To me, what made Paulie the most insecure was Christopher and his rise thru the ranks while Paulie remained stagnant. Johnny Sack played on that insecurity.
Paulie went up to underboss, which is quite high. His cancer scare got him sent down to capo, by that time Chrissy was also a capo. Paulie was insecure, superstitious and afraid of being ignored because he has no real links to Tony apart from old friendship. he was a real loose end from the start.
Something interesting in that scene when they're at the restaurant together- Paulie is eating a chocolate mousse and complaining while Johnny is drinking cognac, almost looks like a child whining to an adult. Am I the only one who sees it this way?
Such a good detail I’ve never noticed before. That was definitely what the writers wanted to show us. Especially considering how the show uses food for symbolism
It's ironic, tony sirico the actor who plays paulie told David chase he didn't want to play a character that was a rat, but David chase made him a sort of a rat regardless.
@@FoolishFlockit's kind of true though, when Carmine Persico betrayed the Gallos to Joe Colombo they dubbed him the snake. By betraying the Gallos he was a snake but I've never heard people calling him a rat
A rat is someone who snitches. He never turned informant. He was a traitor, basically, a Judas figure even, but a rat? Nah. Also I don't think he'd have done what he did if Tony wasn't giving him reason to fear for his life. By the very end Paulie not only was just feeling the effects of Tony's annoyance and growing hatred of him, he was actually beginning to fear for his own life. If Paulie cooperated with the feds to get a shorter prison sentence, then I'd agree he was a rat. He was just a traitor.
Tony’s dream in Funhouse, he shoots Paulie. His subconscious warning him about Paulie. In The Test Dream, Paulie is seen in the crowd of people with an angry scowl on his face staring a hole right through Tony, again Tony’s subconscious warning him about Paulie. No doubt Paulie sense Tony knew he had talked to New York in the episode Remember When, he was even concerned about Tony whacking him on the boat. Also, in that same episode Beansie refers to Paulie as a stand up guy, the only character who referred to Paulie as a standup guy was confined to a wheel chair. Maybe just a coincidence, maybe not. Paulie above all else was an opportunist who would do anything to survive. I think him and Patsy cut a deal with New York to take out Tony, similar to what Johnny Sack did with Carmine Sr.
It's interesting because when Tony is at his desk talking to Paulie about the vacant position in the final episode, it's framed almost exactly like in the Funhouse dream where Tony shoots him.
@@naswiipp I think the deal happened after that. And patsy probably didn’t have much of a choice. Also consider he would have been worried about getting whacked due to Carlo flipping. His kid was Carlos kids partner
@@lotsofthisandthat9791 that is definitely a motive but they also saw the direction things had taken and that Tony was going to be arrested. Maybe he talks, maybe he doesn’t. There was a lot going on that leads me to believe they were ok with NY whacking Tony
To think that Paulie was a mole for NY is giving Paulie too much credit. He was, at the end of the day, not too bright. Johnny Sac was able to play him like a fiddle and get the info he needed. One could argue that Paulie was a low-level rat. He didn't rat to the Feds or cops, but he ratted family business, i.e. Ralph's joke, to Johnny Sac, which he certainly knew would cause major problems. That joke set the tone for the rest of the series, actually. Like almost everyone else on The Sopranos, Paulie was only loyal to one person: himself.
Also he had that false comfort that Carmine Sr had his back when Johnny lied to him that the boss of NY was thinking about him, he even thought that he would be taken care of by NY when something happened to the Jersey crew. Paulie fucking 🐀
@@CC-8891 The consigliere had BETTER be loyal to the boss of the family, although Sil did color outside the lines once with some side deal, and Tony got wind and took him to the wood shed.
_Everyone's a first-timer once,_ I was surprised that *Paulie* being that old and having that many years of experience on him and he _still_ got played big time by _Johnny Sack._
@@adamhonestyanddecency5054 there's no such thing as alpha males in human society. It's a lupine thing that gets used by scumbags to excuse scumbaggery
@@finsfan90 it's very much not a thing. Even the person who came up with the entire concept went back and said it was bunkum. People are not wolves. They aren't lobsters either, as much as the charlatan Jordan Peterson would have us believe
He was blinded by the fact that it's one of the five families, while NJ is just a glorified crew. The politics are totally different. He wasn't ready for that.
Paulie wasn't a mole. He was just used and manipulated by Johnny Sack. He never was going to switch families, Ralph is the only one who suggested that.
Ralph wanted to, but so did Paulie... That's why it was so heartbreaking when he found out Carmine had no idea who he was. Paulie was trying to ingratiate himself with NY because he wants to switch, but then he saw there was no chance that would happen. Ralph said it outright. He doesn't need to sneak around because he knows how valuable he is.
@@Boobalopbop maybe he wished to switch at times when he was angry but he would have never switched in reality, for two reasons 1- He was too loyal to Tony (while Tony is alive of course) he even had his paintings on his wall. Like we saw it in the 6th season, as soon has Tony was thought to probably not wake up he didn't care about Carmela and started to only think about himself 2- Johnny Sack was too smart. He knew Paulie was easy to get information out of, simply by how dumb and easily he is triggered. He would prefer to have him as "his friend" even though Paulie was a good earner at most times.
What really sells it for me is the scene in the final episode when Paulie is talking to Tony outside Satriales about taking the job. Scene ends with a shot of the storefront empty except Paulie. Smiling like a man who came out unscathed.
What sold it even more was that in the intro of the Godfather, Don Vito is seen in his Chair holding a cat. That also attributes to Paulie being the new Don of Jersey
There was No one to Lead the Sopranos anyways after Tony was wacked. So it didn't matter, You can see a slow decline in the family from the beginning of the series. Tony killing a lot of his own Crew didn't help. Big Pussy flipped because he needed money for his kids college and got busted. Mean while Tony is wasting Big Money on a losing Race horse, Gambling, therapy and a Big Boat on Top of a having a Mc Mansion w/Pool. Not going breed much loyalty amongst his crew. Paulie lives in a Basement, Big P. Next to a Cemetery. Even Silvo went against Tony on the Floor tiles. Then Tony threatens him Over a lousy $32,000 in tiles. Because it was his Wife's nephew's territory also known as the Chief Heroin addict of the Sopranos.
@@menopassini9348 True. Christopher, Bobby, Silvio are all dead, Tony (probably) too, Junior and Ercole di Meo are both senile and in governments hands, ye. Maybe there wont be a DiMeo/Soprano family, but if so: Paulie will be the boss
Another funny point is when Ralph wanted to change families Johnny Sack told Ralph that Carmine doesn’t know who he is. Even though Ralph at that time was involved in a project making millions of dollars at the time.
There is an old documentary called The Big Bang. (Pretty sure that's the name.) Any way, Tony Sirico is in this documentary which is probably about 15 years before the Sopranos and he talks about his former life as a criminal and tough guy. One of the questions the interviewer asked him was: "have you ever killed anyone?" Tony: "No....I didn't need the money." If you can find it it's a must watch.
One thing for certain, Paulie could've been a great middle manager. He knows the company guidelines to the letter and is more than willing to accept any consequences that come along with the position. He should've went with UPS
Never let anybody outside the family know what you are thinking. Paulie was Tony's Fredo. Johnny made him believe there was going to be something in it for him.
