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| “ | A, she was a whore, B, she hit me. And that wasn't my kid she was carrying. | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto's defence for beating a young, pregnant stripper to death. |
| “ | It was a f-ckin' animal! A hundred grand a piece. My kid's in the f-ckin' hospital! I don't hear you complainin' when I bring you a nice fat envelope. You don't give a sh-t where that comes from!... Don't give me that look. It was a f-ckin' horse! What are you, a vegetarian? You eat beef and sausage by the f-ckin' carload. | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto when Tony Soprano confronts him about his horse. |
| “ | You fat f-ck! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifartto's last words to Tony Soprano. |
Ralph "Ralphie" Cifaretto is one of the main antagonists of the HBO television series The Sopranos.
He is a soldier (later captain) of the Aprile crew and member of the DiMeo crime family. Cifaretto is characterized as cunning and an excellent earner, but also unstable and prone to sudden outbursts of violence, often for no reason and at the worst possible moments.
He was portrayed by Joe Pantoliano, who also played Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, Luigi Goterelli in Grand Theft Auto III, Caesar in Bound, Cypher Reagan in The Matrix, Teddy Gammel in Memento, Gabe Ugliano in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Albert Arlington in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Stickyfins Whiting in SpongeBob SquarePants, and Mogan in the Adventures of Pluto Nash.
Personality[]
Ralphie comes off as a calm, friendly, and quirky if not egregious gentleman who seems to lack scruples. He’s a blabbermouth, making crude jokes even in dire situations, such as when he insulted an injured Bryan Spatafore in the hospital. The other members of the DiMeo family are often very annoyed by his unserious behavior, yet despite his irritable actions, he’s a competent earner and clever mobster.
However, much like many other characters in the series, his mob lifestyle and pride has made him an insecure, ill-tempered, unfaithful misogynist. He married Jackie Jr’s mother, Rosalie, but continued to have an affair with a stripper. Ralph’s treated the stripper with disdain and treated her violently during sex. After she insulted him in front of the other mobsters, He mocked the young woman, calling her a ‘c-cksucking sl-t,’ and in response, she slapped him and insulted his masculinity. Ralphie responded by violently assaulting her, and cruelly beating the pregnant young woman to death.
Due to his nature, even the other mobsters are disgusted by his actions and is one of the most unfavored member of the DiMeo crime family. Tony even said to Junior that he didn't even like him, and he'd throw a cinder block at him if he were drowning.
Vile as Ralphie could be, he did have some standards. He was a mentor to his wife’s son, Jackie Junior, often giving him advice and even telling him a story about when Ralph was a young man like him. The two of them seemed to have gotten along well despite not being related.
However, it’s possible he only looked out for Jackie out of an obligation by towards his wife. Ralph was genuinely reluctant to order his wife's son Jackie Aprile's death after his botched robbery of Eugene's card game, as he had seemed to grow fond of the young man, yet he ended up doing so in order to keep his honor.
He is also a big fan of sword and sandal films, like Spartacus and Gladiator and often quotes them while out with friends, much to their chagrin.
Later on in the series, Ralph starts to show some level of remorse and empathy after his son ends up in a coma, and was extremely distressed by it.. However, when his racehorse Pie O My is killed in a fire (which is implied to be caused by him), he shows little to no sympathy on the incident and ends up being brutally attacked and killed by Tony Soprano after the latter confronts him over the matter.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Ralphie was born in New Jersey along with other mobsters such as Tony Soprano and the latter's top enforcer, Silvio Dante. In the start of the series he is away in Miami where he develops a strong addiction for cocaine.
Season 3[]
He makes his first appearance in Season 3. He becomes fond of his girlfriend's son Jackie Aprile Jr. He also has an affair with a stripper of Bada Bing named Tracee. He gets into a fight with Georgie Santorelli and even injures his eye. When he finds out that Tracee is pregnant and she starts insulting him, he beats her up and ends up killing Tracee by brutally bashing her head on a metal guardrail. When Tony learns about this moments later, he gets angry with Ralph and attacks him in a fit of rage after Ralph shows no remorse for what happened. This in turn begun a long-running feud between Tony and Ralph, so much so that Tony later bans Ralph from the the strip club.
As time goes on, Ralph continues to get on Tony's bad side by having an affair with the latter's sister Janice. She had hoped that Ralph would prove to be a better date than her previous boyfriend Richie Aprile, whom she had recently killed not long ago. However, their relationship doesn't last when Janine leaves Ralph over his adulterous nature. Soon enough, Ralph begins to cause problems with the other mobsters after he antagonizes Tony's lieutenant Paulie Gualtieri over a troubling business partnership between them.
