The Sopranos: Family or Glorified Crew?

[@PureKino]

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[@Tbbbbba]

Hi mate, I was under the impression that the DeCavalcantes ran Jersey and were the inspiration, but it appears that the Genovese 'crew' in NJ (Richie the Boot) were the true Sopranos

[@danielponiatowski7368]

what the hell you mean its not real, next you gonna say those castaways never got rescued an they're still stuck on that island.

[@nohaybando9586]

I don't which they are but I know Tony didn't have the makings of a varsity athlete.

[@cedricliggins7528]

Tony acts more a captain than a don.

[@sallobo777]

Historically speaking, Borko always said that Pure Kino is nothing but a glorified Sopranos clipper channel.

[@PureKino]

The irony is amazing

[@faisalkamal4319]

@@PureKino take it easy you are talking about the boss here

[@brandonhuynh4528]

Pure Kino’s never been in the can! Not really

[@kingsouther]

Call it...a meeting....of minds. Whatever happened there.....

[@sw5401]

Long but correct definition. I'm black and I knew that. The narrator gave a horrible answer and that kinda turned me off and I stopped watching this video. Lol

[@whitecloak11]

People who say little carmine was an idiot must have missed the golf scene where he plays his dad like a fiddle while laughing and provoking johnny sac, hes smarter than people realize and he survived a war by being under estimated and knowing being boss is not everything.

[@HW.0029]

Your brother Billy, whatever happened there…

[@tupadre6433]

​@HW.0029 he slipped there, but usually he was quite smart and weight his words well

[@julienwood577]

he was a fantastic manipulator

[@1dingerr]

Dude had the best ending of anyone. Probably a testament to how he played the game.

[@Kyle-sr6jm]

LC presented as an idiot, and absolutely a non-threat. Name one person that wanted him dead. Took money, played the game, and no one was after his head.

[@michaellarnach4161]

Tony - the Boss stormed into enemy territory alone just to lay a beating on the schmuck stupid enough to harrass his daughter Phil -the Boss hid behind curtains and shouted insults out his window like a punk There was never any doubt who the REAL gangsters were

[@binarystar300]

It wasn't Phil's fault that he turned into a house

[@ivangiuliani9893]

Amen to that

[@dmdeign7116]

Phil wanted to turn into a skyscraper, he compromised

[@jruss9851]

Just watched this episode not 5 mins ago. Phil is a bitch 😂😂

[@jamiehess3395]

@@dmdeign7116 this comment is gold

[@bplup6419]

"The Sopranos is fictional." Why would you do this to me? Next you'll tell me Santa isn't real.

[@stephencombes1979]

Sorry mate, but there's a conversation we need to have... Lol

[@magmat0585]

just how much more betrayal can I take?!

[@CallofFreaky]

They’re real to me

[@zekeiwa5837]

In the end, fuck Santa

[@FrostyGerardo-kr7xs]

It like a been stab in the heart

[@tacitus6384]

You have to remember that in the series we only really see Tony's 'inner circle', or those closest to him. The actual full crime family would be about 50 made guys (most of whom we never see) and hundreds of associates.

[@TupDigital]

I feel you, but they keep it so vague it's hard to tell. But yes each captain would have at least a handful of soldiers and them numerous associates each like you said. They typically show 5-6 captains so you're likely right on.

[@BeardsBladesandHair]

Not really. There's plenty of meetings in the series with the whole family. Think of when Tony tells the family they're not giving up Tony B. It was about 20 made guys.

[@michael_c2]

@@BeardsBladesandHair All the captains are there, but it's implied that there would be more made men under each captain than we see.

[@patrickbooth5091]

@@BeardsBladesandHair that meeting is the same inner circle we see throughout the show plus a few more. It is not the whole family. No boss in the 21st century would have a meeting with all of their captains and soldiers present. Too risky that someone was followed or someone is wearing a wire. That’s why Tony wouldn’t talk with Richie out front of Satriales and instead had a more covert meeting while walking in a mall.

[@BeardsBladesandHair]

@michael corcoran @Patrick Booth It's POSSIBLE that there were more guys running around. I just don't see evidence of it in the series.

[@robbiedubes]

Let me tell you a couple of three things: the sopranos are a glorified crew

[@Jupa]

I still use that phrase unironically (or half ironically) and nobody ever called me out on it. Whenever I casually itemise something in a conversation, 'lemme tell you a couple of three things here; blah blah blah'. I fucking love it.