If I recall correctly during the scene where NY is talking about taking out the NJ "Management", its in a beauty salon and they name Tony, Bobby, and Sil as the targets. But not Paulie. In fact when someone names Paulie, Butchie says not to harm Paulie. Later in the same episode Paulie comes into Satriales with a box of "barber scissors". Possibly as a link between Paulie and the beauty salon where NY was meeting? Also I've seen people interpret the scissors as Paulie's 30 pieces of silver for betraying his family.
Paulie killing that old lady for $30k was probably the most evil thing done on this show, followed closely by Ralph killing his pregnant stripper Side chic.
I really like this theory, people dismiss it because Paulie isn't the brightest but he doesn't need to be to make a deal with New York to step aside as they take out Tony. Patsy too has an axe to grind, it makes sense that they would band together for a change of leadership. I don't buy Butchie telling Tony the war is over in the last season, I think the hit was still on and Paulie and Patsy were accomplices
Well later in season 6, New York discusses who they want to take out in the back room of a restaurant if you remember. Butch said they want to take out the top, Tony, Sil, and Bobby. Paulie was brought up and he said no, only upper management. Maybe he was already switching to New York at that moment? Same episode as where he speeds off.
@@SopranoTheories Yep, and Butch has business in a salon. Paulie comes back with a load of hair scissors, that may have been a red flag too. Also, more obviously, the cat looking at Paulie in that one episode could be marking him as a rat. Not to mention the dream Tony has where he shoots Paulie, could be his subconscious warning him! So much evidence for this theory
Carmine knew who Paulie was. Remember Junior stating “he’s a slippery one” and the phone call approval hit “I’m not saying nothing”. Carmine knew Paulie, the issue was Paulie talking business in a crowded room. There may have been tension after that. But I’m sure Paulie was working with NY at the end. “Anyone need some barber scissors”.
I think that as time went on Paulie started feeling the distrust from Tony, and he also started feeling the slights as well. They just didn't get along especially towards the end. So I think Paulie started entertaining the idea of joining New York, especially with regards to Johnny Sack who he was especially close with until his death. I do think that Paulie and Patsy Parisi (especially) made a deal with New York -- New York would give New Jersey Phil Leotardo if New Jersey would give Tony to New York. And then after that they'd basically pick up the pieces after that, whatever and whoever was left most likely would get absorbed up into the larger New York organization for the most part but run as a satellite organization most likely by Patsy.
The incident on the boat in Florida was most telling. Paulie was convinced Tony was going to whack him just like they did Pussy. He was always worried about Tony whacking him.
@@edlawn5481 Yeah at that point the situation with Paulie and Tony was coming to a head. Paulie who was usually more aloof (with comic effect generally speaking) was visibly scared, he felt on an intuitive level Tony's growing annoyance with him. And it's justified because at that time I do think Tony was actively considering killing Paulie, for one thing he said to Melfi that more than anything else Paulie was annoying but more importantly when they had to go on the lam for a little while when the body was being exhumed under that house (supposedly Tony's first kill) he sees Paulie basically being a bit too chatty with strangers, and to top it all off he strongly suspected (correctly) that Paulie was the one who told Johnny Sack about the insulting joke made about his wife Ginny which gave Tony more headaches than he wanted to deal with and nearly led to a small conflict which could have easily turned into a full-blown war. At that point Tony believes Paulie is a liability.
Again, not bad at all. Johnny was always my favorite character, but you bring out the dark side of both men. Sometimes, we forget paulys not a muppet we can laugh at, but a serious force in his own right
@@nsj2kx no it’s the scene where Paulie asks to see Tony and they meet at the store. Paulie says the beer he bought for Tony is “imported” and “better than Heineken” but when in the store Tony sees that the beer is on sale 2 for $5
Paulie was TOTALLY a mole. For all the puffery and posturing that Johnny Sac did about Ginny’s honor, he REFUSED to disclose who told him about the joke. His Jersey mole was more important to him than ANYTHING regarding Ginny.
I don't think that he turned down Capo of the April crew for any reason except the one that was given, that he was superstitious. He ends up saying yes to that anyways so... He was a mole up until meeting Carmine and realizing he was obviously being used by Johnny Sac for info that he could use to manipulate things between families. After waking up to that fact Paulie was dumbfounded and embarrassed. He stopped being a mole right then. If anyone was a mole it would've been Patsy. Although, it would've been way way at the end of the series as he was being shot at by New York guys along side Sil. If he was in with New York at that point he would've known not to be where the hit was going to take place. Anyways, that's my take. Great videos man. Just subbed.
Great videos man. Keep it up 👍🏽 Also another point that backs up your theory. Right before he speeds away from the bing after the italians show up, right before that you can hear him telling patsy "you'll be alright" or something like that. Seems kinda strange he's assuring patsy for just a simple hit that he's probably done 1000 times.
When Christopher was made, besides the fact that the New Jersey crew wasn't doing the ceremony correctly, Tony says a pile of stuff about being taken care of if Chris couldn't earn. He talked a lot about silence and brotherhood and honour and dedication. And the show demonstrated that those words were nothing but wind, especially what happened with Paulie.
@@Adamortega_ According to Phil, 'guys don't get their fingers pricked and there was no sword or gun on the table.' Phil was wrong about the finger prick, but he was right about the sword and gun when Chrissy got made.
Great video. A couple of three points of contention; 1. You call the “1970’s-1980’s” the mafias golden age. Weren’t the 80’s actually the downfall? 2. I’m pretty sure Carmine’s death caused the war, not Ralph’s joke. Carmine’s death led to a power vacuum, Tony Blundetto’s involvement pulled Jersey into the conflict. 3. Gabagool....ova hereeeeeeeee
1.Agree! The "Golden Age" is more like from Luciano forming the commission up to Vallachi going rat. 80's was a slaughterhouse with RICO, all the NY bosses getting indicted etc. Then Gotti ruining what was left and Sammy the Bull putting him away. 2. Also agree - Blundetto brought NJ in, and Tony's stubbornness / pride sealed his (and much of his crew's) fates. 2.B. She was a hoowah 2.C. She hit me! 3. I'm gonna stay away from this one. Too much fat and nitrates.
@@robleeandroid Thanks for the info. Joseph Valachi; the first guy to admit the existence of the mafia, during the 1963 Valachi hearings. The commission was formed in 1931, so that would make the Golden age: 1931-1963. Perhaps the 1960’s/70’s were the Silver age? The RICO convictions poetically began in 1980, almost like a proclamation that the party was over. The transition from the 70’s into the 80’s is often morbidly depicted, most notably in Scorsese movies (but I never knew the real events were actually that punctual). It’s also worth mentioning that Soprano refers to The Valachi papers as his homework in ‘The test dream.’ By that point, Tony’s golden age was also ending. He would soon fail a series of “tests” in the form of Tony B, Adriana, Chris, Vito, Vito Jr, Bobby and Eugene.
Super interesting theory. You know, when I first saw the series entirely, I used to think that Paulie was the most stand-up guy of all the stand-up guys, and a lot of other people do too; there's youtube videos about Paulie and "25 times he was the most stand-up guy/true gangster" etc, but then watching the show like another 5 times, it didn't take long for me to realize he was a total snake in bed with NY and a major ass kiss to Tony and his immediate family. Yeah he served the family for decades and such, but he shows plenty in the series that he's a two-face. I never thought about the possibility of him warning NY about the hits in the last three episodes where the major what happened, but honestly, it doesn't seem too farfetched. Paulie is all about _Paulie_ and I could totally see him betraying his guys and warning Phil so he can A) survive and B) continue to make money. He mentioned that he barely made it out when the Colombos struck, and with that I have two thoughts: I think that Paulie did something very similar like he did between Johnny and Tony/NY and NJ and was slowly selling his family out while simultaneously creating a breeding ground for a war. Second, I totally believe he did some snake in the grass shite and went into hiding, also, we all know Paulie is a MAJOR exaggerator and braggart, so I believe that _he_ believes that he "made it by the skin of his nuts" while he probably really had nothing to worry about bc he's set himself up to be able to wait out the war and then surface after the fallout settles and then blend in with what's left.
