The Sopranos was easily one of the most groundbreaking television shows, with James Gandolfini’s performance as Tony Soprano setting the standard for what a great cinematic anti-hero should look like. Without the incredible work that Gandolfini did, it seems unlikely that television would see the emergence of morally dubious protagonists like Jon Hamm’s Don Draper in Mad Men or Bryan Cranston’s Walter White in Breaking Bad. While the success of The Sopranos is certainly intertwined with Gandfolfini’s legacy, he was certainly not the only great actor on the show; The Sopranos featured one of the most stacked ensembles on television and often evolved due to the volatile nature of the narrative. Although many fan-favorite characters were met with grizzly fates, no deaths on The Sopranos were as heartbreaking as Drea de Matteo’s Adriana La Cerva.
Adriana Was One of the Best ‘The Sopranos’ Characters
One of the best aspects of The Sopranos was how it developed a rich family tree that connected the various mafia families and allies that came into Tony’s life. Adriana is the niece of Jackie (Michael Rispoli) and Richie Aprile (David Proval), which indicates that she has more familiarity with the mafia world than many of the other love interests in the show. Although the show rarely puts her in a situation to get blood on her hands, Adriana is by no means a completely innocent character. She is more than keen to reap the benefits of her boyfriend, Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), who considers himself to be the heir apparent to Tony’s criminal empire.
While there is undeniably a level of passion, Adriana and Christopher have one of the most toxic and challenging relationships in The Sopranos. The pressure of living up to the legacy of both his father, Dickie, and Tony gives Christopher a lot of anxiety that forces him to question what his future will be. In the episode “D-Girl,” he even briefly considers leaving the mafia, so that he can become a professional Hollywood screenwriter. Unfortunately, Christopher’s pent-up rage and frustration at his own failings generally turn him into a more toxic character, leading him to abuse Adriana throughout the series. Her story arc becomes one of the most tragic. Although Adriana genuinely tries to help Christopher when he deals with his drug addiction, she is unable to prevent him from going into a downward spiral.
The fifth season of The Sopranos is generally regarded as one of the show’s best, as it raised the stakes by having the DiMeo crime family put under surveillance by the FBI. Although the FBI had previously employed Tony’s close friend Pussy Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore) to be an undercover mole, his death at the end of the second season forced the agents to look for a new double agent. After being threatened with imprisonment for crimes of drug possession relating to Christopher’s addiction issues, Adriana is forced to begin informing on Tony’s family to the FBI, increasing the series’ tension. While Adriana feels guilty about betraying Christopher and the family that has supported her, she knows her life will be in danger if her secret is ever uncovered.
“Long Term Parking” Changed ‘The Sopranos’ Forever
Although Tony is distracted by the rising violence of the drug war and crimes of his cousin Tony B. (Steve Buscemi), season five of The Sopranos forces Adriana to make a serious decision regarding her future. The FBI discovers she helped cover up a murder on Tony’s behalf and threatens to imprison her unless she wears a wire to collect evidence. The incident proves to be a breaking point in her relationship with Christopher. Although she manages to convince the FBI to help put Christopher in witness protection, he is far less receptive to the idea of living the rest of his life on the run. The heartbreaking confirmation between de Matteo and Moltisanti makes for one of the most emotional moments in the history of The Sopranos.
Although the series had no shortage of shocking exits, Adriana’s death in “Long Term Parking” is one of the most disturbing moments in all of The Sopranos. Once Tony informs Adriana that his ally Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) will be picking her up, it’s evident that they intend to silence her before she can spill any more information. The long, punishing car ride of Adriana wistfully thinking about her future is absolutely heartbreaking; it serves as a definitive reminder that despite their occasionally endearing qualities, Tony and his cohorts are the real villains of The Sopranos. Adriana may not have been wholly innocent, but she certainly didn’t deserve the grizzly fate that awaited her.
Christopher Moltisanti Was Never the Same Without Adriana
In addition to providing the series with one of its most shocking moments, Adriana’s death in “Long Term Parking” fundamentally changed Christopher’s character arc moving forward. The episode revealed that Christopher was unable to choose between devoting his loyalties to Tony or Adriana. He was both ill-equipped to be a romantic partner and incompetent as a potential successor to Tony. Without Adriana’s guiding influence, Christopher’s series of bad decisions reach their apex when he is awarded his own tragic fate in the final season.
While the final iteration of the show earned praise for its ambiguous nature, season six of The Sopranos lost something without Adriana. Despite her familial connections to the mob, Adriana presented a rational outsider’s perspective that only underlined how truly depraved the series’ characters were. Adriana’s death cast a lingering shadow over the rest of The Sopranos, indicating that characters who were once essential to the ensemble could perish at any given moment. It was a role that won de Matteo a well-deserved Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
