Tony And Ralph Talk About Jackie Jr. - The Sopranos HD

"Who Cares About The Shit People Say That They Don't Have The Balls To Say To Your Face"

[@doublea6586]

Damn, love how Tony is indirectly telling Ralph that this is all his fault.

[@RebelKingfrom1995]

It was though

[@ZackMorris1]

Wasn't Ralph the one who told Jackie Jr about Tony robbing a card game when he was younger?

[@samortmann5003]

@@ZackMorris1 And giving him a gun.

[@ZackMorris1]

@@samortmann5003 Yep that revolver, forgot about that. So many deep layers to this show we're talking about it over a decade later. How can you say it's not one of the best ever?!?

[@kendrickallen7952]

Yes he was...wtf

[@kiko1935]

Tony saying "all the guys will understand" is the mafia version of when your girlfriend says "it's fine".

[@user-ce1cu5my4j]

Or your mon says "do whatever you want"

[@khanyancoyini1053]

Or your Dad saying, "You got a problem boy?"

[@robertswitzer990]

Or your Uncle saying, "Time for our secret fun game."

[@SectionChief]

​@@robertswitzer990 none of my uncles.

[@diablo9799]

@@robertswitzer990 uncle philly my ass

[@jimmy1154]

The Italian hugs are just everyone checking everyone else for a wire.

[@wizarddog5049]

The less the pat each other on the back the more they trust each other

[@RAMROD1847]

Its abit dumb for them to not notice the entire camera crew, but then again....they are Italian.

[@dylanjamessparks]

@@RAMROD1847 fuckin stunad over here

[@Void7.4.14]

Yeah, cause we're all LCN. Right.

[@rwood87]

Italian or Mafia hugs?

[@pokey38]

'You schooled him as best as you could......Didnt ya?' Was the defining moment in this clip

[@gtxx6699]

and then handing over Ralphie's gun for the coup de grace

[@bumfricker2487]

@@gtxx6699 yes. "Don't blame yourself for this. You tried your best to help him...right?" "...Anyways here's the gun you stupidly gave him, a perfect microcosm of how it's 100% your fault for leading him wrong."

[@Billbilly6969]

Yep💯. That's when they both new it was gonna be good bye to Mr X in Chalky's/Omar apartment.

[@GoGetYourShinebox]

Sad when they go young like that

[@socalgoombah8233]

@@GoGetYourShinebox When they go!?!? C'mon huh!

[@robshastri1346]

“You schooled him as best you could....Didn’t ya ??” Superb and menacing 👍🏼👍🏼

[@arserobinson7118]

"who cares about shit that gets said behind your back nd not to your face", Tony said that knowing fully well it would put the final nail in Jackie's coffin, if the others were to perceive Ralph as weak and gossip about him hurting his ego.

[@JagerLange]

"I'm sure you did. Oh btw here's that gun of yours he was carrying around" - the humiliation is total.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Tony blamed Ralphy for leading Jackie down the dark path but Ralph knew the kid was going there anyway and just tried to make him ready for it. Everyone else spoiled and indulged Jackie Jr. except Ralph.

[@tomace4898]

Trolling Ralph hard.

[@robshastri1346]

@@flightofthebumblebee9529 Not at all. Ralph didn’t give a crap about Jackie. He could tell JJ was an incompetent dummy who’d be easily manipulated. He just wanted to rope him in deeper into a life of crime b/c a) he’s a twisted guy who enjoys the depravity of others and b) he knew Tony was against it and it was his way of saying F you to him.

[@a.d.3606]

*Mafia to (English) translation (from **0:52**)* Ralph: He did a terrible thing (he's supposed to die for this) Tony: Terrible... Your fkin card game (Yup... And its your job to kill him) Ralph: I know how close you are to the family (Yeah... it'd be hard for you to kill him) Tony: Nah... I feel for you... You're living under the same roof (Actually, its gonna be hard for you to do this) Ralph: And it was my card game... (Yeah i get it... i'm supposed to kill him) Tony: (Yup) Ralph: But what happened to Sunshine was a disgrace (Yeah... like... Jackie really really has to die) Tony: (yup) Ralph: (you gonna say something?) To tell you the truth Tony... I want to give the kid a pass (I don't want to be responsible for this) Tony: Yeah? (Are you fvkin kidding?) Ralph: Its just me though, i know you got bigger concerns, you're the boss, and I'll make sure your orders are done whatever they may be (Well i'm not going to do it willingly, but if you force me to then fine. I'll kill the kid) Tony: Well i think you should go with your instincts on this Ralph. (I'm not ordering sh*t. What you do is on you.) Ralph: (Fvkkkk....) You do? (Come on man...) ... (Fvkkkk....) But Furio took a hit... and Chris... these are made men... (Well if I don't kill Jackie, its going to look bad on the family) Tony: I'll make sure they respect your decision. Cuz i'm sure you're gonna do the right thing.... That's why I made you captain (Oh the family ain't gonna look bad. This is all on you. All of this is on you, so don't put this on anyone else. Because you're going to have to kill Jackie) Ralph: This is Rosalie's kid (please don't make me... ) Tony: That's why I understand if you want to give him a pass. And I'm sure everyone else will understand too. And who cares about shit they say they don't have the balls to say to your face (If you don't do this, I'm going to make it clear to everyone that you're choosing against our own made guys and the family, you two faced sh*t talking fvk) Ralph: (This is how its going to be huh?) Tony: The kid disrespected you... but they don't have to live with your commitments... (Besides, you don't kill him then you look like a weak lil b*tch. And you fully put yourself in all of this you egomaniac) Ralph: (GG Good Game) Tony: And if the decision goes the other way... the one thing you can't do is blame yourself (Blame yourself you narcisistic fvk) You took this kid under your wing. You schooled him as best as you could... Didn't ya? (You completely fvked up my best friend's kid. I'm not gonna forget this. ) Ralph: .... Jack spoiled him... (Not my fault... besides, you can't prove it... ) Tony: I think this is yours... stupid kid was carrying it around during the holidays... (lets continue this converation in your kitchen some day) Ralph: (ever tasted bug spray?)

