The destruction of the Aprile crew wasn't really Tony's fault. Jackie Sr died of cancer, Richie was about to attempt a coup and was killed in a domestic dispute, Jackie Jr botched a robbery and paid the price, Adriana was a rat and was thus eliminated, Vito didn't get a second opinion regarding his medication and nearly caused an international incident with the Shah of Iran secretly assassinating him.
@@chicosworldthey did. When tony and Paulie went down south they showed a flashback. it was in 82’ when he killed willie overall. He was born 1959 so that means he was 23. Meadow was born the same year. Episode is called “remember when” season 6.
I'd say Jackie Sr had the best fate of any character on the show. I mean, Cancer isn't a laughing matter but compared to the horrifying endings a lot of these mobsters got, you can say that he had a very respectable end without going to Prison or turning rat to save himself.
At the time of his death, he was probably "happy". He had a son that was supposedly in Rutgers and on his way to be a doctor. A daughter out West going to school and sufficient funds for Ro (combined with how widows are supposed to be taken care of).
I don't think so. His death was needed to set up the main conflict of Season 1 and promote Tony to boss. Keeping him alive would reduce the tension that makes the show interesting.
Jackie Aprille is not forgotten. DiMeo was forgotten. Jackie was an acting boss for him, when he was sent to prison for life, and he is mentioned in the show like once.
Lol...he was mentioned more than once but I get your point. They didn't always say his name though sometimes just referred to him as "the old man" easy to miss if you're not paying attention
@@paradoxexpress6976 It was implied that Tonys father and Uncle June really were powerful Cappos that ran North Jersey when Tony visited his Uncle in the retirement home on the last season
The little we know about Jackie: He seemed to be the most level headed of the Captains or Boss's, more than Silvio or Jr. even. Wasn't a psychopath, wasn't greedy, a mental midget, and wanted to maintain as calm a front as possible. This is all relevent to the situation, but that's how I see it.
Great mobster, terrible father. He devoted so much to the DiMeo family that he never addressed his son's character concerns or even disciplined him for his mistakes. This gave Jackie Jr. a sense of entitlement that because his dad was boss he was essentially untouchable. What he failed to understand is you cannot shoot a made guy and get a pass, especially one made from the other side like Furio. That I believe is why Jackie Sr. and Tony were so successful in robbing Feech La Manna's card game: nobody got shot so it was much easier for Richie and Johnny Boy to appeal for Jackie and Tony respectively.
10:37 For instance, Tony and Jackie Sr.'s original robbery of Feech's game would've worked perfectly as a flashback in the episode where Jackie Jr.'s botched robbery takes place.
@@yaqubebased1961 I mean, even if it’s years later, Jackie was the boss and highly respected. That would be like Sil dating Carmella a couple years after Tony passes
The real forgotten boss was Ercole DiMeo who was actually the real boss of the family in jail. He was completely forgotten after being mentioned in season 1.
I was soo confused the first few seasons, as the Tony vs Junior rivalry started out being over *acting* boss with DiMeo in jail... but after a while they're was no more mention, and it was actual boss. (Long before DiMeo died)
Well the thing is Chase had no real plan for the character of DiMeo. He was mostly mentioned as a plot device on why someone as young as Jackie was boss. He even later regretted it somewhat as he didn't want the idea of anyone really being above Tony as boss. So they just gave a throwaway line that he was in jail. But even so I think it was weird that the supposed true boss of the family is never seen or barely mentioned the entire time of the show. I mean even junior kept tabs on the family even in house arrest. Easily one of the more disappointing decisions on the show.
Pretty cool how you hardly even learn Jackie’s name the first time you watch those early episodes, but on a rewatch seeing him in the flesh is really special
Fun fact about Jackie Aprile Sr. He was originally supposed to be played by a much older actor, but David Chase like Micheal Rispoli's audition for Tony so much, he gave Micheal the role of Jackie and wrote in the character of Eckley DiMeo to explain why someone so young was the boss of a Mafia family.
There was a theory that Rosalie might be Ercole’s daughter, which explains how Jackie Sr. was able to slide into the acting boss position at such a young age, which wasn’t easy even with the amount of respect he got; It also ties into how Rosalie could live like such for so many years (possibly inheriting her father’s legitimate business interests) after his death despite not having any real job, it seems.
@@antoinesilva1527 That's definitely possible. Also remember that it's hinted that Ercole didn't think as highly of Junior as he did Johnny. Remember that Johnny was made first and had a crew in the late 50s, while Junior didn't get his crew til the early 70s. I always thought that the Aprile crew was so prominent because it was the Boss's old crew, before Richie even. Jackie being capo of his old crew plus being married to Ro may have influenced Ercole's decision to make him underboss, but also perhaps it was also to keep Junior from the center of power.
Great video/analysis. I’ve also wondered about Tony supporting Jackie over his own uncle, but looking at how the leadership contest between him and Junior eventually went, I imagine most of the capos would have backed Jackie over Junior. The best Tony could do was smooth things over with his uncle so he didn’t end up in a conflict he’d inevitably lose. It’s great fore(post?)shadowing of the leadership contest between Tony and his uncle.
I think the point of Jackie Sr. is to show that Tony has had it pretty good for a while. He has been the underboss in everything but name for most of the 90s, but now his uncle is causing pointless trouble.