Absolutely! He’s a selfish man 100% and it’s all about him. Even when he gets out of jail and goes to the party at the bing, he was complaining even with “a fist full of cash” as he was out of the can for 30 seconds! It’s all about surviving and money!
@@SopranoTheories dude exactly! Him bitching at his homecoming party and all the other times in the whole series he makes different situations about him; this one in particular shows a lot of his true colors. Back when he had the biopsy-not even sure it's cancer yet, and eventually finds out he's cleared-he acted the total opposite of how macho he puffs himself up to be (he also judges other men's masculinity with no problem)-he acted the total opposite of what he presents and judges other guys on, and when Johnny Sack died of cancer and the guys are doing a toast in his name, Paulie (now back on his high horse) says with a grin "I beat cancer, but it took him out", making another person's demise all about him 😂 I mean, he didn't even have cancer! He is very funny to watch and listen to though lol
The one thing that really proves Paulie was not only a mole but also knew about the plans to kill Tony is when he came to help Tony pack before fleeing to the safehouse. He was as cool as a cucumber. Coupled with how carefree he was outside of the meat store when speaking with Tony for the last time. And when he turned down Tony's offer, you could see the surprise on his face that he was even offered the position. Followed by a look of regret. Regret for what he knew was coming. Paulie and Patsy were both snakes in the grass at the end. But Tony was asking for it. Hitting and killing a made guy, being soft on the finook, passing people over, siding with ralph over paulie(which sort of explains the painting as paulie enjoyed that ralph destroyed something so close to tony with the horse), tony saying he will throw paulie to the wolves over the russian... and more. In regards to the painting, the use of the napoleon theme said a lot. Betrayed by his own men. Something paulie had in store the whole time. That posture of his after tony walked away in the last episode seemed symbolic. Paulie was carefree and sunning himself on the sidewalk. It was his "day in the sun." It's crazy how people would ever think tony lived at the end. He f'd up A LOT and there's no way he was going to get out of that war alive.
The problem I always had with this plotline is that it seemed really improbable that Johnny wouldn't have Carmine in the loop about this game he was playing with Paulie.
@@lotsofthisandthat9791 Carmine was also planning to have Johnny whacked and I stal his son as underboss prior to that (over the Ginny Fat Joke). I think Johnny had planned to use Paulie to cause the conflict between Jersey and Carmine so he could take over. As to later during the war with Phil, I don't think Paulie a mole so much as he just went along with Patsy and Butchie to remove Phil and Tony, both of whom were allowing personal grievances and past transgressions cloud their judgment and lowering the overall profits.
Fantastic Theory Paulie never forget that Tony ruled against him over 50K he felt Ralph should have paid him and Johnny sack he knew what he was doing Master Manipulate
Paulie survived I think. Probably did get absorbed into the New York family by still working in Jersey bringing them big fat envelopes across the Hudson... lol
When Bobby and Silvio tell Paulie to wack Phil Leotardo, we see the most obvious signs that Paulie had completely turned against the family. He lunges at Bobby and never confirms that he will do it when asked by Silvio. He just walks out. Then he kills the wrong people, which alerts Phil to the fact that he is marked and allows him time to coordinate a retaliation.
Yup it was Paulie, Paulie all along he was old school an OG and said he was, " treated like the ugly girl at the ball" So he worked both sides and decided to get rid of tony and make him a martyr legend he love him so much he needed to get rid of him because he knew he was going to kill him, on that boat.
Paulie was the smartest and fastest to get away and not get caught in my opinion because he managed to use a lot of secretive tactics to not get on anybody’s bad side, I mean he really managed to survive all the way to the end
I love the episode where Paulie finally meets Carmine Sr in person & hes like, “Johnny Sac has been talking to you about me” & Carmine’s like “who tf are you?” 🤣 He knew right then that he had f*cked up!
That's what Polly was staring in the mirror after he talked to Carmine senior he knew he was betrayed . He took a chance on being a mold for Johnny sack .
Another crazy component is that at the very end of the series Paulie was one of the only OG’a to stay alive through the very end. Maybe this is what the writers wanted as to hint that Paulie was with New York at the very end.🤔
@@guidoluzzi66 it was the 70’s the Colombo crime family paulie was talking about. But that wasn’t my point anyway.. I was making a joke about the crime war during the TV show
I am rewatching and I think Paulie’s character was def that he was not truly loyal to Jersey and only loyal to survival. I don’t think he had Tony’s back
Paulie was disloyal and had a big mouth. But I believe he loved Tony. "Every relationship has its peaks and valleys." Even Silvio was disloyal when he disobeyed Tony and had ordered Patsy to steal tiles from the construction site. But nobody questions Silvio's overall loyalty. So every member of the Sopranos had their peaks and valleys, Silvio, Patsy, Christopher, Paulie, Vito, Pussy, etc. Only one that was loyal the whole time was Bobby
@@looloowhiskey , Bobby was under Junior’s Capo regime. So when the top people were all whacked from Juniors crew, like Mikey Palmice and Chucky Signore, Bobby was the messenger between Tony and Junior. Bobby said “I inherited Junior.” In other words he had no say of what capo regime he started with. Remember his father was an old mobster for the sopranos back when Junior and Tony’s dad ran North Jersey.
Nonono , Silvio doing a minor thing once doesn’t put him in the same sentence as Paulie. Paulie was in it for himself and was a snake through and through, complaining to other families etc . Silvio didn’t even come close and mere notion of it is insulting to his devotion as consigliere to tony and family executioner of traitors
I wish you covered the fact that Sil and Tony called out Paulie on two separate occasions for gossiping to NY. In fact, Tony almost killed him after asking him about it on the boat in season 6 when they were in Florida.
@@KekelMyShekel it does, in a proffesion where you dont last long alive like the mob you wont survive as much as paulie has for just being loyal and good and earning money you could literally get killed if your boss thought you were an asshole or thought you were skimming money etc to survive that long as a mobster you either have tons of power, rat on your family, or just straight up play all sides and scurry on to the side that wins
Silvio was the most honest to Paulie. He told Paulie the truth that “you are only as good as last months paycheque”. Paulie couldn’t handle the truth and got aggressive.
You got it wrong Sopranos shared the esplanade with the lupritazzi family. That was a joint business venture. Pauly spilled the beans about the frelinghuysen avenue property that Junior gave Tony.... And the HUD scam that Brian revealed to Tony and Ralph. The esplanade was always shared. Your insight is solid...ur commentary great....Just keep watching the show over and over. You have a couple details here and there that aren't consistent with the show. Otherwise outstanding content
I mean he just was. He was manipulated by Johnny Sack to get information out of him involving real estate. It’s so funny that Johnny Sack says Carmine asks about him, yet Carmine has no idea who the hell he is hahahahaha.
That's not just in the mafia , thats in life in general . I've done time , had many visits, but many in there think they got it all and nothing , for months , years. It's sad , and makes you appreciate what you have .
