History TearJerker / TheSopranos

* Ralph Cifaretto's VillainousBreakdown and HeelFaceTurn following his son's crippling injury, and [[spoiler:Tony's subsequent brutal murder of him over Pie-O-My's death]] is downright tragic. Especially considering that just one episode prior, it was suggested that Ralph may have been sexually abused as a child.

* If Tony really was whacked in the diner at the end of the show, then he was shot in the head right in front of his family, with Carmela and AJ sitting at the same table as him when it happened, probably getting splattered by his blood. Meadow, who walked into the diner at the exact same time he was shot, gets to see it play out, her last sight of Tony before she could even speak to her father one last time, and Meadow in the doorway potentially being the last thing Tony sees when he dies.

* [[spoiler:Jennifer being raped in the stairwell and the ripple effect of it throughout the episode.]]

* Ralph Cifaretto's VillainousBreakdown and HeelFaceTurn following his son's crippling injury, and [[spoiler:Tony's subsequent brutal murder of Ralph]] is downright tragic. Especially considering that just one episode prior, it was suggested that Ralph may have been sexually abused as a child.

** [[spoiler:Uncle Junior's]] final scene, in which Tony realizes that he [[spoiler:doesn't even remember his own family, or the man he used to be.]] A quiet scene that manages to be one of the most haunting in the entire show.

** The heart-wrenching cries of Junior's mistress as he [[spoiler: breaks it off with her, fires her, and humiliated her by shoving a pie she bought for them in her face, all because she circulated the rumor he gives oral sex]] and she begs for forgiveness, saying she loves him. In this moment, Junior proves she was nothing but a booty call for him and throws her aside like trash.

* [[spoiler:Johnny Sack]]'s eventual quiet, understated death in prison after a long, debilitating battle with cancer in "[[Recap/TheSopreanosS6E14StageFive Stage Five]]". That he was always one of the more sympathetic mobsters (his [[PetTheDog devotion to his wife and children]] being his major redeeming quality) certainly makes this harder to watch.

* "[[Recap/TheSopranosS6E20TheBlueComet The Blue Comet]]":
** [[spoiler:Bobby's death]]. His last words are him lamenting the apathy his son has towards his hobby, and reflects the relationship with his son in general.

* [[spoiler:Johnny Sack]]'s eventual quiet, understated death in prison after a long, debilitating battle with cancer. That he was always one of the more sympathetic mobsters (his [[PetTheDog devotion to his wife and children]] being his major redeeming quality) certainly makes this harder to watch.
* The death of [[spoiler:Hesh's lady friend Renata, and Hesh's reaction to it.]] Also, the fact that Tony's friendship with Hesh is over.
** In the same episode, Vito Jr. being abducted to a boot camp in Idaho just because [[ItMakesSenseInContext Tony lost too much money at gambling.]]

* [[spoiler:Bobby's death]]. His last words are him lamenting the apathy his son has towards his hobby, and reflects the relationship with his son in general.
* Janice's last scene with Tony, in which it's hinted that her life [[spoiler:as a widow]] will be just as miserable as it was before [[spoiler:she married Bobby]] (or worse, since [[spoiler:she now has to raise an infant daughter and two stepchildren from Bobby's first marriage all by herself]]).
* [[spoiler:Uncle Junior's]] final scene, in which Tony realizes that he [[spoiler:doesn't even remember his own family, or the man he used to be.]] A quiet scene that manages to be one of the most haunting in the entire show.

* ''Look, I found Cosette!''

* Carmela's reaction to her [[spoiler:blood-relative Christopher's]] death is gut-wrenching; she loses her cousin in a horrible accident and he had been like a son to Tony.

* "[[Recap/TheSopranosS6E11ColdStone Cold Stone]]":

** The heart-wrenching cries of Junior’s mistress as he [[spoiler: breaks it off with her, fires her, and humiliated her by shoving a pie she bought for them in her face, all because she circulated the rumor he gives oral sex]] and she begs for forgiveness, saying she loves him. In this moment, Junior proves she was nothing but a booty call for him and throws her aside like trash.

* Unexpectedly, Livia's [[spoiler:death, mostly because of Tony's quietly grieving after her wake.]]
** In the same episode, Christopher deploying his {{CatchPhrase}} "I'm sorry, T," not as an apology for one of his own fuckups, but in sympathy to Tony, is also very sad in its way.