Tony was never eager to have Jackie Jr killed no matter how annoyed he was. And I believe Ralph was sincere about giving Jackie a pass until Ralph found out that Jackie told Tony that Ralph gave him a gun, which made Ralph look even worse in Tony’s eyes than he already did
I was going to say the same thing. It seems like Tony sincerely wanted Jackie Jr to stay out of trouble. Although he failed at keeping him away. I don’t think he wanted Jackie Jr killed, but he knew by rules of the mob that he would look like a weak leader who disregards the rules if he didn’t act when made guys just got shot. Instead Tony tries to put the responsibility on Ralph so that it seems like it wasn’t all his decision, originally thinking that Ralph would give him a pass. But later finds out he was wrong
@@americanzombie1802to be fair, Ralph made the right call. Jackie was a real putz with the card game. If they didn’t get high, they could have backed down once he realized that Michael made him, gotten his chops busted badly, but could have earned some respect for having balls, yet being smart enough to pull out when it wasn’t a good situation. Instead, everything went to hell and he got what he deserved for being stupid.
PureKino & one other channel (I don’t mention other creators in comments, not respectful) are the only two that can STILL analyze The Sopranos in interesting ways. Offering “fresh” perspectives and entertaining content from a show that’s been over for 2 decades is impressive.
Richie Aprile, Season 2, as played by David Proval...among the best acting in The Sopranos. I just loved that character. Amazed to learn to learn he was Jewish. Many of us Jews always wanted to be Italian. Proval was born in Brooklyn, New York into a Jewish family,[1] the son of Clara Katz, an actress from Bucharest, Romania.[2][3] He has appeared in films such as Mean Streets, The Shawshank Redemption, The Phantom, Mob Queen, Four Rooms, UHF, Innocent Blood, The Siege, The Monster Squad, Bookies, and Balls of Fury
I was just thinking. Tony must've been a very very good earner to have a house like that as a captain. All the other captains lifestyles were a lot less extravagant than his even b4 he became the boss. We saw big pussys house, sils house, paulies house, Jr's house, chris' apartment etc etc. No comparison.
It’s mentioned in the show, like in the 1st season. Tony explains to Melfie about the power struggle with Junior. Tony states that he pretty hit the ground running and was a good earner from the start. It’s also mentioned later that Junior always had resentment for Johnny and Tony because Johnny was younger but more respected and Tony was his nephew but was a better earner.
No it’s just that he ran shit so good situations like that rarely happened. But there wete definitely some scenes that proved he was a firm leader when needed
@@TheFightHubb He could hardly be worse than he was... the Family, his own personal and extended family, his _civilian_ friends, his own health etc etc Tony was a complete fuckup. And there may never have been a bigger hypocrite than Tony. But it sure was entertaining 🙂
I agree he's an interesting character, it would've been good to see more of him. Unfortunately he had to die early of course, because his death sets up the key rivalry for season 1: Tony vs Junior. More flashbacks with Jackie would've been nice, but the writers would've had to find a purpose for them beyond just detailing his character. The Pussy dream sequences worked because his death haunted Tony, it always nagged at him. Maybe the writers could've thought of some Jackie flashbacks that tell us something about Tony, but I'm not sure what.
Jackie was just one of those people who everyone naturally gravitates to. A natural leader, I think everyone has met at least one person like that in their lifetime
This stuff is so good. It is the hardest thing as a parent to hold the line with your kids. It’s a lot of work, it gives you grief, and the easy way out is to just ignore it. Unfortunately it’s the exact opposite of love.
I always wondered why the old man in Springfield never made any decisions. In most mob movies and TV shows it seems like even though the boss is put away he still has control of some sort.
The fact that there is an old man in Springfield is really glossed over after season 1. I think most people who only gave Sopranos a single viewing completely forgot or didn't realize there was a real boss in jail. DiMeo doesn't have family members appear in any of the crews or part of the periphery.
DiMeo completely disappears. I wish the show had explained what happened to him, instead of just dropping any mention of him. This show is great, but there are some huge flaws, what it did with DiMeo is one flaw in my opinion.
It's like any of them John was boss till he was sentence then he was forgotten about the best line for me in the show is when Tony b gets out and bobbys kid ask why have we never heard of you, and that's it in a nut shell you go down and nobody what's to know you fact.
@@blakeysbobbyslexiamazingjo4505 True....to a point. Tony and Phil did cut John out with the vitamin truck. But Phil was still going to John with issues until he died and John's orders carried out. Probably makes a difference when you're a boss as opposed posed to even a capo or made guy.
Jackie Jr would have earned the respect of his peers if he just finish school. He was enamored with his father's legacy and wouldn't have lived up to his father's name. Sometimes you got to make it your own way.
I still want to know how a Captain (Tony) had a bigger and better house than the acting boss (Jackie). I'm assuming Jackie had a lot of legal fees to stay out of prison, or keep his time on the inside, low. Still raises the question for me: is an underling allowed to flex his financial success over his boss in the mob? I figure any boss that saw how Tony was living they'd assume he was a) dealing drugs b) holding out on the kick-up.
theres a couple things. First of all in the pilot Tony is already the boss of jersey and that gets retconned in the regular season, but they had already shown what the soprano house was so they had to keep it. Second Carmelas father built the house at presumably a much lower cost and i think its implied that it was maybe built with subpar materials so Tony got a really good deal on the house. And finally its entirely possible for a captain to earn more than the boss of the family depending on the rackets they have set up. Especially with the fact that Jackie is the acting boss and hasn’t been in the position very long so its possible he hasnt had the time to get established in some good rackets as boss.
Jackie is kind of Arthur Dayne from Game of Thrones. He's an idealized, honored man who's solid under fire and excellent at what he does - a staple of the olden days and proof "they don't make men like they used to". Both stories do away with them because it leads to more interesting storylines, featuring more conflict-torn, imperfect people. Both their demises signal a shift on their respective worlds.
Well, A Song of Ice and Fire seems to still be an optimistic story despite the darkness with Arthur Dayne's death and his family possibly leading to the world being saved from The Eternal Night... if the books actually finished. But Jackie's death definitely signaled the nihilistic themes of the story in The Sopranos.
I really liked Michael Rispoli's performance on The Sopranos and also on The Deuce. I also found Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile to be very convincing and realistic.