The street gang members always complain about getting forgotten when incarcerated - no letters, no money on their books when they're in there cuz they didn't snitch on their gang
Mafia people in real life do not get visited when they’re in prison unless it’s the boss and they decide to still run things. When they’re in prison they’re on their own. Numerous people who were in the mafia confirm this. It’s a myth that you’re taken care of when you’re away
I dont think he was a mole for new york. But I think he was a key player in Tony's untimely demise at the end together with the other guy who's brother got clipped.
I think they were trying to use paulie's character as a sort of joe gallo type turncoat who tries to play both sides against each other to get what he wants out of the situation and inadvertently starts a mob war. The only real difference is that joey gallo actually went to war against his own family and his crew was eventually allowed to leave their family and join a different one after two of the three gallo brothers were killed.
"I think he turned it down because he knew in a few days the crew would no longer exist".... How did we go from he is naive and being manipulated and used by John to the entire Lupertazzi family is in on it? You're saying even Butchie knew about this and yet it never got back to NJ? Seems like a stretch.
I always got pissed when Tony shit on Paulie for not being a high earner. The dude was one of Tony's most steadfast enforcers. He shouldn't have been under pressure to earn more money since he was top ranked muscle. That was Tony's problem, all he cared about was the money and none of the actual spirit of the mob. You keep a guy like Paulie and Silvio happy because they're who you call to take out a rat that's deep in the org. Something Patsy understood "he's in the can, maybe want to keep him happy?" that's the spirit of making sure your guys are well supported so they stay loyal.
One thing I recall reading, when offered the role of Paulie, Tony Sirico agreed under the condition that his character would not "become a rat". However, working for New York, won't be a rat.
The writers use to screw with Tony Sirico and give him fake scripts where he would be killed off. He was just as paranoid in real life as his character. “every once in a while we would type up a phony script page that had Paulie dying and leave it around and he got wise to that for a while” - Terry Winters
He was an unwitting mole but he had ulterior motives too. Johnny knew Paulie loved to complain to anyone who would listen so he took advantage. Paulie once made a comment about always keeping a good relationship with NY but he kinda told on himself and Tony knew at that point he was spilling their secrets.
I think Paulie stopped talking to New York once he realized John was using him, he became happier in his role once Christopher wasn’t Tony’s chosen one anymore and he beat cancer. I think he was at that hit to be able to report to Tony what happened.
Paulie comes back from a barber shop during the scene after the one that Tony and Butchie agree that Phil needs to go. Butchie does his business at a barber shop. It's possible that Paulie went to Butchie to discuss taking over that family now that there will be a power vacuum since Phil wiped out all competitors for the spot.
Yep, that's a clue. I think Paulie and Patsy made the deal with Butchie that would result in both Phil and Tony being taken out. It wasn't personal, it was strictly business, because Phil and Tony's feud was bad for business for both New York and New Jersey.
They did, as a quid pro quo for Butchie and the New York guys giving them the OK to kill Phil Leotardo. By that point both sides figured having Phil and Tony gone would be beneficial to both sides.
Loose lips sink ships.
🤟🏽Word to the wise. Remember Pearl Harbour!
Lol Tony helped out the feds as well
The whole war between NY and NJ is pretty much because of Paulie’s big mouth.
@@MrMalicious5 I think that it helped spark a smouldering flame, rather being THE cause...
whaddya hear, whaddya say
Paulie wasn't a mole, he was more of a patsy that didn't realize he was being used like a mole. The only real mole in the show weighed 95lbs.
95 pounds 😎
Poor Ginny
LOL
I want you to sanction a hit on AmeriKHAN.
Perfect
To me, what made Paulie the most insecure was Christopher and his rise thru the ranks while Paulie remained stagnant.
Johnny Sack played on that insecurity.
Best way to put it
Paulie went up to underboss, which is quite high. His cancer scare got him sent down to capo, by that time Chrissy was also a capo. Paulie was insecure, superstitious and afraid of being ignored because he has no real links to Tony apart from old friendship. he was a real loose end from the start.
@@SantomPh when did he get that cancer scare?
@Maester Gryphon Johnny Sack was flashy because he was modeled after Gotti.
@Maester Gryphon - We've got EL Chapo......and in Paulie we've got EL Cheapo!
Something interesting in that scene when they're at the restaurant together- Paulie is eating a chocolate mousse and complaining while Johnny is drinking cognac, almost looks like a child whining to an adult. Am I the only one who sees it this way?
Such a good detail I’ve never noticed before. That was definitely what the writers wanted to show us. Especially considering how the show uses food for symbolism
It’s like a divorced dad giving his kid ice cream trying to find out about mom’s new boyfriend
@@ryankeefe6222 that is a very good analogy
NO ORANGES.. . .NO DEATH....
I can definitely see that. Kinda like Vito jr 😂
The fact that paulie thinks carmine thinks the world of him is laughable
Carmine was like "Who are you?" "Who is he?" "WTF???" Not the reaction Paulie was expecting🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's ironic, tony sirico the actor who plays paulie told David chase he didn't want to play a character that was a rat, but David chase made him a sort of a rat regardless.
Its only ratting if its to the cops .. what he did was betrayal
Thats not being a 🐀 thats being a 🐍
@@kanarip8798 ah the good ole' 🐍.vs. 🐁 debate!!
@@FoolishFlockit's kind of true though, when Carmine Persico betrayed the Gallos to Joe Colombo they dubbed him the snake. By betraying the Gallos he was a snake but I've never heard people calling him a rat
A rat is someone who snitches. He never turned informant. He was a traitor, basically, a Judas figure even, but a rat? Nah. Also I don't think he'd have done what he did if Tony wasn't giving him reason to fear for his life. By the very end Paulie not only was just feeling the effects of Tony's annoyance and growing hatred of him, he was actually beginning to fear for his own life. If Paulie cooperated with the feds to get a shorter prison sentence, then I'd agree he was a rat. He was just a traitor.
Tony’s dream in Funhouse, he shoots Paulie. His subconscious warning him about Paulie. In The Test Dream, Paulie is seen in the crowd of people with an angry scowl on his face staring a hole right through Tony, again Tony’s subconscious warning him about Paulie.
No doubt Paulie sense Tony knew he had talked to New York in the episode Remember When, he was even concerned about Tony whacking him on the boat. Also, in that same episode Beansie refers to Paulie as a stand up guy, the only character who referred to Paulie as a standup guy was confined to a wheel chair. Maybe just a coincidence, maybe not.
Paulie above all else was an opportunist who would do anything to survive. I think him and Patsy cut a deal with New York to take out Tony, similar to what Johnny Sack did with Carmine Sr.
It's interesting because when Tony is at his desk talking to Paulie about the vacant position in the final episode, it's framed almost exactly like in the Funhouse dream where Tony shoots him.
Patsy was in the car with Sil when NY was trying to kill them so Idk. Everything else sounds plausible.
@@naswiipp I think the deal happened after that. And patsy probably didn’t have much of a choice. Also consider he would have been worried about getting whacked due to Carlo flipping. His kid was Carlos kids partner
Yes, I also believe Patsy was involved and had motive for sure, Tony ordered hit on his twin brother.
@@lotsofthisandthat9791 that is definitely a motive but they also saw the direction things had taken and that Tony was going to be arrested. Maybe he talks, maybe he doesn’t. There was a lot going on that leads me to believe they were ok with NY whacking Tony
To think that Paulie was a mole for NY is giving Paulie too much credit. He was, at the end of the day, not too bright. Johnny Sac was able to play him like a fiddle and get the info he needed. One could argue that Paulie was a low-level rat. He didn't rat to the Feds or cops, but he ratted family business, i.e. Ralph's joke, to Johnny Sac, which he certainly knew would cause major problems. That joke set the tone for the rest of the series, actually. Like almost everyone else on The Sopranos, Paulie was only loyal to one person: himself.