[@fredsibarney7094]

Briliant analysis

[@devanjackson8156]

SPOT ON TRANSLATION! You know, I myself just so happen to speak a little Wiseguyish... even though some of their specific dialect isn't translatable to English, I'd say your decipher is 98% accurate.

[@khanyancoyini1053]

Fucking awesome!!!

[@isaiahcoe6532]

Brilliant

[@jamesmorant1406]

Fantastic couldn't have said it any better

[@doorswhofan]

Boy, this is a masterful scene. All innuendo, all tongue in cheek. But still totally blistering. Two enemies, thinly feigning friendship, playing chess one against the other. Each knowing the other's motivations, each knowing it's all a bullshit stageplay, but neither really wanting to come fully out in the open.

[@KA-rp5uh]

wow. sounds like the corporate world.

[@myrixica4222]

Cut to jackie tipping over the chess board cause he doesn't have the patience to learn or the intellect to play.

[@doorswhofan]

@@myrixica4222 And that was really the whole basis of his downfall: He looked for shortcuts in everything.

[@mskcrc]

@@myrixica4222 Dead on. Jackie represents an archetype of a youth who doesn’t know how to earn what he wants, but doesn’t have the brains know even know that much. It’s a bit of a straw man, but Chase and his writers had a lot of obvious contempt for children and young adults around the turn of the century. He represents one of three major types of youths at that time. Meadow and AJ are the other two: hypocritical, spoiled overachiever and spoiled-rotten do-nothing, respectively.

[@Dan6erous]

And Tony saving the last move for pleasure - returning Ralph's gun.

[@paperdoll5467]

Listening to Tony in this scene, you can see how he really did take lessons about insight and human behavior he learned from Melfi and used them in his mafia life, just like was confirmed at the dinner party at the end of the series. Brilliant writing as always.

[@clintzuleger8918]

He learned it from Carmine as well as other old school mafiosos as well. “Are saying what I think your saying?” “I didn’t say nothin’.”

[@paperdoll5467]

@@clintzuleger8918 hahaha...yes.

[@ggsimmonds1]

It was a skill he had before; its how he rose to the position he was in at the start of the series. MSON touches on Tony's intellect as well. I think what the scene touched on was peak Tony vs impulsive, anger control issues Tony. This scene is calculating Tony that rose to be the boss. But then there are other times where impulsive Tony takes charge (like when he created the problem with Ralph by hitting him). Ideally Melfi was suppose to be helping Tony get that hot-headed and impulsiveness under control so calculating Tony can always be in control, but she failed as a therapist.

[@doorswhofan]

@@ggsimmonds1 I agree with you 100% up until your contention that Melfi failed as a therapist. I would say she was powerless as a therapist to do anything about Tony's sociopathy. It's more or less gospel in the world of psychology/psychiatry that sociopathy (and its sibling, psychopathy) are untreatable conditions. This is why once she realized who/what he really was, she dumped him as a client.

[@ggsimmonds1]

@@doorswhofan Your last statement is where the source of our disagreement lies. I think she realized MUCH sooner that Tony was untreatable. And I think she kept him as a client long after coming to that conclusion

[@ericwilliams398]

Big Sopranos fan here, I feel stupid because I always thought Ralph was being a tough guy killing Jackie. But Tony wasn’t giving him a pass, he subtly told him what to do. Genius writers this show had

[@pecanview]

I'm a big fan too. How do you figure Tony wanted Jackie wacked? All due respect, I don't see it AT ALL

[@Grahf0]

@@pecanview Note Tony's facial expression and response when Ralph says he wants to give Jackie a pass, and the fact that he continually highlights the ties Ralph has to all of this, along with his framing of "everyone" in terms of the decision Ralph makes. When he gives the gun back to Ralph, it is to hammer home the point that Ralph bears some sort of responsibility for this.

[@dennisfischer7676]

@@pecanview For me it was when he said "the one thing you can not do is blame yourself" when we know, and Ralph knows, and Tony knows that Ralph bears a huge amount of blame

[@mskcrc]

@@dennisfischer7676 And Tony let him know by saying, "I think this is yours," while handing over the gun. He's setting Ralphie up to do what he doesn't want to do. A power game. And Tony wins.

