Junior’s problem is that he went 🎵south of the border, where the tuna fish play🎵

Junior setting up card games in the mental home was comedy gold 😂

It's crazy that Dominic Chianese is outliving most the cast and is still alive

he's problem was that tony never had the makings of a varsity athlete

I always found Junior as one of the characters the audience could learn from. Never let your ego get beyond what you're willing to work for. Junior was obsessed with superficiality.

Junior is a cautionary tale about holding on to things for too long and never reflecting on if they're still important or not. Like Junior was never meant to be a leader, but he could have been a great right hand man like Syl, but instead he ruined things for himself by being petty.

“Believe me, there’s plenty I’d like to forget” Tragic line, great way to end the video

One thing that gets overlooked, almost all of Junior's crew was loyal to him till the end. Not just the old timer like Murph, Beppy, Tommy and Bobby Sr, but even the younger guys like Chuckie Signore and the Parisis brothers stayed with him through the years. Mikey Palmice and Bobby Jr practically worshiped Junior. The only one to ditch him was Gigi. That's saying something these days...

The fact that as a grown man and as the oldest member of the family he still called Junior tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the character

The thing is Tony and Junior are very similar: men with insecurities, and not too cruel, in an enviroment of merciless predators. Unlike Johny Boy who aparently was a perfect adjusted psycopath. And Corrado raised Tony almost as much as his own father

Dominic Chianese's performance as Corrado was one of the best in the show

It didn't help that Junior was under house arrest and had health issues. That's a major factor of why he was the way he was. If he'd been in the club or pork store he could have solved problems easier and not relied on people like Tony as much.

Junior really was, ultimately, a rather sad and pathetic figure when you think about him. He grew up in the shadow of his more successful brother, he never married, never had kids, a family of his own, he was single for most of his life and just seemed bitter and miserable. He sold his soul to the mafia and what for? The guy lived a material life no better than any pensioner, and any sense of power he had was immaterial as those around him didn't respect him and even used him as a lightning rod for the feds and at the end of it all his mind rotted away and he died of dementia/Alzheimer's. He lived a pretty sad and empty life and he sold his soul in exchange for power, wealth and respect yet acquired very little of it.

Tony in the beginning: “Someday soon, you're gonna have families of your own and if you're lucky, you'll remember the little moments like this, that were good.” Junior at the very end: "We used to play catch" 🥺

Rip James Gandolfini. He would have been 62 today! RIP TO THE LEGEND

One scene that shows how really doomed Junior is ... when he sees Larry David on television and starts freakin' out wondering why he's on t.v. So funny and sad at the same time ... just like uncle June (and/or Mr. Magoo)

Sharp as a fucking cue ball...Unfortunately, it did not lead to promotion within the hierarchy. The scene where Tony asks if he doesn't love him is strong. Love that one.

Junior has the saddest ending to me. Left alone with no one and nothing to show for his whole life.

A guy called "Junior" with insecurity issues? Big surprises.

His problem was that he had a nephew who never had the makings of a varsity athlete

Junior always struck me as a character that you would just negotiate with. He was not the mafioso who would duke it out or force the issue, but would just simply make a deal with. He was really more of a racketeer than a mobster.

Small hands that was junior’s problem

The scene where Tony tells Junior he thought the feeble minded brother his dad had was him (and not Ercole) might be one of the funniest scenes in television history

Junior in the first season seems like a completely different character from later seasons. I couldn’t understand how he became a capo being so incompetent, oblivious to what all the other capos thought of him and instead listening to Livia Soprano. After the second season he became quite savvy and gave Tony great advices. It’s a pity he became a joke in the prequel film.

I'm lost on how Junior's ending was positive. He was suffering from dementia, in a state-run facility because he didn't have the money to live in the nicer facility. It wasn't a traditional prison, but a prison none-the-less.

That cake scene really broke my heart, his character is so insecure he destroyed almost every personal relationship

The scene of him getting confused watching Curb Your Enthusiasm makes me laugh every time.

The paradox of being resentful while losing your memory

Junior definitely fits the statement of "you should never make a poor man the boss".

Junior's problem is that he was married to the mob. Tony and everyone else have families, but not Junior. He is treating mob like one would his wife - scheming , whispering, etc...

The fact that junior gad dickie M. Killed over joke tells you all you need to know about junior … “a man driven by his insecurities” -Hesh

Such disrespect Kino smdh he didnt have a "problem" he was simply The Bushman of The Kalahari 🍑

Luigi syndrome. Permanent second banana.

This is a great analysis of a brilliantly nuanced character. Nice work choosing the scenes to support your point. Junior had many of the greatest lines in the series IMHO.

