almost rationalising to himself that the Feds will be extra generous if he's cooperative enough (something that's happened before on the show...)
Also worth noting is that while it's true Chris also wore a hat in the Pilot (and the 1995 flashback if I recall) the symbolism can apply to both, it doesn't have to be one or the other. And if we're talking bookends, during the Pilot Chris mentions to Tony after killing Email that he could sell his story to a D-Girl in Hollywood and make millions, but he chose to stick with Tony instead, to which Tony angrily grabs him by the neck and says "I'll fucking kill you, what are you gonna do, go Henry Hill on me now?" which is very interesting.
To me it's clear as day due to all the points you've laid out
Emil.
@@ncapone87Ever have our sausages?
The hat is reference to Chris in the very first episode where he tells Tony he could sell his life story. It was intended from the start Chris wanted a way out. I think he finally flipped in the end.
Chris decided to wear the hat because he wore one in the first episode, as if he knew he was on a TV show.
Tony considered Chris a problem for a long time, his resentment of him was building and the crash gave him the perfect opportunity to kill with no questions asked.
''no questions asked" is a statement that opens new theories. One theory could be Tony saw an opportunity to kill, get away with it and just acted on murderous impulse without any regard as to whether Chris deserved it or not. Just kill and justify it later.
@@ndogg20 No, Tony never just killed people for the hell of it, and there's no reason to think this was just a random act of violence.
Kind of like on the boat with Paulie where Tony was pissed off at himself for not being able to kill him: This was a much easier opportunity for him to dispose of a problem that he was not going to pass up.
@@cartoonsandcereal3413, Oh it was random; it surely wasn't planned. But the theory of if it was murderous impulse is still just that, a theory. But as the other commentator here said, Tony was pissed at letting moment pass when he could kill and get away with it with Pauly.
This time with Chris he used that moment. So the question is did Tony murder on impulse and make excuses to himself later still stands.
As I remember Chris was becoming less involved in the mafia position Tony wanted Chris handling. Chris was a liability to Tony and Tony was even given an excuse to do it for the right reasons.
I started this video going "no way did he flip", but by the end I was thinking "hmmm maybe, just maybe". Great work.
During my last time watching the series through, the JT Dolan murder scene and the car crash scene might have convinced me Chrissy flipped. Like you said, he mentions Sammy Gravano by name and was actively thinking of calling the cops about Adriana and Ralphie. Plus Paulie got him to start drinking again, and then the entire crew laughed him out of the bar. And then he murders JT, pretty much his last friend. He had no one left at that point except his wife and daughter. All signs point to him flipping so they can go into witness protection.
I know it's also a call back to the pilot, but him wearing the Clever hat to the meeting with Phil is really strange. The illegal dumping of asbestos does seem like something the FBI would be interested in getting on tape. You could say he liked the hat cause it was his movie, but he had never worn it before. He barely ever wears hats at all. And obviously we know from Jack Massarone that's how the FBI seems to be wiring people up now. Also the cap never completely falls off his head so Tony and the audience wouldn't see the wire.
On the ride back to Jersey, he strangely convinces Tony to give in to Phil's demands. Chris hates Phil cause he knows he tried to kill him, so why would he placate him? His "stop and smell the roses" reasoning is complete bullshit: he murdered JT for literally no reason and threw Little Paulie out a window just an episode before. He didn't give a shit about potentially saving Tony or anyone else's life by letting this situation go. I think he was trying to show on tape that he wasn't advocating a violent retaliation. That's also why he was worried about the drug test. His deal with the FBI probably wouldn't let him do drugs or commit violent crimes. Why would he care so much about his license to the point that he would refuse to go to a hospital when he was gravely injured?
Then there's all the weird "rat in the wall" stuff, and the fact they constantly teased the idea of him flipping. Idk, I think the clues point to him flipping. Kinda sad actually.
Ironic. His father was stabbed in the back by his own and his son died the same way. If he ratted it make it worse because Dickie didn't
There were a lot of informants on The Sopranos,that were never outed. Christopher could easily have been one.
Yeah but never raymond. Stand up guys like that are a dying breed.
That last part “must be a dead rat behind the wall” or whatever, that could be saying not saying that Chrissy was a rat but they never knew and would never know hence the wall. They say Dave chase was really particular about word choices and the scrips never really changed from episode to episode.
I have to say you bring up some interesting points for this theory, it's enough to have a credible debate! Definitely well thought out on your part!!
This is why I love this show, this is not impossible and you always find more when you rewatch or delve into things.
What are you? Danny delvito now?