[@jjarichardson]

That's six things

[@g_eddie]

Forget Borko, who goes over to an HBO Copy Strike and never comes back

[@robbiedubes]

@@g_eddie hahaha yesss

[@robbiedubes]

@@Jupa I also do this lmaooo

[@jonsweeney4347]

When youre in waste management, everyone thinks youre mobbed up. There is no mafia.

[@justt1984]

To be honest, its a very offensive stereotype.

[@p.atrick.]

and PureKini is the last person I'd want to perpetuate it

[@jasonstouder]

That's what Tony's panic attacks were really about. His subconscious was telling him that everything he recognized as family was dying.

[@mikeyreza]

All this from a slice of glorified crew?

[@rullvardi]

@@mikeyrezaGlorified crew?! Ovah here…

[@jonathancurran5366]

You should have put in that joke from Futurama where Fry is apartment hunting goes to all kind of weird places and eventually finds the perfectly affordable apartment but then passes on it because it's technically in New Jersey - saying "not one place remotely livable".

[@PureKino]

That would have been good!

[@jeambeam3173]

At least it's not NY lol

[@Rockhound6165]

Speaking as someone who lives in NJ and has so his entire life save for the 5 years of self exile 24 years ago, Fry is spot on.

[@nagger8216]

@@jeambeam3173 Yeah true, tbf that is the pot calling the kettle black. NJ isn't the rat capital of the world lol

[@antoinesilva1527]

@@PureKino I suspect “finger pricked” from Phil might actually hinted at murder. Meaning guys from Jersey don’t “make their bones” before getting the button.

[@godfather4377]

I found it funny that the New York family supposedly didn't care for the Jersey Family, yet hung out with them all the time and was in so many business deals with them. And Johnny was concern enough about them he needed Paulie as a mole to find out what businesses they were in so they can get a piece of the action.

[@cosmicskates7721]

Same and honestly i'd kick it in Hoboken over any place on the east coast! any day of the week and if I wasn't @ port I'd be out on the high seas, I'm not kidding that's the only kind of snob I would want to be lmao

[@mikeg2491]

Another thing is that the NY family felt so superior but yet they were still doing all their meetings in a small bar no different than the Sopranos holding court in a meat shop or the bing.

[@godfather4377]

@@mikeg2491 And they always needed the Jersey family to help them out on hits. Like pulling the plug on Rusty. I think Johnny Sack realized how important the Jersey family was. Obviously, the New York family is superior. They are a bigger family. But if the Jersey family wasn't functional, they wouldn't be in so many business deals together. At the end of the day its about making money. Which the Soprano crime family clearly did well. Which Johnny made a point to mention that to Carmine. And the Jersey family in the end kinda won the war? They pulled the plug on the boss of the family. Something the New York family failed to do (at least at the time - they may have later killed Tony). So whether New York cared to admit it or not, they actually did respect them. Because they relied on them.

[@michael_c2]

Yeah I mean that's kind of inherently an issue when the New Jersey family Boss is the protagonist of the show

[@trz6952]

Speaking of moles, i heard Ginny Sack's finally got 95 pound mole taken off her ass

[@TheSacredPain]

This Kino is an old-fashioned kind of guy, very allegorical.

[@cosmicskates7721]

Yup imo as far as old-fashioned Kino gave himself away about that when he sports his FEDORA! too bad something so cool has to start out sounding like feds 🤭 Lol

[@sordidboysavoy4243]

And he used to be a pragmatist

[@mikef6063]

Come-from-behind kind of youtuber

[@castiron4160]

The sacred and the propane

[@korawitbuttramee618]

Jersey crew was definitely a glorified crew. - Carmine Sr. didn't even know who Paulie is, despite him being pretty high on the family's food chain. - When the FBI had Junior by the balls, they instead let him walk in favor of getting Johnny Sack later. Keep in mind, Junior was the boss of Jersey crew while Johnny was the underboss of the Lupertazzis. - Davey Scatino thought he could get away with being in debt to guys like Tony and Richie. If the Jersery Crew was truly feared, a weasel like Davey wouldn't be so casual as he probably saw them as some loan sharks, not mobsters. Tony had to punch him in the face so Davey would have any idea how fucked he was. - They tried to collect a protection racket from Starbuck, only for the manager to politely tell them they know jack how corporations work. - Ade didn't even have a lawyer. Fuck, did Chris even remember the number of a lawyer? Being the girlfriend of a capo and the owner of the mob's hangout spot, you'd think Ade would have her lawyer's number written under her eyelids, but nope. It was on Chris' part as well for not even bother to have 'the talk' with her and they were in 30s ffs. - Tony ended up with like 12 guys on so by the end of the series while Phil had 200 soldiers. The Jersey guys ended up hiding in a safe house, eating takeaway pizza while subtly throwing shades at Tony whenever they could and he couldn't do anything about it. One of them was on the verge of flipping, and Tony couldn't do a thing either. - The only reason Tony was able to whack Phil at all was because the FBI wanted to get the bigger fish.