Junior was an interesting combination of incredibly insightful and wise but at the same time, his own insecurities robbed him of any happiness he could have had he excelled in being an advisor and was an excellent judge of character but he coveted the status of being a leader and he's always undermined every chance he got. I think the shining example of Junior being his own worst enemy is when the guys busted his balls over eating out his girlfriend. that woman was the closest thing Junior got to a actual loving relationship and he threw it all away because his ego got bruise. the guys who made fun of him though? they forgot about it the next day. to them it really was just some lighthearted banter if Junior had Bobbi (alongside bobby lol) with him throughout the series, who knows what would have happened

Sometimes on nights of the full moon you can still hear traces of Junior farting into the same couch cushion for 18 months in the mental hospital.

i’m pretty sure juniors problem was dementia

I loved when Junior would say 'never had the makings of a varsity athlete' and watching it take Tony's anger from 0 to 60 in a second.

Hesh said it perfectly. "Men is driven en toto by his insecurities" and i think that is Junior 100 percent.

Well, I think you come to the core of the issue in the video. In a funeral Uncle Jr breaks down and start crying. Tony takes him to his M.D. and it is speculated that it's a neurological issue, but Jr states that there is no point in life. He's under house arrest, experiencing the early signs of dementia, he says that he's got no wife, no children, nothing to live for. Which relates back to your comment about Tony and Jr and what Jr remembers of their relationship. In the end "it's all a big nothing", as Tony says before coming down with food poisoning in season 2. Uncle June is the only one smart enough, despite his worsening mental state, to realize that in the end the mob life was for nothing. Having a family, a wife, kids, grandkids is what truly matters and Jr is deprived of all that and for what? He wasn't even very succesful in the mafia; he was passed over his whole life and never given the respect he thought he deserved.

Best character on the show. Mr. Chianese deserved 6 Emmys, but only nominated once. He waited like "patience on a monument".

Junior really represents that not all people really grow up dude killed Carmela’s cousin because he made fun of him and was going whack Tony his actual blood which is even frowned upon by mobsters because he was jealous.

I always wonder how it feels for an older person, to act older and go through those motions that they arent necessarily feeling themselves

I get so excited when I see a new video from you, sir. You've got a great insight into film and have breathed new life & enjoyment into my favorite TV shows.

Wait, wait... which problem are we talking about here? 😉 Your video reminds me of what a _great_ character Junior is! The writing and the performance of Gandolfini result in Tony's characterization always getting the flowers (rightfully so - it's an all-time great), but the show is filled with the most amazing portraits of main and supporting characters. Jun', in particular, is a gem; right up there with portrayals of Carmela, Livia, Chris... and the performance of Chianese is brilliant! The Sopranos, Godfather II, Boardwalk Empire, Gotti, and more... he's made quite an impact on the gangster genre, in particular.

wonderful narration Pure Kino. Very engaging, insightful and informative.

Superb analysis - spot on! Thank you. So concise! You highlighted themes/comments that I hadn't quite joined up. Thank you!

The reason JR ever got married I think is hinted at in Many Saints of Newark. Him having a long lasting back problem and probably being close to imponent are possible reasons which explains his preference for getting lost in the muff.

Junior was a respected captain. He had some of the most loyal soldiers in the series like Bobby, Mikey, Beppy, Murf, etc. He was just never suited to be the boss. He was better of being a number 2 like Silvio.

It's sad because he could have easily moved into a close role as surrogate grandfather to AJ and Meadow if had given a damn about family.

One thing Junior was right about in his day Jackie Jr funeral would've been packed no matter what he did.

I like these character breakdowns you've been doing.

It’s fun on a rewatch to try to tell in which scenes Junior’s actually suffering from dementia vs being his usual jackass self For example the famous Sunday dinner scene, I’m convinced that’s all lucidity and he’s just fuckin with Tony, but he clearly showed some scenes immediately before when he forgot when the dinner started

Junior could never move forward in life because he was always fleeeexing.

damn such thoughtful and spot on analysis, appriciate this piece.

Their relationship reminds me of when Tony killed Chris. I think Tony felt like he was meant to continue the cycle when he killed Chris, and he was looking for reasons to justify it. After all, his own mother and uncle tried to get him killed. Tony also killed his other cousin Tony, which he thought was part of doing business. Maybe Tony could identify with Junior at this point, knowing that Junior’s death plots were just business. However, as the days after Chris’ death have shown the sorrow everyone felt, Tony begins to realize that he made a mistake. Maybe Junior’s murder attempts weren’t justified, maybe the murder of his cousins Tony and Chris weren’t justified. I also have to wonder if somewhere in his mind, for the first time in his life, he asks himself if all of the other murders were justified, or just business.

I always thought Junior willingly posed as the boss after realizing that's how Tony set it up. As opposed to his ego it was his love for his nephew and respect for "that thing of theirs" that made him refuse that Tony is the real boss.

Another Kino video? OVAAAA HEEERE

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Very well done!!