[@reflection8578]

@@mskcrcbasically saying “I think this is your situation to handle” while handing over a gun.

[@ulisesaranda6987]

Love Tony's pause after "this is Rosalie's kid." He legit felt that because he's thinking to himself, "this is Jackie's kid."

[@spankeemcnuggets]

Every conversation between ralph and tony is like a chess match

[@The_Gallowglass]

It is also "encoded" because the FEDs or whoever could be listening.

[@Marvin-dg8vj]

@@The_Gallowglass you don't use the obvious words because you don't know who is going to rat you out

[@louthegiantcookie]

"I'm sure you're gonna do the right thing." That's a great way to say a whole lot whilst saying nothing at all. I love it when the characters talk in code like that. It's one of the things which makes the show so interesting.

[@Chameleonardodavinci]

Yeah when Carmine Sr. did his whole "frogs' legs" routine it always left me wanting more

[@justinwyatt8]

Yes the dialogue in this show is so symphonic

[@kidcudi908]

What are you an expert critic now, fucking Matt helm

[@kidnameless]

I appreciate your thoughts.

[@TheJayLordx]

If you're wise to it though it should raise a red flag. Nobody ever says that phrase without an ulterior motive

[@colinpreston80]

Let's be honest, they both knew what had to be done. And neither of them wanted to do it.

[@robshastri1346]

Colin Preston Rather trying to pin it on the other...Tony giving him back the gun was the icing on the cake

[@ExploratoryResearch]

Tony wanted him to spare Jackie's life. He gave him the gun after saying "You schooled him as best you could" the point being that Ralph was a shitty influence and he did what he did because Ralph was a shitty mentor. This whole scene is Tony trying to save Jackie, without having to be the one doing it so he doesn't catch any flak. "Who Cares About The Shit People Say That They Don't Have The Balls To Say To Your Face" The irony of this is Tony clearly does care. All the while he's trying to tell Ralph something he can't say directly.

[@robshastri1346]

Negative....thats where we disagree. Here’s my point: neither Tony nor Ralphie were trying to save Jackie. They BOTH knew he HAD to go. They just wanted the OTHER to make the inevitable decision. There’s no sentimentality involved: Don’t forget that Tony clipped Tony B when it was the right call.. The whole scene is Tony subtly but clearly telling Ralphie: This is your situation. Jackie’s f**up actions are partly on your poor guidance...and it was your Card game. So clean up your mess. Jackie was dead no matter what. They both knew that.

[@SuperGrimupnorth]

agreed..

[@brando36922]

@@ExploratoryResearch regardless if Ralph's influence he still would of done some stupid shit that got him killed!

[@brianbernstein3826]

when Tony puts the gun on the table and says "I think this is yours" he's letting Ralph know he knows Ralph egged them on

[@mjremy2605]

"But the one thing you cannot do, Ralph, you cannot do... is blame yourself. You took this kid under your wing, you schooled him as best you could, didn't ya?" Tony's expression of absolute contempt contradicts his actual words. The message is so clear. He turned out like this because of you, Ralph. And all the other hints - disrespect, others talking behind your back, etc. are veiled threats to Ralph that he has to do the needful, when Ralph tries to chicken out. This scene is such masterful acting by Tony. His expressions convey everything. He is telling Ralph to kill Jackie Jr. but making it his 'choice'. What is also loud and clear is that Ralph at heart is a coward and lacks judgement. He is also a Narcissist. He has no problem bullying and killing Tracie, a young stripper from Bada Bing he made pregnant for something disrespectful she said, in a fit of Narcissistic rage, but when his foster son, Jackie Jr. kills guests at Ralph's card game, shoots at Chris and Furio, and tries to rob the game, he hesitates about what needs to be done and tries to weasel out of it, laying it at Tony's feet. Tony's having none of it, and deftly puts it back on Ralph. Ralph's last remark, "Jack spoiled him", another Narc trait when they cannot accept any responsibility for their actions and blame others. Exquisite piece of acting by Gandolfini, and superb writing with the subtle innuendoes. The camera, lights, closeups, this is a gem. What an incredible show this was. Wish JG was still with us.

[@PennyHardaway24]

perfectly depicted. This comment should be pinned.

[@rowmagnvs]

Good write up. Also when Tony pulls the revolver out which basically drives his point home on how shitty an influence Ralph was on Jackie Jr lol

[@billballinger5056]

>has to do the needful

[@SneedEmFeedEm292]

wtf is "doing the needful"? i mean i get what you mean but why did you say it like that? are you indian?

[@sawyeratkinson]

Then Tony showing Ralph the .38 saying "no, you _spoiled_ him" in every sense of the word

[@johnweenus3939]

“Who cares about shit they don’t have the balls to say to your face” is such a great line because more or less everyone in that life has their murders planned and conspired behind their back. It was a warning from Tony

[@jimmywalker9121]

Would be weird if they were consulted about their own murder, would give away the element of surprise I reckon.

