The Sopranos: 10 Things About Christopher That Have Aged Poorly
Christopher is one of The Sopranos' most beloved characters. Some of his actions like under tipping at dinner didn't age too well.
The Sopranos is known for its characters. Fans love the array of personalities from the show, despite their frequency to commit heinous acts. Tony Soprano has become a downright folk hero, and his image finds itself tattooed on audiences and plastered on t-shirts and posters around the world.
Characters like Christopher Moltesanti are beloved by fans, even if they commit murders and other brutal crimes. Some viewers even think Christopher is the best character of The Sopranos season 6. However, some other actions and aspects of their personalities may have been overlooked during The Sopranos’ heyday. Watching the show today, fans will notice several things about Chris that haven’t aged well.
His Homophobia
Fans of The Sopranos know the Jersey crew is far from a picture of tolerance. They are wrapped up in their own prejudices, and some of their ugliest moments come to light when they find out Vito Spatafore is gay.
None of the crew is sensitive about Vito, although Tony at least tells his therapist Dr. Melfi something inside him says “God bless, ah salude.” However, Chris gives one of the crew’s angriest reactions to Vito’s secret, telling Tony it would be an “honor” to kill the man himself.
His Relationship With Adriana
Chris and Adriana La Cerva are perhaps the most beloved couple from The Sopranos. They present young love to audiences and seem to have a future ahead of them at the beginning of the series. However, Chris and Adriana’s romance is riddled with abuse, and Chris ultimately causes her death.
Chris physically abuses Adriana a number of times. However, one of Chris’ actions that ages poorest is when he tells her everything is going to be alright after she reveals she has been an FBI informant. Chris knows she’ll die, but tells her she is crazy for thinking so. Some viewers say Adriana’s plan to tell Chris the truth backfired completely.
His Anger Issues
Most of The Sopranos’ characters could use a few weeks of anger management classes. However, Chris’ outbursts make him a liability to Tony, the crew, and seem to cross the line on the show.
Chris’ moments of anger can certainly be funny, like when he mistakes Patsy for Paulie rifling through Adriana’s underwear drawer. However, moments like when he hurls epithets at his mother or beats Andriana in a rage make it hard for audiences to relate.
His Fling With Amy
Audiences forgive their favorite characters for their brutal actions in The Sopranos. It’s hard not to be charmed by them, like the people they meet on the show. However, Chris’ fling with Amy is difficult to ignore.
In “D Girl,” Chris cheats on Adriana with his own cousin Greg’s fiancée Amy. Not only does he betray his family, but also he gets together with Amy after they meet in front of Adriana. Of course, audiences didn’t condone Chris’ actions when the series was released, but today such a betrayal seems to be even more clearly wrong.
His Treatment Of J.T. Dolan
Chris struggles with addiction throughout The Sopranos but has periods of sobriety thanks to the help of people he meets in recovery. J.T. Dolan is Chris’ friend until he ends up owing Chris money. After that, Dolan is treated like any other poor soul indebted to the mafia.
Chris’ treatment of Dolan certainly wasn’t pleasant to watch when the series came out. However, after over twenty more years of addiction research since the show came out, along with the ongoing opioid epidemic in the U.S., Chris’ disrespect of his recovery program seems even harsher today. Chris’ treatment causes Dolan to relapse until he eventually kills him.
His Relationship With Carmela
Chris and Carmela are first cousins. They generally have a pleasant report, keeping each other at arm’s length as most of the Jersey crew does with others’ spouses. However, after Adriana is murdered, their relationship becomes strained. Some fans see Carmela as one of the best non-mafia characters on The Sopranos, and their conflict arises from mob activity.
Carmela begins to question the nature of Adriana’s “disappearance.” Things get nasty between Carmela and Chris when she asks him about Adriana, leaving him to reply “I don’t like what you’re inferring here.” His angry gaslighting of Carmela, insisting again and again that Adriana ran off with another man and broke his heart, doesn’t age well with today’s informed audience.
His Coldness Toward Eugene
Eugene Pontecorvo has one of the most tragic arcs of all characters on The Sopranos. He wants to retire from the mob life after he receives a massive inheritance, but Tony isn’t too keen on the idea. While Tony “thinks on it,” Chris has Eugene kill a man, implying it will give him a better chance of having Tony let him go.
However, Tony never lets Eugene retire. Chris’ actions seem so ugly because he himself shows a desire to leave the mafia and focus on writing screenplays several times throughout the series. Despite empathizing with Eugene, he makes him take a life, knowing it won’t do him any good.
His Flirtation With Tina
Chris is no stranger to adultery, but watching him shamelessly seek out mistresses in front of Adriana can be hard to watch. When he has a drink with Aid and her friend Tina, he can’t help but egg on her flirting. He even puts together a crass nursery rhyme, calling attention to Tina’s anatomy.
Talking about another women’s genitals in front of one’s partner didn’t look good in the 90s, but it certainly looks worse in 2021. Years more progress spreading awareness of women’s issues have made Chris’ actions seem more dated.
His Night Out With Adriana and Danielle
Chris can’t help himself yet again when Adriana brings her friend Danielle out to the club with Chris. Chris doesn’t know Danielle is an undercover FBI agent and treats her just like any other woman out for a night on the town.
It’s hard to watch Chris hit on Danielle, but what doesn’t age well is Chris’ discussion of rap music. He imitates a rapper inbetween Danielle and Adriana on a couch in the backroom, using some choice language. The charade comes across as pretty racist now, which actually fits Chris’ character.
His Argument With The Waiter
There are plenty of needless kills in The Sopranos, but one of the hardest to watch comes after Paulie makes Chris pay for the whole crew’s expensive dinner. Afterward, Chris confronts Paulie in the parking lot of the restaurant. Before long, a waiter comes outside to ask why they left such a crummy tip.
When the waiter tells the two off, Chris hurls a brick at him before Paulie kills him with a gunshot. The scene was hard for audiences to watch when the series aired. Some fans think it’s one of the worst things the Dimeo family ever does on The Sopranos. However, after the economic recession of the early 2000s, rising unemployment, and closed restaurants as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, killing a waiter after undertipping seems even more brutal today.