Another great video, love your attention to detail.

He made it to be the boss of a family looking like Mr. Magoo. That's some impressive feat

I always felt that Jr had a lot more going on than was portrayed in the show. His visible streams of income seemed to be the tip of the iceberg, and he didn't seem to spend money or gamble. No one had any idea of his wealth that seemed amiss at the end. Did it all go in legal fees?

Amazing video, thanks bro for your work and effort, as always you have my like

One of your best videos...and you've made some great videos. Thanks.

"Bobby make my patrons an egg" 🤣 (Edit: Rip James Gandolfini. He would have been 62 today! RIP TO THE LEGEND)

Dementia is the worst fate anyone could ask for, I've seen it in my own close family and am seeing it in others But it is part of life and I appreciate the series for showing how ugly it can be. One day we can cure this.

Beautifully done analysis. Very good scene selection.

“Ahh, Cmon Uncle June! I thought you were a Bacala!”

Larry Boy tells us in S1: he's living in the wrong century and New York knows it

He was in the muff, that was his problem. I mean, ROUGH

There are so many little moments that make me love the sopranos. So many little details that make it one of the most haunting beautiful series ive ever seen. The sopranos just has a certain sting to it that no other show will ever capture.

Another reflective and insightful video about the greatest TV show of all time..thank you and well done good sir!

Whatever his flaws, he was an artiste down there

Dominic Chianese is a brilliant actor

Best show ever made. Great analysis, thanks for the vid!

Junior was such a complex and interesting character. Grest video again Kino ❤

He drove a Rincoln Continental

Junior would have been perfect number 2 to Tony. Man was not made to be a boss, but in advisor role he would have been perfect.

Junior was hilarious, but very tragic.

Good stuff bro. Love you analysis 🧐

I really hate that many saints is used as canon in these videos now

I would never wish dementia on my worst enemy, that was NOT a happy ending for him

Yes! More genius content from Kino!

I’ve now watched like 5 of your videos without being subscribed, figured this was finally time to do it

In real life he seems like an amazing guy!

But Junior did have the ability to lead, some guys were fully behind em and willing to do whatever he asked. It was mostly just that Tony had more in common with most of the Capos and age probably played a huge part in that given that most Capos we see are closer to Tony's age than Juniors. The nature of power is very factional and personal relationships have a lot to do with how leadership and rank and file break down during a power struggle of any kind. He's not respected by some, but he is by others and much of it breaks down to age and previous relationships (those loyal from NJ to NY usually looked up to em since they were children or had relationships with Junior that went back to Johnny's era) where the younger guys and those who were close to Tony historically were more loyal to him. So really one of the main enemies to Junior was time. As allies died off or went to prison his power dwindled and as Tony's generation became more and more prominent, rose through the ranks, took over from their grandparents, parents, uncles, etc, it naturally put Tony in better position. Take this down the road some years and it could be a younger guy doing the same to T or back a few and favor could easily fall to Junior.

That "don't you love me" scene was heartbreaking

Dominic Chianese was a great actor, he played a judge in Law and Order. Except for Gandolfino, almost every cast members had a bit part in Law and Order. I used to work on E23rd St and First Avenue and I frequently saw Dominic drinking coffee on the patio of a deli coffee shop not far from my office. I waved hello a few times and he waved back. I respected him too much to destroy the tranquility of his morning routine by imposing myself on him.

You never see anyone 'breaking balls' with Junior, they know he is too emotionally 'brittle'. Vain, shallow and deeply insecure, he looks for threats and insults that don't exist.

the one interesting thing about Many Saints was the revelation about Juniors uh, dysfunction, it cast the first season in a new light and it made way more sense that he was so upset that Tony was making fun of him for pleasing a woman in really the only way he ever could

Yo K all I gotta say is you keep hitting with these vids!!

Awesome video!!

Corrados biggest strength as well as biggest weakness is that he is a relic of the golden age of the mafia. His character epitomizes it. Often times when Tony couldn’t find a solution from Hesh or Silvio Junior could pull a nugget from the past that helped Tony perfectly. Those times were the father son moments that showed you Junior loved Tony. The inverse is Junior being insecure & stuck in an era where respect is the only thing that mattered to the point it hindered his own growth & happiness. Even with that weakness however it kept him alive. In a world where “sleeping with the fishes” is common Junior showed us all how he’s a survivor.

He was a goddamn hothouse flower, that's was his problem….

His biggest problem was that he didn't go down enough.

It was so sad. And tony handled him rough knowing the man had esteem issues.

He was into the muff and ate sushi 🍣.

My guess is Jackie was successful because he was genuinely loved.. Junior and Tony not so much so, especially Junior

It is very frightening to imagine getting old and just not remember anything about your life.

One of the best characters on the show. Great video