[@rohunsaigal2576]

@@jimmywalker9121 I think that's the warning, he's implying that if Ralph balks on this the guys in his crew are gonna start talking behind his back, and who knows what they're gonna conclude...

[@johnweenus3939]

@@rohunsaigal2576 exactly

[@gtxx6699]

@@jimmywalker9121 get a load of this fuckin wise guy

[@joshblanchard3719]

If Ralph doesn't do this he'll be undermined.

[@ITSMRZFG]

Despite him playing terrible characters Joe Pantoliano is underrated

[@doublea6586]

Absolutely.

[@redgringrumboldt8983]

He is good at his craft of playing those characters lol. I HATE Ralph! But I know the actor is what makes him so unlikable.

[@ITSMRZFG]

@@redgringrumboldt8983 right

[@drew2464]

Wouldn't say particularly underrated. He won an Emmy for his role as Ralph Cifaretto. One of the great TV antagonists of the 2000's.

[@Chameleonardodavinci]

I just can't help but like him in spite of everything, even root for him.

[@MobKnowledge]

Both of them trying to pass the buck to the other; they both knew the little shit had to die but neither of them wanted the blood of Jackie's kid on their hands. Ralph doesn't want to call the hit himself; he's trying to prod Tony into ordering him to do it and Tony sees right through it and isn't having that shit.

[@AJ-is5ut]

BOOM 💥!

[@mskcrc]

And it's not a moral thing. Ralph just doesn't want to deal with the fallout of killing his de facto stepson because it's going to inconvenience him.

[@justfit4610]

Don’t pass the buck man...that’s weak

[@davidgangemi3314]

Spot on assessment!

[@fatdaddyeddiejr]

It's sad because Tony did everything he could to keep Jackie Jr away from a life of crime. And Meadow will still blame her father for Jackie Jr death.

[@sarmatiancougar7556]

This scene is so great. Tony didn’t want to kill Jackie’s son but he he knew everyone is going to hate him for letting Jackie Jr. live. So he made Ralph make the decision instead of arguing with him about it. Jackie’s blood or family members’ outrage, it would have been Ralph’s problem either way.

[@richardoh6921]

He wanted to give him a pass and wanted ralph to make that decision

[@RevealedFilms]

@@richardoh6921 no he didn’t, he was manipulating Ralph and playing on his ego with the ‘who cares, what they say behind your back’. If he loses respect of his crew, he loses money and possibly his life down the line.

[@richardoh6921]

@@RevealedFilms there was another episode where tony says we talked about this, you were gonna give him a pass. Look how tony gets excited and happy when ralph says he wants to give him a pass and tony says don’t worry about what other people think. He also stopped Christopher from wacking Jackie.

[@drivernephi2212]

@@richardoh6921 No, it was very obvious both of them knew Jackie Jr. had to die or both of them would face mutiny from their underlings, but absolutely neither of them wanted to do it because Jackie Jr. was Tony's best friend's son and the ex of his daughter, and Ralph was dating Jackie Jr.'s mother and had been something of a father figure to Jackie Jr., as much as someone like Ralph can possibly be. The "don't worry about what other people think" is just 120% complete bullshit. Worrying about what other people think is what these people do 8 hours a day. it's more of a warning from Tony to Ralphie that you're going to get whacked for making the wrong decision here and Ralph knows the implication behind the comment and Ralph knows that Tony knows that Ralph knows it.

[@marudoethiopia]

@@RevealedFilms Both of you are wrong. There was no manipulation here. Tony was giving Ralph instructions that he has to kill Jackie.

[@sacred1827]

Great scene. Within Tony's apparently sympathetic words he's making it very clear that this is Ralph's responsibility and everyone is watching him.

[@PatrickForrest-pv4wv]

Also pretty much said, “you know what you gotta do and if you don’t take care of it, we’ll take care of you”.

[@skullbuster334]

I love how in the beginning when Patsy come in, he's holding a sandwich. To think he doesn't trust Ralph to the point were he won't even leave his food alone for 20 seconds is hilarious.

[@benriffle104]

Good catch. Patsy was probably thinking Ralph was going to rub his balls on his meat.

[@rickyhurtado]

Lololol

[@MatthewMopo]

Probably a wire in the sandwich

[@kidcudi908]

So your like and expert observer now, fucking Matt helm

[@John-sr2hr]

@@MatthewMopo lol now I just picture patsy carrying around that sandwich everywhere he goes. Just holding a moldy sandwich during every meeting

[@JMD533]

“You cannot blame this on yourself” then “you took this kid under your wing” (it’s entirely your fault) lol Tony was so great at double speak

[@johnk.7523]

Let's be real. Imo this is one of the absolute best scenes in the entire show. The dialogue, the acting, the back and forth shots between the two. It is just awesome.

[@partyandbullshit45]

Mental chess game

[@seekeroftruth101]

Despite the botched job Jackie did on the card game, had he played his cards right, got with Meadow, married her and been a good, loyal husband, he could've eventually worked in with Tony and down the line been possibly a Boss. I mean talk about not thinking straight.