[@EducatesPvP]

The Starbucks scene will always make me laugh 😂

[@jamesmaxwell1940]

Good points in general but I disagree about Scatino, I'm sure the NY crews deal with mooks who think they can pull fast ones on them all the time. Especially guys who are childhood friends and think that gives them some protection

[@LucaDavoli_]

Horrible points that hardly correlate with the question of the video. Wasted your time.

[@nicholassmith154]

You just sandbagged your entire argument by your last point. If the bigger fish is Tony then how would they just be a glorified crew?

[@korawitbuttramee618]

​@@nicholassmith154 The bigger fish is Phil. By 'get', meaning they wanted Phil out of the picture. As far as they were concerned, Tony was the lesser of two evils, and not only because Phil was a psycho.

[@enak413]

Carmine may have called the Sopranos a glorified crew - but in this video Kino comes out and calls them "fictional" and says they are "not real" ... in my opinion these comments are more hurtful . Especially if they get passed on in front of anyone's girl cousins .

[@killerfrank8974]

As a mafia afficinado and someone with an all around interest in organized crime, you did a very good analysis here. One thing I'll add is a good way to think of the difference between a mafia crew and a mob family is a crew is generally a group of guys committing crimes - usually under a leader who might be a made guy (such as a capo or soldier) or a high ranking associate - where as a family is collection of different crews working under the umbrella of an organization usually led by a boss, an underboss, and a consigliere. For example, the Gambino family had/has somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 made guys which could roughly be broken down into twenty crews of soldiers and associates, each crew has a capo as a leader that reports to the administration (i.e. the boss/underboss) and each soldier within those crews usually has a group of guys working under them. Looking at this, you can see how much stronger a family from New York would be over a family like the fictional Sopranos. Even a New York family half the size of the Gambinos or Genovese with just, say, 100 made guys would be more than what the Sopranos could handle. Adding to all this is in real life some of the New York families have a sizable number of Jersey guys as members of their families. The Genovese and Lucchese families in particular have their own Jersey factions within them.

[@justiceforjuicy6765]

I stopped reading when you said you were a mafia aficionado

[@killerfrank8974]

@@justiceforjuicy6765 Ok?

[@sskspartan]

@@justiceforjuicy6765 you're not funny

[@jeffreywernick9121]

I am a mafia expert and have been interviewed numerous times. Historically, there has never been a family where there are more captains than soldiers. Glorified crew is being generous in my expert opinion. The pygmy thing is an embarrassment to all of us.

[@Gotlove-zq2zy]

This comment section is making me lose brain cells

[@Therealmadkong]

I just wanted to add that Micheal Franzese also thought the show was about him, too. I think that it is a Mobster thing to think so highly about themselves that the media that they consumed was really about them. So many gangsters (Black or Italian) watch media about them and even try to make their own films, music videos, and tv with themselves as the main characters. Just food for thought that the recorded string clips might not mean anything.

[@prajwaljayaraj5887]

Lmao Franzese was so pissed off by MSON. He wanted to assault David Chase because he felt it personally insulted him as a former organized criminal.

[@pennystocklocks]

Can't stand that fugazi brother in Christ....Went from one con to another....real POS

[@KJ_Says]

Cleaver!

[@isaacster5027]

@@prajwaljayaraj5887 lol that had me in tears. Sure maybe you don't like the movie, understandable. But for that reason? Did he even watch the actual show? Was that not an attack 💀

[@rporta]

Michael Franzese is a narcissitic clown honestly lol, he walked out of the movie theater when watching Goodfellas just bc of minor inaccuracies about him lol

[@lean.2366]

I wanted to be an organized crime family. But I compromised. I chose to be a glorified crew instead.

[@blackkennedy3966]

The shine box did 20 years in the can!

[@OhNotThat]

I wanted to do 20 years in the can. But I compromised. I ate grilled cheese of the radiator instead.

[@plainbubble]

47 he was just a kid

[@crowfross9437]

It's a glorified crew; I realized when Paulie said "fuck her", talking about Carmella and how little he and Vito cared about Tony's family when he was in a coma. In actuality, everyone was for himself, despite them telling to themselves they were a "family", it was just a lie to somehow diminish the guilt they felt for doing what they were doing.

