Dat animal Blundetto, I can't even say his name.

You defend this animal, even after he killed my 47 year old kid brudda Billy. Frankly, I'm ashamed and embarrassed you had to do this.

“That notorious child killer” line had me rolling

Unpopular opinion: I think Buscemi was perfectly casted. Feech, Richie and Phil are nothing but rage, they don't even pretend to be relaxed. They served time in prison, got out and went on a rampage because they felt entitled to it. Buscemi looks exactly the way Tony B is supposed to: a seemingly well-mannered dork who is actually a killer that tries to act like the past is the past, that he wants to move on but he's mad as hell with the world and he wants everything he thinks he deserves and he wants it right now. He acts like he's over it, but every time there's a slight inconvenience he'll lose it. Do you know who Mike Vining is? Take a look at him, Tony B is the mob equivalent of that guy. If he fully embraced how rotten he is right from the start, who knows what would've happened.

High IQ doesn't mean someone always acts hyper logically. I know plenty of smart guys who could do complex higher level math in their sleep but couldn't figure out how to microwave a frozen burrito.

1:18 - it's worth mentioning that at that time Billy was 47 years old, just a kid....

one of my favorite twists in the show is actually realizing that davey was Bobby’s father. remember when tony said “but ur old man was the fuckin terminator”

“He’s convinced me, give me my dollar back”

You know, I coulda called him Ichabod Crane, but I did-dent.

It's ironic he doesn't look like a real mobster from Jersey because he's literally of Sicilian descent and born in Brooklyn. 100% chance someone he knows closely is mobbed up. He probably just never had the makings of a varsity Italian.

In fairness Michael Franzese looks far more like a Mob Boss as an after dinner speaker now than he ever did as a Mob Boss back in the day. Old photos of him 'in the life' make him look like University Maths Student

Tony B didnt have the makings of a varsity massage therapist

Hold on, did you say Dr Milfy? 😂😂

Whenever Blundetto's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, "Where's Blundetto?"

Way too many great quotes and story-lines involving Animal Blundetto for me to say he's the worst.

The thing is, The Sopranos is such a good show overall that it works and you look over it. The Sopranos is full of inconsistencies that you can live with if you're a true fan. A lot of things don't add up perfectly and that is indeed since they created the show as they went along. Nancy Marchand died and they had to create a whole new direction for season 2 (using bad CGI). As Patsy said about Vito blowing the security guard: "I couldn't care less, basically"

Did any of the guys who got out of prison act normal? They were all off.

He was an NYC firefighter. His accent is as real as it gets

Buscemi always gave me a Don Knotts vibe.

Agree with pretty much all of this. Also consider that every aspect of Tony B's character was explored in a more satisfying way with other characters: Family member from Tony Soprano's past who he goes out if his way to protect and comes to resent? Christopher did it better. Old mob guy who gets out of jail and has to navigate how the world has changed? Richie and Feech did it better. Member of the Jersey crew who is used by New York to cause strife and conflict with the Sopranos? Paulie did it better. We're left with a character that lacks a strong identity and seems more like a device to set in motion the conflicts to come in season 6

Give me one thousand eggs.

I like Animal Blundetto as a character. He should be glad that Tony killed him, because if he went to prison for Billy's murder, the inmates would treat him as a chomo.

" Youre crowding me "

My estimation of Tony Blundetto as a character just fuckin plummeted

Not gonna lie 1/4-1/3 of my Italian cousins kinda look like him 🤣 that’s a northern Italian look same as ralphie

Fan theory: he’s Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs

Michael Madsen would’ve been a great Tony B.

The way you effortlessly blend in the sopranos memes is hilarious 😂😂😂

Somehow tony b wasn’t even in the many saints of Newark even though him and tony soprano were so close they were practically like brothers

Kristafahhs mother's box, not Tony's

I agree. Felt like a guest star role and was surprised he lasted as long as he did. And the Meadow staring came off as creepy instead of mournful.