[@dcbanacek2]

@Tim Kozlowski All these guys look in the mirror and see Michael, what the mirror sees is Fredo.

[@thamayor6324]

@A S photography sounds like Carlo in godfather

[@colebendoggettyounger2610]

Jackie didn't have the brains or potential like Joey Peeps. That's the problem. He thought he was way bigger than what he was and when he tried to "step up" he got eliminated. Now Chin gigante screwed up on the Frank Costello situation but after Costello retired his star rose.

[@marks.6480]

Nah. Jackie's balls were bigger than his brain. He's not nearly smart enough to be a boss.

[@JaySports644]

Or he should have just stayed in college. Graduated and lived a civilian life paying taxes and made an honest living. After all that's what Tony wanted for him. The people he really cared about, he never wanted them in his line of business. One of Tonys few positive attributes.

[@whateverittakes1673]

The layer of bullshit floating underneath this seemingly empathetic exchange is exquisite.

[@Jgregoire108]

Love how they are trying to pass on the responsibility back and forth. Ralph is trying to make it Tony's responsibility (which Ralph could use later if goes either way), while Tony, figuring out Ralph's game plan, it subtly handing it back to Ralph (so that Tony can then use later as well).

[@Lite727]

The most cryptic conversation in the history of television

[@samconnelly6289]

I love the scenes like this where it shows how smart and manipulative Tony is. Usually he's just raging at people but every now and then they show how calculating and intelligent he really is and it's that aspect as well as his strength and force of personality that got him to the boss position in the first place.

[@bashbrannigan]

This is where the writing and acting gets great. Tony is saying it’s Ralph’s decision, but meanwhile he’s really saying the kid has to die. But the way the actors played it was also impressive. Both actors played fake compassion; fake because their characters are actually psychopaths.

[@tommydrake86]

great acting!!..not sure imo that tony wanted jackie killed due to the promise to his father so made ralph responsible for the decision and tony avoid guilt

[@scavone72]

Im so thick. I can’t believe I didn’t catch all the sarcasm and innuendo in this conversation the first time around. Amazing

[@BABYFACEBEASTIE]

This is Tony telling him to kill Jackie. But not directly saying it.

[@Newton2222]

Sharp as a fuckin' cue ball.

[@JohnDoeTheGoodGuy]

Charles Schwab over here.

[@BABYFACEBEASTIE]

You guys are mean :(

[@JohnDoeTheGoodGuy]

We're just breaking balls.

[@BABYFACEBEASTIE]

John Doe you'd make me happier if you served me a plate of gaba gool.

[@boxmad5523]

Amazing scene, on the face of it they’re talking like what’s happened is no big deal and Jackie isn’t in trouble, but under the surface every line spoken means something else entirely and something far more sinister, unbelievable writing and acting.

[@MrBudcole]

I watched this series in real-time, when it was happening. Never missed an episode. And, all these years later, I'm still realizing what GREAT writing and acting this was. Tony - in this scene - basically told Ralph "I know it was you", in the same vane as Michael Corleone telling Fredo the same thing, only less obvious.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

I watched it real time as well. Same with Deadwood and the Wire and Breaking Bad etc. Shows are way better in real time VS simply marathoning them.

[@mrgonzo2139]

@@flightofthebumblebee9529 it definitely is better too watch in real time and wait for em but man it's still super fun too watch em all in 2-4 days. Episode after episode. Like breaking bad I had too watch that series 3-4 times jus too understand some of the more subtle things. It's still great no matter how you watched it

[@Ken_Scaletta]

James Gandolfini may have given the greatest performance in television history with this character. The more times you watch it, the more impressive he is. He's so nuanced and realistic with a role that many actors would have gone over the top with. I also don't know how many other actors could have made a character who does terrible things for a living somehow still sympathetic and likeable.

[@SynBlades]

Other than the murder and crime, James is Tony Soprano. In real life he was both extremely good and destructive to himself.

[@rahatahmed6188]

Exactly, he’s so realistic.

[@johnysac420]

Ralphy was acting so hard.. he inspired jackie to do this with that card game story..

[@denverbritto5606]

not intentionally, he didn't expect him to go and actually do it

[@r6854]

@@denverbritto5606 I don't know, he definitely planted the seed. Seemed like he was goading Jackie Jr. into doing something stupid. Like maybe he got a kick out of manipulating the old boss's son.

[@mskcrc]

@@r6854 I think he just likes when other people do psychopathic shit like he does. He revels in the pain and suffering.

[@joeblough261]

It was more than just the card game story. It was him taking the kid along when "he had to make a stop". Tony asked him, "why the fuck would you take Jackie's kid?" and explains that his stupid shit is why he's getting passed over. But in Ralphie's defense, the kid was the Hair Apparent.

[@r6854]

@@joeblough261 A reoccurring theme in this show was that when one of them lost power either through death or jail the others would pick their families apart. When it looked like Tony was going to get whacked that mobster messed with Meadow. When Johnny Sacs went to jail they messed with his brother-in-law. When the guy who owned the sanitation company died they beat up his son. They got off on picking on people who were previously 'untouchable.'