[@Account11-k]

good point

[@miloslukanovakovic4196]

Wasn’t this also the case with New York?

[@Aydrenn]

Thats still the case with the rest of the mafia in general in the show though?

[@jasonkinzie8835]

That's always been true of organized crime. This attempt to make it noble is the original gaslighting. I mean are we supposed to believe that someone who would kill friends he's known for 25 years is going to seriously concern himself with some code of honor?

[@kingseanp9267]

The one factor that didn’t get explored enough on the show was how the NY families giving some legitimacy to NJ provided a buffer from the Philly family (who traditionally owned south Jersey including Atlantic City). That power dynamic would also lead NY to look at them as not being on level terms.

[@TupDigital]

Stanfa wouldn't allow that plot to go forward so he sent a bunch of guys who ended up shooting themselves in the balls

[@bryaningle6034]

If I recall correctly, Tony had to check with NY about 'opening the books' to make new members. That tells me they weren't totally autonomous.

[@christopherjohnson2171]

I thought that was because a family could not open the books on its own, that was a commission-level decision.

[@williehouff4944]

DiMeo's was a family. The Soprano's were a glorified but very profitable crew. If Tony could have controlled his temper and impulsiveness then not kill Ralphie. He would have made the entire lot of them rich 4x over. But the difference between a boss and a glorified capo. Is being able to control his crew and he couldn't. Christopher was always screwing up always thought he was entitled to a higher status because he did minor at best work. Tony said it himself Christopher was capable but the ego and drugs kept him from making it to the top. We're it not for Tony and his pushing Christopher would have gotten killed by a harder family. Then later you had a homosexual cappo who wasn't discreet, he had a cappo who beat, berrated and killed pregnant stripper. He also had a cappo who turned states evidence because of Tony's antics, and finally how can you be a boss who's a digenerate gambler, occasional drug abuser, and just a horrible person in general. I loved this show and the characters but Christopher said it himself. He'd follow Tony to hell, well he did and Tony led his family/crew all straight to it.

[@MrJchris97]

Spot on. Bottom line is Tony was an awful leader who let his emotions make all the decisions.

[@JMR_2028]

Being a mafia boss depends on you being a terrible person, otherwise you won't get respect. Most of those factors that you mentioned, except for killing Ralphie, were out of his control. And as much as I hate Tony, I wouldn't last an hour in his shoes

[@jonathansack6827]

It's a TV progrum

[@williehouff4944]

@@jonathansack6827 Nooooo what gave it away? God forbid anybody has an opinion on it or something.

[@barbiquearea]

Christopher was a pretty capable soldier. He was ruthless when he needed to be, wasn't afraid to give a beatdown and followed orders to a T. Not to mention he was an excellent marksman and had a intimidating presence. Tony saw the potential in him. However where he went wrong with Christopher was fast tracking his career. He let him become a made man and then a capo too early, and still kept him on the same track to becoming his heir apparent despite all of his fuck-ups. It eventually came to a point where Tony realized what a liability he is and took him out.

[@NotSoRandom_]

Started as a family, became a glorified crew

[@TheSuperhomosapien]

The Bonnano crime family in New York used to call their splinter group in Toronto a glorified crew, until the Bonnanos got hit hard by the FBI and the Canadian group, taking advantage of lax anti organized crime laws in Canada, became just as powerful as them.

[@mortygoldmacher]

Commisso Brothers & Racco still make the best veal sandwiches in the city, despite being bombed twice.

[@kevindamas3005]

Not Toronto,but Montreal

[@joshythehand2960]

@@kevindamas3005 yep.. and for years they used the hells angels to dontheor dirty work.. which insulated them.. but by the 90s it was said the family controlled something like 75% of all the bars, restaraunts, dance clubs in the city. They were making more money from legit earnings than they ever made through the cocaine distribution of the 70s

[@wiseass2149]

Rizzutos?

[@Adski975]

​@@wiseass2149Ding ding ding!

[@pank3245]

I'll tell you a couple of three things; As a New Yorker, whoever made the roads over in New Jersey is definitely a glorified architect.

[@bucky7162]

The fact carmine had a hissy fit over the money Ralph was bringing in stands to show The Sopranos where a family!

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Where were they ?