Not bad. A reach, but not bad. You're a master overthinker. If this is true and can be verified by a writer or producer, this would be mind-blowing. I always thought Christopher getting off scot-free with the Dolan murder were one of those plot points in the show that we forgive because we love it so much, but you do got me thinking.
Definitely a reach. Tony would have been searching every inch of that SUV for a wire after killing Chris had he had any inkling he may have been wearing a wire. Instead, what is it that prompts him to kill Christopher? Seeing the infant car seat with a tree branch stuck through it with Chris admitting to being under the influence and asking Tony to save his ass from a minor under the influence charge (where the crash could have very easily taken Tonys iife).
Tony was a piece of trash he had zero empathy for anyone.
Come on man, huge reach! Clickbait bullshit
Indeed very observant, the sacred and the propane.
i don't know. I find it plausible. One of the main themes of the show is corruption, and the FBI sure as hell isn't spared from that theme. They go from trying to get tony via a wire and turning a hardened mobster (big pussy) to turning the most innocent person of the whole crew (adriana) directly causing their death. Who says that they are getting so frustrated with not catching this guy that they further compromise their ethics and let someone get away with a murder rap just to win.
The main thing against this theory is that much of the rest of the sopranos is completely out in the open. As a viewer, we almost have omniscient view of everything. Its like the Shield - another very decent show btw with a god-like point of view. But even the shield has a couple of plots where we ARE only given limited information about the 'other side' targeting vic and his crew.
I find these theories as intriguing as the actual show. Great stuff.
Frankly, I find them to be mental masturbation and if they were to be "true", would be a detriment to the legacy of the show. I dont buy into the school of thought that you can take a piece of work where writers and actors threw their souls into creating a story where the viewer is lead to certain conclusions only to have someone say that this effort had no meaning and the show was really an episode of My Little Pony on hallucinogenics. If you want to go through this exercise, you can find theories to support an endless number of interpretations of the show that directly conflict with what is generally understood to have been the storyline of the show. As a character on the show once said: "either this thing has meaning or it doesnt".
There is a very simple explanation for Christopher wearing a hat (another quote from the show: "what? People sit in chairs). The project which he has put a great deal of effort into over many years has just been completed and the hat is both a way to acknowledge this accomplishment and to promote the success of it. It also symbolizes to both characters the drift in the relationship between the two as well as symbolizing to Tony that Christopher is resentful of him and sees him as an ogre and not a father figure.
Now where this theory really becomes even weaker is the inclusion of the branch going through the baby car seat which has no meaning in a scenario where Christopher is suspected of being an informant by Tony. And again, if Christopher were suspected of being an informant, would Tony not have spent the > ten minutes it would have taken EMT to get to the scene searching every inch of the SUV to confirm his suspicions? Would we not have some allusion to these suspicions during the remainder of the episode or in future episodes?
Amazing. These and GoT ones are dope
@@dondajulah4168 my favourite example of this is when Brian Cranston did a Malcom in the Middle/Breaking Bad comedy sketch and people took it serious and bought into Breaking Bad just being a dream.
@Tenebrae But you have no evidence for that at all. Anyone can come up with whatever outlandish theory they desire. This does not mean that it was the intention of the creator for viewers to speculate it as a legitimate motivation. More like YT channel creator gotta get clicks to pay the bills and 15 years after the show ends, you really have to go beyond the bottom of the barrel to get the views and the ad revenue. That is a much more plausible motivation than what is speculated upon in the video.
Christopher had a drug problem, and Tony was afraid that someday soon Chris would flip .
Tony knows that junkies can't be trusted and so Tony ran into the perfect situation to kill Chris with that car accident .
A narcissistic sociopath like Tony can be trusted?
@@E.C.2
Tony soprano wasn't the one with a drug problem .Chris was .
So yea , Tony can be trusted .
It was mostly because of the babycarseat in the back that made Tony kill him.
@@freebee8221 Tony didn't care about anyone.
@@JohnJohnson67851 well that IS a pretty good reason. Chris was a junkie who probably wouldve ended up killing that child sooner or later anyways. So yeah. And not to mention that Chris was a mass murderer too. (Just like Tony and all the other guys too, not that that botherd tony)
I always had a feeling when he was acting squarely in the car. But the cat staring at his picture sealed the deal. He was a Rat.
Yeah true.
That’s the beauty of this show, there are so many situations and theories that were never fleshed out. That’s why another Sopranos movie should be on the horizon.
No not after "Harold punks the White Boys of Newark."
@@E.C.2 lmao
@@SophieLizinsky David Chase is a screwed up Man.
I took a second look at the Sopranos after that movie and can't believe I used to like that show.
