Why You're Wrong About Bobby Bacala | The Sopranos
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HBO’s The Sopranos follows the trials and tribulations of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano. The show contains a wide variety of interesting characters with depth and nuance, from Christopher Moltisanti, Janice Soprano, Ritchie April, Ralph Cifaretto, Johnny Sack and much much more.
Many of the supporting characters of the shows are now legendary and iconic, and there is perhaps no character more beloved to Sopranos fans than Bobby Baccalieri, better known as Bobby Bacala, played by Steve Schiripa. First appearing in ‘Do Not Resuscitate’, the 2nd episode of the second season of the show, Bobby has gone onto become perhaps the most loved character in the entire series. He’s a big guy, but he’s got a big heart, he’s shy, naïve, and thoughtful. He’s a little dub, which makes him endearing, and he gets made fun of a lot in the show and is something of a pushover. He also formed a dynamic duo with Junior Soprano, the two characters sharing excellent chemistry and playing off one another in entertaining fashion. This “aw shucks” attitude of the character sticks out in a bizarre way but lovable way, given how Bobby is surrounded by vicious sociopaths and bloodthirsty killers. This gentle giant has won the hearts of Sopranos fans everywhere, with notable reasons being his love for his children and his faithfulness to his wife Karen, the fact that he as a grown man in the mob played with trains, and his tragic death, which came via a mob execution as part of a mob war which Bobby thought was over, but he had been misinformed. Bobby is remembered by fans of the show as a lovable big goof, the only decent guy out of the main characters in the show, one who only truly became unshakably angry when the lives of his children were in danger.
Today however, I wanted to offer an alternate take, one that will perhaps be controversial for Sopranos fans.
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Edit: Janice hadn't yet married Ritchie before she popped him
Let me tell you a thing or three. All the Kings horses and all the Kings men, couldn’t put Phil’s head back together again. Whatever happened there.
CineRanter, love the Sopranos analysis, they're easily the most thorough and objective ones coming out right now, sticking straight to the facts and covering grounds that people may have missed or forgotten about.
I'd like to request a video about Richie Aprile and homosexuality, there's a lot of hints that he may have had sex with or even raped men in prison, like how he holds a gun to Janice's head during sex, Tony saying there's men in prison who look better. Telling Chris he has a hard-on for him, or joking that he has a chubby for Junior, etc. Then the way he reacts to his son pursuing an effeminate career. I've seen a reddit thread about it, but haven't seen a real analysis vid, think it'd be interesting.
Learn how to pronounce the last names of the people you're talking about
Janice wasn’t married to Ritchie.
20 YEARS!!!
How ever bad Bobby was, he paid the ultimate price - married to Janice.
Ain’t no-one deserves that!
Amen
Not that she gets any credit for it!
brilliant comment
Enjoy your lasagna...
😂...
Bobby might have been the most decent guy, but among that group, it was like being the valedictorian in summer school.
😆
Iove that example/comparison.
I'm stealing it.
My Uncle Ray, worked at the post office, used to have a saying, "Some guys claim they're the fastest mailman in the branch. You proud of that? That's like being the smartest kid with Downs Syndrome."
It’s like being the mvp of the special olympics
Ironically, Bobby is actually what mobsters pretend to be. Family men that take care of one another and live honorable lives.
He’s the most realistic mobster on the show in a way. He pretends to be a good honorable guy but he actually might be the worst of the worse
Fr preach about loyalty,then cheat on their wives, preach about respect, but threaten people and steal, preach about hard work, but would literally rather kill rob and steal than get a 9-5, I can go on lol
Bobby is loyal, loves his family, and holds morals and the rest of the glorified crew thinks he's an absolute joke
Lucky he’s a family guy
@@nidhishshivashankar4885 he really has those good old fashioned values on which we used to rely
Agreed. Bobby is subject to what I call the "Pinkman Effect" (named after Jesse Pinkman from "Breaking Bad")-- a phenomenon where viewers think that a character is a good guy simply because everyone around him is worse than him.
I am getting that 99% of viewers don't think this, at that whatever decency they apply to the guy is within the context of the show. It's also worth noting that otherwise decent people do turn around a life of crime, from time to time. Sometimes it's just the circumstances of their lives that propel them down a dark path, and not really their inherent nature.
No deadass 😭 I was so confused when I keep hearing about people saying Jesse was a good person, like
I honestly just think it’s a man out of time kind of thing.
These guys would be perfectly normal doing what they do if they were Vikings. Maybe not to their very own people. But other “clans” “tribes” around Scandinavia and Europe were open pickings.
Obviously this way of life is no longer socially acceptable. But the Native Americans were still raiding each other less than 200 years ago. Were they bad men because that had been a way of life for centuries?
These guys are just perpetuating a lifestyle that should have died more and more as Italians got out of poverty over the generations. Some families did probably get out of it. But then they kept it going.
But New York has always been a city or battling tribes. It’s very tribal. You from my street, my neighborhood. You from a rival neighborhood. Rival race, rival gang, rival tribe. It gets worse than Scottish clans. Hatfield McCoy shit. Romeo family fighting Juliet family. And we still see it in the street gangs and revenge killings of today. Sure you have the criminal aspect. But tribes need resources for war.
I’m not making excuses for it. Especially now days in modern society. But I have a friend doing life in prison for a murder. He’ll never be a bad person to me because he killed some stranger. Maybe it’s the tribalism but I can’t help it. He was there for me my whole life. I don’t care about the stranger. And I’m not going to pretend I do. Maybe I’m a man out of time myself.
