The Sopranos revolutionized modern television. Created by David Case, this iconic series focuses on anti-hero Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), as he juggles his suburban family life and his role as the boss of the New Jersey Mafia. The Sopranos became must-watch television for millions of viewers thanks to its colorful characters, remarkable performances, and exceptional writing — although the writing wasn’t always exceptional.
The Sopranos was notorious for its many loose ends, failing to provide resolutions for certain characters and storylines. The series would introduce alluring plot points or details, and then we’d wait, very patiently, for those plot points and details to resurface. But more often than not, they would never be addressed again, seemingly dropped like a bunch of bad habits. It’s been nearly 20 years since The Sopranos ended, and we’re still stuck with unresolved mysteries and burning questions. Some of these mysteries dabble in the supernatural. Others are more straightforward and could’ve easily been addressed before the show’s conclusion.
Here are 10 mysteries that The Sopranos left us hanging with and, at this point, we’ll probably never get an answer to.
10
What Happened to Livia’s Fortune?
Tony’s mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand), had been a widow long before The Sopranos started. At one point, Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) mentions that his brother and Livia’s late husband, Johnny Soprano, left her a large package “big enough to choke an elephant,” suggesting a substantial inheritance.
Livia also taunts her daughter, Janice (Aida Turturro), by hinting at a large fortune that she’d hidden. Convinced of its existence, Janice scours the house looking for it. But the money is never found — and it’s also never mentioned again. Was Livia just manipulating Janice, or was she really sitting on a massive fortune? If she was, then what happened to all that money?
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9
Who Was “the Man on the Stairs”?
There’s a good chance that you have no idea who we’re talking about when we say “the Man on the Stairs.” But for some Sopranos fans, this is one of the show’s most alluring mysteries. During Livia’s memorial service at Tony’s house — in season 3, episode 2 — the camera focuses on Tony. If you pay close attention to the background, you’ll see an out-of-focus, older gentleman descending the staircase of Tony’s house. Most people don’t notice him, but those that do are struck by the eerie nature of his appearance. This unclear individual pauses on the stairwell, reconsiders his next steps, and then does an about-face, climbing back up the stairs. It’s like he sensed the tension in the room, said, “Screw this,” and retreated back upstairs. Or maybe he just wasn’t a fan of the song that Janice was playing during the memorial.
Livia didn’t have many friends, and nearly everyone in Tony’s house is a recognizable character we’ve seen before. Who is this stranger in Tony’s house? Why is he lurking upstairs, and what made him go back up? Is he nothing more than an extra in the background of the shot? Or is this character’s purpose more intentional? Although it’s grounded in reality, The Sopranos is known for dabbling in the supernatural. Some fans have theorized that “the Man on the Stairs” is Death itself or some kind of foreboding omen lingering around Tony.
8
Did Ralphie Really Kill Pie-O-My?
Ralphie Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) did a lot of things that pissed off Tony and almost got him killed. But what finally pushed Tony over the edge was the sudden death of their beloved horse, Pie-O-My. When the horse dies in an unexpected fire, Tony accuses Ralphie of killing Pie-O-My for the insurance money.
Ralphie denies murdering Pie-O-My, though he does say at one point, “But so what if I did?! My kid’s in the hospital!” Things escalate dramatically when Tony ends up murdering Ralphie for the crime. But then again, did Ralphie really kill Pie-O-My? The show never provides a definitive answer, leaving us with only Tony and Ralphie’s argument as evidence.
7
What Was Paulie’s Vision of the Virgin Mary All About?
In the ninth episode of season 6, “The Ride,” Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) is walking through the empty Bada Bing strip club when he, and eagle-eyed viewers, catch an unusual reflection in the mirrors. He stops, turns, and there — hovering in midair, beside a pole where a young woman is usually stripping off her clothes — is the Virgin Mary.
The apparition lasts for only a few seconds, gone in the blink of an eye. Years later, in the series finale, Paulie brings up his vision and shares the experience with Tony. But that’s it. The show never clarifies whether Paulie really did see the Virgin Mary or what this apparition is supposed to mean.
6
Did Tony Have Psychic Abilities?
Paulie isn’t the one with eerie visions. There are several instances in The Sopranos where Tony seems to exhibit psychic abilities. In the season 2 finale, “Funhouse”, Tony experiences fever dreams hinting that his close friend and associate, Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore), is an FBI informant, even though there’s been very little evidence to suggest it.