@@E.C.2 They're just following the modern agenda. Sopranos series were shot in a somewhat adequate times.
@@SophieLizinsky Good point but still the movie was demoralizing and sickening.
The Sopranos looking back was overboard on blasphemy.
Because there is no background material to work off of (IE: novels, short stories, movies) and there aren't any new episodes being made then it falls in to the category of: it was a TV show and if we didn't see (or hear mention of) something in an episode then it didn't happen.
Its like the end of the series and the question everybody had: did Tony die in that diner?
Tony being killed is the most logical and probable outcome for his character and the ending matches what Tony said earlier in the season about it just going black and so Tony died at the end... but because we didn't see it happen it left the door open so that if a studio came long and threw buckets of cash at them to make a "The Sopranos: The Movie" they could fall back on the "you didn't see it, so it didn't happen" safety net.
There’s also his suspicions about Tony and Adriana. He chose to believe them at the end of “Irregular Around the Margins”, but the Christopher put in his film that the girlfriend cheated with the character based on Tony, to me at least, suggests he always wondered deep down what did happen. Probably the more he felt resentful towards Tony the more he would think about it and wonder if it was true. And then the more he would want revenge or use it to justify being a rat
No fucking way Christopher could flip he was gangster to the bone. Chris was on smack all the time and didn't flip, Tony would flip before Chris.
Agreed
He was my favorite character on the show
Exactly if anything Chris would have had Tony killed since that's his actual fantasy that we see in " Cleaver ". Flipping on Tony wouldn't be the type of revenge Chris wanted.
honestly his downfall was making the movie. then carmella saying that is how he secretly feels about tony. after that scene is really when tony started to look at him differently
Very good video. I always thought it was weird that Chris wore a hat in this scene at night, but I never made this connection which seems so obvious now. Great video.
Interesting theory. He did seem to be more distant and less interested in the mob at the end. It was also strange the way he was acting before the accident. He might have gotten back into drugs to dumb the pain of wearing a wire and working with the Feds.
I never thought about this theory of Chris being an informant until now. I did always wonder why nothing happened of the JT Nolan murder and I also thought it was weird that he was wearing that hat but I didn’t connected to the one that Masarone wore. I think there is something to this theory.
It's an interesting theory because on the one hand it seemed like everyone became a rat: Eugene, Ray, Jimmy, Pussy, et al. On the other hand, I think the writers made him wear a hat because it reinforced Tony's decision to kill him. Christopher admitted that he'd never pass a drug test after they crashed and that was the biggest factor for Tony wanting to kill him because he knew that Christopher's drug problem would increase the odds that the feds would be able to flip him at some point in the future. And the hat? It was a sub-conscious reminder to Tony of Jack Massarone who became a rat and wore a hat.
Carlo flipped too
The last thing Chris would have been worried about if he were cooperating with the Feds would be having a DWI charge. Seriously, we are to believe Chris admits to Tony something that is a hanging offense where Tony would be none the wiser if he keeps his mouth shut and let’s things play out?
@Michael Jurek I agree with that analysis(and that both instances they were in a car driving together and Christopher fucked up in both cases). Demonstrated to Tony that Christopher was still child like and not to be trusted to complete simple tasks. As well as that, the fact that it was a Cleaver reinforces the lack of commitment to Tony as well as the undercurrent of resentment as a result of Tony discovering the inspiration for the boss character in the movie.
One more thing that is not discussed in the show is that there is some possibility that Tony would have found out that JT was killed (a good boss keeps his ear to the ground) and that Christopher was a very likely suspect. If Christopher were picked up to face a murder charge, he might start singing like a canary as he had mentioned he could do before he shot JT.
@@dondajulah4168 Hey, I'll have you know I've commented in Denmark!
Don’t forget the destroyed car seat, right when he said I’ll never pass drug test and Tony saw the child seat he closed his phone right then
I was doubtful upon reading the title, but you made a compelling case.
It's not often someone comes up with something new and interesting in Sopranos analysis, so well done.
An interesting theory, but I'm not sure I buy it. I never considered the hat though... It's strange, when I first saw this episode I did think it was weird that Chris was wearing a ball cap, but never even considered the Masserone factor. Good work, good video.
well its a cleaver hat so it makes sense to the viewer that chrissy is living in that "cleaver high horse" flaunting it ,but w/the jack masarone angle its kinda got me thinking
This is a very valid theory…👍🏻
The Sopranos is the gift that keeps on giving
Chris wouldn’t get ‘busted on drug charges like Pussy’ bc Chrissy was never selling only buying/ using for personal use. Bad point
Adriana was busted for possession with intent to sell
That charge is based on the amount of drugs they can prove you had
But he did extorted a black drug dealer on season 1
@@mauirandall8176 also based on Adrianna being intimidated and unaware of possible defenses to those charges. The kicker though is that Chris would never admit to Tony that he was using if he was already cooperating with the FBI. It makes absolutely ZERO sense for Chris to do this with FBI protection.