Wouldn’t it actually be the “Bobby effect” since Sopranos came first? lol.
That’s the same effect with Christopher
"even Janice got her first hit before Bobby."
LMAO. That's golden.
i paused the video and lmaoooo
@UrLocalChaldean Knight in White Satin Armor
And that's just the one we know about. 🤔
She got her first hit under the boardwalk, i can tell you that.
She was the real gangster
He inherited this life, I don’t think you have reason to talk about him like that , he always liked you.
To the victor, belongs the spoils
I think its time for you to start to seriously consider salads.
You know Quasimodo predicted all of this
I've always thought, ok, hunchback of notre dame, you also got your quarterback and halfback of notre dame
Bullshit, but now we will assume he does
The scene where Janice gets Bobby to eat Karen's last baked ziti was powerful. It actually was one of few times that Janice displays emotional intelligence... even if it is serving her own agenda. Aida Turturro, who plays Janice, is brilliant.
I hated her character in a very real way lol, so she is a terrific actor
When she blasted that little prick for slapping her 😂
That was an evil scene
Yes she did that for herself
. But it's not healthy to live in the past. It's better for him to move on..
I love the scene when there at the mall and she brings up the cake and he tells her to “shut the f*** up” and she snaps back “no you shut the f*** up”
It's genius writing how all characters think Bobby is dumb so they make fun of him a lot early on, but as he rises in the family the making fun of slowly stops because they realize he's not that dumb and he earned their respect as a legit earner. Very good writing
It certainly is excellent writing on this show.
Why did he rise up tho ? He was Junior’s keeper. I never understood that.
@@purplepeavey7874 Cause a shit load of people died. Only reason if you ask me.
@@sasagrcevic475Bobby seemed to be pretty competent in his own right. Not underboss material for sure, that was just due to Jersey higher-ups dropping like flies, and him marrying Janice
The fun stops because he's promoted-- because he's the brother in law. Show me where he's smart.
“Bobby took mushrooms once. Stuffed mushrooms - he ate the whole platter.”
Gold!
Neil, you win the Internet for today!
Grown out of Vito's ass
Steve is the best
Probably more than once
"Where's the manicott?"
"It's gone"
"Half a fuckin' tray in there!"
Makes me crack up every time I watch that scene.
The way Bobby non chalantly says, "I was hungry" 🤣🤣🤣
Or" how much white castle did you eat? None o swear, I can smell it on you"
It's gone 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@frankiehernandez6232 think on this burger boy- Uncle June 🤣
@@saswatrath609 arm shrug, let it roll on off...
The scene when Bobby comes back from that hit and picks up his daughter had me crying I ain't gonna lie. That scene hits different because Bobby was my guy and something told me we weren't gonna see Bobby anymore.
I would not admit this to the public - it's not exactly a good reference point for ya - just sayin
Fr. Bobby was too real for this lifestyle.
@@davidrice3337 neither is your comment
This magic moment, so different and so new
@@davidrice3337 you’re annoying no one’s gonna care abt this guys reaction to a show except for losers that are too invested in other people life
Fun fact. In the Pine Barrens episode, when Bobby shows up to go with Tony and first comes in wearing all his hunting gear and Tony breaks out in laughter, and it would be much more laughter than that. Behind the scenes the real story goes that the actor who played Bobby was always trying to crack up Gandolfini. And always tried on many occasions. This time, if you notice when Bobby walks in it on shows an above the waste shot. This was because the actor playing Bobby had a gigantic dildo hanging out of his pants. Needless to say it definitely caught James off guard and his reaction on camera caught it and they kept it as we all thought he was laughing at Bobby being all geared up in camouflage and the orange hunting vest, and Tony say "Look at this guy!", then seeing the dildo and bursting out laughing as Bobby acts agitated that Tony is laughing at his gear. I have to give mad props to the guy who plays Uncle Junior, as he didn't even show any signs of even a reactive slight grin. As his character wouldn't laugh like that, Uncle Junior was just miserable. And if he had laughed at it probably would've resulted in a new shoot. Watch it and it will become clear that this story is true, ntm it was told by the actor who played Bobby on a behind the scenes special I watched. They really had fun making this show, as all the characters had fun and and were truly all one big family.
also possible that Uncle Jun did laugh but they stitched a separate shot in there to make it work - the power of editing.
Actually the actor that plays Uncle Junior was able to keep it together. Don't ask me how. Maybe he's older than the two, and he might be one of those guys who gets pissed off on wasted takes, obviously Chase was well aware of it.
It's must have been a good time on that set behind the scenes. And while it was such a serious and violent TV show. These guys had a very good time making this show, and there were a hell of a lot of laughs going on behind the scenes.
@@Thathorrorguy12FU source: trust me bro
@@guccimalcs source search it the fuck up
Yeah I think a good defense of Bobby is “He’s the best guy of the worst guys”
He’s a fucking captain now, you don’t talk about him like that.
@@operationlull3742 never had the makings of a varsity athlete though
Ya exactly. Couldn't say It better myself
@@mrjackelbox4418 not sure, Bobby is built like a varsity athlete lol great Center or O line build
@@mrjackelbox4418 bobby had da besta foods and da besta wines
Well he was no Johnny Boy, that’s for sure. That guy was a saint 😭
A man among men!
He was a saint😢
Don’t you wave your hankie at me!!! Lol
Funny, I don't remember you saying that when he was alive ma!
