The iconic series The Sopranos still remains incredibly watchable, and a key reason is the sheer number of potrayals and wanton backstabbing that make every single episode of the Mafia drama nailbiting. The groundbreaking HBO series revolved around New Jersey crime boss Tony Soprano as he struggled to find a balance between his home life and the criminal empire he ruled over. Of course, the series is based in the world of organized crime, and as with all mafia movies and TV shows, it featured betrayal after betrayal.
Each character in The Sopranos was ready and willing to double-cross others, from family members to childhood friends, to the closest of associates. However, betraying someone in this world could easily lead to death – and it often did. Loyalty and trust are the two most essential qualities in the world of The Sopranos. Breaking that oath could have dire consequences. That is where the controversial Sopranos ending really hammered home the sense of betrayal, and how, even in the end, Tony always had to keep looking over his shoulder, never knowing where the next betrayal could come from.
15 Jackie Jr. Leaves Dino To Die
The Son Of A Great DiMeo Family Boss Has None Of His Father’s Loyalty
Many of the worst betrayals in The Sopranos that result in a character’s death are premeditated killings, with the motivations being anything from greed, to vengeance, to politically motivated hits to elevate the killer’s standing in any of the various Mafia families. However, this isn’t always the case, and sometimes one character is fatally betrayed by another without any real reason. Such was the case when Jackie Jr. betrayed Dino Zerilli and left him to die due to nothing but cowardice.
This moment came in The Sopranos season 3, episode 12, “Amour Fou”. Jackie Jr. takes Dino, along with another friend, Carlo, as his crew to rob Eugen’s poker game, a crime that imitates a similar heist pulled off by Jackie Jr.s father. However, everything goes wrong. Jackie Jr. decides to save his own skin and steals a car. He leaves Dino, a loyal friend, behind, and Dino is shot by Christopher and Albert. Of all the betrayals in The Sopranos, this one was easily one of the most avoidable.
14 Johnny Soprano Is Happy To Let Livia Die During A Miscarriage
Few Husbands Betrayed Their Wives As Deeply On The Sopranos
The worst betrayals in The Sopranos aren’t always gangsters killing other gangsters. There are many occasions when the wives and girlfriends of the various characters are betrayed too, mostly through their husbands being unfaithful. However, there are also some incredibly brutal ways that various characters in The Sopranos have betrayed their spouses that have nothing to do with cheating. Arguably one of the worst of these was the reveal that Tony Soprano’s father, Johnny, once left his wife Livia alone in hospital to have a miscarriage — one that he believed she might actually die from.
This betrayal in The Sopranos was far worse than any kind of adultery. Livia had, by this point, worked out that Johnny wasn’t exactly the best husband. However, even by the standards of Tony Soprano’s father, being so cold and callous that he’d happily not be there during one of the worst moments in his wife’s life was a low point.
13 Nucci Not Telling Paulie The Truth About His Mother
Maria Was Happy To Let Paulie Live A Lie
The relationships between many Sopranos characters and their parents are incredibly complex, though few more than that of Paulie Gualtieri and his mother, Nucci. Nucci had always been incredibly proud of her son, though also quite over-bearing, though not so strict that she was above bailing him out of prison as a child. However, Nucci is also responsible for one of the worst long-term betrayals in The Sopranos, as she lied about Paulie’s parents to him throughout almost his entire life.
Paulie’s understanding of himself and his heritage was flipped on its head when he learned that Nucci wasn’t actually his mother, but his aunt. He doesn’t discover the truth until The Sopranos season 6, episode 3, “The Fleshy Part of the Thigh”, when his “aunt” Dottie reveals on her deathbed that she’s actually Paulie’s mom, not Nucci. Paul is completely devastated by learning the truth, though thankfully, Tony’s advice helps, and he’s able to reconcile with Nucci (who was still, after all, the woman who raised him).
12 Sean And Matt’s Unsanctioned Hit On Christopher
The Pair Burned Many Bridges To Attempt To Gain Richie’s Respect
While Christopher Moltisanti was far from the most morally-clean character in The Sopranos, and was also behind some of its greatest betrayals, he was the victim of one when up-and-coming gang members Sean and Matt tried to carry out an unsanctioned hit on him to gain the respect of Richie. Sean and Matt’s plan totally backfired of course, resulting in Sean dead and Matt having to go into hiding. Of all the betrayals in The Sopranos, this is perhaps the one driven most by blind greed and ambition.
Had Sean and Matt stopped to think for a second, they’d know that Richie wouldn’t appreciate Christopher Moltisanti being murdered on his behalf. This becomes all-too-clear when Matthew tells Richie what they’d tried to do, to which Richie’s response is to try and kill him. Ultimately, Christopher Moltisanti and the DiMeo family had provided Sean and Matt with every opportunity they needed to make it in the world of organized crime, so their betrayal wasn’t just of Christopher, but the entire DiMeo outfit.