Dude I wasn’t sure where you were gonna go with this, but with how Terry Winter and David Chase write these were some pretty amazing points!!
You getting emotional over the Michael Francese review cracked me up.
Yeah lol, i don't think this was necessary, I mean it is his option and he ought to respect it.
@@calangoraivoso9921 my opinion was that it was funny as heIl to see him make an emotional response to a negative review.
@@LoafRock yeah xD when someone critizes the more woke side of things, someone always get emotional
Did he really get worked up or justed pissed over Michaels review🤣
I like the idea that this development with Christopher could be a real possibility left purposely unexplored by the show since in the long run it would be irrelevant to the fate of Tony Soprano and although it would be a major situation for Christopher it is simply glossed over and disregarded just as Christopher himself ultimately is. It seems to add insult to injury.
Interesting, I like the hat stuff. But I always took it as Christopher just being high again and Tony was noticing. He’s constantly zoning out, turning up the volume really loud, and the way he’s very passive all point to him being super high. Tony is kind of disgusted with him, and sees the chance to get rid of another liability.
Except doing coke makes your ears extremely sensitive and every noise is amplified times 10. Blaring the radio was a passive aggressive way to cut tony off. "Although guys like phil arent on that level. Take those roses and stick em up yer aa thorns first".
@@mikimiyazaki but I’m pretty sure he was on heroin. Wayyyyy diff vibe.
@@matthewJay88 bro he didnt fail for heroin. He failed for coke only. Thats why when they did a blood test "they found cocaine in his blood". Heroin definitely shows up in blood tests done to check for substances lol. Obviously any drug is going to be detected.
So no he wasnt doing dope. He did coke. Not weed, not heroin, not dust, not anything else whatsoever. Only coke.
@@matthewJay88 and trust me if he fell off the wagon with heroin, he wouldn't take 5-7 day breaks for it to be out of his system lol. Hes a heroin addict so if he used once hed be off and running again. Hes either on dope or not, but not dabbling hes well past that stage of being able to dabble. Also they spelled it out via the drug test period. Cocaine.
Well Chris did not clean up when killed J.T. He be number one suspect. He could of flip
If he was arrested on a murder charge he wouldn’t have been released. Even if he did decide to flip He would have been kept locked up until a trial and then be placed in witness protection. There was also no need for him to wear a wire. He had first hand knowledge about a lot deaths and clean ups of them that even involved Tony. That testimony alone would put Tony away forever under the RICO statues. Most people who flip do not need to wear a wire. For example: Sammy Gravano
Wow. This was actually pretty compelling... a lot of food for thought here.
It's amazing that this television show is still steadily giving up little secrets after so many years...
With the rat in the wall and the car flipping all makes sense . Idk what u call that but that was good 🔥👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I agree with the theory, maybe not that he was a rat, but that he was definitely well on his way to becoming one. There are some very important details I feel you could have included in your analysis. Christopher's movie Cleaver ultimately represents all of Christopher's discontent and growing resentment of Tony, with fantasies of revenge explicitly presented, it's all very allegorical. Tony has become very analytical since being in therapy, questioning the meaning of extremely deep and complex dreams with Dr Melfi, he had previously connected all the dots with Pussy but couldn't accept the brutal reality and chose not to believe his own intuition and instinct at first, which is what he does with Christopher but with a more extreme level of denial. A movie that is as blatant and brazen with these themes as Cleaver most likely didn't slip past Tony. Chris was wearing this hat with Tony at meetings with high ranking New York mobsters, in plain sight. You see the disdain for Cleaver that Tony has when he launched the coffee cup into his garden after Chris's death - maybe he didn't know how to explain it in words, but he certainly had strong negative feelings towards the movie.
Also it's a small detail but Cleaver = C - Leaver, Chris - Leaver, Chris had always spoken about the possibility of leaving the Mafia and I'm sure the name of his movie can't 100% be a coincidence.. The fact he is constantly wearing the cap is a sign that Chris was over the life and looking to escape any way he could, acting, music, directing, drugs etc. The next logical avenue to explore may well have been the witness protection program if the feds ever got to him.