Alright Lyvia, settle down
He was a nice guy as far as mobsters go. Compared to guys like Ritchie Aprile and Ralph Cifaretto he definitely was.
He was loyal and good natured and respected his mob superiors. He truly loved his wife and was devasted when she died.
In the final season as he finally moved up into Tony's inner circle he had more of an edge to him and kind of started acting more like a hard ass after he committed his first kill.
But he sort of had to act like that to get respect from the other guys. He was now basically the Underboss of the family. He was now living in a big house, had beaten up Tony in their drunken fight, had committed murder for the family and was the Underboss. So it makes sense that his personality got a little harder by the final season.
Overall, I think Bobby was a good guy. He just choose a profession where you really can't be all that nice of a guy if you want to succeed.
I saw very little shady behavior from Bobby throughout the series. He did what he had to do. Like the strong, silent type.
Good guys dont join the mob and commit a fucking murder lmao. He was likeable for dure but calling him a good guy is just straight up delusional and disconnected from reality.
It’s disturbing how low of a bar you have for being a “good guy”. Unless you mean that he’s a good guy as far as mobsters go. But compared to non-mobsters he’s a pretty awful person.
@@npvuvuzela I think you should re-read the first sentence or two of my comment a couple more times.
I seriously doubt Bobby's "first kill" we see in the show in the last season, is actually his first kill, or even close. A middle aged lifer mobster working directly for bosses? Not a chance
@@chrisgottlieb5403 Except they discussed that Bobby had never killed anybody before in the same episode. He and Tony on the boat.
Bobby's dad was in the mob and was respected so that's likely how Bobby was inducted.
Perhaps you should go back and watch the show again. It seems like you are writing your own screenplay in your head.
I would sell my soul to see a spin off focused on Junior and Bobby. Some of those scenes were sublime and I think a series about an aging mobster with his driver would be brilliant!
Uncle Junior got 100 years in the can, he couldn’t come home if he wanted to.
You can make a new show with that dynamic. Call it driving Mister Danilo or something.
i wish the same for a mob-comedy film about uncle Philly adopting Vito junior
They already made it, it's called "Curb your enthusiasm"
czcams.com/video/Xnv5GsQGS7E/video.html
They could call it "Driving Uncle Junior".
He’s relatively a “good guy” compared to the sociopaths and narcissists that surrounded him.
Exactly
Came here to post the same thing
I always hated how people worshipped Tony Soprano. They are all such pieces of shit it's crazy.
*Relatively
Right! We were never WRONG about Bobby. You got a real glimpse when he shot that rapper IN THE ASS.
The best character was the Chechen interior decorator. You see him run through the Pine Barrens? That was a true varsity athlete!
His place looked like shit
No no.. He was a Russian interior decorator.. He killed 16 Czechoslovakians. And his house looked like shit.
His house looked like shit 💀🤣
@@LDNBOYPODCAST But he had large hands.
Ditto
Most likely Bobby made it so long without having to kill anybody because he was one of the only characters whose loyalty never was questioned he was undoubtedly loyal and they knew it
TLDR
"Mobsters are bad"
"Bobby is a Mobster"
"Bobby is bad"
Bobby was a bad guy but the series made him to be the "gentle giant with an IQ of a cheese sandwich", and he was 100% loyal/genuine. That's what made him a well liked character
Bobby had to be useful for the mob in order to be useful he had to be a bad guy. But the thing that Tony and Bobby had that the other mobsters didn't was humanity. Which would show itself from time to time.
@@ProtomanButCallMeBlues bobby murdered that young guy just cause tony told him to! He was horrible person! There isnt a person in world who could convince me to murder anyone! No excuse for it. Just selfish murderer. But compared to some of others like christopher he was a saint.
@@Johnnyrocks34 Some things are a matter of duty!
@@christufuhh bull crap! Thats pathetic excuse
@@christufuhh hypothetically if someone paid you to go murder someone you s just do it And say its matter of duty? Thats ridiculous
If Bobby wasn't in the mob he'd still be a good guy. Connected to his emotions, great family man, helpful, considerate. I loved him so much. I was sickened that he ended up with Janice and how she snaked her way into his heart.
Bobby loved his family too. everyone had their mistress, but not bobby
@June Bug yep. they always teased bobby for being faithful to karen and not having a goomar :/
He was also a Lionel train enthusiast.
@@merciless972 Watch the episode with Tracee. Bobby is at the back of Bada Bing with the hookers just like the rest of them
If you had a family member who was targeted by the loan sharking business that Bobby ran or you were one of the people he beat with a baseball bat in his first episode or he killed someone you cared about how much would you accept “He’d be a good guy if he wasn’t in the mob” as an excuse?
This dude is trying SO HARD to make Bobby look worse but he’s still the sweetest out of all of them and a genuinely loving father to his children and even his death was somewhat innocent.
that is whataboutism
He intimated jurors, sent money up to have people killed.
Yeah he is real great.
A real Mother fukin Teresa over here
@@qwer9676 How?
@@someretard7030 well maybe not exactly whataboutism but it’s still comparing bobby to new jersey mafia which is a super low bar.
Well, I gotta disagree here. I don't know how you can say being shot numerous times in front of children is innocent. That, and he was a friggin murderer. Fuck Bobby.