I always thought that keeping Jackie around for the whole first season would've been interesting, and it seems like he was a far better boss compared to Tony.
Ercole Dimeo is the real forgotten boss. Remember Jackie was Acting Boss and pointedly said so. He's identified as so by the FBI and a local news broadcast. While it's assumed he retired at some point, this isn't specifically stated at any point in the series. Nor should it be assumed, as plenty of real bosses maintained their positions while imprisoned. Philip Rastelli, Carmine Persico, Andrew Russo, even Vic Orena, all maintained their positions and titles while spending the majority of their reign in prison. The only reason Junior - and then Tony - became boss is because it provided a more entertaining narrative.
Proof that MSN should’ve just been a limited series.. there’s so much untapped backstories for not only Jackie Aprile but Tony as well since they literally came up the next to one another @ the same time..he’s truly the closest link to Tony’s rise in the mob but we know how it turned out 💔
Would have been sort of interesting to see an alternative plot line where Jackie Sr. survives cancer and sticks around 'til the end. Especially him realizing that his son is an idiot and won't be going to medical school and how he handles that.
@@danielbergonzi7319 Jackie Jr. would've tried over and over again to convince his fawhta to let him join the crime family. "I already told you no, get a f-in job at Blockbuster like A.J."
I think Jackie Sr. would have eventually seen that his son was too stupid for college and got him set up in a semi-legit business like Carmine Jr.'s porn movies.
Great video by Kino Moltisanti. It’s interesting cos it’s kinda the same with AJ, he acts out once he learns about what his father does for a living and Tony isn’t much help either with AJs schoolwork or helping to nurture his hobbies. In the end AJ has to be given a job, which would have happened for Jackie Jr had his dad been alive I think. I guess it’s hard for their kids to appreciate rules and consequences once they realise their own parents haven’t learnt it. Jackie Jr definitely thought being involved in the mafia meant his dad was untouchable and thought he was too.
the actor almost plays his role the exact same in the movie kick-ass. it's cool to see and one of the reasons i like to watch that one. there's some other actors from sopranos as well and the way they're performed is very similar and of the era.
I've also had a bit of an obsession with Jackie Sr. I think that understanding Jackie(and his family) and the issues that arrose with the transitions(both when he took power and passed). Whenever I explain what I think the Sopranos is 'about' I tell them its "The story of the Demio crime family and the rising star of Tony Soprano and power struggle following the death of acting Boss Jackie Sr." Obviously this is oversimplified, but I think you could link even the later series to that statement. (Even when Junior was pretty much irrelevant, New York still would throw "stepped over his own uncle" as justification for harsh action.
Excellent video. That being said, I'm not a fan of the "the writers should / could have done x, y, z". They did what they did. The impact of Jackie Sr's death on the Soprano crew is a recurring plot device. That's the reason for the character, IMO.
In my prequel, Ralph was wit Rose, as teenagers, then Carmela n Tony introduced Jackie to her, n that was that, n thats a little insight to why Ralph was with Rose only a year after Jack passed if that....my prequel will b the real deal
The fight for power between Jackie Sr and Junior Soprano would have been better story the the Many Saints. Even a dark comedy about the card game robbery would be better than the actual movie. The dichotomy between Jackie Jr.'s very serious dramatic tone juxtaposed to Tony and Jackie Sr.'s light hearted take down of the card game.
In regards to Ralphie dating Rosalie I always saw it as a power move on Ralph’s part to position himself as a possible future boss of the family. Even as capo it was clear that he was an ambitious rival to Tony as Boss of the family. As noted in the video, he, Tony, and Jackie all came up together, so why should have Tony automatically be or remain Boss over Ralph, especially since Ralph was a successful earner and was involved with the former First Lady of the Family?
He contributed to it, but more so Ralph did. Tony really did at least try to stop Jackie Jr from getting into trouble. Ralphie didn’t, by telling him old stories about his fathers past and handing him a gun, he was almost encouraging him into that world of crime. Tony then faces a dilemma in which two made guys are shot because of Jackie jr. As a leader he has to act and not look weak. He tries to put that responsibility onto Ralph, thinking Ralph would give Jackie jr a pass. Which was his major mistake with intentions to protect Jackie jr
This actor played a similar character in power: Raising Kanan . But it was very good to see him anyway i voted for his character to stay alive but was killed off anyway.
3:55 Excellent insight! I never thought it was odd that Tony sided with Jackie as Junior was antagonistic in the first season, but this is BEFORE that which implies Junior only became antagonistic to Tony after this. Also, Tony siding with Jackie over family to move higher up shows what a greedy sociopath Tony truly is.
I think yes and no. Tony is definitely a selfish sociopath always looking out for his best interests but also Junior was never popular and that shows in season 1 with how everyone's constantly annoyed with his decisions as boss. So, Tony was smart to 1. Side with a member of the ruling family 2. it's his best friend and 3. Cause most of the capos if not all would've sided with Jackie anyway
I think they should've reminded us viewers more of Jackie. Like the story of how he got respect from robbing a card game - I never remembered that in relation to how Jackie Junior did the same thing and failed but it's a great connection that ties things together
Jackie... young leader...like JFK, who is used many times symbolically in this show. Different name, but JFK's wife was Jackie. Also, his line one of the early episodes... I believe it's towards his end, when the veil would be quite thin...: "I'm in front of the world trade center." Always gives me chills.
I feel the reason Jackie Sr isn't fleshed out more is because he was a last minute addition to the start of the show, in the Pilot episode Tony was the undisputed boss of the crew and North Jersey, even acknowledged by Junior, but David Chase decided he didn't want Tony to start out as boss so Jackie was created
Honestly if Jackie senior lived he would still be making boss money and Jackie would have been fine not working at all and just doing whatever he wanted. Would be like little carmine down in FL. Let him play wannabe gangster far away with daddy’s money. Jackie Jr probably wouldn’t have even cared about being in the mafia at all if he didn’t have to work.
