When we talk about The Sopranos, it’s easy to focus on the powerhouse that is Tony Soprano—the mafia boss at the center of the show. Tony’s complex relationships, his therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi, and his brutal nature made him one of the most compelling TV characters ever created. But despite Tony’s dominance in the story, The Sopranos’ highest-rated episodes point to another character as perhaps the most multi-dimensional, heartbreaking, and tragically human of them all: Christopher Moltisanti.
Christopher, played by Michael Imperioli, was the ambitious but deeply flawed protégé of Tony Soprano. His character’s journey, particularly in episodes like “Pine Barrens” and “Long Term Parking”, showcases a man struggling with his inner demons, family loyalties, and the toxic world of organized crime. If there was ever a character who encapsulated the show’s themes of ambition, tragedy, and the desire for something better, it was Christopher.
Let’s dive into how the highest-rated episodes of The Sopranos underline why Christopher Moltisanti stands out as the show’s best character.
Christopher Moltisanti: The Heart and Tragedy of The Sopranos
At its core, The Sopranos is a show about power, identity, and self-destruction. Most of the central characters are morally gray, but none embody this struggle quite as poignantly as Christopher Moltisanti. A member of the Soprano crew and Tony’s “right-hand man,” Christopher had all the makings of a future mafia boss—he was ambitious, charismatic, and willing to do whatever it took to rise through the ranks. Yet, his personal demons—particularly his addiction to heroin and cocaine—consistently sabotaged his dreams and left him teetering on the edge of success and ruin.
In “Pine Barrens” and “Long Term Parking,” we get a deeper understanding of Christopher’s complex character, his relationship with Tony, and the toll the mafia lifestyle takes on him. These two episodes, which are consistently ranked among the best of the series, showcase Christopher in all his flawed glory.
The Best of Christopher: “Pine Barrens” and “Long Term Parking”
“Pine Barrens”: Christopher’s Vulnerability in the Wilderness
“Pine Barrens” is often hailed as one of the most iconic episodes of The Sopranos, and rightfully so. While the episode contains moments of dark humor, it also provides a stark look into the vulnerability of two hardened mafia men—Christopher and Paulie Gualtieri. The episode begins with Christopher and Paulie being tasked with disposing of a dead body in the snowy wilderness of New Jersey. What should have been a simple mobster chore turns into an absurdly dangerous and terrifying ordeal, with the two of them getting lost in the snow, cold, and isolation.
In this episode, Christopher is forced out of his comfort zone. As he and Paulie try to figure out how to handle the man they were supposed to kill, we see a side of Christopher that is both vulnerable and unsure. He is not the confident, tough guy he often appears to be in the Sopranos world. Instead, he’s a man scared and out of his element. The wilderness strips away his hardened exterior, leaving a man whose insecurities come to the forefront. He is no longer the confident mafia soldier; he’s a person fighting to survive in an unfamiliar and hostile environment.
This dynamic—Christopher in an uncharacteristic position of weakness—shows just how multifaceted his character is. As tough as he wants to be, Christopher is still a product of his upbringing, his addiction, and his inability to cope with the harshness of life in the mafia. “Pine Barrens” gives us a glimpse of that man beneath the surface.
“Long Term Parking”: The Death of Adriana and Christopher’s Struggle for Redemption
In “Long Term Parking”, the stakes are even higher, and the emotional weight of Christopher’s journey takes center stage. The episode, which culminates in the shocking and tragic murder of Adriana La Cerva (Christopher’s girlfriend), is one of the most powerful moments in the entire series. Adriana’s death is not just a brutal moment in the series’ story; it’s also a gut-wrenching commentary on Christopher’s character and the tragic arc he follows.
Christopher’s relationship with Adriana is one of the few instances in The Sopranos where genuine love seems to be present. Despite his flaws, Christopher genuinely loves Adriana, and she is one of the few people he allows himself to care about. However, his addiction, his role in the mafia, and the pressures from Tony ultimately lead him to make one of the most painful decisions of his life—being complicit in Adriana’s murder.
What makes this episode stand out, though, is not just the violence, but the internal conflict we see in Christopher. His desperation to be a better man—to break free from the suffocating grip of the mafia—becomes clear. He wants a life beyond the violence, and he wants to escape the cycle of addiction and crime. But he can’t. His inability to break free from the ties that bind him to the mafia leads to Adriana’s tragic death, and it’s in this moment that Christopher’s fate becomes sealed.
Christopher’s Tragic Arc: Redemption and Loss
Unlike other characters on The Sopranos, Christopher had the potential for redemption. His struggle with his addiction, his efforts to go to rehab, and his genuine desire to break free from the mafia lifestyle made him one of the few characters who seemed capable of change. Unfortunately, his character was constantly thwarted by the very environment he lived in. In the world of organized crime, there’s no room for weakness or vulnerability, and those who try to break free are often pulled back in.
Christopher’s tragic end—his death at the hands of Tony—was a result of this inability to escape the cycle. Even though Tony considered Christopher a son and trusted him, Tony’s brutal nature was too powerful to allow any real emotional bonds to form. Christopher was a pawn in Tony’s game, and his death was as inevitable as it was heartbreaking.
The death of Christopher Moltisanti was not just the loss of a key player in Tony’s mafia empire; it was the loss of the one character who genuinely dreamed of something better. Without him, The Sopranos lost one of its most tragic and relatable figures.
Why Christopher Moltisanti is the Best Character in The Sopranos
While Tony Soprano remains the centerpiece of The Sopranos, Christopher Moltisanti stands out as one of the show’s most fascinating and multidimensional characters. His ambition, his love for Adriana, his struggles with addiction, and his search for redemption make him one of the most compelling figures in the series.
Christopher’s character arc represents everything The Sopranos is about: the push and pull between ambition and morality, love and violence, addiction and recovery. His tragic end highlights the show’s bleak view of the mafia world: even the characters who show the most potential for change are ultimately consumed by their environment.
The highest-rated episodes—“Pine Barrens” and “Long Term Parking”—perfectly showcase Christopher’s journey from a man with aspirations beyond the mafia to a tragic figure crushed by the very forces he sought to escape. They are the episodes that prove Christopher’s worth as the best character on The Sopranos.
Conclusion: Christopher Moltisanti’s Enduring Legacy
Christopher Moltisanti’s tragic and complex character left an indelible mark on The Sopranos. His struggles with addiction, his desire for a better life, and his role as Tony’s right-hand man make him one of the most relatable and deeply human characters in television history. His death—both a product of his environment and his own inability to change—served as a painful reminder of the brutal nature of the world he inhabited.
Although Tony Soprano may be the show’s central figure, Christopher’s story is arguably the most heartbreaking and relatable. His journey, particularly in episodes like “Pine Barrens” and “Long Term Parking”, shows us that even in the criminal underworld, there is room for ambition, love, and a desire for something better—yet those dreams are often doomed from the start.