Bobby really was the only guy who seemed like he didn’t fit in or belong to the mafia. He seemed like he was just a normal guy who just so happened to be in this life. My man was a Family man and a train lover
Bobby is the simple saying personified “ NO SUCH THING AS A HALF WAY CROOK “
Word up dun!
there's numerous ways he could chose to earn funds...🤷🏽♀️
tequila sunrise, bloodshot eyes
realise we all born to die
so get the money bacala!
he's all up in the game and don't deserve to be a player.
Haha Prodigy would be proud of you guys
Bobby was a relatively innocent helper to Junior. Then he got his mentorship. Junior is why Bobby became Bobby. Corrado was in his ear long before Tony really entered the picture. The irony is that Bobby was in, but treated like the help. Eugine wanted out, but was treated as essential. Quazimodo predicted all of this.
I love that I get the joke 🤣
Quasimodo? You mean Nostradamus! Quasimodo was the hunchback of Notre Dame!
He was a loanshark before Tony made him Junior's caretaker. Loansharks are generally considered bad people.
@@joeyjo-joshabadu9636man's gotta eat
Tony is a despicable selfish violent sociopath, yet we become enamored with him because he displays moments of sensitivity and vulnerability and is surrounded by even viler cretins like Richie and Ralph. Bobby's character is a further step up that hierarchy. That was Chase's ultimate play with the series in my opinion, encapsulated by Agent Harris' exclamatory "We're gonna win this thing!" in the final season. Through the drama and pathos, we slowly forget just what truly evil people the characters that lead the life of 'this thing' truly are.
Bobby got where he was because he was levelheaded, patient and understanding. Not because he was a killer, even though he did kill later on in the series. He had qualities that Tony couldn’t find in any of his other guys. That’s why at times you would see him confide in Bobby even over Silvio.
Haha Richie went into the program. He now lives on hill overlooking a river with pinecones.
Ohh he did?
@ SACRE BLEU WHERE IS ME MAMA
@@cherchil Tony hatred to see Janice happy lol he made sure she wasn't happy long
@@pinehawk9600 I don’t get what you mean.. Janice killed Richie
The river had pine cones in it?
I think Bobby was a decent guy. Up until when Tony forced him to, he had never killed someone (and he deeply regretted it afterwards), he didn't cheat on his wife, and his income was mainly from gambling and he never dealt or did drugs. He may have not made a living in the most moral way but compared to the scumbags that he worked with on a daily basis, he was basically a saint.
He was very loveable, but in his first episode he was beating protesters with a baseball bat. Is that the actions of a decent guy?
Being slightly less violent than the other guys in the family doesnt make him a decent guy.
He never had a goomah, that doesn't mean he never cheated.
@@Lilyanna298 well.....he did that because he was loyal to the rules
He knew he had to do what the boss says
@@Lilyanna298 absolutely because protesters are subhumans.
I think what you've illustrated in this video, CineRanter, is how even a seemingly simple and straightforward character like Bobby Bacala is every bit as complex and nuanced as most of the other major characters on The Sopranos.
Just another example of the brilliant writing and acting on full display throughout the series.
He's a gentle criminal, wise guy who is made, and eventually a nice underboss too. The fact that anyone thinks that he is a "good guy" says a lot about where our society is headed.
Sopranos fans dont tend to be deep thinkers lol. Fat clumsy guy = good guy
People think he’s good because the show evolves around the worst
It’s the brilliance of the writing. It’s kinda like when a girl who is semi attractive surrounds herself with ugly women. Men begin to think she’s a 9.5 when she’s probably only a 7.
Compared to the Phils, Paulies, Ralphies and Richie’s, Bobby is a decent guy. So a viewer walks away from the show with a skewed sense of Bobby’s character.
@@miked2075 yeah, bobbys a bit better because if you make him angry he's less likely to kill you and more likely just to retaliate verbally
@@hardboiled2987This is a fucking stupid comment. Sopranos is one of the deepest and most complex dramatic television series ever created. Why wouldn't Sopranos fans reflect that?
Bobby had this soft demeanor that made you forget what he really was. Like that episode when he tells Junior "we'll go after a juror" as a way of dealing with Junior's trial. Pretty dark suggestion right there.
The way he says that line about the juror as well, calmly and just brushing it off like it's something they do all the time. Bobby was hard as nails.
Johnny Sac loved his wife and family too. But ice water ran through his veins.
Yes you’re right I think Jonny and Booby were a lot alike in regards to being secure in themselves as men. Just because I’m a Tiger doesn’t mean I need to show my teeth all the time. They’re politeness ,well spoken calm manners through people off sometimes they just were violent when it called for it
@@jparker19822009 Heh, booby
They also owned the same house.
Until his carriage turned into a pumpkin!
Exactly. Idk how many Sopranos fans have personally known gangsters on a close level, but that's often how they are. You'd almost never be able to tell what they're capable of during family functions and the likes. But when you hear them for example, on the phone making a business related call, they can send chills down your spine just hearing how they articulate themselves you feel that ice cold fear just from the change in their tone
Bobby was definitely a good-ish guy, the best of a bad bunch. He killed once, and even that was only because he was afraid of tony. And he was not groomed by his father. To quote Baccala in the birthday episode in S6 "My dad never wanted that for me" re; doing a hit.
Bobby is the one character in the show that I do and don’t feel sympathy for at the same time. He was born into that life, which meant he would never be able to truly leave it. But he’s also always stood as his own man, and the least insecure in himself and actions. But he also played along the sidelines until it was convenient to do so anymore.