Jackie Sr. reminds me of Marcus Aurelius. Very good leader, and respected. Until he passed and his son Commodus took the reigns of the Roman Empire and nearly drove it into the ground.
One thing that doesn’t seem to make sense is how come Tony seems to live better than Jackie despite the fact that it was Jackie that was boss when the show started. It also doesn’t make sense that his son has a Jersey accent, but his daughter doesn’t.
Idunno I think Davis Chase kept it well balanced with Jackie Sr. Jackie was the only character that Tony showed any type of obedience to; which was a bit strange when you saw it.
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I’m so pl
Can u do a video about who the father was tracys baby was? Im convinced it was not ralph.
Austin powers
Too bad you couldn't just shut up and let us watch the sopranos...
I came here out of respect for Jackie Jr's fawtha.
😂
the golfer?
He's a made man, you gotta kick up
You respect his fawtha you should respect richie
Anyway, $4 a pound.
The destruction of the Aprile crew wasn't really Tony's fault.
Jackie Sr died of cancer, Richie was about to attempt a coup and was killed in a domestic dispute, Jackie Jr botched a robbery and paid the price, Adriana was a rat and was thus eliminated, Vito didn't get a second opinion regarding his medication and nearly caused an international incident with the Shah of Iran secretly assassinating him.
"Crew"? They're a glorified family
LOL ...international incident
And then the Shahs lover was killed
Tony’s handling situation with Ricky definitely wasn’t good. He acted like a prick more then needed, which led Ricky to attempt coup.
@@zazazaaazzzaazhonestly if he just wore the jacket he’d have been good.
jackie sr. was respected because he was a strong leader without being a psychopath
Like Gary Coopah, the strong and silent type.
And gay? Madone!
@@Ezio999Auditore how much more heartbreak can i take ???
And he also died while the current iteration of the family was at it's peak, and before he anyone had reason to resent him, or develop a true grudge
Now that is pure fiction because all of them are psychopaths!You don’t get the high with clean hands and a conscience.😂
Let this not distract you from the fact the Phil did twenty years in the can.
@nero48 The rahdiator
Not a fuckin’ peep
Phil also Compromised ......
If only he told people, maybe they would understand. I mean 20 years, and only a tissue for company.
Hard Fact! Hard time. 💯
I would have loved a first season where Jackie is the boss and you see Tony lower down in the family.
That was season 1.....
@@elmizzox You know what I mean. We never see Jackie outside of the hospital bed except for one scene and tony is basically running things right away
It’s what the many saints should have been
Right would love to see an episode of tony getting made in that season, show doesn't let us know what age he was made though
@@chicosworldthey did. When tony and Paulie went down south they showed a flashback. it was in 82’ when he killed willie overall. He was born 1959 so that means he was 23. Meadow was born the same year. Episode is called “remember when” season 6.
4:30 "Your Uncle, maddon! Does he eat alone. He doesn't even pass the salt!" one of my favourite lines in the show.
Julia Child over here.
Very allegorical line
The sacred, and the propane.
I mean something… ANYTHING gonna have to trickle down over here no?
What I'd tell ya, hold onto your cock when you are negotiating w these desert people, 250
Jackie was a cool character, would have been interesting to see more of him.
Doesnt he show up in a flashback scene?
One of the few times I’ve heard that statement and it’s legitimate haha, truly wanted to see more of him
A half season or so if capo Tony would have been interesting.
RIP, Chemosabe.
great leader !
I'd say Jackie Sr had the best fate of any character on the show.
I mean, Cancer isn't a laughing matter but compared to the horrifying endings a lot of these mobsters got, you can say that he had a very respectable end without going to Prison or turning rat to save himself.
A heart attack while on the job in the rest room is surely better than terminal cancer.
@@expatexpat6531 Poor Gigi, really think they should have done more with his character.
At the time of his death, he was probably "happy". He had a son that was supposedly in Rutgers and on his way to be a doctor. A daughter out West going to school and sufficient funds for Ro (combined with how widows are supposed to be taken care of).
I know for one thing... he wouldn't have had a brother killed or whatever happened there
@@bentenchofor a short time yes
Vito had no problem killing his own cousin, Jackie Jr., so biological family, outside of father and son, doesn't always mean much.
Jackie Jr. seemed to have no problem being killed by Vito also, or else he might have seen the 400lbs man sneaking up behind him.
@@mrrodriguezHLPwdym? It's not Jackie's fault that Vito has teleportation powers
Dickie killed his dad
Vito is a real Come from Behind kinda guy.....
@@mrrodriguezHLPvito had a lot of experience coming up a young guy's arse and keeping it quiet.
I think if David Chase knew the Sopranos would be as big as it has become, he would e probably kept him around til season 2 or 3
Exactly, these stories developed season by season. A work in progress. I believe rispoli was an original contender for the Tony role.
I don't think so. His death was needed to set up the main conflict of Season 1 and promote Tony to boss. Keeping him alive would reduce the tension that makes the show interesting.
No. Tony had to be boss.
yooooo wasnt expetcing to see you here lol. love ur vids bro
Not at all. the purpose of each character in the show is directed on the 4 main character
Jackie Aprille is not forgotten. DiMeo was forgotten. Jackie was an acting boss for him, when he was sent to prison for life, and he is mentioned in the show like once.