The reason Season 5 was a little "off" was because it was supposed to be the last season. HBO badgered and badgered David Chase to take his pre-written, well organized five season plan and stretch it to seven. Finally HBO threw enough money at him that he agreed to do it. So he threw together Season 5 on the fly. After Season 5, Chase was so disgusted that he told HBO there would be no Season 7, and he didn't care if he took a pay cut. BUT ... At that point he had written Phil in and Johnny Sac into jail and had written this entire Tony B saga that created really bad blood. He had written JT Dolan into the show (which was just Terminator Gamblin Scatino Part 2), and other plot points I don't recall now. So Season 6 ran long because Chase wrote extra episodes to clean up the mess without making it obvious and ham fisted. Plus Vito's actor got his Gay Mob story put into the show, which was never in the original outline for 5 Seasons and done. Sooo... That's why Blundetto sucked. He and Feech and Phil and Angelo were never supposed to actually be in the show - just mentioned, but never seen.

What I think is crazy is once he decided to go back into the life he almost went straight to hitman work.

You would think Tony would set him up a cash only parlor and everyone would win. He would be like another Artie Bucco

The first thing that comes to my mind when I see his actor in any other seriers is "mMmmMmmmMmmboy are you fat"

Michael madsen would've been perfect.

I think Tony B would have worked better were he never fully in, and got popped by happenstance. Then when he came out he tries to go straight but the family mess always falls on him. He ends up getting killed by Tony almost as a sacrifice. This would fix why he’s never talked about. They just really weren’t that close.

"Well, the little guy.. he was kinda funny looking".

"Fuckin weirdo you ask me" literally had me pissing my pants laughing 😂

I think Tony B might have been a better character if he wanted to get right back into the game after getting out, but for whatever reason Tony S knocks him back, or gives him jobs that he feels are beneath him given the time he's served. Because of this he actually starts to drift away from the mob life and towards more legitimate work, using his 160 IQ and meeting a woman, even gaining a lead on his daughter. Tony watches Tony B actually achieve what he can't - happiness, and it drives him further down that sociopath hole.

Really good point how Blundetto was never set up in previous seasons in any way. They did that for Feetch, would have worked well here.

I loved Tony B! Partly because Steve Buscemi is one of my favorite actors, but I also liked the character.

He failed to whack Phil because he ran out of bullets. He stopped his quest for vengeance afterward because he had been identified killing a made man and now has to lamb chop it due to the penalty for an associate like Tony B killing a soldier in the Cosa Nostra. However, how someone with a high IQ only brought a revolver with six bullets to a hit and didn't bother to conceal his face is poor writing.

Totally agree with this analysis. On top of that, I think that the main story line around Tony B was somehow similar to the one of Richie April and a bit lazy. A former team member comes back from prison, messes up and is killed at the end of the season. Looks very formatted and doesn't bring anything new to the show. The death of Adriana which is very close in time to Tony B's death in the show is much more shocking and fit much better in the story.

“Notorious child killer” that was gold 🤣

Im glad im not the only one who always felt Blundetto was shoehorned into the show. I think it feels especially worst when established actors like John Favreau are part of the show as themselves, but an arguably more famous actor like Buscemi is a gangster. For a character I always felt was strangely added to the show was Benny Fazio. Sure he was more natural then the animal, but I truly couldn’t understand where this guy just enters from stage left and is now some trusted associate. Outside of the meme stuff, why was Benny allowed to get leeway for breaking protocol when he was running scams from Artie’s restaurant, when we all know that in earlier seasons Tony would’ve sent someone flying through a door or a desk for doing something so obviously stupid.

Tony B accepts the hit job, after turning it down, because he is jealous of Tony S's family life and money. This is made evident in "Marco Polo." Surprised you missed that, as it's obvious. He took it so he COULD f over Tony S, and it did. Sometimes you seem to have the makings of a varsity film critic...but you'd never make it.

I really hate how they did Furio! I love his character and to have him fall in love with Carmella and write him off. Really pissed me off.