As for Janice and Bobby’s relationship, it’s almost understandable that two incredibly hurt people would find themselves in the midst of their own personal pain. That being said, I also believe it was a transactional relationship. Bobby needed a mob-wife, and Janice needed a family to belong to. It would only make sense in them entwining their lives, since both of them came from ‘the life’, they knew the truth and reality of their life and choices.
I agree. However, people like Bobby and Johnny Sack were beacons of light because of the way they were loyal to their wives. The worst thing Bobby did, was say his wife was a pain for making him get something from the store when he was stuck in traffic (because of his wife’s death).
Yea I always liked Sack because of the way he took up for Ginny. Also he was one of the few that actually looked like money and was halfway decent looking.
No, the worst thing Bobby did was murder some fucking guy to better a business deal
and shooting that guy to death but that complaining thing about his wife was pretty bad to I guess...
Totally! I'd argue Johnny Sack had the most integrity. He kept it straight and didnt fuck around. I was mad when they pulled up on him and Tony, then getting locked up.
@@BillBillson69420 yeah, which is more than we can say about the other guys is what i mean.
Michael Corleone was never portrayed as some type of college frat boy. From his first scene he is shown as a USMC veteran who had been awarded both a Silver Star and Navy Cross. Nor was he squeamish about the family business, as shown by the way he retells the 'offer he couldn't refuse' story to Kay. While Sonny gives Michael a gentle ribbing about the difference between killing someone as a soldier in the military and as one in the family, and killing Sollozzo and McCluskey changed his character arc, Michael was already stone faced killer before he set foot in Louis restaurant.
Psssssssst ..... Don't tell anyone, but it's just a film, based on a pulp novel by Mario Puzo. It ain't real, blud.
@@chiricahuaapache5132 What are you trying to accomplish? Acting like people aren't aware it's a story? Storytelling is part of human nature. Pipe down mr. attempting to be smart but displaying his incredible stupidity
@@sheevinopalpatino4782 Can you spare an honest American a dollar, Sir? Pssssst! Can I bum a smoke off you and maybe one for the road? .... Have you got a light?
He didn't like the family business he was clear on it after he tells kay the story he also say that's my family kay that's not me ..u forgot to mention that part ..he clearly was distancing himself ..also I think when he said his family was going legit he actually meant it but as time went by he realised it couldn't be done
@@sheevinopalpatino4782 Didn't you know? You can't discuss or express an opinion about anything fictional without believing it's real life. DUH lol. Chiricahua Apache is way too cool for that shit.
03:59 Janice killed Richie. Tony told everyone that Richie was a rat just to hide Janice’s crime.
it’s a fuckin joke bro
This guy is too dumb to recognize a joke
I love that scene with Bobby jumping out of a car with a crowbar and just beating the shit out of some protester. Wasn’t close to a good guy… but closer than the rest of them.
They were all sociopathic, not above murder.
Beating a guy to death is murder you foonok.
No characters in Tony’s crew were good guys, but I always liked Bobby and Silvio for their loyalty to Tony.
Silvio was very likeable, but you occasionally got glimpses of what he really was inside - especially the way he treated Tracee and Adriana. He was a brutal and merciless thug who could be charming and loyal when it suited him.
Paulie Walnuts rocked,hehe.😉
@@brucetucker4847 Pretty much. The way he smacked around Tracee especially was brutal. Ardianna though a woman was still a "rat". But that Tracee kid was a tragedy.
@@jmangi6221 Paulie and Ralph were the funniest.
Can't forget when Bobby was spreading the rumor that Adrianna was blowing Tony. Granted, he wasn't the only one to do that but still.
Kisses Tony's ass. Goes along with stiffing Hesh & has to be the world's worst dad to bring that viper Janice into his children's lives.
Tony and aide would have banged 100% if tony didn't crash his car.
Heard he came all over the sun visor.
@@mikesendec3972 Sun visor? that's a weird fucking nick name for the back of Ade's throat.
@@jgooo101
Not necessarily. It could’ve happened many times before the accident but didn’t and for a reason. Tony still had principles to some extent. And the uncertainty and toss up of many of the characters’ actions is another testament of the show’s supreme writing. Most shows just telegraph their characters’ actions from a mile away.
This was an excellent review
I enjoyed the analysis, but I can't say as though you chaged my opinion of him prior to watching this. I don't think most people were under the impression he was a saint, just not an outright sociopath like most of the crew. You did make one really great point: The show went to great lengths to show that Tony was being punitive and sadistic by making Bobby do his only hit. But as you pointed out, Bobby was asking for momey and status when he somehow managed to already bypass the traditional violence that goes along with earning the title.
It occurred to me that bobby was an avid hunter that really knew his guns. It’s like he had all of his dads hitman instincts but just didn’t want to kill people. Imagine if bobby took up after his father? A big guy like him that was also a good shot with a rifle?
He had stopped using guns on deer. He only took them with the bow. He said it was unsportsmanlike.
He could of been like Luca brasi
Probably have a heart attack whilst trying to run away lol
Not allowed to use rifles in NJ. Too flat...but I bet he was hell with a shotgun
Probably rifle hunted PA, in my area, the New York Italian guys would come up to rifle hunt CT. They were also notorious for shooting “wild cows”.
8:20 "Not even Quasimodo could have predicted that" nice one
I'm an aura view!!!
F*ck you! Beat me to it!!!
To tha Vikta belongs da spoils
"Not even Quasimodo could have predicted that"- Carmine Lupertazzi, probably.
@@PinballBob1 Ahhhhahahaahaha!!!
You do great breakdowns, but the issue with the murderer was less about corrupting Bobby's soul and more about making him fear forensics for the rest of his life.