Tony chose to live in ignorance of Christopher's situation for a long time, Chris was living on borrowed time with all the passes he received. Tony was a gambler, Chris was his biggest investment, all the nepotism, time, money, faith and hope he put in Chris was on a level that exceeded any other sports bet or stock investment. I think Tony was deeply ashamed of his losing bet that by the end, he was presented with the perfect opportunity to walk away and cut his losses without losing face. It is almost as though he got to kill Chris without ever facing up to the reality that he himself was a failure for choosing Chris and all that entrailed. It is very likely that Tony had exercised the distinct possibility of Chris becoming a rat and this was a large part of his decision to murder him himself. The reality of Christopher and all he had become was a harsher reality to face than when he killed Puss, just like he had connected the dots previously but whacked Jimmy instead to delay facing this truth.
I think it is likely that Chris was already on the FBIs radar, but I don't think he was a full blown informant 'yet'.
I always thought they made Christopher wear a cap in the first episode to make him look younger. They did the same thing with Jackie Jr in a flashback scene in another episode.
Man yeah that's a new take. Never heard anyone talking about it. But you explained it really well. Looking forward for your new theories.
Very funny commentary in parts, really enjoyed this video.
Good theory but doesn’t fall in line with Chris’ character IMO, him being willing to give up Adrianna voids any notion of him flipping after her death. He wasn’t happy with his wife and daughter like he thought he would be and I don’t see him giving up the money in order to save them.
Interesting. This never occurred to me. There may be something to it since in the series finale, Mink tells Tony that there is likely a murder charge coming down in the "80-90% percent certainty" of his indictment. But Tony's two big murders in the series are Matt Bevilaqua, which was shaping up to be a life sentence had the witness not caved, and Ralphie--both of which Chris knew about. Carlo could have maybe only given the feds info about the Phil hit, but that would be conspiracy since Tony ordered it---not outright murder as Mink said. Carlo wasn't around for Bevilaqua (maybe he was and was just meant to exist off-screen) and Chris is the only one who could tie Tony to Ralph. He maybe could have given them info about Adrianna, but again, that is conspiracy since Silvio would get the actual murder charge for that, and Chris was an accomplice in the hit. Great way to reexamine everything lol
Carlo could also give information about Tony after the murder of “Fat Dom.” Tony knew of it, saw the body and knew of the cover up. Possibly some accessory charges there.m
The murder probably would have been Fat Dom and Carlo trying to pin it on Tony having ordered it. There is not really anything that Christopher could have pinned directly on Tony as having been an actual witness to Tony committing the act. Also not sure that Mink would make any distinction between conspiracy to murder and murder in explaining it to Tony as they both would carry the same sentence.
I thought the point of rico is that they can charge the boss with murder for ordering it, that way they can’t shield themselves like Capone and other earlier bosses did. If that’s the case Carlo could pin the Phil hit on tony.
@@bigsav1984 I don’t even think you need RICO for that as conspiracy to commit murder carries pretty much the same penalty as murder.
Where RICO adds value from a prosecutorial standpoint is establishing a criminal entity with a structure which would place him at the top and therefore criminal involvement with any criminal action of the organization.
Great theory and video btw!!
Cool idea, well thought-out. The plausible points you made, make me think it couldve been an abandoned storyline idea that wouldve made it to a hypothetical 7th season.
That is a great theory. You may have convinced me. Chris had lots to loose at that point in his life. Getting away from the family and getting back into show business as a phantom writer is something he would do
Chris severed any good feelings left with Tony when he told Tony that “Your hero, my dad, was nothing more than a junkie.”
I like this conjecture... alot.
Using sound to mask conversations (ala Tony in the basement) with the Departed OST ??! That alone is priceless! Also,out of nowhere Chris is wearing a hat ( ala Jack Maserone), looking in the distance (looking at the feds), : lots of smoke.
Remeber it is a series so you're going to find tons of stuff like this: artifacts that frame future plot lines.
I think this is the most important analysis/conjecture I've heard you make.
Best Sopranos analysis period. Absolutely genius.
You wouldn't happen to narrate a channel discussing true crime would you?
Nope
Brilliant theory, very well worked out with all the references, too. Christopher had already betrayed Tony and his wife and child by using the drugs again, so it is not such a far stretch that he might have also become a rat.
I initially thought no way, until you brought up the hat. Tony had met with a man at a diner who was an informant. That informant had a camera inside the hat. The hat and everything you said after that made a lot of sense to this theory.
Wow you did a really good job 💯🔥🔥🔥 everything u said made a lot of sense . Never even looked at it like that . Other than the hat
The Sopranos ended 15 plus years ago, and we're still here analyzing it. Brilliant.
This is a really good theory!!
I love your page and agree with many of your theories. That being said I never hated Tony more than I did in this episode. I just couldn’t believe he killed Christopher. I understand why he did but was still shocked when he did it.