Lol...he was mentioned more than once but I get your point. They didn't always say his name though sometimes just referred to him as "the old man" easy to miss if you're not paying attention
DiMeo was just irrelevant during the whole timeline of the show
It was said that Tony’s father was the boss at one time as well….I’m confused
@@assaniase8638 no Tony’s father was never the boss, he was a captain
@@paradoxexpress6976 It was implied that Tonys father and Uncle June really were powerful Cappos that ran North Jersey when Tony visited his Uncle in the retirement home on the last season
“He drowned in 2 inches of water, whatever happened there”
Oh shit the tripkeepers a fellow sopranos watcher
The little we know about Jackie:
He seemed to be the most level headed of the Captains or Boss's, more than Silvio or Jr. even. Wasn't a psychopath, wasn't greedy, a mental midget, and wanted to maintain as calm a front as possible. This is all relevent to the situation, but that's how I see it.
He was well respected too and kept peace and dodged the law. He was the Luciano of Jersey
Great mobster, terrible father. He devoted so much to the DiMeo family that he never addressed his son's character concerns or even disciplined him for his mistakes. This gave Jackie Jr. a sense of entitlement that because his dad was boss he was essentially untouchable. What he failed to understand is you cannot shoot a made guy and get a pass, especially one made from the other side like Furio. That I believe is why Jackie Sr. and Tony were so successful in robbing Feech La Manna's card game: nobody got shot so it was much easier for Richie and Johnny Boy to appeal for Jackie and Tony respectively.
@@toms.a.savage7232 Well, yea. People not getting shot and/or killed, like poor Sunshine, puts a whole different spin on things.
He wasn't as selfish as the others yet stern and people respected that because it was better for everybody as a whole.
10:37 For instance, Tony and Jackie Sr.'s original robbery of Feech's game would've worked perfectly as a flashback in the episode where Jackie Jr.'s botched robbery takes place.
He did 20 mins in that hospital and not a peep.
It never even crossed my mind the strangeness of Ralph dating Rosalie Aprile so soon after Jackie passed away.
So soon? Lol he comes in 2 seasons later lmao
@@yaqubebased1961 I mean, even if it’s years later, Jackie was the boss and highly respected. That would be like Sil dating Carmella a couple years after Tony passes
Its not strange, ralph was a lunatic they all disliked anyway, he did whatever he wanted.
Ralph's family motto probably has the word _strange_ in it someplace.
@@Ukraineaissance2014 it’s a little strange
The real forgotten boss was Ercole DiMeo who was actually the real boss of the family in jail. He was completely forgotten after being mentioned in season 1.
For real. I want to know more about the workings of the family with him as leader. There’s little to nothing said or considered about the guy.
I was soo confused the first few seasons, as the Tony vs Junior rivalry started out being over *acting* boss with DiMeo in jail... but after a while they're was no more mention, and it was actual boss. (Long before DiMeo died)
He is actually mentioned once in season 5, Tony B says it’s weird seeing Tony “in the old man’s chair”
Well the thing is Chase had no real plan for the character of DiMeo. He was mostly mentioned as a plot device on why someone as young as Jackie was boss. He even later regretted it somewhat as he didn't want the idea of anyone really being above Tony as boss. So they just gave a throwaway line that he was in jail. But even so I think it was weird that the supposed true boss of the family is never seen or barely mentioned the entire time of the show. I mean even junior kept tabs on the family even in house arrest. Easily one of the more disappointing decisions on the show.
Longest time I thought he was Junior's feeble minded brother
In my opinion, Jackie has the best reputation out of the characters.
Its not that hard. Be nice and not greedy.
all he needed to do was die young, just like Johnny Boy. "He was a saint"
Pretty cool how you hardly even learn Jackie’s name the first time you watch those early episodes, but on a rewatch seeing him in the flesh is really special
Fun fact about Jackie Aprile Sr. He was originally supposed to be played by a much older actor, but David Chase like Micheal Rispoli's audition for Tony so much, he gave Micheal the role of Jackie and wrote in the character of Eckley DiMeo to explain why someone so young was the boss of a Mafia family.
There was a theory that Rosalie might be Ercole’s daughter, which explains how Jackie Sr. was able to slide into the acting boss position at such a young age, which wasn’t easy even with the amount of respect he got; It also ties into how Rosalie could live like such for so many years (possibly inheriting her father’s legitimate business interests) after his death despite not having any real job, it seems.
@@antoinesilva1527 That's definitely possible. Also remember that it's hinted that Ercole didn't think as highly of Junior as he did Johnny. Remember that Johnny was made first and had a crew in the late 50s, while Junior didn't get his crew til the early 70s. I always thought that the Aprile crew was so prominent because it was the Boss's old crew, before Richie even. Jackie being capo of his old crew plus being married to Ro may have influenced Ercole's decision to make him underboss, but also perhaps it was also to keep Junior from the center of power.
Ercoli.
The reason his story is so fascinating is due to the fact it was so short
He was the best guy arouuuuund
"What about the people he murdered?"
"What murdaaaaaaaa?"
Great video/analysis. I’ve also wondered about Tony supporting Jackie over his own uncle, but looking at how the leadership contest between him and Junior eventually went, I imagine most of the capos would have backed Jackie over Junior. The best Tony could do was smooth things over with his uncle so he didn’t end up in a conflict he’d inevitably lose. It’s great fore(post?)shadowing of the leadership contest between Tony and his uncle.
What did you expect? After all, he didn’t have the makings of a varsity athlete 😂
Michael Rispoli is an under appreciated actor. He's played many characters, my favorite was Joe Jr. in "While You Were Sleeping".
How about 'Grama' in "Rounders"?
“You ok? Cause it looks like he’s “leaning”…”
He was one of the dog kidnappers in Homeward Bound 2
Jackie Jr never had the makings of a Varsity doctor.
Good Scrabble player, though.
Giggles..."A.S.S."
I think the point of Jackie Sr. is to show that Tony has had it pretty good for a while. He has been the underboss in everything but name for most of the 90s, but now his uncle is causing pointless trouble.
No matter how good he had it Tony was always depressed even before the shows start. A creation of Livia and Johnny Soprano.