* Ralph beating [[spoiler:Tracee, the stripper carrying his child]] to death in the Bada Bing's parking lot is just plain disturbing. The other gangsters can only stare dumbfounded at the sight of [[spoiler:her]] body.
* The murder of [[spoiler:Jackie Jr.]], especially for the effect it has on his mother; [[spoiler:Rosalie]] breaks down wailing at the news and during her son's wake and funeral. In the subsequent season, she is shown to be heavily medicated and in a disoriented state of mind, with her boyfriend paying little attention to her.

* [[spoiler:Adriana's death]], not just because it's the death of one of the series regulars, but because [[spoiler:she begs Silvio for her life and tries to crawl away on her hands and knees, before he shoots her like a wild animal in the woods.]] Tony, ''the man who ordered her death'', is shown to be grieving over her.
** Also the flashback in Season 6 where Christopher is shown telling Tony about her. He's distraught and crying, and begs Tony [[spoiler: “Don’t make me do it, I can’t do it.” He can’t bring himself to kill Adrianna, and can barely even bring himself to tell Tony. And when Tony tears his shirt to search for a wire, Chris cries "How could you even think that?" He's genuinely hurt that Tony would think of him as a traitor.]]

* The murder of [[spoiler:Vito Spatafore]] by [[spoiler:Phil Leotardo and his people]] for [[spoiler:being gay]]. And the way that [[spoiler:Leotardo]] deals with him is cruel as hell, involving having his mouth taped shut and then having him bludgeoned to death while he looks on impassively. The look on poor [[spoiler:Vito]]'s face alone as he realizes he's going to die is just heartwrenching.
* Carmela's mixture of fear and sorrow during her existential crisis in France. A particularly tragic scene involves Rosalie, who herself has experienced an overwhelming amount of loss in seven short years, hugging and humming to Carmela after she breaks down crying.

* Tony tearfully holding A.J. after the latter [[spoiler:tries to drown himself]] and Carmela's breakdown after [[spoiler:checking him into a psychiatric hospital.]]

* Carmela's heartwrenching monologue to [[spoiler:Tony, after he has been shot and left in a coma with survival uncertain]].
* When Paulie learns the true identity of his mother, the look on his face is heartbreaking.
* "[[Recap/TheSopranosS6E4TheFleshyPartOfTheThigh The Fleshy Part of the Thigh]]" has a scene near the end where Paulie leaves the room and breaks down sobbing, witnessing a mother beg Tony not to hurt her son. This occurs soon after Paulie discovered Marianucci was his aunt, not his birth mother.

* YMMV considering the nature of the character, but Ralph Cifaretto's VillainousBreakdown and HeelFaceTurn following his son's crippling injury, and [[spoiler:Tony's subsequent brutal murder of Ralph]] is downright tragic. Especially considering that just one episode prior, it was suggested that Ralph may have been sexually abused as a child.

* The ending of "Where's Johnny?"

* The ending scene of ‘Boca’ after [[spoiler: Tony calls off the hit on Meadow’s soccer coach]] Tony gets very drunk to deal with the emotions involved in such a decision and collapses on the floor, and Carmela tries to lead him to bed. He becomes lucid for a moment and says in a tone like a child: “I didn’t hurt nobody.” Just the thought of Tony actually trying, from some part of his psyche, to be good is heartbreaking, especially as he only gets worse as the series progresses.
**also in this episode the heart-wrenching cries of Junior’s mistress as he [[spoiler: breaks it off with her, fires her, and humiliated her by shoving a pie she bought for them in her face, all because she circulated the rumor he gives oral sex]] and she begs for forgiveness, saying she loves him. In this moment, Junior proves she was nothing but a booty call for him and throws her aside like trash.
* The conversation between Tony and Chris in Season 1 where Chris reveals he’s also depressed. “I don’t know, it’s like the regularness of life is too fucked up for me or something.” Tony attempts to use some of the tools Melfi has given him to help, but the two men can’t be vulnerable and instead make fun of suicide and mental illness to brush it off. To see them so close to a break through only to backtrack is difficult to watch, especially considering how much darker their respective paths get.

** In the same episode, Christopher deploying his CatchPhrase "I'm sorry, T," not as an apology for one of his own fuckups, but in sympathy to Tony, is also very sad in its way.

