Paying Respects to the Sopranos: A Psychosocial Analysis by Christopher J. Vincent

Author:Christopher J. Vincent [Vincent, Christopher J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2009-12-07T09:24:00+00:00

Christopher

Christopher Moltisanti is Tony's second cousin whom Tony calls his nephew. In practice Christopher is more like a son to Tony. Ever since Christopher's birth, Tony has been a father figure to him, especially after the death of Chris's father, Dickie. Chris idolizes Tony the way Tony idolized Dickie Moltisanti. His allegiance is to Tony above all else, even Adriana whom he loves. Chris declares his identity as a soldier in Tony's army, at times proudly and at times bitterly. Tony mentors Chris in the Family business and grooms him as his successor. Chris's journey is his struggle with father issues, chemical addiction, Family values, Hollywood dreams and, above all, his Uncle Tony.

Chris's initial concerns revolve around his desire for fame. He wants to make a name for himself in the Family. He also entertains dreams of being in the movie business. Chris's arc starts with his frustrations in the pursuit of fame in these divergent paths. Hindering him are lingering issues from not having a father and his ever-worsening drug abuse. When he visits a movie set for the first time he is intoxicated, enchanted by the sights, sounds and smells - the buzz of movie magic in the air.38 His attempts to recreate this high and alleviate frustrations to his movie dreams take the form of drug abuse. When Chris feels betrayed by Hollywood players, he renews his dedication to Tony with the understanding of a lifelong commitment.

Chris's conflicting loyalties and his fate parallel Adriana's seemingly untenable pressure from federal agents. Over the two seasons which Adriana's primary storyline stretches, there is an ever-increasing dread that there can be no escape for her. The conclusion seems inevitable; the Family would not tolerate her cooperation regardless of any other affection or relationship. However, the audience watches in the hope that some form of salvation will present itself. Maybe she would convince Chris to leave the Family; maybe she would get him to flip; maybe she would break up with Chris and escape unharmed; maybe their unrealized marriage would have precluded her testimony against her husband. With all these pipe dreams, the audience desperately deludes itself when her fate is a foregone conclusion. As soon as she is nabbed by the Feds, her life is forfeit and it is only a matter of time before her number comes up.

The same sense of impending doom occurs with Christopher. Even though his centrality to the cast is unquestioned, his character flaws lead the audience to speculate on a precipitous demise. Maybe he would overdose; maybe Phil would kill him in retaliation for the murder of his brother; maybe he would rat out the Family. No matter how it would play out, it becomes evident that there is a cloud over Chris's head from which he will not escape. This cloud takes the form of his chemical dependencies. It is introduced with cocaine in the pilot episode and Chris's drug addiction is the foundation for his unreliability to Tony. For years Tony deludes himself that Chris does not have a drug problem.

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