Tony was never eager to have Jackie Jr killed no matter how annoyed he was. And I believe Ralph was sincere about giving Jackie a pass until Ralph found out that Jackie told Tony that Ralph gave him a gun, which made Ralph look even worse in Tony’s eyes than he already did
I was going to say the same thing.
It seems like Tony sincerely wanted Jackie Jr to stay out of trouble. Although he failed at keeping him away. I don’t think he wanted Jackie Jr killed, but he knew by rules of the mob that he would look like a weak leader who disregards the rules if he didn’t act when made guys just got shot.
Instead Tony tries to put the responsibility on Ralph so that it seems like it wasn’t all his decision, originally thinking that Ralph would give him a pass. But later finds out he was wrong
@@americanzombie1802to be fair, Ralph made the right call. Jackie was a real putz with the card game. If they didn’t get high, they could have backed down once he realized that Michael made him, gotten his chops busted badly, but could have earned some respect for having balls, yet being smart enough to pull out when it wasn’t a good situation.
Instead, everything went to hell and he got what he deserved for being stupid.
Not Jackie Jr’s fault. Stupidity is a learning disorder @@johnepants
PureKino & one other channel (I don’t mention other creators in comments, not respectful) are the only two that can STILL analyze The Sopranos in interesting ways. Offering “fresh” perspectives and entertaining content from a show that’s been over for 2 decades is impressive.
Facts
Just like that murdering animal, Tony's cousin. I still can't even say his name.
Bully Whispers and Cineranter
You NEVER mention other creators on a made guy's comment section
Does DonBorko get a mention
Wish we would’ve at least got a scene with DiMeo
I think part of the reason Jackie is so interesting is because he isn’t explored so deeply. It makes him more mysterious
100%
Tony burst into tears on hearing that Jackie had died so I guess that says something for their friendship
Richie Aprile, Season 2, as played by David Proval...among the best acting in The Sopranos. I just loved that character. Amazed to learn to learn he was Jewish. Many of us Jews always wanted to be Italian.
Proval was born in Brooklyn, New York into a Jewish family,[1] the son of Clara Katz, an actress from Bucharest, Romania.[2][3] He has appeared in films such as Mean Streets, The Shawshank Redemption, The Phantom, Mob Queen, Four Rooms, UHF, Innocent Blood, The Siege, The Monster Squad, Bookies, and Balls of Fury
I was just thinking. Tony must've been a very very good earner to have a house like that as a captain. All the other captains lifestyles were a lot less extravagant than his even b4 he became the boss. We saw big pussys house, sils house, paulies house, Jr's house, chris' apartment etc etc. No comparison.
You’re right but he also had Carmela’s father to build it for cheap and didn’t gamble until season 6
It’s mentioned in the show, like in the 1st season. Tony explains to Melfie about the power struggle with Junior. Tony states that he pretty hit the ground running and was a good earner from the start. It’s also mentioned later that Junior always had resentment for Johnny and Tony because Johnny was younger but more respected and Tony was his nephew but was a better earner.
@scoliosis9478 great point. Thanks
@theboard3476 yepyep you are right
It was actually completely unrealistic for a Jersey mobster (they're a glorified crew) to have a house like that.
Jackie seemed like the boss who allowed people do get away with whatever they wanted. That's why they "liked" him.
That would make sense and also go with how he was as a father.
No it’s just that he ran shit so good situations like that rarely happened. But there wete definitely some scenes that proved he was a firm leader when needed
@@TheFightHubb
Absolutely. I bet on his deathbed that he couldn't possibly imagine how bad Tony could utterly fuck up everything he left him
@@donarthiazi2443 yup lol, tony was a horrible boss overall
@@TheFightHubb
He could hardly be worse than he was... the Family, his own personal and extended family, his _civilian_ friends, his own health etc etc Tony was a complete fuckup.
And there may never have been a bigger hypocrite than Tony. But it sure was entertaining 🙂
I agree he's an interesting character, it would've been good to see more of him. Unfortunately he had to die early of course, because his death sets up the key rivalry for season 1: Tony vs Junior.
More flashbacks with Jackie would've been nice, but the writers would've had to find a purpose for them beyond just detailing his character. The Pussy dream sequences worked because his death haunted Tony, it always nagged at him. Maybe the writers could've thought of some Jackie flashbacks that tell us something about Tony, but I'm not sure what.
Can’t wait for the Aprile video!!
Jackie was just one of those people who everyone naturally gravitates to. A natural leader, I think everyone has met at least one person like that in their lifetime
You forgot to mention that flashback in which Jackie Aprile goes to a sitdown with Junior soprano.
Pure Kino = Pure Resolutions
This stuff is so good. It is the hardest thing as a parent to hold the line with your kids. It’s a lot of work, it gives you grief, and the easy way out is to just ignore it. Unfortunately it’s the exact opposite of love.
I always wondered why the old man in Springfield never made any decisions. In most mob movies and TV shows it seems like even though the boss is put away he still has control of some sort.
The fact that there is an old man in Springfield is really glossed over after season 1. I think most people who only gave Sopranos a single viewing completely forgot or didn't realize there was a real boss in jail. DiMeo doesn't have family members appear in any of the crews or part of the periphery.
DiMeo completely disappears. I wish the show had explained what happened to him, instead of just dropping any mention of him. This show is great, but there are some huge flaws, what it did with DiMeo is one flaw in my opinion.
@@cletusjones9411 I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find but it'd be interesting to see when the last time the bossman is mentioned
It's like any of them John was boss till he was sentence then he was forgotten about the best line for me in the show is when Tony b gets out and bobbys kid ask why have we never heard of you, and that's it in a nut shell you go down and nobody what's to know you fact.
@@blakeysbobbyslexiamazingjo4505 True....to a point. Tony and Phil did cut John out with the vitamin truck. But Phil was still going to John with issues until he died and John's orders carried out. Probably makes a difference when you're a boss as opposed posed to even a capo or made guy.