* In the season 4 finale, Carmela gets fed up with Tony's cheating and angrily confronts him. The two go back and forth throughout the episode until Tony realizes that his staying in the house is not good for the family and willingly leaves.

** also the flashback in Season 6 where Christopher is shown telling Tony about her. He’s distraught and crying, and begs Tony [[spoiler: “Don’t make me do it, I can’t do it.” He can’t bring himself to kill Adrianna, and can barely even bring himself to tell Tony. And when Tony tears his shirt to search for a wire, Chris cries “How could you even think that?” He’s genuinely hurt that Tony would think of him as a traitor.]]

* Sympathy for the devil time here. "In Camelot" tells how Tony's father, "Johnny Boy" Soprano, carried on an affair with a woman named Fran Felstein, choosing to be with her, even while Livia was pregnant with their potential fourth child. Livia suffered serious complications and was sent to the hospital and eventually lost the baby due to massive bleeding. Johnny Boy still chose to party with his mistress, then forced his son to lie to his bed--ridden mother saying they went to a New York Yankees baseball game and stayed in New York. Livia saw through Johnny and Tony's lies, and the utter betrayal she felt at her time of anguish was all over her face. Livia clearly had her issues, but no woman should have to suffer like that. In this light, is it any wonder she felt such lingering resentment towards her son?

* "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh" has a scene near the end where Paulie leaves the room and breaks down sobbing, witnessing a mother beg Tony not to hurt her son. This occurs soon after Paulie discovered Marianucci was his aunt, not his birth mother.

* Sadly, James Gandolfini's passing in 2013.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSUFaSVPCRQ The 2019 reunion]] for much of the cast... except, obviously, for James Gandolfini. There are numerous instances throughout the reunion where the cast remarks how weird/sad it is to be together without the main star. They also shared how kind and generous a human being he was, a total opposite from his on-screen persona, which overlaps with [[Heartwarming/TheSopranos Heartwarming]].

* [[spoiler:Adriana's death]], not just because it's the death of one of the series regulars, but because [[spoiler:she begs Silvio for her life and tries to crawl away on her hands and knees, before he shoots her like a wild animal in the woods.]] Tony, ''the man who ordered her death'', is shown to be grieving over her death.

* [[spoiler:Adriana's death]], not just because it's the death of one of the series regulars, but because [[spoiler:she begs Silvio for her life and tries to crawl away on her hands and knees, before he shoots her like a wild animal in the woods.]] Tony, ***the man who ordered her death***, is shown to be grieving over her death.

* [[spoiler:Adriana's death]], not just because it's the death of one of the series regulars, but because [[spoiler:she begs Silvio for her life and tries to crawl away on her hands and knees, before he shoots her like a wild animal in the woods.]] Tony, **the man who ordered his death**, is shown to be grieving over her death.

* [[spoiler:Bobby's death]]. His last words are him lamenting the apathy his son has towards his hobby, and reflects the sad relationship with his son in general.

* YMMV considering the nature of the character, but Ralph Cifaretto's VillainousBreakdown following his son's crippling injury, and [[spoiler:Tony's subsequent brutal murder of Ralph]] is downright tragic. Especially considering that just one episode prior, it was suggested that Ralph may have been sexually abused as a child.

** AJ, who's usually such a self-absorbed shit, actually tears up and asks if his father's leaving is because AJ asked to come live with him. Tony grabs his son, assures him that that is not the reason, and kisses his forehead. Meadow, eyes filled with tears, wails that her dad should go back to counseling.
* [[spoiler:Adriana's death]], not just because it's the death of one of the series regulars, but because [[spoiler:she begs Silvio for her life and tries to crawl away on her hands and knees, before he shoots her like a wild animal in the woods.]]

* [[spoiler:Bobby's death]].

* Tony B. going on a self-destructive rampage and sabotaging his attempt at legitimacy. It's tragic because he was just *such* a nice guy with real potential in the civilian world. Instead [[spoiler:he goes back to his old ways, sets off a devastating gang war and gets murdered by his beloved cousin.]]

* Ruthless crime boss that he is, you'd have to be even more ruthless not to feel some sympathy for the man when he's utterly humiliated in front of friends and family at his oldest daughter's wedding, slapped in handcuffs and dragged back to jail while new bride Allegra watches tearfully and helplessly. You can't blame the man for breaking down and weeping.