[@usr-34-gambaman]

Carmine ordered hits on his underboss to protect a deal with a glorified crew ? Cmon

[@greg2016]

Time to go from watching Sopranos clips to watching Sopranos analysis videos. Good stuff, Kino 👍

[@Jupa]

NYC just had superiority complex. The money the Soprano family was bringing in, they definitely weren't a glorified crew. One capo alone making 1-3 mil a week (iirc). Also whilst the Five Families exist, there's families all over the States, from NYC to Nevada. In real life though, the New Jersey family is completely opposite to that in The Sopranos. The DeCalvacante's were a bunch of bozo's and got their ass caught by literally getting wire tapped laughing about themselves in The Sopranos. Sopranos lore though, they were a real full fat wholesome mafia family

[@talhadawood7969]

Where'd you get that number? Wait capos making 1-3 million a week? I'm a bit confused by (iirc). But yea I agree, they're definitely a family. They just don't compare to one of the "five families". Hence the condescension from NY. But most families don't measure up like you said.

[@DrJ-hx7wv]

I think Ralph said three million alone just from his union. Vito also brought in a fortune. If this were real life, I'm sure NJ would be able to use larger families to protect them from larger rivals. If the Colombos gave them trouble, they could make a deal elsewhere. That would've made things too messy on the show however.

[@rjelavic]

lol ... Someone who makes 2 mil a week makes 100M a year, which over 10 years makes you a billionare.

[@osman732]

Ralph says the family sees 3 million per year from construction, not per week, which is important for scale. That figure doesn't seem like all his own earnings, either. He manages construction activity overall, but it's the family's biggest racket, dividing into revenue streams across the crews. He's also repeatedly acknowledged as the top earner, he is not 1 of several capos who all bring in multiple millions per year.

[@Jupa]

@@osman732 you’re correct, not weekly. Tbh that was even a silly guestimation on my part. Even still 2-3 mill yearly from one capo is nothing to shy away from. A lot of drug rackets even can’t compare to that except for the very high level guys

[@Filip-db2tn]

Difference between crew and a family is size. Every family is dividaded into crews. Sopranos have 50 made men and 200 asociates, while Lupertazzi have 200 made men and most likely around 1000 asociates. Which means that whole Dimeo family is just a little larger than one of Lupertazzi’s crews. Thats what Carmine was talking about.

[@Yobachi2007]

Most crews are about 10 made men, that's why one of the Italians words for captain is capodecina - head of ten. Crews may be bigger, or even smaller, but nowhere near 50. You think one of the 5 families of New York only had 4 or 5 Capos? It's reported that when Gotti got elected to Gambino family boss there were 20 Capos there to vote. The Sopranos weren't slightly bigger than a crew, they were just a lot smaller than the five New York families. A Pigmy thing over there in New Jersey.

[@evanromano1]

I think Carmine Lupertazzi Sr didn’t really think that the jersey crime family was just a glorified crew. He was in distress, and probably didn’t mean it, and even before he said that their families had been doing business in a peaceful manner for a long time and he wants to keep it that way. Tone and the DiMeo crime family make Carmine a lot of money. Carmine Sr was heavy business oriented.

[@willmosse3684]

The Sopranos are DEFINITELY a family, officially speaking. You only need to be recognised BY the Commission to be an official family. You don’t need to have a seat ON the Commission. Only the most powerful families have a seat ON the governing Commission. This is why mid-20th Century you had at least 27 official Cosa Nostra families, but fewer than 10 on the Commission. When the Bonannos lost their seat on the Commission, it still recognised them as a family. Equally, you could have a very powerful Italian organised crime group, but if it is not recognised by the Cosa Nostra Commission, it is not a Cosa Nostra family. If the Sopranos were not a family, their members would not be recognised as “friends of ours” by the Lupertazzis, which they are repeatedly. Calling them a “glorified crew” is a way of belittling them as small time hicks, not an actual statement about their official status.

[@TheKiddingStar]

Let me tell you a couple of three things: kino never misses

[@TheAngryUnboxingNerdMikeTapp]

I told ya once and I'll tell ya a fourth time . They're a glorified crew!!! Those funooks aren't a family

[@ivanenfinger9331]

I don't know, fucking slander if you ask me.

[@TheAngryUnboxingNerdMikeTapp]

@@ivanenfinger9331 lemme tell ya a couple three things ....

[@joeferris5086]

Lemme tell you a couple of three things

[@coryvincun5424]

@ivan omg hahaha

[@theantone7476]

Oh listen to him, he knows everything

[@ChamonixHouse884]

That was the smoothest ad transition I’ve ever seen. Full stop. Not to mention how well it aged and why Artie is my favorite character

[@reycastaneda5017]

I definitely enjoyed that reference from through the worm hole “getting the sopranos” video. Truly am a fan Pure Kino! Been watching since day one

[@Catdaddy510]

1:08 so you're a fanook

[@BornagainKev]

By saying they are a glorified crew, they aren't a real family, just a crew that works for New york. Carmine considers himself the boss of Tony and by extention jersey. They are a family just a small family.