Agree 100%
Also he had that false comfort that Carmine Sr had his back when Johnny lied to him that the boss of NY was thinking about him, he even thought that he would be taken care of by NY when something happened to the Jersey crew. Paulie fucking 🐀
Silvio was 100% loyal to Tony.
OHHHHH
@@CC-8891 The consigliere had BETTER be loyal to the boss of the family, although Sil did color outside the lines once with some side deal, and Tony got wind and took him to the wood shed.
_Everyone's a first-timer once,_ I was surprised that *Paulie* being that old and having that many years of experience on him and he _still_ got played big time by _Johnny Sack._
Johnny’s smarter. He’s an alpha, Paulie isn’t.
@@adamhonestyanddecency5054 there's no such thing as alpha males in human society. It's a lupine thing that gets used by scumbags to excuse scumbaggery
@@willywonka7812
That is not true. There are definitely big differences between alpha types, and non alphas. Its rather obvious that its a thing.
@@finsfan90 it's very much not a thing. Even the person who came up with the entire concept went back and said it was bunkum. People are not wolves. They aren't lobsters either, as much as the charlatan Jordan Peterson would have us believe
He was blinded by the fact that it's one of the five families, while NJ is just a glorified crew. The politics are totally different. He wasn't ready for that.
Did ya hear what I said Tone? I said is Paulie a mole! He he
HEH HEH
I said I met his mom ehen she was selling bonbon's
Paulie wasn't a mole. He was just used and manipulated by Johnny Sack. He never was going to switch families, Ralph is the only one who suggested that.
Ralph wanted to, but so did Paulie... That's why it was so heartbreaking when he found out Carmine had no idea who he was. Paulie was trying to ingratiate himself with NY because he wants to switch, but then he saw there was no chance that would happen.
Ralph said it outright. He doesn't need to sneak around because he knows how valuable he is.
@@Boobalopbop maybe he wished to switch at times when he was angry but he would have never switched in reality, for two reasons
1- He was too loyal to Tony (while Tony is alive of course) he even had his paintings on his wall. Like we saw it in the 6th season, as soon has Tony was thought to probably not wake up he didn't care about Carmela and started to only think about himself
2- Johnny Sack was too smart. He knew Paulie was easy to get information out of, simply by how dumb and easily he is triggered. He would prefer to have him as "his friend" even though Paulie was a good earner at most times.
What really sells it for me is the scene in the final episode when Paulie is talking to Tony outside Satriales about taking the job. Scene ends with a shot of the storefront empty except Paulie. Smiling like a man who came out unscathed.
The cat indicated that Paulie was doomed.
What sold it even more was that in the intro of the Godfather, Don Vito is seen in his Chair holding a cat. That also attributes to Paulie being the new Don of Jersey
There was No one to Lead the Sopranos anyways after Tony was wacked. So it didn't matter, You can see a slow decline in the family from the beginning of the series. Tony killing a lot of his own Crew didn't help. Big Pussy flipped because he needed money for his kids college and got busted. Mean while Tony is wasting Big Money on a losing Race horse, Gambling, therapy and a Big Boat on Top of a having a Mc Mansion w/Pool. Not going breed much loyalty amongst his crew. Paulie lives in a Basement, Big P. Next to a Cemetery. Even Silvo went against Tony on the Floor tiles. Then Tony threatens him Over a lousy $32,000 in tiles. Because it was his Wife's nephew's territory also known as the Chief Heroin addict of the Sopranos.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 actually the cat staring at Paulie indicated that he was a rat. As in sold out Tony soprano
@@menopassini9348 True. Christopher, Bobby, Silvio are all dead, Tony (probably) too, Junior and Ercole di Meo are both senile and in governments hands, ye. Maybe there wont be a DiMeo/Soprano family, but if so: Paulie will be the boss
Another funny point is when Ralph wanted to change families Johnny Sack told Ralph that Carmine doesn’t know who he is. Even though Ralph at that time was involved in a project making millions of dollars at the time.
Not to mention not only did Carmine know who Ralph is, he had high respect for him too.
“Pick a number or get the fuck over it”
Word to the wise 🤟
Rememba Pearl Harbor.🤟
@@spacemarinechaplain9367 I saw that movie, i thought it was bullshit
My friend
He was an interior decorator
"His house looked like shit...."
There is an old documentary called The Big Bang. (Pretty sure that's the name.) Any way, Tony Sirico is in this documentary which is probably about 15 years before the Sopranos and he talks about his former life as a criminal and tough guy. One of the questions the interviewer asked him was: "have you ever killed anyone?"
Tony: "No....I didn't need the money."
If you can find it it's a must watch.
Paulie was an opportunist like the rest of them except maybe Silvio.
Chris was loyal to but his addiction and hot head made their connection die
Silvio was the man
@Nero Wynn Good point, but I'm pretty sure it's a hirsute gabagool helmet.
@Nero Wynn OH! Who pissed in your cereal?
Silvio wanted gabagool
Love the content ! Wish you had more videos. I could see this channel blowing up for the die hard fans of the sopranos.
Thank you! Have more content coming!
One thing for certain, Paulie could've been a great middle manager. He knows the company guidelines to the letter and is more than willing to accept any consequences that come along with the position. He should've went with UPS
Or more like “DEEEEE ECCHHH ELLLLLLLE!”
Never let anybody outside the family know what you are thinking. Paulie was Tony's Fredo. Johnny made him believe there was going to be something in it for him.
If I recall correctly during the scene where NY is talking about taking out the NJ "Management", its in a beauty salon and they name Tony, Bobby, and Sil as the targets. But not Paulie. In fact when someone names Paulie, Butchie says not to harm Paulie. Later in the same episode Paulie comes into Satriales with a box of "barber scissors". Possibly as a link between Paulie and the beauty salon where NY was meeting? Also I've seen people interpret the scissors as Paulie's 30 pieces of silver for betraying his family.
Paulie killing that old lady for $30k was probably the most evil thing done on this show, followed closely by Ralph killing his pregnant stripper Side chic.
That and when he killed that waiter after not paying the bill.
@Umar Johnson Ugh dude. You don’t get to kill a waiter for arguing. The fuq? Bs you were a waiter. Stfu
@Umar Johnson no it’s just that I see a lot that the auger deserved to die when I think that’s fucked up
She was a whooah.
Ralph killing that girl was way more evil, he even went out of his way to punch her in the stomach
That video RUclips recommended? Ma was cryin.
RUclips: I never recommended it.
did she have the silver bird package?
Pretty expensive.
@@malcador you see a seeing eye dog over here? Cup full of pencils.
"Be tuff"
"What do you say? What do you hear?" So I can go tell Johnny Sack
I really like this theory, people dismiss it because Paulie isn't the brightest but he doesn't need to be to make a deal with New York to step aside as they take out Tony. Patsy too has an axe to grind, it makes sense that they would band together for a change of leadership. I don't buy Butchie telling Tony the war is over in the last season, I think the hit was still on and Paulie and Patsy were accomplices
Well later in season 6, New York discusses who they want to take out in the back room of a restaurant if you remember. Butch said they want to take out the top, Tony, Sil, and Bobby. Paulie was brought up and he said no, only upper management. Maybe he was already switching to New York at that moment? Same episode as where he speeds off.