Season 4[]
Later on, Ralph angers Johnny Sack by making a highly inappropriate remark towards his wife Ginny over her weight. Johnny then demands that his boss Carmine Lupertazzi sanction a hit on Ralph, but this is rejected and instead a sitdown takes place involving Tony and his uncle Junior Soprano. In the end, Johnny is left unsatisfied with any suggestions of a non-lethal punishment to be made to Ralph for his behaviour and instead decides to take action on his own. Johnny orders for Ralph to be killed in Miami, but later calls off the last at the last minute.
Sometime afterwards, Ralph and Tony seem to make amends when he invests in a racehorse named Pie O My - to whom Tony becomes deeply attached to due to his love for animals. A few days later, Ralph is horrified when his son Justin gets shot by an arrow whilst playing; Justin is promptly rushed to hospital where Ralph lashes out with his ex-wife and husband, accusing them of negligence. In the following days, Ralph is guilt and grief-stricken and claims he regrets his actions he has done throughout his life. He even goes and visits Father Phil Intintola to try to redeem himself.
It is then another incident emerges when Tony learns that Pie O My has been killed in an arson attack that has burned down the stables. Tony subsequently visits Ralph to inform him of the matter, but Ralph appears unbothered with the news and attempts to change the subject. This instantly causes Tony to become increasingly suspicious and he eventually accuses Ralph of having burned down the stables to collect insurance money. Ralph denies any responsibility and continues to show no feelings for the horse, which quickly escalates into an argument when Ralph begins insulting Tony over his love for Pie O My. Eventually Tony snaps and punches Ralph in a fit of rage. A fight instantly breaks out when Ralph attempts to kill Tony, but is brutally overpowered and Tony ultimately strangles Ralph to death. Tony and his nephew Christopher Moltisanti to help cover-up Ralph's murder and dispose of the latter's body.
After death[]
After Tony kills Ralph, he has three dreams which include him and other people he killed. In the season 4 episode "Calling All Cars", two episodes after the one in which Ralph is murdered, the first dream Tony has about him involves Carmela driving Tony's father's old Cadillac with Ralph in the passenger seat. A caterpillar appears on Ralph's bald head and then turns into a butterfly.
When Tony discusses this dream with Dr. Melfi in therapy, Melfi points out the transition of the caterpillar to butterfly signifies a change, indicating Ralph was trying to become a better person shortly before his death. During this session Tony complains that his poor impulse control causes him to make mistakes in his business, which may indicate he regrets killing Ralph.
The second dream of the episode involves Tony following Ralph into an old house where Tony sees a silhouette of a woman at the top of the stairs. Some fans have theorized that Ralph is symbolizing the devil in this dream, leading Tony into hell where his mother awaits his arrival. This dream is usually regarded as the most frightening nightmare in The Sopranos.
In the season 5 episode "The Test Dream", Tony rides in a car with Ralph, Pussy, Mikey Palmice and several other deceased characters.
In the season 6 episode "Remember When", Paulie reminisces about how he, Ralph, and Salvatore Bonpensiero took Tony out to eat after he did his first hit on the bookie Willie Overall, at which point Tony remembers the Ginny Sack joke and questions Paulie as to how Johnny Sacramoni may have found out. Tony plans to kill him, but decides to spare Paulie instead.
In the season 6 episode "Walk Like A Man", Christopher Moltisanti, while intoxicated, reveals to J.T. Dolan that he knows Ralph was murdered.
In the series finale, "Made in America", Paulie tells Tony he doesn't want the job as captain of the old Cifaretto crew because of the bad luck that befell anyone in charge of the Aprile crew, including Ralph.
Ralph's reckless and irresponsible actions in seasons 3 and 4 also widen the divide between the New York and New Jersey families, which leads up to the conflict between the two in season 5 and the all-out war in season 6.