[@Ed-os9uc]

The sopranos wanted to be a family, they compromised, they became a glorified crew.

[@MiSambra]

I'm on my 3rd go round of the series and these videos have been great to watch between episodes. Thanks!

[@egordontov9814]

I mean, commission is never really mentioned in the series (one exception being when Chris was forced to strip for wire not to pay Paulie for the pool loss), but De cavalcante family (which sopranos are based on) are indeed part of the commission and always have been

[@zeebow1854]

We lead the world in computerized data collection !

[@eileenmaher2101]

So what Phil was an old fashioned kind of a guy, stuck in an era hey maybe 20 years or so past. He must have had to lay low for those 20 or so years- the show never really says what he was doing or where he was for 20 years. They should have just all had a sit down about it---shared some grilled cheese and passed out complimentary boxes of tissues. That would have resolved everything.

[@JeffTheHokie]

I wonder. Is it "La Cosa Nostra" or just "Cosa Nostra". "Cosa Nostra" means "our thing". "La Cosa Nostra", which you frequently see written by Americans is "the our thing". Do Italians really use the extra "the", or it the phrase just bad translation?

[@Void7.4.14]

Couple of three things, they're a family no matter what metric or standard ya wanna use and there's no debate. We only hear the NY guys say otherwise as arrogant bluster. And note that they say this only in backrooms amongst themselves cause they wanna keep peace with the DiMeo family because they bring in a ton of money and are capable of bringing violence in a real way. They're modeled off a real life family that no one debates is a family and is actually a very legendary one. They're significantly bigger than we see on the show. We regularly see guys pop in and out seemingly out of nowhere yet everyone knows them. The story follows Tony and his immediate circle but MOST OF THE FAMILY NEVER GET SCREEN TIME AT ALL. There's a reason NY doesn't want smoke, they're not all that small and they can reach out. Other families from other parts of the country aren't on the Commission yet are legit families. Back in Southern Italy and Sicily the structure is actually made up of smaller groups. The families in NY and a couple other places are abnormally large. The norm is small, very tight-knit groups, some of which ya actually have to be blood related to enter into. So size is bs too. They honor the codes and the initiation rites vary from place to place, family to family. And I say all this as a Sicilian from Brooklyn 🙃

[@cosmicskates7721]

Wow, tfs I kind of had a feeling with the lifestyle becoming so exposed in modern times that The Real McCoy type of mafia lol um that they are super DL anymore 😆

[@michaelmcgee2026]

Idk. Another comment debated this pretty well. Better than you really.

[@superdupersketchy4524]

@@michaelmcgee2026 better than you really 🤓

[@rkokalap4899]

My main complaint is not adding more members considering irl there would be people from NY who would leave to try and get made by joining NJ

[@00_rei90]

There's also the fact that despite Jersey's haphazard way of making individuals (where there's no vetting, not observing the proper custom, as per Phil Leotardo), they could only muster roughly 50 soldiers, vs. NY's 200 soldiers, despite being much more stringent (as also implied by Phil Leotardo) in term of selection and customs. So I have to agree with Phil that team NJ is a little more than a pygmy when compared to actual families in NY

[@zackkilgore528]

“Jersey is the suburbs” Lord you did no research at all

[@gabepettiford2493]

Weather they are a crew or not, they definitely were the most connected, fear and respected family (Dimeo family) of Newark New Jersey.

[@CinCee-]

"The Commision" only refers to the NY 5 Families. The other non NY families are part of "The National Crime Syndicate"/"The Syndicate"

[@marquesjohnson6359]

I loved the sopranos it's still one of my favorite shows but they were a glorified crew and I think that was the point david chase and co. weren't trying to glamorize that life at all

[@scoliosis9478]

my favorite is when he’s negotiating in one of the later seasons about his great scores and hes got “vitamins, pool toys” like those are some great commodity

[@marquesjohnson6359]

@@scoliosis9478 I did find that hilarious that these two mob families were fighting over vitamins but tony said it back in the first episode he came in at the end and that the best times for the mob were over

[@sharkquisha3407]

Its crazy how close to the Sopranos is to real life. Some of the actors were in the mob and it doesnt surprise me that it bled into the mob world at some point. I always knew while watching the show that it was too good to all be fiction.

[@tonymontana897]

The last line was a LMFAO moment. You couldn't resist the Varsity Athlete line could you ?? So funny !!

