... says Ray Liotta's narration about the whacking of Tommy in Goodfellas. This episode of The Sopranos sees the sudden death of a similar character.
I had this feeling about Ralph Cifaretto from the moment he shows up on The Sopranos in Season three. He seems to step into the position held by Ritchie Aprile before he dies - that of violent troublemaking mobster who seems to be just itching to get whacked. But Ralph's lows are lower than even Ritchie's and his rare humanizing moments a bit warmer.
The episode leads you down the primrose path of having you believe that maybe Ralph is going to change after his son is accidentally shot by an arrow while playing with a neighbor's kid. His son lies in the hospital unconscious for days while Ralph doesn't know if he will live or die, and if he lives, how disabled he will be due to possible brain damage from loss of blood. Ralph makes amends with Rosalie Aprile for dumping her when her son died and even visits a priest to talk about his troubles.
But then the old obnoxious defiant Ralph comes out during a visit from Tony, and maybe Ralph did do what Tony beats him to death for - killing their horse for the insurance money - and maybe he didn't. He said that he didn't do it, but he was the only person besides Tony who would have profited from what happened. So Ralph survived beating his mistress to death outside of the Bing, insulting the wife of a New York underboss, and in general just being a jerk, only to be killed over the death of a horse for which maybe he was not responsible.
The fight between Tony and Ralph is impromptu, and therefore there are no guns involved. They two have it out hand to hand in Ralph's kitchen using whatever they can grab - steak knives, pot lids, and even bug spray, but it is ultimately the linoleum floor and Tony's bare hands that kill Ralph. Tony may be the boss, but Ralph was a made man, so Tony just wants to have it seem that Ralph disappeared, so he calls Christopher to help him dispose of the body. And even to Chris, Tony lies about Ralph's death, saying he found him dying.
So who could have killed the horse? Only a theory, but it could have been Paulie. Paulie is starting to resent Tony and for sure resents Ralph, for both personal and monetary reasons. He could have reasoned that if he burns down the barn with Tony's horse in it, this will at least wound Tony to the core, but if it also gets Ralph whacked it would be bonus points. But does this sound like the detailed reasoning of the same guy who lost a Russian commando and "interior decorator" in the woods in Wiley Coyote style earlier in the season? It's one of those questions never answered.
I had this feeling about Ralph Cifaretto from the moment he shows up on The Sopranos in Season three. He seems to step into the position held by Ritchie Aprile before he dies - that of violent troublemaking mobster who seems to be just itching to get whacked. But Ralph's lows are lower than even Ritchie's and his rare humanizing moments a bit warmer.
The episode leads you down the primrose path of having you believe that maybe Ralph is going to change after his son is accidentally shot by an arrow while playing with a neighbor's kid. His son lies in the hospital unconscious for days while Ralph doesn't know if he will live or die, and if he lives, how disabled he will be due to possible brain damage from loss of blood. Ralph makes amends with Rosalie Aprile for dumping her when her son died and even visits a priest to talk about his troubles.
But then the old obnoxious defiant Ralph comes out during a visit from Tony, and maybe Ralph did do what Tony beats him to death for - killing their horse for the insurance money - and maybe he didn't. He said that he didn't do it, but he was the only person besides Tony who would have profited from what happened. So Ralph survived beating his mistress to death outside of the Bing, insulting the wife of a New York underboss, and in general just being a jerk, only to be killed over the death of a horse for which maybe he was not responsible.
The fight between Tony and Ralph is impromptu, and therefore there are no guns involved. They two have it out hand to hand in Ralph's kitchen using whatever they can grab - steak knives, pot lids, and even bug spray, but it is ultimately the linoleum floor and Tony's bare hands that kill Ralph. Tony may be the boss, but Ralph was a made man, so Tony just wants to have it seem that Ralph disappeared, so he calls Christopher to help him dispose of the body. And even to Chris, Tony lies about Ralph's death, saying he found him dying.
So who could have killed the horse? Only a theory, but it could have been Paulie. Paulie is starting to resent Tony and for sure resents Ralph, for both personal and monetary reasons. He could have reasoned that if he burns down the barn with Tony's horse in it, this will at least wound Tony to the core, but if it also gets Ralph whacked it would be bonus points. But does this sound like the detailed reasoning of the same guy who lost a Russian commando and "interior decorator" in the woods in Wiley Coyote style earlier in the season? It's one of those questions never answered.