@@SopranoTheories Yep, and Butch has business in a salon. Paulie comes back with a load of hair scissors, that may have been a red flag too. Also, more obviously, the cat looking at Paulie in that one episode could be marking him as a rat. Not to mention the dream Tony has where he shoots Paulie, could be his subconscious warning him! So much evidence for this theory
paulie would never whack Tony unless he is ratting, dude has his portrait at home. He loves the man
I dont know about this. Paulie stayed with Tony and the crew at Tony's mom house even when he was told to go
Carmine didn't even know who paulie was tho lol
Carmine knew who Paulie was. Remember Junior stating “he’s a slippery one” and the phone call approval hit “I’m not saying nothing”. Carmine knew Paulie, the issue was Paulie talking business in a crowded room. There may have been tension after that. But I’m sure Paulie was working with NY at the end. “Anyone need some barber scissors”.
I think that as time went on Paulie started feeling the distrust from Tony, and he also started feeling the slights as well. They just didn't get along especially towards the end. So I think Paulie started entertaining the idea of joining New York, especially with regards to Johnny Sack who he was especially close with until his death. I do think that Paulie and Patsy Parisi (especially) made a deal with New York -- New York would give New Jersey Phil Leotardo if New Jersey would give Tony to New York. And then after that they'd basically pick up the pieces after that, whatever and whoever was left most likely would get absorbed up into the larger New York organization for the most part but run as a satellite organization most likely by Patsy.
The incident on the boat in Florida was most telling. Paulie was convinced Tony was going to whack him just like they did Pussy. He was always worried about Tony whacking him.
@@edlawn5481 Yeah at that point the situation with Paulie and Tony was coming to a head. Paulie who was usually more aloof (with comic effect generally speaking) was visibly scared, he felt on an intuitive level Tony's growing annoyance with him. And it's justified because at that time I do think Tony was actively considering killing Paulie, for one thing he said to Melfi that more than anything else Paulie was annoying but more importantly when they had to go on the lam for a little while when the body was being exhumed under that house (supposedly Tony's first kill) he sees Paulie basically being a bit too chatty with strangers, and to top it all off he strongly suspected (correctly) that Paulie was the one who told Johnny Sack about the insulting joke made about his wife Ginny which gave Tony more headaches than he wanted to deal with and nearly led to a small conflict which could have easily turned into a full-blown war. At that point Tony believes Paulie is a liability.
Again, not bad at all. Johnny was always my favorite character, but you bring out the dark side of both men. Sometimes, we forget paulys not a muppet we can laugh at, but a serious force in his own right
reminds me of Aspanu from Mario Puzo’s The Sicilian
It all started when Tony found out Lowenbrau beer was 2 for $5 😂🤣.
Löwenbräu ;)
Was that a deleted scene or no?
@@nsj2kx no it’s the scene where Paulie asks to see Tony and they meet at the store. Paulie says the beer he bought for Tony is “imported” and “better than Heineken” but when in the store Tony sees that the beer is on sale 2 for $5
@@Seawalls I just double checked, that scene is technically a deleted scene. Great scene for sure tho.
@@nsj2kx wow is it? I truly feel like I saw it during an episode
Paulie was TOTALLY a mole.
For all the puffery and posturing that Johnny Sac did about Ginny’s honor, he REFUSED to disclose who told him about the joke.
His Jersey mole was more important to him than ANYTHING regarding Ginny.
I don't think that he turned down Capo of the April crew for any reason except the one that was given, that he was superstitious. He ends up saying yes to that anyways so... He was a mole up until meeting Carmine and realizing he was obviously being used by Johnny Sac for info that he could use to manipulate things between families. After waking up to that fact Paulie was dumbfounded and embarrassed. He stopped being a mole right then. If anyone was a mole it would've been Patsy. Although, it would've been way way at the end of the series as he was being shot at by New York guys along side Sil. If he was in with New York at that point he would've known not to be where the hit was going to take place. Anyways, that's my take. Great videos man. Just subbed.
Great videos man. Keep it up 👍🏽 Also another point that backs up your theory. Right before he speeds away from the bing after the italians show up, right before that you can hear him telling patsy "you'll be alright" or something like that. Seems kinda strange he's assuring patsy for just a simple hit that he's probably done 1000 times.
He told Patsy “it’s all yours” and walks away while they were taking a leak. Patsy came off as surprised.
Carmine thought the world of Paulie and his father before him....
"Wasn't his father hit by a trolley-car?"
Always with the scenarios... in this case 100% true. Paulie is a survivor. He got through the 70s.
When Christopher was made, besides the fact that the New Jersey crew wasn't doing the ceremony correctly, Tony says a pile of stuff about being taken care of if Chris couldn't earn. He talked a lot about silence and brotherhood and honour and dedication.
And the show demonstrated that those words were nothing but wind, especially what happened with Paulie.
What wasnt correct about it? Just wondering
@@Adamortega_ According to Phil, 'guys don't get their fingers pricked and there was no sword or gun on the table.'
Phil was wrong about the finger prick, but he was right about the sword and gun when Chrissy got made.
I was just talking about that
Great video. A couple of three points of contention;
1. You call the “1970’s-1980’s” the mafias golden age. Weren’t the 80’s actually the downfall?
2. I’m pretty sure Carmine’s death caused the war, not Ralph’s joke. Carmine’s death led to a power vacuum, Tony Blundetto’s involvement pulled Jersey into the conflict.
3. Gabagool....ova hereeeeeeeee
Not sure about 3, there's not sufficient academic research on the question. The other two points make sense
@@DrJ-hx7wv Your comment has tremendous moxie for it’s size
1.Agree! The "Golden Age" is more like from Luciano forming the commission up to Vallachi going rat. 80's was a slaughterhouse with RICO, all the NY bosses getting indicted etc. Then Gotti ruining what was left and Sammy the Bull putting him away.
2. Also agree - Blundetto brought NJ in, and Tony's stubbornness / pride sealed his (and much of his crew's) fates.
2.B. She was a hoowah
2.C. She hit me!
3. I'm gonna stay away from this one. Too much fat and nitrates.
@@robleeandroid Thanks for the info. Joseph Valachi; the first guy to admit the existence of the mafia, during the 1963 Valachi hearings. The commission was formed in 1931, so that would make the Golden age: 1931-1963. Perhaps the 1960’s/70’s were the Silver age? The RICO convictions poetically began in 1980, almost like a proclamation that the party was over. The transition from the 70’s into the 80’s is often morbidly depicted, most notably in Scorsese movies (but I never knew the real events were actually that punctual).
It’s also worth mentioning that Soprano refers to The Valachi papers as his homework in ‘The test dream.’
By that point, Tony’s golden age was also ending. He would soon fail a series of “tests” in the form of Tony B, Adriana, Chris, Vito, Vito Jr, Bobby and Eugene.
Carmine’s death may have caused the war but in my opinion you can trace everything back to the joke
Super interesting theory. You know, when I first saw the series entirely, I used to think that Paulie was the most stand-up guy of all the stand-up guys, and a lot of other people do too; there's youtube videos about Paulie and "25 times he was the most stand-up guy/true gangster" etc, but then watching the show like another 5 times, it didn't take long for me to realize he was a total snake in bed with NY and a major ass kiss to Tony and his immediate family. Yeah he served the family for decades and such, but he shows plenty in the series that he's a two-face. I never thought about the possibility of him warning NY about the hits in the last three episodes where the major what happened, but honestly, it doesn't seem too farfetched. Paulie is all about _Paulie_ and I could totally see him betraying his guys and warning Phil so he can A) survive and B) continue to make money. He mentioned that he barely made it out when the Colombos struck, and with that I have two thoughts: I think that Paulie did something very similar like he did between Johnny and Tony/NY and NJ and was slowly selling his family out while simultaneously creating a breeding ground for a war. Second, I totally believe he did some snake in the grass shite and went into hiding, also, we all know Paulie is a MAJOR exaggerator and braggart, so I believe that _he_ believes that he "made it by the skin of his nuts" while he probably really had nothing to worry about bc he's set himself up to be able to wait out the war and then surface after the fallout settles and then blend in with what's left.