[@jamestavierdevil9054]

The DiMeo and Lupertazzi crime families enjoy a symbiotic relationship. With its large Italian American community and rich economic activity in the ports and unions ripe for exploitation, it’s entirely natural that an Italian American crime family would evolve in Northern New Jersey concurrent with but independent of the Five Families across the River. Equally plausible is the notion that said North Jersey family would seek alignment and cooperation with one of the big five in the city. By being ‘with’ the Lupertazzis, the DiMeos get protection from any other wiseguys seeking to encroach upon their territory, specifically from the other Five Families of New York, but also conceivably from South Jersey/Atlantic City, who traditionally answer to Philadelphia. But here’s the thing that hasn’t been mentioned here: the Sopranos mythology makes clear that the DiMeo family’s roots are from Southern Italy near Naples, NOT Sicily like the Lupertazzis. Carmine and Phil Leotardo have Sicilian roots, although I believe that Johnny Sacrimoni’s family history isn’t specified. The differences in the initiation ceremonies of the two families can be attributed to the difference between the Neapolitan (Comorra) and Sicilian (La Cosa Nostra) traditions. This may be part of why the Lupertazzis tend to feel superior to their North Jersey cohorts, despite the benefits of the relationship.

[@uninhibition31]

That ending edit was *chef’s kiss* perfect

[@Papadopollus]

The Lupertazzi Family have over 200 hundred soldier and got more buttons than Tony's grandamas corset

[@hdvsmith]

😂 😂 😂 The Varsity Athlete dig was a great ending! 😂

[@1846tt]

I'd say, the main factor, within the shows logic, us the fact that they share things with NY, they don't directly kick up to them by default, they have autonomy, where as a crew by default has to pay tribute on everything they earn, and is given responsibilities, and takes direct orders.

[@jonwarhol360]

Seamless sponsorship transition, well done.

[@annabriggs4088]

BEST EVER segue into a sponsor commercial hahaha! I love you!

[@OurBrainHurtsALot]

Carmine seemed to had a good frienship with Junior and Johnny Boy, then Tony and Sack became good friends too. I think the Lupertazzi allowed the DiMeo to exist as an independent organization out of friendship, but in reality, the Lupertazzi always saw them as an extension of their own organization operating in New Jersey. "A glorified crew" of their organization. But once those friendship were gone, the families went to war and yes, Tony was able to take out Phil, but the DiMeos were the ones who recieved the biggest blows, and if Tony actually got killed at the end (which I'm 200% sure of), I'm pretty sure the DiMeo family went to crap and was probably absorbed by the Lupertazzi.

[@goodyeoman4534]

New Jersey: "What am I, a mirage?"

[@mrredeyes7021]

1:29 yeah it’s weird they made up a whole state for the show to exist in

[@agentsmith2378]

Great vid dude ty.

[@victormaitland5331]

This topic was always my favorite of the show because people looked at my family like that where I was from Southwest Detroit the Reese family…..

[@Peenurpool]

.... “And this pigmy thing we got going on in New Jersey.” ~ Phil~

[@Lesha126r]

20 fucking years in the can

[@pennystocklocks]

Me: Borko's got over 461K subcribers... Kino: I'm not scared

[@Ragdollcatlover]

Thank you for your excellent analysis of this TV show which is one of my all time favourites. I really appreciate your work.There is so much complexity & it’s much more than a drama about the mafia.

[@russblack443]

Russell Bufalino had literally the smallest family with something like 30 people but carried more power and respect than almost anyone and was usually asked to settle disputes with NY and the Midwest. The boss of the Detroit combination also sat on the commission i few different times

[@SteveBerryhill]

Great content. Love the closing lines!

[@Myhighconstitution]

The Sopranos are definitely a family. They could probably get a note from their doctor.

[@daviddeweaver6906]

😂

[@carrotslat8100]

cool vids finished up the show recently and finding your channel has been enlightening

[@gkceu8157]

Kino, please use your investigative powers to tell us the name of the song that plays when Paulie tells Chrissy to strip down to see if he’s wearing a wire. That track sounds so cool and no one on the internet knows what it is. Please!

[@isaacster5027]

Jersey looks fun. NYC and Boston are the best, and there's nothing more exciting then a trip to the big city for me, but you gotta appreciate suburban America too

[@moses2998]

You forgot to mention in within the show, that the Jersey family is connected to Naples Family.

[@NaZtRdAmUs]

"They make anybody and everybody over there"

[@IrishRepublicMedia-v5u]

Phil actually says it to Tony's face when there talking about Vito "a fanuke in his crew, he knew how to handle that".