Great spotting once again with these theories 👍
The random cat staring potentially at a dead rat in the wall.
Chris dies whilst comfortably numb plays from the album ‘the wall’
I like the good fellas reference, a lot folks don’t pick up on that
No way would Chris be a rat. Not after what he went through with Adriana. He said to Tony he’d never pass a drugs test because the police would arrest him on DUI charges.
Yes he would've got charged with DUI and possession ( im sure he had some on him )
but it would also open doors to a big investigation into Chris , his home , and his club and one thing leads to another they could have connected him to organized crime . Tony knew all that and decided to end his life in that car crash
@@GiovaniB52 Tony knew he was too much of a liability at that point. The tree branch through the baby seat sealed his fate.
Ok, this actually has more than some plausibility... Yes, tony did murder him out of contempt and spite, but that notwithstanding, the whole murder that was like it never happened, the hat, the radio, the cat reference, goodfellas reference... There might be some shit to it... He was pinched for murder, probably was busted with some h in possession, was facing some hard numbers and turned catfood... I would have dismissed it as i have, out of hand, as per whatever happened there, but you gave quite the list of arguments here that add up in the brilliant way sopranos were envisioned... Tho this is more of a George rr Martin type of intrigue and subtle hinting at a plot that was never even brought up officially, but still, i cant say anything but that it might just be plausible...
Tony didn’t murder him because of contempt or spite he murdered him because they are in the mafia and Christopher is a heroin addict which isn’t something you can be in the mafia but it was complicated because they were so close. There were also other factors that played into like Christopher being completely unstable and firing rounds at his bosses truck. It would have probably happened earlier but Steve Buscemi stepped in. But when the crash happened the opportunity fell into Tony’s lap. These type of gangsters view everything from a pragmatist perspective.
@@philcollinsvevo7106 And if Christopher had flipped, the last thing he would do is admit to Tony that he was high. I mean, it doesnt make sense for him to do that whether or not he had flipped, but certainly no chance he does that when that would be of no concern at all if he were cooperating with the FBI. Someone acting as an informant is going to be especially cautious about giving out any information that could cause the target to become more suspicious or to generally aggravate him. And if the thought that Chris were an informant even entered Tony's mind, he would have been searching every inch of the car looking for a wire and not give one shit about the car seat with the branch sticking through it.
@@dondajulah4168 Well he was in shock at the time, which is why he admitted it in the first place. Not in his right mind
@@matthewgabbard6415 Have no clue what you are talking about. Does not seem to relate to anything in this scene or in my comments.
You do some magnificent work. Thank you.
If anything, you have great knowledge of the show, and have raised some interesting possibilities. I like it! They also cut to the Cleaver hat when Tony was in the hospital after the car accident with Christopher. I'm sure that was intended to be Tony's last memory of Christopher, but maybe more.
This idea popped into my head on my last watch through, not with same great analysis as yours, though. I’d say as sopranos theories go, this holds a great deal of weight, David Chase didn’t do accidental symbolism, he was measured and methodical in his direction and writing of the sopranos, for sure. The problem with Tony and Christofur was, they loved and appreciated each other a great deal, but their moments of displayed love and respect never gelled, though.
Whenever Tony put faith in Christofur and trusted him implicitly, Christofur was letting Tony down in some way. E.g. when Tony met with Christopher to tell him he was the future of the family and Christofur was high off heroin and didn’t appreciate the weight and gravity of Tony’s message. Then the moments Christopher was wanting to see appreciation from Tony, Tony was being cold towards him. And when Christofur was trying hard and being very loyal to Tony, Tony was having difficulty trusting him. Part of the problem was Christofur was not scared of Tony and he’d point out when he believed Tony to be dealing with things the wrong way.
Thought this the first time I seen it.
Wearing the hat. Like that other rat.
"Never pass a drug test" i think meant to Tony he wouldn't pass the fbi's test if he was brought in on drug charges.
The cat starring at his picture.
Other characters just flipping off screen out of no where throughout the season. Eugene, Ray Curto, Carlo.
Great video
I never even thought about the hat thing either. It can totally make sense.
"FBI's test" if brought up on drug charges..? Are you from America? No....?
@@glenbellefonte9620 😂😂😂
I don't think it would matter to the FBI if he was doing drugs. The more likely explanation is that the writers needed a way to confirm to Tony that Chris was using again.
Oh wow, a DWI and a suspended dl ( the infamous FBI drug test).Yeah: that is going to get even the most hardcore gangster to flip LMAO
The real question how can tony cover the canopy with his small hands
I like the theory and think it's very plausible. Good call on the hat. I wondered why he wore it when he never wore one. I forgot about the first time we see him driving with Tony.