I see what you mean with his appearance but I thought that's why he worked, he's believable as an unassuming monster. That animal.

Am I the only one who kept saying “Shut the fuck up Donnie,” every time he was on the screen? I don’t hate him as Tony B., but that reaction is just ingrained into me now. 😂😂

I love Steve Buscemi

Buscemi's just a victim of being typecast.

Cineranter dont put pinecones in the filter. What the hell's the matter with you?

14:20 "I still really like Tony Blundetto..." Haha really? Could have fooled me with this breakdown🤣🤣! (Takes nothing away from the quality of the breakdown- another top tier, thought-provoking analysis.)

We know he can play a very convincing, and menacing gangster as he did in Boardwalk Empire. He just played Tony B the way they wrote it.

"WHEYS CHAULWHAUL - WHEYS CHAULWHAUL!! - IT'S WEST... CALDWELL"

It's not that weird that they wouldn't talk about him. After that much time inside he would be an after thought not a constant talking point. Life moves on without you

He had brains he had balls… we could’ve used that…

For the sake of accuracy, the television report on Junior's trial says that it's the first Soprano trial in 17 years, which introduces a way in for Tony B even if it doesn't name him specifically

Totally agree that his character was mishandled. A rare mistake for David chase.

Guy did 20 years in the can and wasn't even made

He was out of place the moment janice said, "That's the best picture they could find of him? He was a fox!" Either she was very high or they failed in casting. That animal (I can't even say his name) should've had a better role. Blundetto just feels forced in.

Tony B telling Tony S “You’re crowding me” is prob my favorite scene of his.

You’re absolutely right! Madsen would’ve been so good in the role.

I disagree with most of this. He only added to the show I think.

I actually totally agree with you - I always felt like the Blundetto character was “forced” for lack of a better word. It felt, to me, like Chase just said “We love Steve, he’s directed some great episodes, and we want to write him into the show. How can we do that?” And then they came up with the Blundetto character and shoehorned him into the existing plan for the plot.

Best Sopranos commentary on KZfaq. I say this as a constant rewatcher of the Sopranos since 2004.

I don't think this is a particularly convoversial opinion. I always felt the out of place Steve Buscemi's sudden introduction out of nowhere as Tony's close friend & cousin felt contrived, along with his entire character arc that seemed like an excuse by the writers to create a conflict between Jersey and New York. I always got the impression that this was more or less the general consensus.

i think the oddness of tony b, not a typecast mobster, is what in my view makes the show realistic.

You are so good at this! So many great lines mixed in with your own sense of humor, really enjoyed it as Sopranos fan !

Tony B related to the crew as a kid childhood friend when he got out of prison. A lot of people when they have a traumatic experiences stop maturing past that point. The show makes a point to show that when people would die they were instantly forgotten so it isn’t surprising that Tony B would be forgotten as soon as they knew he was going to do his time quietly. The plot angle of the old gangster getting out of jail ready to make up for lost time was covered by literally every other character that got out and they covered every age range.

Cineranter- "willy...whats right is right.." Me -" no... no... you insulted him alittle bit..."

No matter how many faults it's still an electrical performance.

Pretty sure this whole arc of the story is a pivot since the actor that played Tony s mother died when she did. I’m sure they had the whole story figured out with the mother alive for whole series or at least until she died just in the show. They had to create new angles and arcs to help make later seasons of the series….

In the end… Steve just couldn’t fuckin sell it!

Personally I love how weird he is, he does stick out and that’s why I like him. He looks creepy and he’s off filtered and I love the weird posture and the way he shoots or smokes cigarettes it adds so much character to him

The only thing about Tony B that I liked and what I think should have been more focused on was his resentment towards Tony S. Otherwise he doesn’t seem like a gangster and more importantly none of his motivations are believable. The hilariously weak friendship with Angelo that led ultimately to his own death after avenging Angelo’s was awful. And to be honest Steve Buscemi seemed bored with the role.