Jackie Jr would have earned the respect of his peers if he just finish school. He was enamored with his father's legacy and wouldn't have lived up to his father's name. Sometimes you got to make it your own way.
We gotta watch this before the crank wears off.
I still want to know how a Captain (Tony) had a bigger and better house than the acting boss (Jackie). I'm assuming Jackie had a lot of legal fees to stay out of prison, or keep his time on the inside, low. Still raises the question for me: is an underling allowed to flex his financial success over his boss in the mob? I figure any boss that saw how Tony was living they'd assume he was a) dealing drugs b) holding out on the kick-up.
theres a couple things. First of all in the pilot Tony is already the boss of jersey and that gets retconned in the regular season, but they had already shown what the soprano house was so they had to keep it. Second Carmelas father built the house at presumably a much lower cost and i think its implied that it was maybe built with subpar materials so Tony got a really good deal on the house. And finally its entirely possible for a captain to earn more than the boss of the family depending on the rackets they have set up. Especially with the fact that Jackie is the acting boss and hasn’t been in the position very long so its possible he hasnt had the time to get established in some good rackets as boss.
Jackie is kind of Arthur Dayne from Game of Thrones. He's an idealized, honored man who's solid under fire and excellent at what he does - a staple of the olden days and proof "they don't make men like they used to". Both stories do away with them because it leads to more interesting storylines, featuring more conflict-torn, imperfect people. Both their demises signal a shift on their respective worlds.
Damn, never thought id hear an Arthur Dayne comparison to Jackie Sr, but that makes sense.
Well, A Song of Ice and Fire seems to still be an optimistic story despite the darkness with Arthur Dayne's death and his family possibly leading to the world being saved from The Eternal Night... if the books actually finished.
But Jackie's death definitely signaled the nihilistic themes of the story in The Sopranos.
Always wit da senarios
This show is about fat Italians doing illegal activities. Take your dragons somewhere else. The disrespect with this guy
It was fun watching this video. I miss those days when my husband and I used to watch The Sopranos every Sunday night. 😊
He was such an amazing character, too bad we didn't get to see more of him.
Jackie seemed like a great character to explore. If a prequel series gets made then he needs storylines about him.
The fact that Jackie is such a fascinating character, depends a lot on the viewer knowing very little about him.
I really liked Michael Rispoli's performance on The Sopranos and also on The Deuce. I also found Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile to be very convincing and realistic.
Great on the deuce
They should make a movie about Jakie Aprile or that Animal Blundetto
I always thought that keeping Jackie around for the whole first season would've been interesting, and it seems like he was a far better boss compared to Tony.
Thanks to this video I finally understand the answer to one of life’s great questions that was posed by Jackie Jr. - “Do you know who my father was?”
He definitely had the makings of a varsity boss
The guy did pass the salt....
I'm here to pay my respects to Jackie seniah
Ercole Dimeo is the real forgotten boss. Remember Jackie was Acting Boss and pointedly said so. He's identified as so by the FBI and a local news broadcast.
While it's assumed he retired at some point, this isn't specifically stated at any point in the series. Nor should it be assumed, as plenty of real bosses maintained their positions while imprisoned.
Philip Rastelli, Carmine Persico, Andrew Russo, even Vic Orena, all maintained their positions and titles while spending the majority of their reign in prison. The only reason Junior - and then Tony - became boss is because it provided a more entertaining narrative.
Proof that MSN should’ve just been a limited series.. there’s so much untapped backstories for not only Jackie Aprile but Tony as well since they literally came up the next to one another @ the same time..he’s truly the closest link to Tony’s rise in the mob but we know how it turned out 💔
Would have been sort of interesting to see an alternative plot line where Jackie Sr. survives cancer and sticks around 'til the end. Especially him realizing that his son is an idiot and won't be going to medical school and how he handles that.
I don't think Jackie Jr would've tried *it* if his dad was around.
@@danielbergonzi7319 Jackie Jr. would've tried over and over again to convince his fawhta to let him join the crime family. "I already told you no, get a f-in job at Blockbuster like A.J."
@@daviddanielsson3643 I mean he would probably given up sooner or later if Ralph didn't steer him in a fatal direction it seems to me
I think Jackie Sr. would have eventually seen that his son was too stupid for college and got him set up in a semi-legit business like Carmine Jr.'s porn movies.
@@BM-wh5qk Men's fashion for heterosexual men. Could Junior make it in that world?
Jackie had the making of a varsity athlete
Great video by Kino Moltisanti. It’s interesting cos it’s kinda the same with AJ, he acts out once he learns about what his father does for a living and Tony isn’t much help either with AJs schoolwork or helping to nurture his hobbies. In the end AJ has to be given a job, which would have happened for Jackie Jr had his dad been alive I think. I guess it’s hard for their kids to appreciate rules and consequences once they realise their own parents haven’t learnt it. Jackie Jr definitely thought being involved in the mafia meant his dad was untouchable and thought he was too.
the actor almost plays his role the exact same in the movie kick-ass. it's cool to see and one of the reasons i like to watch that one. there's some other actors from sopranos as well and the way they're performed is very similar and of the era.
When Pure Kino uploads you know it is a good day
Reminds me just how stealthy Vito was. Jackie Jnr. never saw the big guy coming even in an empty street.
He should of been on the show longer
Just when I thought I was out....they pull me back in.
Awesome content man! I love how you give shout out to your patrons.
Great video, great analysis, these are fun for sopranos fans.
One word: charisma.
I've also had a bit of an obsession with Jackie Sr. I think that understanding Jackie(and his family) and the issues that arrose with the transitions(both when he took power and passed).