[@Prospek23]

Brilliant writing. Jesus this scene is written so well. This scene shows why Tony is boss… he might have anger issues… but his art of manipulation, semantics and gas lighting is subtle that if you’re not a fan of the Sopranos….. you would think he’s being genuine.

[@AntonioLopez-bc6qg]

These two had a few of my favorite scenes- This scene, the scene where Ralphie apologizes, the scene where Tony names him captain, the scene where Ralph turns down the drink, and Ralph's death scene

[@lorettanapish1278]

Damm he is a good actor. RIP James!

[@davidsamueld2015]

Ralphie knows that Tony knows that Ralphie talked Jackie into it to have Tony have to make the call to punish Jackie for the same crime Tony got away with as a kid. And Tony puts it back on Ralphie. So Ralphie had no choice but to kill Jackie.

[@leonpaelinck]

I'm not sure Tony knows Ralph told him that story. But that's also another reason why Ralph needs to kill him.

[@christofferjenzen78]

Ralph didnt talk the idiot into robbing made men,he told a story the kid absorbed and clung to like a disease. Jackie jr was always gonna die early,weird he survived that long.

[@iyerzzzzz]

This is the conversation I have with my boss if I need to sack someone in my team

[@MobKnowledge]

It's actually shocking how much the Sopranos reflects corporate culture, except at our workplace we don't get free weekly meals at a lavish Italian restaurant.

[@johnnydanger1305]

Don’t go comparing this video to your dungeons and dragons social meeting club. Bozo

[@obiwankenobi9439]

Don't burn your boss' fav horse!

[@mattmac1271]

@@MobKnowledge it’s amazing how it reflects what the federal government has turned into. The corporations take their matching orders from them

[@area51ville]

this whole thing is a song and dance they both take turn doing spin jobs of what they really mean. Like when Tony said "they dont have to live with commitments" in this case if he gives jackie a pass meaning the guys wont respect ralph in that case.

[@plo8450]

Tony's 'I didn't say nothing' moment.

[@Xenophanes198]

Underrated comment.

[@vasilisvasiliadis3256]

Everything Tony says to Ralph he means the opposite, unbelievable. He guides Ralph to do what he wants him to do but without yelling or ordering him. Smooth.

[@rufuspipemos]

The look on Tony's face after he says "Didn't ya?" at 2:54... The best two seconds of acting in the whole series.

[@jamestalbot9190]

Fucking A

[@timovangalen1589]

“I paid enough John. I paid a lot.”

[@josephtalmadge3108]

Ralph's look outside after that meeting says it all

[@clevelandlawrence]

This was an argument about who would make the call. I have always loved the intensity of the unspoken parts,

[@TonyDucks89]

Best mafia sit-down ever on the screen. You can see the games they are playing.

[@killadog84]

Tony saved pulling that gun out to the very end... That was the clincher.

[@igano111]

The writing in the Sopranos is phenomenal. Great stuff.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

You don’t appreciate the cinematography and lighting on this show til you go back and forth seeing clips of other TV shows. This shot here: 0:12 Just flawless.

[@mikedevaney3507]

My favorite scene. They both keep trying to pass the responsibility on to each other

[@bmo14lax]

Lets be clear, there was no decision to be made here, but Tony sure did stroke Ralph to make sure he got the mesage.

[@DiddyKongVsLuigi]

I love this conversation. Its such an obvious game of hot potato and innuendos. Not to mention the shame or lack of shame, disappointment, and a pissed off Tony. For real, the way Tony basically says, “You piece of shit, clean up your mess and I know what you did.” Crazy. And the way Tony puts the gun on the table, man. That’s basically a mic drop if I ever did see one. All Tone had to do was pull that gun out before the speech and say, “Save your breath. Here, use this.” And boom, Ralph would’ve gotten it. The conversation Ton and Ralph had, Ton basically killed Ralph in it. The Gun on the table was basically kicking a man while he’s down, if the man had no legs. Beating a dead horse with a sack of dead horses. 😂

[@darenturner24]

So much game involved. Brilliant!

[@adamantium4999]

James Gandolfini acting as Tony Soprano acting as if he being a friend to Ralph, acting like he isn’t completely to blame for Jackie Jr and must suffer the consequences for it. Elite.

[@jules11788]

"You schooled him as best you could... didn't ya?" That line right there, along with Tony's look of disappointment, changed the course of Ralphie's thinking on the matter.

[@jumahbrady670]

Facts 💯

[@MoeFokah]

Best he could, n kid still wound up a fuck Up! There's a diss in there somewhere.

[@alastairbeaumont9578]

In the old days of Carlo Gambino, Caporegimes of “The Thing of Theirs” used to visit his quaint house, be metaphorically disarmed by Don Carlo’s sweet natured wife, await an audience with the man himself and, once inside the old man’s study, simply mention a name of whoever had done something that could potentially warrant a death sentence. Don Carlo would simply nod or shake his head. But this scene, this turns it on itself. It tells a nod with a shake. A thumbs up with a thumbs down. A frown with a smile. Laymen see it as bitchy. To those in the know, it is understood what is actually being said. Beautifully written and perfectly performed. My favourite line in this scene is Tony’s “Yeah?” to Ralph’s desire on giving Giacome “Jackie Jr” Aprile a pass. That “Yeah?” becomes a nucleus to what happens next. A doorway to a far more subliminally menacing exchange.