Absolutely! He’s a selfish man 100% and it’s all about him. Even when he gets out of jail and goes to the party at the bing, he was complaining even with “a fist full of cash” as he was out of the can for 30 seconds! It’s all about surviving and money!
@@SopranoTheories dude exactly! Him bitching at his homecoming party and all the other times in the whole series he makes different situations about him; this one in particular shows a lot of his true colors. Back when he had the biopsy-not even sure it's cancer yet, and eventually finds out he's cleared-he acted the total opposite of how macho he puffs himself up to be (he also judges other men's masculinity with no problem)-he acted the total opposite of what he presents and judges other guys on, and when Johnny Sack died of cancer and the guys are doing a toast in his name, Paulie (now back on his high horse) says with a grin "I beat cancer, but it took him out", making another person's demise all about him 😂 I mean, he didn't even have cancer! He is very funny to watch and listen to though lol
But he isnt very smart tho
@@BillBraskyy Textbook narcissism. Never took responsibility for anything; always deflected his screwups onto someone else.
The one thing that really proves Paulie was not only a mole but also knew about the plans to kill Tony is when he came to help Tony pack before fleeing to the safehouse. He was as cool as a cucumber. Coupled with how carefree he was outside of the meat store when speaking with Tony for the last time. And when he turned down Tony's offer, you could see the surprise on his face that he was even offered the position. Followed by a look of regret. Regret for what he knew was coming. Paulie and Patsy were both snakes in the grass at the end.
But Tony was asking for it. Hitting and killing a made guy, being soft on the finook, passing people over, siding with ralph over paulie(which sort of explains the painting as paulie enjoyed that ralph destroyed something so close to tony with the horse), tony saying he will throw paulie to the wolves over the russian... and more. In regards to the painting, the use of the napoleon theme said a lot. Betrayed by his own men. Something paulie had in store the whole time. That posture of his after tony walked away in the last episode seemed symbolic. Paulie was carefree and sunning himself on the sidewalk. It was his "day in the sun."
It's crazy how people would ever think tony lived at the end. He f'd up A LOT and there's no way he was going to get out of that war alive.
Being soft on the finook...😂 I shouldn't laugh
I literally thought the exact same thing
The problem I always had with this plotline is that it seemed really improbable that Johnny wouldn't have Carmine in the loop about this game he was playing with Paulie.
True, but it's within Johnny Sac's character that he would have kept stuff from Carmine, I got the feeling Carmine and Johnny didn't trust each other.
Johnny was gonna have Carmine whacked at one point! So no,mI could see Johnny keeping his ‘ sources’ close to the best from Carmine.
@@lotsofthisandthat9791 Carmine was also planning to have Johnny whacked and I stal his son as underboss prior to that (over the Ginny Fat Joke). I think Johnny had planned to use Paulie to cause the conflict between Jersey and Carmine so he could take over.
As to later during the war with Phil, I don't think Paulie a mole so much as he just went along with Patsy and Butchie to remove Phil and Tony, both of whom were allowing personal grievances and past transgressions cloud their judgment and lowering the overall profits.
Johnny Sac always wanted to be boss. He even turns into a huge asshole when he becomes boss. He didn’t like working for Carmine
Fantastic Theory Paulie never forget that Tony ruled against him over 50K he felt Ralph should have paid him and Johnny sack he knew what he was doing Master Manipulate
Paulie survived I think. Probably did get absorbed into the New York family by still working in Jersey bringing them big fat envelopes across the Hudson... lol
When Tony destroyed the painting, it ended the loyalty!
When Bobby and Silvio tell Paulie to wack Phil Leotardo, we see the most obvious signs that Paulie had completely turned against the family. He lunges at Bobby and never confirms that he will do it when asked by Silvio. He just walks out. Then he kills the wrong people, which alerts Phil to the fact that he is marked and allows him time to coordinate a retaliation.
Yup it was Paulie, Paulie all along he was old school an OG and said he was, " treated like the ugly girl at the ball" So he worked both sides and decided to get rid of tony and make him a martyr legend he love him so much he needed to get rid of him because he knew he was going to kill him, on that boat.
Paulie got played and truly felt he was shooting the breeze with Johnny Sac.
Paulie was the smartest and fastest to get away and not get caught in my opinion because he managed to use a lot of secretive tactics to not get on anybody’s bad side, I mean he really managed to survive all the way to the end
Rat? No. Weasel? Yes.
I love the episode where Paulie finally meets Carmine Sr in person & hes like, “Johnny Sac has been talking to you about me” & Carmine’s like “who tf are you?” 🤣 He knew right then that he had f*cked up!
That's what Polly was staring in the mirror after he talked to Carmine senior he knew he was betrayed . He took a chance on being a mold for Johnny sack .
Paulie never had the makings of a varsity New Yorker
It was literally in Tony Sirico’s contract that Pauline could NEVER become a rat.
A mole...on the other hand...
Another crazy component is that at the very end of the series Paulie was one of the only OG’a to stay alive through the very end. Maybe this is what the writers wanted as to hint that Paulie was with New York at the very end.🤔
Paulie survived the 1990s by the skin of his balls when the Lupertazzis where going at it.
Not to mention, the Sopranos
Paulie said he survived the Colombo wars. An actual mob family at war in the early 1990s
@@guidoluzzi66 it was the 70’s the Colombo crime family paulie was talking about. But that wasn’t my point anyway.. I was making a joke about the crime war during the TV show
I am rewatching and I think Paulie’s character was def that he was not truly loyal to Jersey and only loyal to survival. I don’t think he had Tony’s back
He kept a painting of General Tone
Paulie was NOT loyal.
Paulie was the only one who was smart enough to keep their head down.
Paulie was disloyal and had a big mouth. But I believe he loved Tony. "Every relationship has its peaks and valleys." Even Silvio was disloyal when he disobeyed Tony and had ordered Patsy to steal tiles from the construction site. But nobody questions Silvio's overall loyalty. So every member of the Sopranos had their peaks and valleys, Silvio, Patsy, Christopher, Paulie, Vito, Pussy, etc. Only one that was loyal the whole time was Bobby
Wasn't Bobbie a puppet for junior in early seasons though?
@@looloowhiskey , Bobby was under Junior’s Capo regime. So when the top people were all whacked from Juniors crew, like Mikey Palmice and Chucky Signore, Bobby was the messenger between Tony and Junior. Bobby said “I inherited Junior.” In other words he had no say of what capo regime he started with. Remember his father was an old mobster for the sopranos back when Junior and Tony’s dad ran North Jersey.
@@MikeLimTravel Thank you Mike
@@MikeLimTravel Can I count on your vote this November?
Nonono , Silvio doing a minor thing once doesn’t put him in the same sentence as Paulie. Paulie was in it for himself and was a snake through and through, complaining to other families etc . Silvio didn’t even come close and mere notion of it is insulting to his devotion as consigliere to tony and family executioner of traitors
I wish you covered the fact that Sil and Tony called out Paulie on two separate occasions for gossiping to NY. In fact, Tony almost killed him after asking him about it on the boat in season 6 when they were in Florida.
