Don’t look now, but something supernatural may be afoot within The Sopranos. With the watershed HBO mob drama celebrating its 25th anniversary, the show’s multi-faceted complexity has been spotlighted in a wild Reddit fan theory that will alter how ardent and casual fans may view the series on repeat viewings. The theory suggests that the supernatural activity in The Supernatural is real rather than just a stylistic quirk of the show.
‘The Sopranos’ Changed the Face of Television
David Chase created The Sopranos, a landmark mob drama for HBO that radically changed how stories were told on television. As legend goes, Fox famously passed on the script before HBO picked it up, with Chase originally envisioning The Sopranos as a feature film. Retaining its cinematic quality, the TV show placed Tony Soprano (Gandolfini) in household living rooms every week, an Italian-American mobster from New Jersey who lies, cheats, steals, kills, womanizes, philanders, and pulverizes anyone who stands in the way of his family.
Through Tony Soprano, David Chase changed television for the better. In Season 1, Episode 4, “College,” viewers witnessed Tony murder a stalker and former squealer on-screen in brutal fashion after driving Meadow to college, a game-changing moment that forced viewers to sympathize with a stone-cold killer. Chase incorporated Lynchian surrealism and subtle supernatural flourishes that added complexity to an all-time great TV series over the next six seasons.
How ‘The Sopranos’ Gets Supernatural
A popular Reddit fan theory contends that The Sopranos is rife with supernatural phenomena. From brief visual clues to larger thematic motifs, the OP gives five examples and earned over 420 upvotes for claiming that the clues “allude that there is something bigger at work. I think the main point of this is to remind the audience that they are all going to hell.”
While not always the case, the supernatural phenomena in The Sopranos usually mirror Tony’s psychological state following death. For instance, one of Tony’s biggest crosses to bear is the death of his friend, Salvatore Bonpensiero aka Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore), whose hit Tony ruefully orchestrated. Another is the death of his mother Livia in Season 2 following a bout with illness.
Following Bonpensiero’s death, Tony sees his ghost in a mirror for a split second. The brief instance occurs in Season 3, Episode 2, “Proshai Livushka,” when Bonpensiero’s apparition appears during Livia’s wake, undoubtedly linking Tony’s guilt over his mother’s demise with his longtime friend and colleague.
Tony Soprano took eight loves in ‘The Sopranos,’ and for each murder, there was a sensible (or insensible) reason behind it.
Tony enters purgatorial limbo after being shot by Uncle Junior in Season 6. He spots his house aglow and enters a dreamlike family reunion, where he sees his deceased cousin and mother standing on the porch. Reluctant to go inside, fans have interpreted this surrealist scene as a supernatural representation of the afterlife, suggesting that Tony will go to hell if he enters the house with his mother present.
Beyond supernatural examples involving Tony Soprano, fans have noticed paranormal activity regarding Paulie Gaultieri (Sirico), Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), and Bobby Baccalieri (Steve Schirripa), further bolstering the theory.
Ghosts, Omens, & Reincarnations
The Sopranos‘ fans have noticed Paulie Walnuts’ brush with the paranormal, beginning with the guilty-conscience nightmares regarding his past sins. To ease his mind, Paulie visits a psychic medium who knows far too much about his past to write off as a coincidence. While speaking to the medium, the psychic begins relaying messages from Paulie’s first victim, who he killed over 30 years ago. More unsettling, the psychic states the victim’s name despite Paulie never sharing it with anyone.
Another freaky moment involving Paulie comes when he visits the Bada Bing and is stopped by the sudden sight of the Virgin Mary hovering in midair. As soon as the image appears, the jump scare is punctuated by a loud guitar riff, making Paulie (and viewers) leap back in fear. It’s one of the most effective jump scares in series history.
Gabagool isn’t just Tony Soprano’s favorite snack. It also has deep-rooted ties to his traumatic past and life as a gangster.
Regarding Chrissy’s paranormal encounters, fans contend that the Irish pub he enters after being shot represents hell. However, more tangible examples include Chrissy being visited by an ominous raven on his window sill in Season 3, Episode 3. Chrissy worries that the blackbird — often a symbol of death — is a harbinger of doom. The run of bad luck Chrissy experiences supports his view, ultimately ending with his demise in Season 6.
Following Chrissy’s death, Paulie invites a strange orange tabby cat to live inside the mobsters’ pork store hangout. The cat is immediately drawn to a portrait of Chrissy on the wall, which disturbs Paulie. Fans have suggested the cat is either Chrissy or his dead girlfriend’s reincarnated soul, further supporting the fan theory that the supernatural is real in The Sopranos.
Regardless, watching The Sopranos with these concrete supernatural examples in mind will alter the show’s dramatic heft. While David Chase has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of hell in The Sopranos‘ universe, like the ambiguous final scene, the paranormal elements continue to stir debate 25 years after the show changed the face of television.
