The Sopranos: Why Tony Killed Christopher In Season 6

Tony Soprano killed Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos season 6, episode 6 'Kennedy and Heidi,' ending a story arc several years in the making.

Why exactly did Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) kill Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) in The Sopranos season 6? In one of The Sopranos‘ final episodes, “Walk Like a Man,” the long-time friends joke around with each other and appear to be on good terms, despite some conflict to resolve with their associate Paulie Gualtieri (Tony Sirico). However, the inherent vices of the underworld soon catch up with Christopher, which leads to a shocking early-episode moment in “Kennedy and Heidi.” Curiously, the background of Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti’s relationship is revealed in The Many Saints of Newark, HBO’s Sopranos prequel movie. Moreover, Christopher narrates The Many Saints of Newark as a disembodied voice from hell, while the character also appears onscreen as a baby. Although The Many Saints of Newark is focused on Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) and a teenaged Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini), Christopher Moltisanti’s death in Sopranos season 6 haunts the DiMeo crime family even in the past.

During The Sopranos’ six-season run, creator David Chase explores the psychological profiles of the focal gangsters in the DiMeo crime family. This complete transparency humanized the antiheroic Tony, who is depicted as both a cold-blooded killer and a loving family man who feels guilty about his behavior, even going as far as to break unofficial mob rules by meeting with a therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). Christopher is at the other end of The Sopranos‘ grey morality spectrum – his lust for life often getting in the way of his idealism. He acts out impulsively, and then asks for forgiveness after the fact; a recurring characteristic throughout the HBO series that comes to a violent head in “Kennedy and Heidi.”

Christopher’s death is thematically foreshadowed in “Walk Like a Man” through Tony’s interactions with his son A.J. (Robert Iler) and Dr. Melfi. After a break-up, A.J. becomes severely depressed and shows suicidal behavior, at least according to his sister Meadow (Jamie-Lynn DiScala). Tony subsequently tells Dr. Melfi that he’s done with therapy, and calls the sessions “a jerk-off.” He references his failures as a parent, and how he has passed “rotten” genes to his son. Meanwhile, Tony anticipates yet another Christopher meltdown after he throws Paulie’s nephew through a window, one of the final straws for Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti’s relationship. Importantly, though, Tony doesn’t realize that Christopher is no longer sober. These are all factors that build to a fateful car accident involving Tony and Christopher, with the latter admitting that he’s unable to pass a drug test. At this critical moment, Tony realizes that he can actually control this particular situation. Tony can never change what he genetically passed on to A.J., but he can prevent Christopher from destroying lives other than his own. Christopher’s life is worth saving, of course, but Tony’s subconscious guilt takes over, and he squeezes Christopher’s nostrils until he dies.

Tony Soprano Saw Killing Christopher As Merciful

Although the moment was shocking, Tony’s motivations in The Sopranos presciently link to a song that plays before the accident, with Christopher referencing The Departed soundtrack and playing Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” In Martin Scorsese’s 2006 film, the track plays as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan spirals out of control during an undercover investigation and contemplates suicide. As Tony and Christopher drive, “Kennedy and Heidi” plays, with the lyric “the dream is gone” underlining the central message of the scene and foreshadowing Tony’s subsequent actions as the mob boss kills his underworld son to save him from a more tragic death. Prophetically, David Chase shows audiences that in Christopher’s final moments, he isn’t terrified but rather “comfortably numb.” As Tony and Christopher’s relationship comes to a bittersweet end, there is a faint sense of acceptance – and even relief – from both characters.

Delving further into this scene, it is apparent Christopher’s death stems from many additional factors. Considering Tony’s position in the DiMeo crime family, Tony needs to be absolutely convinced that someone like Christopher won’t spiral out of control and reveal information about their organization. Tony does trust his protege to a certain extent and loves him like a son. Unfortunately for Christopher, though, he’s simply gone too far this time by driving under the influence with Tony in the passenger seat. After the accident, Tony sees a crushed baby seat and seemingly thinks about his own children, forcing Tony to take control, because he can, and essentially choose one family over another by killing Christopher (who, tellingly, isn’t his direct blood relative). A few episodes later, The Sopranos ends with a famously cryptic cut to black. Despite this lack of absolute clarity, what’s important is who Tony is with: his wife, his daughter, his son: the family Tony ultimately chooses.

Christopher’s The Many Saints Of Newark Narrator Role Adds Weight To His Death

The Sopranos’ backstory is revealed in the prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark, and Christopher narrates Many Saints of Newark to further establish the impact of not just Christopher’s death, but also Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti’s relationship on the DiMeo crime family. Christopher’s narration begins during the opening sequence showing his tombstone, during which he provides context for the movie’s title by explaining that Moltisanti is a religious name that literally means “many saints.” Notably, Sopranos-era Christopher’s disembodied voice functions as the narrator to continue the series’ long tradition of using elements of mysticism and magic to punctuate crucial points in the lives of the DiMeo crime family members. After the opening sequence, every scene Christopher narrates in the Sopranos prequel involves a key point in young Tony Soprano’s life. This includes Christopher talking about important DiMeo crime family players as Dickie and Tony pick up Dickie’s father Dick Moltisanti (Ray Liotta), where Christopher also introduces Tony, “The little fat kid is my uncle, Tony Soprano… He choked me to death.”

Sopranos-era Christopher also narrates the movie’s time jump from the ’60s to the ’70s, the scene where Tony moves to the suburbs, and, most notably, Dickie’s funeral. As Tony looks upon the corpse of his recently deceased uncle and mentor, Dickie’s hand moves up to make a pinky promise with his nephew while The Sopranos theme song fades in – a sign of Tony’s dedication to Dickie and the DiMeo family. With the camera focused on Tony’s face, Christopher narrates, “That’s the guy, my uncle Tony. The guy I went to hell for,” before the end credits roll. Christopher’s supernatural presence in Many Saints of Newark reveals how Christopher’s spirit views his death. While Christopher’s last line seems acerbic, there’s no bitterness or anger in his voice when he says the line, implying that Christopher understands how Tony did what he had to do for the family. In the end, just like how Tony regards Dickie, Christopher can’t help but look up to Tony, even if he’s looking up at his uncle, mentor, and father figure from hell.