[@odomodometer]

What a scene! Great acting by both.

[@95jAlfinse]

What an absolutely genius scene Flawless acted Impeccably written Complex Subtle Amazing.

[@ainsleybishop4908]

As masterful as this acting was by Joe Pantoliano, let's not forget how tremendous he was in The Goonies. Overlooked son, always expected to do the grunt work so his delicate brother didn't have to sully his hands while hunting for a gang of kids to potentially murder in search of a dead pirate's booty. So basically, a prequel to The Sopranos.

[@k0530694]

This is the best written scene in the whole series.

[@erichodge567]

It is amazing in its subtlety.

[@dennisneo1608]

What? better than 'there's a bee on a yourr 'at"?

[@erichodge567]

@@dennisneo1608 you've definitely got a point there.

[@86mits]

Tony practically told him to kill Jackie Jr without telling him to kill Jackie Jr. The same tactic used by Carmine Lupertazzi when he wanted to order a hit on Johnny Sack from Tony.

[@recruitmentch]

I didn't say nuttin

[@Kloverkill]

What a great scene, each pushing the responsibility for the decision back and forth across the table.

[@christophergargaro959]

James acting in this scene is masterful. I love how internally we can all translate this scene from mafiaspeak to English internally. Mafia: “I think you should go with your instincts on this Ralph”. (English: You caused this therefore you are making the decision, not me) M: “That’s why I made you Captain”. (E: I made you Captain to resolve the dispute from you killing Tracee and me hitting you. This is my revenge for you disrespecting me, again you are making this decision.) M: “You took that kid under your wing and schooled him as best you could…didn’t ya?” E: We both know you absolutely failed as a mentor to Jackie. You fucked this up every possible way and I want to stick the knife inAnd twist hard before I make you order the murder of Jackie Aprille’s son)

[@Emanuel-bm9vn]

😂😂 Tony was at his peak in this scene. Pure manipulation at its finest. All those Melfi sessions helped him become more cunning with the way he’d use his words.

[@seanjoseph1700]

Tony is a master at manipulation

[@jayr3381]

He really isn't. Neither is Johnny Sack.

[@dannybodros5180]

Not as good at it as his mother.

[@dannybodros5180]

@Leeroy Smith Nice try, but a manipulator never admits he's a manipulator.

[@kevinstewart4123]

No Tony is a good businessman and a great boss

[@elpina9657]

He learn from the best: Livia

[@devanman7920]

Best scene in the show for me. The great game of them shifting the blame and responsibility back and forward to eachother!

[@The_Gallowglass]

Ralph is an asshat. I'm glad he got what was comin' to him.

[@Mr.BeastFacts]

Silvio: I’m gonna go make two phone calls.

[@LD-hq4ek]

“Who cares about shit they say if they got no balls to say that to your face.”

[@KNByam]

lmao, manipulation at its finest.

[@SMFFL100]

Tony and sill playing cards with that lighting should be a framed painting. Its amazing cinematography

[@NewWesternFront]

i thought so too with the shot at the end of them both with their hands on their mouths in stern consternation, facing each other, almost equal distance from each other and the edge of the frame

[@Chameleonardodavinci]

The shadowplay and lighting in Sopranos is some of my favourite ever, a lot of it reminds me of Caravaggio or Rembrandt with all the heavy shadows and gold-brown hues.

[@alexjaybrady]

tony loving every second

[@BirdGang6]

I love Tony’s “and who cares about shit they say that they don’t have the balls to say to your face” He’s openly telling Ralph that all the guys are talking shit about him lol

[@jumahbrady670]

Facts 💯

[@fireboltinc5712]

I like how this scene shows that Ralph was capable of caring about someone else. He didn't want Jackie Jr. to die, but he knew there were consequences.

[@xgymratx]

Ralph still a sociopath.....he lived with jackie and his mom this was going to disrupt his life....ralph cared more about ralph than anyone else

[@christofferjenzen78]

@@xgymratx He said capable of caring about someone else, not caring more about someone else than himself. He's selfish and egocentric,most of them are.

[@myblacklab7]

He doesn't care - it's all 100% selfishness. Jackie was his ally, and he was grooming Jackie to be in his crew. He knows he'll have to deal with grief, if he kills his girlfriend's son. Everything Ralph does is determined 100% by his self-interest.

[@lucidjuicekid]

Clever scene.

[@brucemichaelgrossman4913]

The lighting in this scene is magnificent. They’re both completely covered in shadows.

[@thomasbonner8464]

A masterclass in acting and writing

[@StudioMod]

Tony giving Ralph the gun was his way of saying, "we both know you could have done much better with Jackie Jr".

[@JeffreyGillespie]

This is the best writing in the history of television.

[@martinpena547]

Mad Men is far superior

[@pinky882]

One of the best scenes in the entire series.