I always thought it was clear that Paulie is an unwitting mole for New York
Paulie was one of the most interesting characters in the Sopranos.
U cant trust an old guy who's still alive in the mob
That makes NO sense.
@@KekelMyShekel it does, in a proffesion where you dont last long alive like the mob
you wont survive as much as paulie has for just being loyal and good and earning money
you could literally get killed if your boss thought you were an asshole or thought you were skimming money etc
to survive that long as a mobster you either have tons of power, rat on your family, or just straight up play all sides and scurry on to the side that wins
Let's face it, when Paulie whacked Min, it was hilarious
(3:50) Paulie realizes his Coach has turned into the proverbial Shine Box .
WHAT A BEAST! love the soprano videos subbed!!!
Silvio was the most honest to Paulie. He told Paulie the truth that “you are only as good as last months paycheque”. Paulie couldn’t handle the truth and got aggressive.
You got it wrong Sopranos shared the esplanade with the lupritazzi family. That was a joint business venture. Pauly spilled the beans about the frelinghuysen avenue property that Junior gave Tony.... And the HUD scam that Brian revealed to Tony and Ralph. The esplanade was always shared. Your insight is solid...ur commentary great....Just keep watching the show over and over. You have a couple details here and there that aren't consistent with the show. Otherwise outstanding content
I mean he just was. He was manipulated by Johnny Sack to get information out of him involving real estate. It’s so funny that Johnny Sack says Carmine asks about him, yet Carmine has no idea who the hell he is hahahahaha.
That joke was getting back to Johnny eventually. Some one would have used it the same way Pualie did. To try to get rid of Ralph.
When he found out he (Carmine, Sr.) didn't even know him, he scrambled his ass of to get back right with Soprano.
Great video !
Thank you glad you enjoyed it!
Why am I just discovering this channel ? Great stuff 🔥
TBH if I’m in a cell and no one in my crew visits me I’ll question mine and their loyalty.
That's not just in the mafia , thats in life in general . I've done time , had many visits, but many in there think they got it all and nothing , for months , years. It's sad , and makes you appreciate what you have .
@@july9566 Glad you're out and have people who love you!
The street gang members always complain about getting forgotten when incarcerated - no letters, no money on their books when they're in there cuz they didn't snitch on their gang
Mafia people in real life do not get visited when they’re in prison unless it’s the boss and they decide to still run things. When they’re in prison they’re on their own. Numerous people who were in the mafia confirm this. It’s a myth that you’re taken care of when you’re away
Johnny Sac really was a brilliant operator
Good video
Holy shit, I completely overlooked some of these interactions. Guess I was just watching to watch
I dont think he was a mole for new york.
But I think he was a key player in Tony's untimely demise at the end together with the other guy who's brother got clipped.
I think they were trying to use paulie's character as a sort of joe gallo type turncoat who tries to play both sides against each other to get what he wants out of the situation and inadvertently starts a mob war.
The only real difference is that joey gallo actually went to war against his own family and his crew was eventually allowed to leave their family and join a different one after two of the three gallo brothers were killed.
"I think he turned it down because he knew in a few days the crew would no longer exist".... How did we go from he is naive and being manipulated and used by John to the entire Lupertazzi family is in on it? You're saying even Butchie knew about this and yet it never got back to NJ? Seems like a stretch.
I always got pissed when Tony shit on Paulie for not being a high earner. The dude was one of Tony's most steadfast enforcers. He shouldn't have been under pressure to earn more money since he was top ranked muscle. That was Tony's problem, all he cared about was the money and none of the actual spirit of the mob. You keep a guy like Paulie and Silvio happy because they're who you call to take out a rat that's deep in the org. Something Patsy understood "he's in the can, maybe want to keep him happy?" that's the spirit of making sure your guys are well supported so they stay loyal.
I think it was: "he's in the can, you want to keep him happy maybe?". I always found that sentence with the 'maybe' in the end funny
Oh besides that, nice analysis of the character
One thing I recall reading, when offered the role of Paulie, Tony Sirico agreed under the condition that his character would not "become a rat". However, working for New York, won't be a rat.
The writers use to screw with Tony Sirico and give him fake scripts where he would be killed off. He was just as paranoid in real life as his character.
“every once in a while we would type up a phony script page that had Paulie dying and leave it around and he got wise to that for a while” - Terry Winters
I thought this years ago. Good video!
He was trying to switch sides .he was also being used by Johnny Sack . Johnny Sack was playing Paulie the whole time
make a video explaining 3 o'clock (Season 2 Episode 9 "From Where to Eternity")
3 o clock is the angle in wich the shooter allegedly took down Tony at the end of the series.
He was a mole, but unknowingly. His big mouth was the cause of a lot of problems. They probably should of taken him out instead of spoons.
Carmine always thought the world of him.
Oh, Quasimodo predicted all o dis.
I have aways tought that Paulie sold Tony to NY, and after they wack Tony they made him boss of NJ
He was an unwitting mole but he had ulterior motives too. Johnny knew Paulie loved to complain to anyone who would listen so he took advantage. Paulie once made a comment about always keeping a good relationship with NY but he kinda told on himself and Tony knew at that point he was spilling their secrets.
Please make more 🙌🙌🙌
Paulie was a mole for New York, yes. He was trying to get favor with New York until he realized that Carmine didn't know who he was.
So, if It's always sunny was doing a crossover with The Sopranos Paulie would be Mac. "I'm playing both sides so either way, I come out on top"
lol I can hear Sirico reading Mac's line, and it's a perfect fit like a duster.
Paulie definitely was an informer, but not necessarily a placed mole.
I think Paulie stopped talking to New York once he realized John was using him, he became happier in his role once Christopher wasn’t Tony’s chosen one anymore and he beat cancer. I think he was at that hit to be able to report to Tony what happened.
Paulie comes back from a barber shop during the scene after the one that Tony and Butchie agree that Phil needs to go. Butchie does his business at a barber shop. It's possible that Paulie went to Butchie to discuss taking over that family now that there will be a power vacuum since Phil wiped out all competitors for the spot.
Paully wasn't killed in the end. Him and Patsy survived. Paulie took the job as captain of the aprile crew. Poly or Patsy became boss
I find it interesting that Phil decided to kill tony , Bobby and sil...but not paulie. Even one of his henchmen questions why Bobby was picked.
Yep, that's a clue. I think Paulie and Patsy made the deal with Butchie that would result in both Phil and Tony being taken out. It wasn't personal, it was strictly business, because Phil and Tony's feud was bad for business for both New York and New Jersey.
I love Italians they sit at the table and eat , and the food is to die for .
"I don't know, fucken' slander if you ask me"
Nice video quality *HDTV COMPATIBLE* . Beautiful
Thank you so much 🙏🏻👍🏻
What about the theory that Paulie and Patsy set up the hit on Tony at the end of the series?
They did, as a quid pro quo for Butchie and the New York guys giving them the OK to kill Phil Leotardo. By that point both sides figured having Phil and Tony gone would be beneficial to both sides.
I can see that Patsy has had it out for Tony because of him having his brother whacked.
I have a question if you don't mind answering. Are your videos monetized? Or does HBO run copyright strikes on your channel?
Recently I have applied for monetization, my latest two videos are monetized. I be sure to follow the community guidelines. Why?