[@dirklerxstpratt2112]

*they're

[@TheBIMCoordinator]

It sounded like it was the size of the family that determined if it had weight with the families.

[@DrJ-hx7wv]

The death of Tony Lip was a big loss. He was a tremendous presence on the show.

[@gioluvs1893]

Tony Egg was an even bigger loss.

[@BadaBing.UCF30]

@@gioluvs1893 you and Tony Egg again, marone

[@gioluvs1893]

@@BadaBing.UCF30 😭😭

[@odeleon24]

@@gioluvs1893 make us a couple of eggs

[@fatcat5053]

No makings of a varsity athlete at the end was priceless 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@alecfarber5778]

Intended or not, setting the Sopranos in New Jersey rather than New York makes it easier to believe that Tony has as much control as he does. It also allows comedic shots when intense moments happen at mundane locations, like the Mall. I felt the same about Breaking Bad, which was supposed to be set in LA, but was changed to Albuquerque for production reasons….the more mundane setting of the show makes the antihero’s success more believable, and the visuals of their “empire” kind of hilarious.

[@AegonTargaryenthesecond3096]

“The sopranos is not real” how much betrayal can my heart take

[@Professor__S]

PureKino. Dropping that last insult to Tony at the end. 🤣

[@Jupa]

That is the greatest sponsor segway I've ever seen on KZbin ever. WE LEAD THE WORLD ON COMPUTERISED DATA COLLECTION.

[@victordiaz1273]

let me tell you a couple of tree things, this video was amazing. the segway to the Nord ad was hilarious, great job man.

[@invidatauro8922]

11:00 Which is, ironically enough, another parallel with the DeCavalcante family. While being smaller than the NY families (at 60 members, haha) because they had complete control over New Jersey, they actually brought in more money than any individual NY family, mostly due to control over the ports.

[@aheroictaxidriver3180]

This reminds me of the movie "The Stone Killer." A great film.

[@jimmyjam26]

I am with Carmine on this one they were definitely a glorified crew.

[@franciscogalhetas9954]

when you were talking about how new jersey is seen by people i was thinking about that exact clip of HIMYM and just bursted laughing when i saw you added it

[@AG-tv7dv]

This kino guy is more creative then Spielberg!

[@bookaufman9643]

A decent clue as to whether it's a family or a crew is does it have its own name? Cruise are normally not named though inside the family they may say Jimmy bucket head's crew or something like that but if they were all known as the Buena Vista Family then they just might be a family.

[@virgilsierra6007]

There are crews within families, that’s basically it

[@williambozynski1176]

I think it just comes down to size of the organization. Tony reminds Chris that the Lupertazzi family has 200 soldiers. A crew might be 10-15 soldiers.

[@Degraded1]

They were a mini-family, that held their position in the mafia world higher than the other families thought of them.

[@TomOostenrijk]

A CN family doesn´t have to be in the commission to be a formally recognized family. I think Cleveland and Philly were also in the commission at some point. Nowadays all of the smaller families have been represented by the Genovese or by the Outfit.

[@edgarsantos2340]

Sopranos a Glorified Crew? How much betrayal can i take... I feel like i've been stabbed in the heart.

[@cpsway]

They are definitely a family because they, despite Phil's disgust with the ceremony, make their members "friends" that are treated with the same respect "friends" from other families treat each other. A crew can not make someone a "friend" a captain can suggest someone for it but it is a decision by and a ceremony conducted by a family.

[@theScrupulousBerserker]

Well done, per usual. Solid shout-out to Buffalo too 💪🏽🦬

[@JoJoJoker]

The biggest family-owned grocery store in a small town is “just a glorified Dollar General store”.

[@davidw9795]

I know this is about the fictional families in the show, but in real life the New York families had 'jersey crews' and if you look up info about them you can see some of the crews were estimated to be about the same size as the family in Jersey, the DeCavalcantes.

[@809Alan]

definitely, the Genovese NJ Crew dominated North Jersey (along with Accetturo crew). They left nothing for the Decavalcantes lol

[@davidw9795]

@@809Alan Yeah between the Genovese's the Lucchesee's and the Philly North Jersey crews there wasn't too much of Jersey left for the Decavalcantes to chop up.

[@supremeworld87]

it's alot simpler than that. the di meos are simply tiny compared to the NY families. the ny families had 100s of made men. the di meos in the show have a fraction of that. the di meos are also based more on the luchesse familys "Jersey crew" which literally are just a crew - and this relationship is depicted in the show via the lupertazzi/di meo association. the Jersey crew was also founded in Newark, much like the di meos in the show