What? No. If Chrissy were a rat, he'd be long gone with Adriana. Tony killed him because he was high again, and a liability.
I felt Chris was close to flipping but was just high at his death scene.
Another parallel to mention is how in good fellas tommy kills spider, Christopher’s character and then goes on a tangent and calls him a rat and says he would grow up to be a rat. And in the sopranos they make many other references to good fellas throughout the show.
Funny enough , Tommy's brother had been a rat , according to the book Wiseguy , which Goodfellas is based on.
Dude! Nice one!
Even the car flips
No he wasn’t, but Paulie might have been
He was to Johnny Sack
He wasn’t a rat. He was a snake who was leaking info to Johnny Sack to switch families. And he was bummed he had to give money to Carmela when Tony was shot and didn’t like he was recovering.
Paulie had a lot of faults and lied to Tony a few times, but one thing Paulie would never do is rat. He's old school. His actor even insisted he never rat.
@@MIGHTYBOOSCH198 I see Pauly talking to Johnny about the Esplanade as ratting.
@@Crimson28 I see Pauly talking to Johnny sack about the Esplanade as ratting. He’s setting tony up.
Just found your channel in my feed. I swear I never thought of your theory here. The hat. Didn't see it man. I always remember masserone wearing his, and we all knew it had a wire in it from the fbi scene explaining it. Very interesting.
It's well plausible like considering in previous episode he spoke of turning them in before killing j.t🤣
I like it. ...All your videos are thought-provoking. Plus, your explanation is the first time I have been excited about the Sopranos since the sequel/prequel however many saints there are they ain't got nothing on The Sopranos. Oh, it's that bad -- and beyond that. It was dragging me down on The Sopranos. So well done, sir. Thanks for sharing your imagination, for the re-inspiration.
No way Christopha flipped.
He had his bride to be killed for ratting. If he was a rat too... don't you think he would have kept Adrianna??
I agree with you but I could also see why a man, so stricken with grief and filled with resentment towards the man he’s going to hell for, would flip after his wife’s death.
I like your theory too. Good points to think about!
Didn’t Chris shoot his former sponsor in the head the episode before Tony kills him? No way he’s working with the FBI and does that.
I'm now subscribed. The Sopranos is the best show that has ever been written. I can't even consider watching it again because I've binged watched it, (a few hours every day and watching nothing else) three times. X3. I can't do it again. I could write much more about it. But, I'll stick to the subject and I believe it is very likely that Chris flips. He was constantly disenchanted with the mob and is infatuated with mob movies. Many, many mob guys flip. ESPECIALLY those that are involved with heroin. It would be easy for the Feds to arrest him with heroin, or, maybe he was selling heroin. He was using again, and again, addicts relapse, so it is very likely he could be arrested. The Feds then would pressure him about Adriana, and her whereabouts. Seeing no way out, and knowing the Feds would try and pin Adriana's disappearance on him, he would do the obvious thing and would flip. He didn't kill her. And since he's not the boss, then he couldn't order the it. He didn't participate and wasn't involved in the planning. He gave her up, but that is way down on the scale when it comes to charges. Dante obviously would be charged with the murder and Tony may get wrapped up in the deal if Dante was convinced to flip as well. Let's just remember how many times the Feds turned gangsters into informants. We see the Feds flipping people right up until the end of the series and it's an important part of the show. As well as the fact that in the real world, this is exactly how the mob was brought down in scale. I am often given Sammy the Bull and, Franceci, damn I forget his name, but he flipped. The other day, I watched a interview with a guy would was part of the hit in the movie Casino where they put the guy's head in a vice. This guy flipped too. He flipped because another mob guy was going to hit him and so he flipped. There's a lot of flipping going on in The Sopranos and in the real gangster world. So, there is no doubt that it is possible that Chris flips, and the show wouldn't tell us, because it gave us the clues and we're supposed to fill in the gaps. Just like in real life when we here stories. The Sopranos was famous for leaving things unsaid and unseen.
I thought Sopranos was the best, but then watched Gomorrah. Also, Boardwalk Empire was better in some ways as well. Again, I love The Sopranos. I just like Gomorrah more.
@@glenbellefonte9620 first 2 seasons of gomorrah are amazing. Later seasons not as much but great show. Did you see suburra?
@@mattydips2887 I agree one hundred percent about first two seasons. As for Subura, I haven't yet. I started it but tell me, is it worth it?