But remember that an opinion is not a fact.
Mobsters have a skill of looking like nice guys. Bobby is just really good at it, and even used it to his advantage in the mob and skated by just being a driver while working his way up he ranks pretty easily.
I didn't see strong points to convince me that Bobby was a bad guy
I think one of the main themes of the show was there were no "good guys" and "bad guys".... even the priest had his flaws.. It was a show based on the mafia their sense of morality was.. complicated.
“Shyness is a curse.”
It's true
This is the difference between a nice guy and a good person. being a nice guy doesn't mean you are a good person you can be rotten evil and be a nice guy its a personality, being a good person is entirely different and you don't have to be a nice guy to be a good person.
“ took it on the chin” you should have use that line on a video about Vito
I get it, he drives a Lincoln.
I'm in awe of you
@@glasgowkiwi “awer” - Bobby 😎
I mean we all know Bobby was still a mob guy but compared to all the other guys he was easily the nicest/most loyal to his wife and family then him
Johnny was most loyal to his wife
@@liampowell5014 that's true to both of them were very loyal to there wife's.
@@liampowell5014 True, Johnny was a real boss, not a fat piece of shit of a glorified crew... ;D
@@hungrymikepencetd5686 Calm down, Phil you know the wine makes you emotional
@@liampowell5014 Haha ;).
I read the title and got defensive I love
Bobby !!! 😂😂
There is also the scene where Bobby tells Junior and Tony about Carmine Lupertazzi's passing.
In that scene, Bobby expresses admiration for Carmine - "he was a great man", are his exact words, which he immediately follows up by saying that Carmine "invented point shaving", for which Bobby thinks Carmine was brilliant.
For those who don't know, "point shaving" involves basically ruining young athletes' lives, self-confidence and futures through bribery, humiliation and intimidation.
This is the kind of man that Bobby admires and thinks was "brilliant" and "great", which should tell you a lot about Bobby and his internal values.
that's not what point shaving is lmao
@@rockguy2154it kind of is. He's not 100% wrong
For those of you who don’t know point shaving involves asking a basketball player to intentionally miss two or three shots a game with the intention that his team still wins but doesn’t cover the spread giving the bookie an uppercase over his marks without looking very much like the game was fixed.
It is illegal for a reason but hardly the monstrous crime you described.
Surely if you can defend Phil Leotardo, you can see Bobby’s relative goodness.
This is a great analysis and a rare take on the character. I think the show was meant to show the duality of good and bad -- these were all fundamentally bad guys who, in some cases, had sweet and endearing quirks. Tony fed little ducks in his pool. Awww! *bang!* Oh, he just killed a guy. Same with Bobby.
His father was a gangster. His second wife manipulated him and brought him into a family that’s SO FUGGED UP that the only non-sociopath (Barb) only shows up at Funerals. He managed to avoid “making his bones” (murdering anyone) - even though he’s a Made Man - until he was within a few months of his own murder by New York.
Yes, he was part of a corrupt organization. (The Human Race - no, I’m kidding. Well, HALF-kidding 😁). And we all know, since the Nuremberg Trials, that saying “I was just following orders, doing my job” is NOT a valid excuse for aiding and abetting the murder of human beings, so, fine, life is Black and White and you’re either on one side f that line or the other…I hope, for your sake, you learn differently, before it’s too late for you…
That's why I stopped watching the show before the end of the first season.
I just could not find sympathy for these characters at all.
I'm not that interested in the everyday trials and tribulations of the personal and private lives of gangsters.
We know that the gangsters have personal lives and we do feel sympathy for their families but that's not why I watch shows about gangsters and organized crime.
As gut-wrenching as it is to see little Johnny being shunned by his little league team when they find out his father's a gangster, I got enough drama in my own daily life.
Agreed my friend.., agreed.
Good and evil is a line down the center of every man. These charictors were not evil, they had a different set of morals than most of the audience, but even when killing, they always had a good justification, and when they didn't those around them frowned on it hard. When thinking of how they made their money you can make similar arguments. Shaking down a local business might look like a bad deal from an outside prospective, but if you are a shopkeeper in an immigrant neighborhood and your choices are pay a percentage to the mob or be open to robbery from anyone and everyone, the mob starts to look like it's providing a valuable service. Better than the cops do anyway.
@@merlin4real You watched this show and came to the conclusion that Tony Soprano was not evil? Either you’re about 12 years old or I seriously have to question your intelligence. There’s absolutely no justification for their actions.
The more I watch videos discussing different aspects of The Sopranos, the more I look at the wardrobe and sets, the more genius this series seems.
Thanks for posting this video!
Magnificent analysis.
Many of the characters can be looked at from an alternate pov. Much like Captain Queeg.
For myself, I always viewed Janice differently as how many see her.
Manipulative?
To a degree, yes..
But the same can be said for all the characters.
Top to bottom.
I found your comment about how power exposes one’s true character very interesting.
Just a terrific analysis.
Someone so comfortable with monsters must himself be a monster. I have been giving this a lot of thought and am glad you took up the topic. I was always struck by how Bobby has been comfortable with massive amounts of violence and exploitation. He's no angel, just relatively lovable.
What about when he was tapped to play Santa?
Thats the genius of the show , they make tony out to be a hero after killing so many and betraying many more
Sitting here comfortably watching monsters…
@@elcantu7190 very uncomfortable for me. But satisfies morbido.
His dad was in the life, obviously rubs off on him. Doesn't mean he's monster.