Whenever I explain what I think the Sopranos is 'about' I tell them its "The story of the Demio crime family and the rising star of Tony Soprano and power struggle following the death of acting Boss Jackie Sr."
Obviously this is oversimplified, but I think you could link even the later series to that statement. (Even when Junior was pretty much irrelevant, New York still would throw "stepped over his own uncle" as justification for harsh action.
5:50 Jackie Snr had definitely been watching way too much of Michael Douglas's Wallstreet!
Kino uploaded 🤞
1:36 that guy driving the ice cream truck (Artie bucco) was played by my friend who grew up with me on Long Island, great guy, great actor and singer.
Excellent video. That being said, I'm not a fan of the "the writers should / could have done x, y, z". They did what they did. The impact of Jackie Sr's death on the Soprano crew is a recurring plot device. That's the reason for the character, IMO.
In my prequel, Ralph was wit Rose, as teenagers, then Carmela n Tony introduced Jackie to her, n that was that, n thats a little insight to why Ralph was with Rose only a year after Jack passed if that....my prequel will b the real deal
The fight for power between Jackie Sr and Junior Soprano would have been better story the the Many Saints. Even a dark comedy about the card game robbery would be better than the actual movie. The dichotomy between Jackie Jr.'s very serious dramatic tone juxtaposed to Tony and Jackie Sr.'s light hearted take down of the card game.
In regards to Ralphie dating Rosalie I always saw it as a power move on Ralph’s part to position himself as a possible future boss of the family.
Even as capo it was clear that he was an ambitious rival to Tony as Boss of the family. As noted in the video, he, Tony, and Jackie all came up together, so why should have Tony automatically be or remain Boss over Ralph, especially since Ralph was a successful earner and was involved with the former First Lady of the Family?
It is true. After the season 3 finale Jackie was hardly ever mentioned again.
Never heard it duscussed how Tony destroyed the family of Jackie. But he did. More out if convenience than anything else.
He contributed to it, but more so Ralph did. Tony really did at least try to stop Jackie Jr from getting into trouble.
Ralphie didn’t, by telling him old stories about his fathers past and handing him a gun, he was almost encouraging him into that world of crime.
Tony then faces a dilemma in which two made guys are shot because of Jackie jr. As a leader he has to act and not look weak. He tries to put that responsibility onto Ralph, thinking Ralph would give Jackie jr a pass. Which was his major mistake with intentions to protect Jackie jr
7:43 It always made me laugh that Vito’s prop gun doesn’t have a working slide or extractor. We see the fake muzzle flash, but that’s it. 😂
This actor played a similar character in power: Raising Kanan . But it was very good to see him anyway i voted for his character to stay alive but was killed off anyway.
Best show I’ve ever seen hands down!
It was almost like Jackie was main character before his death and then tony took over
3:55
Excellent insight! I never thought it was odd that Tony sided with Jackie as Junior was antagonistic in the first season, but this is BEFORE that which implies Junior only became antagonistic to Tony after this.
Also, Tony siding with Jackie over family to move higher up shows what a greedy sociopath Tony truly is.
I think yes and no. Tony is definitely a selfish sociopath always looking out for his best interests but also Junior was never popular and that shows in season 1 with how everyone's constantly annoyed with his decisions as boss. So, Tony was smart to 1. Side with a member of the ruling family 2. it's his best friend and 3. Cause most of the capos if not all would've sided with Jackie anyway
Maybe it was cause Tony knew who killed Christopher’s dad and held a grudge?
Before it, which implies it happened later. Wow.
I think they should've reminded us viewers more of Jackie. Like the story of how he got respect from robbing a card game - I never remembered that in relation to how Jackie Junior did the same thing and failed but it's a great connection that ties things together
This connection is directly spelled out on the show. I think it was in a conversation between Jackie Jr and Tony, could be wrong.
Jackie... young leader...like JFK, who is used many times symbolically in this show. Different name, but JFK's wife was Jackie. Also, his line one of the early episodes... I believe it's towards his end, when the veil would be quite thin...: "I'm in front of the world trade center." Always gives me chills.
I feel the reason Jackie Sr isn't fleshed out more is because he was a last minute addition to the start of the show, in the Pilot episode Tony was the undisputed boss of the crew and North Jersey, even acknowledged by Junior, but David Chase decided he didn't want Tony to start out as boss so Jackie was created
@6:24 Tony dips his bread on his uncles plate, the look on Juniors face is a video in itself.
Honestly if Jackie senior lived he would still be making boss money and Jackie would have been fine not working at all and just doing whatever he wanted. Would be like little carmine down in FL. Let him play wannabe gangster far away with daddy’s money. Jackie Jr probably wouldn’t have even cared about being in the mafia at all if he didn’t have to work.
Mob? I thought this show was about a sanitation company.
Jackie Sr. reminds me of Marcus Aurelius. Very good leader, and respected. Until he passed and his son Commodus took the reigns of the Roman Empire and nearly drove it into the ground.
Great video Keens!
I still miss this show!😢
Jackie Sr. wanted Jackie Jr. to become a doctor but Jackie Jr. couldn’t spell doctor.
😂😂😂
jackie had the makings of a varsity athlete that’s why he was so successful.
Thanks to Jackie Jr, we never forgot about how his fawtha was a boss (even if just as an acting boss).
Such a great analogy! Thank you very entertaining
One thing that doesn’t seem to make sense is how come Tony seems to live better than Jackie despite the fact that it was Jackie that was boss when the show started. It also doesn’t make sense that his son has a Jersey accent, but his daughter doesn’t.
>>but his daughter doesn’t
Like how you did a "Soprano Family Tree" you should also do a "DeMeo Family Tree" going over whats known about the family itself and its members
Idunno I think Davis Chase kept it well balanced with Jackie Sr. Jackie was the only character that Tony showed any type of obedience to; which was a bit strange when you saw it.