@@glenbellefonte9620 yes worth it
@@mattydips2887 well, I start tomorrow. I already have the first few episodes
Nah, never considered it, never will. Tony had enough, Christopher was never getting clean by this point and Tony knew it. The term "never trust a junkie" is true, and Tony Soprano's going to keep one around in his family?? No, he'd look like a fool, wasn't happening. Christopher's lucky he lasted as long as he did...
Once a junkie always a junkie
Being a junkie had nothing to do with why Tony killed him. He killed him because he knew Chris may potentially kill him first , hence the " Cleaver " movie lol
excellent theory!
perhaps they cut the 'exposition' scene, to make it richer.
still haven't watched ssn6, but i will now, with this view mind.
To add to the theory, there's a scene from season 1 I believe where Tony tells a guy to take the hat off at Artie's restaurant.
I think if he did flip, they would not have killed Chris off the way they did. I would believe there would have been a fall out due to Chris flipping with the after math being shown and Tony having to live with the treachery. Chris being a rat would gave been a huge revelation to the audience and would have to of been revealed in a not so subtle way.
Thank you. This theory of his is predicated on this show having an existence outside of what we see in the episodes. It doesn't.
So many uninvestigated murders in this show are simply the writers using their artistic liscence to push along the plot without making things more complex. 🤷♂️
Cinerant!! You line "Its a wonder Unkle Philly didn't slap it off his head and remind everyone that he did 20 fuckin' years", just made my day. You're the best man, keep it up!!
Definitely a worthwhile idea.
Nice try (I knew immediately that the Masserone cap would be referred to in this theory), but you are really reaching here. For one thing, if Tony suspected Chris of wearing a wire, he would have been spending the time from the flipping of the SUV and the arrival of the EMT's turning everything there upside down looking for signs of a wire present. Instead, what does he do, he glances at the infant car seat which clearly prompts his decision to terminate Christopher.
I do believe there is some significance to the wearing of the cap and this does go back to the pilot episode where Christopher's character is portrayed as an incapable fuck-up and seems to be quite a bit younger than the age of the character. Here it is almost a decade later and Chris is still that dumb fuck-up from back then only now he has almost gotten Tony killed as a result of his failure to develop into the man that Tony had hoped he could become. Somewhat of a parallel to AJ, who Tony has become increasingly frustrated with over the course of the season but Tony obviously not going to kill his own son so Christopher will be the target of him reacting to this disappointment. I will also throw in the hat thing the episode where Tony is infuriated by the patron at Visuvios that is wearing a cap where not appropriate with this being a display of disrespect and immaturity.
That the first thing Christopher does after the crash is to admit to Tony that he is under the influence and to ask Tony to take the fall for his own missteps also feeds into Tony believing that he would easily flip under pressure to save his own ass. It is a demonstration of weakness that he would freely admit to being under the influence even knowing that Tony had previously warned Chris that the punishment for a drug relapse would be death. Christopher essentially forced Tony's hand here and it had nothing to do with him being an informant but Chris going into save my ass mode right after the ass mode may have played into the decision.
One last thing, if Chris was working with the feds, the last thing he would have given a crap about is having a driving under the influence charge which would take about two seconds to quash without that information every getting back to Tony. Instead, Chris confesses to a hanging offense to his hangman which makes absolutely no sense at all.
Wearing a hat at the dinner table is considered bad manners (definitely old school, but at a nice restaurant its definitely bad etiquette to wear a hat. Thats why tony was irritated, not because its "immature" etc).
@@mikimiyazaki wow, that is what you got out of my comment? Of course, it is blatantly disrespectful to don a cap at a fine dining establishment, but that does not negate the fact that many people be that wearing a cap is generally a sign of immaturity,
Btw, this comes from someone that frequently wore baseball caps up until his mid 20’s. If you are someone that wears a baseball cap and desires to be taken more seriously, I would advise you to do the same.
@@dondajulah4168 i wear a gold crown like at burger kings. Come back in a 100 years.
@@mikimiyazakiBut do you keep it in a mellifluous box?
@@dondajulah4168i have a separate non-mellifluous box now. im branching out, great observation though! The crown is sacred, yet the box i keep it in is propane.
Right before they crashed, as Tony was staring at Chris, I think he figured out Chris was a rat right then and there. He even looked away in a sort of disbelief. Then immediately reaffirmed his assumption when he looked back at him. I don't know, I never thought of it before and wouldn't have thought of it without this video, but now when I rewatch the scene, that's what I'm reading out of it.
He was finally seeing how wasted he was. Nothing to do with being a rat. Absurd ! He was stoned on drugs
Good shit!
Everybody could flip. Remember Costello from "The Departed"? He flipped even though he was on the top.