11 The Show Betrays Viewers With The Cut-To-Black Ending
Many Felt The Sopranos Finale Was The Greatest Betrayal Of All
While there are many who appreciate the abrupt ending of The Sopranos, there are also many more who feel that the show betrayed viewers by deciding to end on such an incredibly ambiguous note. The Sopranos ended by cutting-to-black more or less mid-scene. It was one of the most divisive endings to a TV show ever, with many still irked by the creative choice decades after the episode originally aired.
This is also why it’s one of the most interesting, and meta, betrayals in The Sopranos. Some don’t consider it a betrayal at all, whereas others outright stated that the show owed them some kind of definitive conclusion after investing so heavily in Tony Soprano and the various other characters. There are even those whose feelings about the ending are so strong that they claim it ruined the rest of the show. While this is a little extreme, it doesn’t change the fact that the number of viewers who felt their loyalty to The Sopranos was betrayed by the ending is notably high.
10 Tony Burns Down Artie’s Restaurant
The Fallout of Tony’s Arson: A Family Torn Apart
Tony Soprano and Artie Bucco were childhood friends but they both grew up to be two very different people, especially by the Sopranos ending. For instance, Tony runs the DiMeo crime family, and Arite owns Vesuvio Restaurant. Artie loves that restaurant more than anything in the world. However, in the pilot, Tony burns down Artie’s restaurant to prevent Uncle Junior from committing a crime at Vesuvio. The hit was against another organized crime member and when Artie wouldn’t close up for a short time to stop it, Tony had to go to the extreme to temporarily shut it down.
What is most interesting about this Sopranos’ betrayal is that Tony was doing it to help Artie. He knew that if Junior killed someone at Artie’s restaurant, it would end up shut down, possibly for good. By burning it down, Artie could collect his insurance and reopen it, with only a short loss in income. However, Toy couldn’t tell Artie why he did it, so his old friend felt incredibly betrayed when he found out the truth. In season 4, Tony tried to take advantage of Artie, and they had a temporary falling out.
9 Carlo Gervasi Flips On Tony
The Consequences of Carlo’s Treason
Tony often feared that a member of his crew would turn on him. As it turns out, several of Tony’s closest allies betrayed him. However, the most consequential might be Carlo Gervasi. Carlo was a capo and top earner for Tony. In the series finale “Made In America,” Tony discovers that Carlo became an informant and posed the greatest threat to Tony going to prison. Of course, Carlo made that decision to protect his son from going to jail as well. In the end, Carlo flipping on Tony was just the beginning of his problems.
This actually played out in the Sopranos ending, where the FBI picked up Carlo’s son on drug-dealing charges. Tony’s attorney revealed to him that someone was testifying to the grand jury and indictments were coming, and Tony quickly realized it was Carlos who was turning evidence on him. After years of betrayals on The Sopranos, it was one of his top men who ended up turning on him just to save his own flesh and blood.
8 Tony & Uncle Junior
A Family Betrayal: Tony and Uncle Junior’s Conflict
Tony and Uncle Junior had a complicated relationship. At times, they were close, and at other times, they were betraying one another. In many ways, Junior was a father figure for Tony. However, Junior resented Tony’s rise to power. Junior thought he was the boss but soon discovered that Tony was running things. Therefore, Junior placed a hit on Tony’s life, which failed. Tony chose not to retaliate against Uncle Junior directly but instead sent his own message. He killed Mikey and Chucky, which destroyed any power that Junior had within the family.
Despite the betrayal, Tony allowed Junior to remain the figurehead boss. Junior went to jail and took the heat for the family. Even in Junior’s later years, Tony eventually shut out Junior completely after Junior shot him in a state of confusion. This culminated in the Sopranos ending, where Tony went to visit Junior one last time, only to realize that his dementia was too advanced, and this was worse than any revenge Tony could ever take on him.
7 Ray Curto, The Secret Informant
The Betrayal Within
For Tony Soprano, there is no betrayal worse than working as an informant for the FBI Of course, for the FBI, there’s nothing worse than working for Tony. Many characters betrayed Tony, but there was one he never knew. Ray Curto held a high-ranking position in Tony’s organization but was an informant for the Feds for most of the series. Indeed, he shared a great deal of information regarding Tony but suffered a massive heart attack before he could testify. Tony Soprano never found out about Ray’s ultimate betrayal.
6 Jimmy Petrille Betrays Johnny Sack
A Friend Turned Foe
John Sacrimoni, aka Johnny Sack, was the powerful head of the Lupertazzi crime family in New York. He ruled with fear and an iron fist. John often thought three steps ahead of his enemies. However, there was one betrayal that caused his empire to crumble. Jimmy Petrille and Johnny were close friends. Indeed, Johnny even made Jimmy his consigliere. Despite being close like brothers, Jimmy turned on Johnny by giving evidence of criminal activities from 1981. It helped the FBI prosecute him.
Johnny spent the rest of his years behind bars. Jimmy’s betrayal sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld, especially since no one knew if he had turned over any evidence on the DiMeo or Lupertazzi crime families at the same time. This is also a rare case where no one knows if Jimmy paid for his betrayal on The Sopranos since he disappeared after this, presumably into witness protection.