The least authentic Sopranos character

Steve B killed that role! In a show like The Sopranos you have a lot of different character arcs so you can't commit more screen time to a character who is had an end date from the beginning

The way you always flame the actors for their physical features is so fucked up but hilarious💀

I see your points. However it could be argued that Blundetto is like an opposite of Tony due to his time in prison, when Tony walks besides him at the party you see that he's fat, gregarious and well dressed because he's been basking in wealth for the last 15 years or so. Blundetto next to him is skinny and emaciated looking while wearing an outdated 80's style suit jacket. I think maybe the slight awkwardness of the character was on purpose and shows the toll that prison takes on a man's life.

Sopranos can be extremely formulaic with the whole “introduce a character at the start of a season, that character causes problems for Tony, and then is killed near the end of the season” (or sometime after) rinse and repeat for Richie, Ralphie, Jackie Jr and Blundetto and you see a pattern

Solid as usually brutha, keep up the great work

I agree with most of this. The writers and producers clearly shoe-horned in the entire character of Tony B to accommodate a great movie star in a great TV show and they did so extremely badly. Like a winning football team whose owner signs a big star player to sell tickets and replica shirts, and tells the coach to play him in every game regardless of form or tactics.

I completely agree. I kind of forgot but I definitely first time watching the show felt pretty much all the same things you've put forward here about Tony.B/Steve's performance.

I thought Buscemi was an odd flex as a cast for Blundetto as well. Regarding his introduction, it came in Season 5 with Phil Leotardo, Angelo, Feech with the explanation they all were being released from prison. By that time, enough characters were killed in seasons 1-4, they needed some new ones. But as good as Sopranos was at casting, Buscemi was always a head scratcher to me.

Not only was he miscast for the Sopranos, he was also miscast in Boardwalk Empire.

Monster killed Phils little brother just barely out of the womb

"You the one that keeps bringing that up"

I agree with you here. Buscemi definitely felt like a guest appearance and he just couldn't pull off the character even from a physical standpoint. On the other hand I thought his portrayal of Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire as kind of a crook/politician/gangster worked because he was never portrayed as the tough guy. That's not him.

"Hello fellow mobsters" I never was quite able to place it, but it is true, Steve B does not seem like an edgy, prison hardened, fire bomb.

I like Steve Buscemi a lot, but do feel he was a better fit as Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire than as Tony B.

Always had the exact same feelings about the Blundetto story line.

I completely disagree about his appearance, most people only feel this way because the media usually casts based on stereotypes instead of reality. Thats why a good chunk of the cast aren't Italian or Sicilian but have that stereotypical appearance. Same is true with many other shows and movies. But anyone that grew up around a significant number of Italians and Sicilians knows we span the human rainbow lol Part of the plot issues, like him and his family never being mentioned, definitely seem odd but it's also just part of new characters coming in to any show later on in the run. But I agree some of the other aspects could have been set up better. But part of it is also that they shot themselves in the foot having him kill Billy and what was supposed to be a 2 season character got reduced to 1. And he definitely shoulda killed Phil. But I think he was different because he was supposed to be different. Prison impacts everyone differently and yeah, not everyone in organized crime is exactly the same despite what we tend to see on screen more often than not. So to me the only real issues were some of the writing choices. BUT its still better than almost anything else on TV at its weakest.

I don't think he's supposed to be scary. Is he? I didn't get that sense. He was supposed to be super smart and he definitely made so many mistakes that It made you wonder about that. He made three huge mistakes that I can recall.

Chris only been 8 year younger than Tony s is believable The actors are less than 5 years apart in real life. Having been born 1961 & 1966 Chris wasn’t that young in real life & Tony wasn’t that old in real life when sopranos aired. They are from same generation

You just said what everyone was thinking.

Only seventeen fuckin' years in the can? I'm not impressed.

I've always thought he was cast specifically because he goes against the stereotype of a mob guy.

Yeah Tony B's storyline frustrated me, not gonna lie. He was all set up to have a normal life and good career, then he threw it all away in the blink of an eye lol.