He evolved into a such a gangster by the end of the show.
Even the Vito situation he was the only one that said not to kill Vito. He also handled the joint fitters union very well for the family. And we can not forget how he stood up and faced off with Paulie.
Patsy Parisi: “I couldn’t care less, basically.”
@@ArmyJames yeah? Maybe you're a flambé
To be fair tony didn't want to kill vito either until new York started breaking his balls
And his fight with tony
Very good video. I especially liked the way you hid an Easter egg with the Quasimodo reference. 👍
I think you are right about Bobby. The only think that really separated him from the others was his unease at doing the job himself. Though its not shown alot in the show, as Junior's collector, he would have had to be just as intimidating as Crissy or Paulie to be any good at his job. What if a guy who owed Junior money told Bobby to go f*ck himself? I doubt he would have just hung his head and sulked!
Put Bobby up against normal everyday people and he’s a monster himself, having said that, I think Bobby was the best of all the gangsters in the show by far, and Ralph was probably the worst…
Idk paulie did kill an old woman
The worst was Tony...
Tony is the worst by far. Followed by Chris, Paulie, and Ralph.
Richie Aprile was bad as well
Nah, it was Little Carmine. He had it figured out - he was more of a white collar guy and understood the old ways were on their way out and was branching out into, legitimate and semi-legitimate business. He took therapy seriously, unlike Tony, changed his environment, and lived in the end.
8:19 not even “Quasimodo” could’ve predicted that 😂 😂 love how you throw in those funny Sopranos lines from the series in your videos! Well done sir!
Bobbys death is the complete opposite to the one he was describing to Tony on the boat, I found that ironic
Great points. Well done video.
You make a lot of good points and I’ve always felt similarly. Bobby is one of my favorite characters, and part of that is because while he’s one of the sweeter characters on the, he’s still a career gangster. And while I personally believe that Bobby was an otherwise ok person when he wasn’t on the clock, he shouldn’t be let off the hook for beating, stealing, racketeering or murder. Bobby to me is an example of a person who didn’t realize what they’d have to pay to get what they wanted: I think he was a better person ( if a little cowardly and selfish) before his first hit and while he wanted the money and responsibility, he wasn’t prepared for what earning that would take. And after that he became increasingly like Tony ( with a slightly healthier home life.) I don’t think he should be excused, but I do think it’s very sad.
I doubt that life with Janice could be healthier even in comparison with Carmella
Bobby’s death is what finally made me done with the glorification of the the mob life. The whole series made you love these human characters but in the end the pointless death for money or ego made you hate them.
They all deserved it. Part of the pleasure of watching the Sopranos was watching them get killed. The only one I felt pity for was Tony Blundetto.
I didn't love any of them. When I saw all of their dirty deeds I separated my emotions from all of them lol. So once they died, I didn't feel much. I did like Bobby a bit, though.
@@sweetheartmegz seriously!! People always say that they are multi-dimensional and aren’t just “bad mafia guys” but I seriously don’t see it at all all of the main characters suck there vile cheating killing manipulative people I can’t have remorse for any of them
That's why I like all these Macbeth type stories. I hated Ozarks because the evil wins.
Definitely didn't love meadow or aj
Bobby was one of my favourite characters. Loved how his character and reputation grew after each series.
Artie was another guy on the show who it’s also debatable whether they’re good, or bad
its a much broader, bigger, and accurate point to realize all the people on the sopranos (and in life) are a combination of good and bad and not one or the other. we are complex beings; tony had genuine love for his family and brought them a lot of joyful moments.
bobby was a shy and thoughtful man who also happened to be a cold blooded killer and 💩 person.
i would even venture to say if you think you yourself are morally better than the characters that you likely fall short in a lot of the areas where they excelled morally.
because if their bad actions and behaviors define them entirely - then you would logically have to define them equally by their good qualities and actions.
It's difficult to be too hard on a murderer. I think you put it correctly, he'd done everything else and had waited too long to do the one thing that would have gotten him the respect he desired. Great job on tearing into Bobbys' persona.
He aint kill till like the end of the series and tony put him up to it out of spite
I'm kinda hooked on Sopranos analyses, and this is about the best I've heard. Far clearer thinking than what goes into the thousand CZcams theories about what went down at Holsten's.
Facts.
watch a couple sopranos clips and my recommended vid list inevitably becomes:
"WHAT REEEEALLY HAPPENED AT THE END OF THE SOPRANOS"
"DID TONY DIE?"
"DAVID CHASE CONFIRMS WHAT REEEALLY HAPPENED AT THE END OF THE SOPRANOS"
"ARE THE ONION RINGS THE KEY IN REVEALING IF TONY LIVED OR DIED? SOPRANOS FINALE ANALYSIS"
@@Aloysius2113 tony's death theories are the lowest form of conversation
Great Breakdown !!!
Don't forget that time Bobby pulled a kitten's tail when he was 8 years old. Pure evil.
Great video, and I agree. "Bobby's a nice guy" has always been a pet peeve of mine. Another incident, which I don't think you mentioned in the video, was his attitude during the Vito saga: "We can't have him in our clubhouse"...
I legit felt so bad for Vito during all of that shit, and I hated Vito. That show really knows how to fuck with your emotions.
You could argue that's a conditioned response...any showing of sympathy would make Bobby appear "weak" in that scenario.
Pretty much everyone else in the room wanted to kill Vito. I think Bobby’s response was almost innocent or naive in a way.
