There are dozens of supporting characters in the HBO series, The Sopranos, but who among them is the best? Redditors have made their picks.
The Sopranos mostly receives praise for its near-perfect plot, but that’s not the only factor responsible for the show’s brilliance. The wide pool of intriguing characters is key to the show’s success too, with the numerous fictional New York and Newark residents all instrumental in making the tale as captivating as it is.
Most of The Sopranos’ main characters are loved by all fans, but who is the strongest among the supporting? According to Reddit, a select few not only have better arcs but are much more appealing than the rest. The characters are not necessarily heroic or likable, but they sure do leave a mark.
Dr. Elliot Kupferberg
Despite him being one of the low-key villains in The Sopranos, Redditor gladitsknight feels Dr. Elliot Kupferberg is awesome. They describe him as, “the most moral person in the whole Sopranos universe.”
Kupferberg’s anti-mafia stance makes him annoying, but he’s indeed a moral person. With much glee, he gets to destroy one of the show’s best friendships – that of Tony and Dr. Melfi, by making the psychiatrist realize that people like Tony only use therapy to justify their evil actions. Kupferberg is a mild manipulator too, proven by how he shames Melfi by telling their colleagues that she constantly shakes hands with the big bad mafia Don, Tony Soprano. To maintain her integrity, she is left with no choice but to say goodbye to the DiMeo crime family boss.
Valery
Redditor 123fakerusty declares that the best supporting character is “The Russian interior decorator who killed 16 Czechoslovakians.” It’s a joke, referring to Valery. When Tony calls Paulie to advise him to be careful because Valery is a former Russian Interior Ministry operative who killed 16 Chechen rebels, Paulie misquotes him. He tells Christopher that Valery is an interior decorator who killed 16 Czechoslovakians.
Valery clearly deserves a spot on the list as he is the only person to mess with the DiMeo crime family and disappear without ever paying for his actions. He proves himself as one of the best fighters in the Sopranos by overpowering both Paulie and Christopher when they go to collect a debt for him. Thanks to his military expertise, the hunt for him in the Pine Barrens also ends up being fruitless, not to mention that it leads to plenty of comical moments too.
Feech La Manna
A member of the original Cosa Nostra from Sicily, Feech causes plenty of havoc when he gets paroled. MH3ndr1ks says,”I love every second with that guy.”
One of the best things about Feech is how he enjoys using the phrase “In my day …” in praise of the good old times while discrediting everything that new age mobsters are doing. He is obviously hard-boiled, but he is also so out of touch with reality, so much so that when he gets set up by his own colleagues, he doesn’t see it coming.
Patsy Parisi
Redditor AndrewSwansea likes the DiMeo crime family accountant, Patsy Parisi. They state, “He had so many great moments,” adding, “pissing in Tony’s pool was a memorable one.”
What stands out about Patsy is his forgiving heart. He opts not to kill Tony and continues working for him, even after knowing that he ordered a hit on his brother. He never whacks anyone either, thus painting himself as less violent than his colleagues. That said, he does have quite a few scary moments, including one where he threatens one of Tony Soprano’s best mistresses, Gloria, warning her to keep off, or else.
Rosalie Aprille
Redditor fiddlesticks_409, fondly remembers Rosalie Aprille. They praise her for being “one of the only mob wives who didn’t seem at all pretentious.”
Rosalie has many great traits that make her one of the best mob wives in The Sopranos. She is mentally strong, with the ability to handle disappointments, and tried easily. She strongly campaigns for her son to marry Meadow, but when they break up, she doesn’t throw a fit. And when her son dies, she is still able to find happiness. Rosalie amusingly also tends to have some of the best facial expressions when reacting to shocking news.
Walden
The DiMeo crime family street soldier carries out the most important hit on the show by shooting Lupertazzi crime family boss, Phil Leotardo, at a gas station. Need_More_Gary_Busey feels “it was a shame we got so little of him.”
Walden is the quintessential enforcer who is more about actions and words. He has a cool aura, making audiences look forward to his next scene. He is mostly seen protecting the top brass of the family and looking good while at it. The manner in which he kills Phil is brutal, but viewers will argue that the New York Don deserved it, given all the mayhem he had caused.
Svetlana Kirilenko
Svetlana has a couple of great moments, according to Redditor corbou. And her best is “when she had her cronies beat up Janice for the leg.”
Svetlana is undoubtedly the most badass of Tony’s mistresses, as she doesn’t fear his intimidating sister, Janice. She likes to respond to aggression with aggression and that’s why she is quick to send her own goons after Janice for taking her prosthetic leg. Svetlana also plays an important role in shaking up Tony’s marriage and it’s the discovery of her tryst with Tony that causes his long list of affairs to get exposed.
Detective Vin Makazian
The dirty cop lights up the few scenes that he appears in. Redditor Khwarezm doesn’t like the fact that the character didn’t last, writing, “I think it was a shame he only existed for one season.”
The Newark detective is a tragic character. Watching him jump off a bridge triggers plenty of melancholy since audiences were hoping for him to play an even bigger role as Tony’s eyes and ears inside the precincts. Nonetheless, he will always be remembered as the person who exposed Big Pussy, a formidable enough informant that would have definitely brought a RICO case to Tony.
Tracee
Redditor _Grim_Lavamancer remembers the Bada Bing dancer, Tracee, fondly. They say, “She was a beautiful, innocent creature. ‘University’ hits me hard every time I watch it.”
As a character, Tracee draws deep sympathy. She mostly serves to highlight Ralph’s unhinged personality and further paint him as a sadistic villain. Her unreciprocated love makes for sad moments too. She adores Ralph, but he sees her as nothing but a strip club dancer who is unworthy of his respect. Her eventual death at Ralph’s hands is a big blow to not just Tony, who was her friend, but to viewers, as well.
Hugh DeAngelis
Carmela’s father appears in a couple of episodes, where he is shown to be extremely fond of Tony, disagreeing with his wife who hates the mob boss. HarvesternC says, “Every scene he was in was fantastic.”
Hugh’s banter is mostly what makes him an interesting character. With every chance he gets, he makes sure to remind people that he was not only in the army but he was also very good at terminating members of enemy forces. Additionally, he endears himself to fans by constantly rooting for Tony, even during his separation from Carmela.