Quotes[]
| “ | And I’m gonna turn my hearing aid up so I don’t miss it! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto sarcastically to Tony Soprano. |
| “ | I HAVE COME TO RECLAIM ROME FOR MY PEOPLE! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto quoting "Gladiator", the film he is obsessed with. |
| “ | What do we have here!? What is this, the handsome contest? | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto to Silvio Dante and Christopher Moltisanti at the Bada-Bing. |
| “ | Woah, woah, kiss me? How many c-cks you suck tonight? | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto putting down Tracee. |
| “ | Look at Kurt Douglas' f-ckin' hair! THEY DIDN'T HAVE FLATTOPS IN ANCIENT ROME! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto complaining about the realism of the film "Spartacus". |
| “ | I love you too, baby. Hey, if it's a boy, we'll name him after me. If it's a girl, we'll name it Tracee after you... this way she could grow up to be a c-cksuckin' slob just like her mother. Are you out of your fucking mind? | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto insulting Tracee for thinking her unborn child is his. |
| “ | Yeah, that's right. Get it out! Get it out you little whore! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto fighting off Tracee before murdering her. |
| “ | But all this over some dead whore... | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto to Eugene Pontecorvo and Vito Spatafore. |
| “ | Nothin' but net, mothaf-cka! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto while playing basketball against Vito. |
| “ | Ralph: And I know it's tough on ya, I’m the guy that's dating your mom. Jackie Jr.: Dating? Ralph: Don’t get f-cking filthy with it. |
„ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto to Jackie Aprile Jr. |
| “ | Another time, 'Ton. | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto turning down Tony's offer for having a drink with him. |
| “ | What? You catch some shrapnel? | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto poking fun at Janice Soprano while clipping his toenails. |
| “ | Oh! Speaking of 98 pounds, I hear Ginny Sack's gettin' a 95 pound mole taken off her ass. | „ |
| ~ One of Ralph Cifaretto's most famous lines, which caused the conflict between him and Johnny Sack. |
| “ | Ralph: You know, I don't understand you Anthony. We got lucky. That accidental fire was a bolt from beyond. The horse was no f-ckin good with the colic all the time, and the f-ckin bills! Tony: What're you talking about? She bounced back! Ralph: This time, but each time it takes something out of him. It was all downhill from here. Now, I know it's tragic to think this way but you can't argue with the f-ckin logic! |
„ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto after Tony accuses him for being responsible for Pie-O-My's death. |
| “ | You fat f-ck! | „ |
| ~ Ralph Cifaretto's last words. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ralph is the main antagonist of Seasons 3 and 4 of The Sopranos.
- Ralphie is easily one of the most hated characters on The Sopranos due to his extreme cruelty and unlike the other mobsters shows little to no redeeming qualities, although he starts to show remorse before his death.
- Despite his cruelty, Ralph is also a fan favorite for many because of the comedy he brought to the show. Due to this, Ralph's line "A, she was a whore!" has become a running gag in the fanbase, with this also coming from him frequently pronouncing the word "whore" as "hoowah".
- Various allusions and actions done by Ralph have caused many viewers to theorize whether or not Ralph is supposed to represent Satan.
- Ralphie has little to no sympathy or remorse for the people he hurts or the terrible acts he commits on a day-to-day basis. He shows no empathy for Tracee after murdering her while she was pregnant and alone, he is constantly acting reckless, as seen when he hurts people for no apparent reason and more importantly brings chaos wherever he goes. However, this is not entirely proove he is the Devil, as Ralph does show sympathy and care for Rosalie, Jackie Jr. and his son, Justin.
- In the season 3 episode "Fortunate Son", Ralph literally calls himself Satan during dinner at Tony's house, however this can be played off as just a playful remark.
- In the season 4 episode "No Show", Janice is seen reading a book titled "The Origin of Satan" in bed while Ralph is in front of her, clipping his toenails.
- In the season 4 episode "Everybody Hurts", a poster reading the New Jersey Devils can be seen right behind Ralph while he is sitting down.
- In the season 4 episode "Whoever Did This", which is the episode where Tony murders Ralphie, several lines spoken by characters resemble lyrics in the Rolling Stones song, "Sympathy for the Devil", such as when Ralph tells the doctor for his son, "Please allow me to introduce myself", or when Father Intintola asks Ralph if he was there "When Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain". This theory also coincides with the episodes theme of whether we should feel sympathy for such a horrible person (that being of course Ralph).
- He is a sex addict and deviant, who is into being dominated and punished by the woman he is having sex with, showing his more masochistic attributes.
- He shows no care for when Rosalie starts grieving for her son, Jackie Jr. after he is killed, which was also indirectly caused by Ralph.
- Ralphie was ranked number fourteen on WhatCulture's list of "The 15 Most Deranged TV Psychopaths", writing: "It is Cifaretto's impulsiveness, even when faced with inevitable punishment from his superiors, which makes him one of television's most deranged psychopaths."
- While it may be implied that he killed Pie-O-My, it is left unclear whether or not Ralph started the fire, though he easily could have told someone else to start it. Regardless, Ralph showed little to no sympathy for the dead animal.
- Ralphie's actor, Joe Pantoliano, asserts that he does not believe Ralph killed the horse. However, in a 2021 interview with Complex, Sopranos creator David Chase did confirm that Ralph killed the horse.
- Originally, Ralph was written to have a background in which he was responsible for the drowning of a young girl after Ralph put holes in her canoe back in high school, which caused Ralph to get expelled. This was mainly supposed to give Tony a reason to dislike Ralph as soon as he appeared in the show, however this is never brought up in the episode and was most likely removed from the show entirely.
- Ralph lived in a townhouse when he first moved up from Miami, which he left when he moved in with Rosalie Aprile, and later Janice Soprano.
- Ralph's car was a dark green 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII.
External Links[]
- Ralph Cifaretto on the The Sopranos Wiki
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 Villains
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DiMeo Crime Family Lupertazzi Crime Family Vittorio/Zucca Camorra family Philadelphia Crime Family/Buscetta Crime Family Other | ||