See, I read that scene with Bobby reacting to the news about Vito differently. Everyone else hears that Vito is gay and immediately start alluding to killing him as a matter of principle. Bobby hears that Vito's gay, and his only reaction is to advocate for excluding him from the group.
It doesn't make Bobby a good person, but my God does it reflect on just how less prone to violence he is than those around him.
@@SuperScarface83 It looked to me like Bobby was looking for an easy way to make the issue blow over. So was Tony. But that just wasn't gonna happen. Vito was going to get whacked and it was just a matter of who got to him first. Tony lost face by letting Phil get to Vito first.
Bobby was smart as a whip. When Bobby was sent to give a final "friendly" warning message, it was a revelation to the audience, he was a natural - fluid and confident, threading the needle between vague AND direct enough so the target listener got the message. Bobby made them feel completely vulnerable, but didn't feel death was imminent.
Good point. I was surprised at how good he was at that.
Exactly my point! No dumb guy handles himself that way! Do you think that Junior Soprano would have kept him by his side that long if he was dumb as he is described? Bobby is quite enigmatic to say the least!
youre referring to that union guy at the bar, right? total agreement, it was one of those scenes I didnt fully appreciate til rewatches, but it struck me hard the last couple times. the 'here, here, and here" bit is legit chilling
@@dougchesney7234 I think that’s what drives the point home though. If he just said it once it’s mistaken for suicide but how’s somebody going to shoot themself multiple times, this is arguably the most realistic “mob style” threat you see in the show id argue, say what you want but he might be a genius
The fact that he was loyal to his wife and kids made him a good guy, in a lifestyle that has an ironic or sarcastic view of family values….where it’s all about family but they all have mistresses
Good work!
Everything that the commentator said was true ! 😆 He wasn't evil or a psychopath. He didn't openly delight in cruelty and in fact, displayed sensitivities which we don't associate with gangsters. He wasn't one dimensional. It's easy to see him as amiable, sensitive, and thoughtful because he displayed those characteristics in the show. He didn't come off as a mobster archetype because he wasn't notably violent or aggressive most of the time. He was mostly mild mannered. But he works within a criminal enterprise that relies on exploitation, intimidation, and violence. And he wanted more responsibilities, more money, and arguably more prestige as a member of that enterprise. How can one say that such a person is sweet, innocent, or "good" ?The best that you can say about him is that he was complicated. 🤷🏾♂️
Nice guy...have known Steve going back to 1980 in Vegas since before he was an accomplished actor. Hey Shaz, I'm so glad to see yet another great job done with this Sopranos homage to one of the great characters on that show. Kudos Shaz...keep them coming! 🙂👍✌
If you know him call him. He doesnt read youtube comments. 1980 was 40 years ago
I've watched this show several times, and I must admit, this is a new perspective for me. Great work!
Good analysis.
Its like a relationship when a woman tells a guy "you've changed" when in reality no one has changed, only the illusion of what we wanted to see has dissolved over time. This is the genius of the show in that we see what the characters see of themselves, that they are good people who on occasion do heinous acts, when in reality they were always cold blooded killers.
The minute you hear “gentle giant“ you know you’re being fed a line of bullshit…
Great analysis.
Just a side note on Bobby getting made without doing a hit, could be that helped get rid of a body or had been a driver on a hit, there are accounts of that counting enough to get made.
His dad killed enough for both of them.
" Evidently he came all over the sun visor."- Corrado 'Jr.' Soprano
Just saw that episode.
"And when the paramedics got there - his c*** was still in her mouth"
I just finished watching the sopranos from start to finish. They show you where the money comes from, and how things get done. Even without killing, nobody has clean hands.
It's much better than the Godfather in that respect. The only time you ever really see the veil slip in the Godfather series is when Tom Hagen is telling the senator that the dead hooker (whom Hagen or Michael almost certainly had murdered) is unimportant and no one will miss her.
I wish they would've went more in detail, how much the Mob controls NYC construction.
Not to mention when Tony and Bobby were on the boat talking about how Bobby had never “popped his cherry”, Bobby says “it just never happened” and he doesn’t sound the least bit relieved he almost sounds disappointed, but he definitely was saying it very matter-of-factly. Tony is the one who says that’s a good thing.
Paulie about Bobby and Vito: “Ohhh, looks like an ad for a weight loss center. Before, and way before…”
OOOOhhhhhh!!
He was one of the most likeable characters in the show,regardless of whether he was good or bad.
I always saw Bacala as an opportunist. He played off both his dad’s and Junior’s reps in order to move up the food chain. There’s precedent in real life for the kind of arc Bacala’s career took in the Jersey crew. A well written character and well played by Steve Schirripa.
I don't think anybody referes to these characters as "good guys" or "bad guys". They're all criminals, but even criminals have redeeming qualities. Bobby having more than the average doesn't make him not a criminal.
An accurate description of Bobby.
Fantastic episode!
*sees feds
*junior frantically runs to the car like the 6 flags guy
Bobby: Junior ... Junior dont leave me here
He knew the money he sent up from his loansharking racket paid for killing of witnesses. That's one of the reasons you kickback money to the bosses, because the can arrange to intimidate or kill people who otherwise would send you to jail. So he's financed the system of murder for years, and he didn't have a problem with it. He's not upset about the bodies just him seeing them hit the ground.
Bobby wasn’t a loan shark lol what
The hits are a mean of control. You have to do one because then the family can frame you from that point. That's also Tony's way to dispose of him if need be.