5 Sal Bonpensiero Became An FBI Informant
A Hidden Threat to the Family
In the world of The Sopranos, it can be tough to tell the good from the bad. Sal Bonpensiero took an oath never to betray his crew or boss. Of course, he also promised never to turn on his friends. Indeed, Tony, Sal, Silvio Dante, and Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri were close friends. Sal’s outlook changed when faced with the threat of 30 years in prison to life, and Sal knew this could mean spending the rest of his life behind bars. He ended up as an informant for the FBI and collected information to use against Tony.
Tony discovered Sal’s hidden secrets and felt incredibly betrayed.
Even while working as an informant, Sal kept trying to protect Tony and his friends, often breaking plenty of laws himself while telling the FBI only what he felt he could get away with. However, Tony discovered Sal’s hidden secrets and felt incredibly betrayed. Tony could never forgive anyone that worked for the FBI and this resulted in one of the show’s most heartbreaking and shocking moments when Paulie, Silvio Dante, and Tony Soprano killed him, gunning him down on a boat and dumping him overboard.
4 Christopher & Adriana
A Heartbreaking Loss
Christoper Moltisanti and Adriana La Cerva were madly in love with each other. Indeed, they seemed like the only couple to care for each other. Of course, the relationship wasn’t always perfect, and they had their fair share of problems. However, Adriana began working for the FBI as an informant. This was because the FBI saw her as a weakness in the family and figured she could replace Sal as their new informant. The FBI threatened her with prison time for drug charges.
However, Adriana never revealed anything that would hurt the family seriously.
This didn’t matter. The secret nearly destroyed Adriana until she finally told Chris. He had to choose between loyalty to Tony and loving Adriana. In the end, he decided to betray the love of his life. Sadly, this not only meant the end of their love but the end of Adriana’s life. He went to Tony and confessed everything Adriana told him. Chris’s betrayal meant the end for Adriana. Tony had Silvio Dante drive her into the country, where he executed her.
3 Tony & Carmela
A Marriage Betrayed
Throughout the series, Tony was worried that someone in his family or crew would flip on him. Indeed, he was always stressed that somebody would break the sacred oath. However, Tony was breaking a promise himself. Tony was often unfaithful towards his wife, Carmela, having had several girlfriends throughout the series. Carmela was a decent woman that craved his attention. Of course, his attention was always someplace else. They had an epic argument in the season four finale.
Eventually, Carmela left Tony, but they got back together though Tony never has his heart completely in the marriage. Despite this, Carmela mostly put his indiscretions behind her when Junior shot Tony, almost killing him, and she cared for and helped him after he recovered from his coma and began to rehabilitate. However, soon, Tony was back to cheating again on The Sopranos, once again betraying his commitment to his wife.
2 Tony Betrays Christopher
The Ultimate Betrayal
Christopher looked up to Tony Soprano. He always dreamed of joining the Soprano crew and would do anything for Tony. Indeed, Christopher even betrayed the love of his life, Adriana, for Tony. It was Christopher who sold out Adriana for becoming an FBI informant, even though she tried hard not to betray the family in her feelings with the feds. However, Tony didn’t feel the same way about Christopher. Tony began to worry that Christopher and his addiction would be the end of him. This was what really kept pushing the two apart, as Christopher not only became an addict himself but made bad decisions in bringing drugs into other people’s lives.
All Christopher could think of was Tony helping him cover up the fact he was under the influence.
Tony then took Christopher’s life after they were involved in a car accident – Chris’s loyalty to Tony means nothing to him. The Sopranos ending for Christopher came when he and Tony were in a car accident, and it was obvious Christopher was impaired. Tony saw that a tree branch impaled the baby seat in the car, where Chris’s daughter would have been sitting if she had been with them. All Christopher could think of was Tony helping him cover up the fact he was under the influence. Instead, Tony Soprano smothered Christopher, killing his nephew in the ultimate act of betrayal.
1 Livia Betrays Her Son Tony
A Mother’s Betrayal
There’s a long list of people that Tony Soprano had no problem betraying. However, there was one person that he didn’t expect to betray him; his mother. Tony had a complex relationship with his mother, Livia Soprano. Eventually, Tony put Livia in a retirement community to help make her life better. Of course, Livia didn’t feel the same way. For Livia, she felt it was Tony who betrayed her by locking her away in a retirement community, and she developed an intense hatred of her son. This hatred led Livia to do the unthinkable.
Eventually, she is who manipulated Uncle Junior into placing a hit on Tony’s life. She also is who told Artie Bucco that Tony is who burned down his restaurant, causing a split between those two lifelong friends. Tony was devastated and felt betrayed to learn the truth about his mother and went to kill her. However, she had a pseudo-stroke and mocked Tony as he was ushered out by doctors. Tony never did get revenge. Livia died following a stroke on The Sopranos, shortly after actor Nancy Marchand died in real life.