[@richardbarcaricchio]

I cannot adequately explain how beautifully lit and shot this scene is. It might be the greatest example of cinematographic art in TV history. That first shot could be a Rembrandt. Hell, EVERY SHOT could be. It's just stunning.

[@gabrielM1111]

Such a powerful scene. 2 craftsman actors right there.

[@jasonantigua6825]

Ralph was such a good role model too!

[@jerryantoine7568]

Really?

[@souldreamer9056]

My favourite scene from the Sopranos. So many layers of subtext.

[@danielromero9782]

Tony and Ralph dropping major bars 🔥

[@WestIndianAK]

This scene completely threw me for years after I first watched it. I honestly thought most of the things Tony said to Ralph in this convo could be taken at face value. I had to watch it with the director's commentary playing and hear David Chase himself saying Tony was actually orchestrating Jackie Jr.'s death in code to realize what was *really* going on. 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@DavidB-xi5tj]

The subtext. Love it.

[@AriusBLK]

One of the best written scenes of all time.

[@RebelKingfrom1995]

I love the darkness in this scene.

[@johnsteagle5947]

Re-watching the Sopranos, and this scene is so brutal. It's a shame they left out the part when Ralphie walks out of Satriale's with that devastated look on his face, or when he starts tearing up while he tells Rosalie some bullshit about Jackie being into drugs, knowing its just an alibi for his coming death. Jackie wanted to live the life, but Tony wasn't going to help him do that. After seeing Jackie at the strip club, Tony lost faith in Jackie and wanted him gone for disrespecting his daughter. Jackie fucks up big, and Tony uses the opportunity put it on Ralphie to "make the call," while letting him know exactly what he wanted Ralphie to do. Granted, Ralphie was showing Jackie the ropes against Tony's wishes, it goes to show how cold blooded Tony is and how ruthless the life is. Jackie Sr was Tony's best friend. Tony probably held Jackie Jr once or twice before he was even a month old. It reminds me of Pine Barrens, when the Russian dude is tearing up talking about his friend and how he loves him like a brother, and then next minute Tony's on the phone like, "yeah, you have to kill this dude" There are no good guys in this show. Only scumbags and tragedies

[@christofferjenzen78]

Havent seen the show in a while. Are you saying those are deleted scenes...or theyre in the episode cause i think i remember ralph looking bummed out after this.

[@jr4338]

The way Tony played this is so intelligent. Brilliant writing

[@michaelmcgee2026]

I loved the lighting in this series. I try to do the same with my place every since I watched this show.

[@12ubix]

I think Tony was really trying to make Ralph feel as bad as possible for Jackie's situation. Twisting the knife

[@The_Gallowglass]

Tony was right. Ralph created a monster and wants Tony to deal with it.

[@christofferjenzen78]

@@The_Gallowglass Telling him a story and giving him a gun...Ralph didnt think he was that stupid and neither would anyone. Its a big leap to shooting made men.

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@christofferjenzen78 It is really hard to glean what you're contributing to the conversation. It doesn't follow. Non sequitur. Anyhow, just like Ralph had to deal with this situation, Tony had to ultimately deal with Christopher.

[@christofferjenzen78]

@@The_Gallowglass What are you contributing? Just the generic "Ralph is the definition of evil,everything he does is the work of satan"nonsense. The kid was doing stupid shit with or without Ralph,all he wanted to be was a gangster. Ralph making him a monster is silly at best, irresponsible at worst,,absorbing both garbage parents from any guilt. Ralph wanted to make a good impression and be "the cool stepdad" but suggesting he is responsible for three people getting shot is really a simpletons version of events. He did not have a positive effect on the kid but that doesnt mean he encouraged any of this,if i give you a gun,im not gonna assume you go out and kill people.

[@williamstafford8951]

Such a great scene... Every word Tony says to Ralph means just the opposite. Tells him exactly what he has to do without saying it.

[@haidangkieu1]

This exchange is just absolutely epic. Play hot potatoes of who will take the responsibility of Jackie Jr.

[@miciboo9993]

One of the best scenes

[@fatdaddyeddiejr]

Even without Tony telling Ralphie what to do. Ralphie knew what needed to be done. Jackie shot at made men. Jackie's death warrant was signed when Furio was wounded. The kid had to go.

[@zodimusrex8160]

Meanwhile Phil Leotardo is making grilled cheese on a radiator.

[@patrickfontaine6281]

Really love how the true James gandolfini comes out in this scene, he was such a great actor that you believed Tony was that evil, but the real person, he was a sweet heart, and it definitely shows at points in this scene

[@russellbenson7055]

This is one the best scenes in the entire series.

[@Pifischer]

Tony is clearly trying to influence Ralph by implicating him through his bad influence on Jackie Jr. Ralph realizes that he could pay a price if Jackie lived, and any further screw up by the kid would be his responsibility. It is interesting to see them jostle over who is closer to Jackie in the beginning as neither one wanted to take the weak position of defending the kid.

[@TheLastWalenta]

It's hard to imagine Ralph living long enough to see Jackie screw up again, had Ralph let him live.