And of course, Tony’s prophetic vision turns out to be right. Later on, Tony sees Pussy’s ghost reflected in a mirror, which no one else around him seems to notice. Does Tony really have psychic powers? Or did the writers just enjoy teasing us, sprinkling supernatural elements throughout the show and leaving us to interpret their meaning?
5
What Did Mikey Mean by 3:00?
After Christopher (Michael Imperioli) is shot and severely wounded in season 2, he tells Tony and Paulie that he crossed over into the afterlife and caught a glimpse of Hell. He claims that they’re all going to end up in Hell, a place where it’s St. Patrick’s Day every single day. Oh, the horror! But the most interesting part of Christopher’s supposed near-death experience is the message from Mikey Palmice (Al Sapienza), a gangster that all three characters played a role in murdering back in season 1. Christopher relays Mikey’s cryptic message: “He said, ‘Tell Tony and Paulie — 3:00.'” That’s it, that’s the whole message.
Tony casually dismisses the warning. But Paulie, as well as the viewers, becomes convinced that something monumental will occur at 3:00, that Mikey’s message is a bad omen. Paulie anxiously stares at the clock, watching the minutes tick away. 3:00 comes and goes — not just in this episode but in the entire show. Nothing ever comes from Mikey’s foreboding message. Some die-hard fans, however, claim that 3:00 plays into the show’s series finale and refers to the position of Tony’s supposed killer (more on that later).
4
Does Silvio Ever Get Out of His Coma?
The Sopranos’ finale leaves several characters’ fates open-ended. One of them is Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt), Tony’s consigliere and right-hand man. In some ways, Silvio was the show’s comic relief. But the laughter stopped when he was shot and left for dead in the final season of The Sopranos.
In the series finale, it’s revealed that Silvio is still alive but, like Tony in the previous season, he’s in a coma. Like Tony, is Silvio also experiencing an alternate reality where he’s an insurance salesman with an ordinary life? Maybe. But the bigger unanswered question that The Sopranos leaves audiences with is this: Does Silvio ever wake up from his coma? Or will he forever be in a catatonic state?
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3
What Happened To Furio?
Furio Guinta (Federico Castelluccio) is one of Tony’s most trusted enforcers, a gangster from the motherland. One of the show’s major plot points was the romantic interest and forbidden relationship between Furio and Tony’s wife, Carmela (Edie Falco). Furio promptly returns to Italy when he realizes that his feelings for Carmela are a dangerous conflict of interest, without so much as a goodbye to Tony or Carmela — or to us.
When Tony learns about Carmela’s feelings for Furio, he allegedly tells the Zucca Family, a crime family in Naples, to murder Furio if he ever shows his face. Where did Furio run off to? Did the Zucca Family ever kill him, or did they ignore Tony’s request? Like Carmela, we’re all stuck wondering what ever became of Furio.
2
What Happened to the Russian?
The 11th episode of season 3, “Pine Barrens”, is arguably the greatest episode of The Sopranos. Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) take a Russian gangster named Valery (Vitali Baganov) into the snow-covered woods, the New Jersey Pine Barrens, to dispose of his corpse, only to find out that he’s still alive. Valery — or as he’s better known among fans, the Russian — manages to escape, stranding Paulie and Christopher in the woods.
The episode ends on a grim note, with Tony warning Paulie and Christopher that should he ever resurface, Valery and the Russian mob will become their problem. Not Tony’s. For the next three seasons, audiences waited for the Russian to reemerge. But for whatever reason, the writers never brought the character back, leaving his whereabouts as one of the biggest and most infamous unsolved mysteries on The Sopranos.
1
What Happened to Tony?
There is no bigger unsolved mystery — not just in The Sopranos but in all of television — than the fate of Tony Soprano. Back in 2007, no one knew how things would end for Tony. Would he die? Would he live? The last few minutes of the series finale seem to play out for an eternity. Tony waits for his family to join him at a restaurant, while Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” blasts in the background. We find ourselves on the edge of our seats, biting our nails whenever a new character enters the frame. Tony looks up just as his daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), enters the restaurant. And then — cut to black. The episode, and also The Sopranos, is abruptly over.
So what happened? Did Tony die? Viewers have been contemplating this question for nearly 20 years. Die-hard fans have analyzed every little detail and clue of this final scene to determine what really happened. Was Tony killed? If not, then what happens to him? Does he go to prison? Does he just go on living life? Who becomes the boss after Tony? Hate it or love it, the finale of The Sopranos has become one of the most iconic endings on TV. Tony’s ambiguous fate continues to be a hotly debated mystery to this day, nearly 20 years after the episode aired.
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