‘The Sopranos’ Most Surprising Death Changed the Direction of the Show

The big picture

• The Sopranos
  was inspired by David Chase's eccentric mother, resulting in the creation of Livia Soprano.
• David Chase wanted to explore Tony and Livia's relationship as the centerpiece of the show.
• Tony Soprano's relationships with women reflect his complex bond with his mother, affecting the narrative of the series.

The iconic HBO series The Sopranoswhich celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, was the brainchild of ABC-head Lloyd Braun creator donor David Chase an inspiring speech. After being offered the opportunity to do a TV show com the godfather, Chase turned him down, wanting to avoid the clichés of 1940s coats and cars. But then, on the way home, he remembered a feature film idea he pitched once that might bring a personal and interesting quality to Braun's idea. To sum up, a mother character in the same vein as Chase's. “My mother was an eccentric and very morbid person, so I found myself in therapy,” Chase said. Charlie Rose. And so, before any other details of the series, Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand) was created.

“My mother was kind of a model for Livia SopranoChase said 60 minutes. “She was threatening to stab me in the eye with a fork, but she was hysterical.” Following his wife's advice, Chase decided to write a character based on his own mother. “I had this idea [pairing Livia] with a gangster Because seeing a tough guy like that have to fight a tough woman like that might be interesting.” This idea was joined by Braun's suggestion of a gangster TV series, which Chase defined as “a mobster who goes to therapy because his mother is driving him crazy, and the therapist helps him realize that his mother is his enemy.” This bond between Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his mother it was essentially what The Sopranos he would focus, earning the motto: “If one family doesn't kill him, the other will.”

David Chase wanted to explore Tony and Livia's relationship

Season 1 of The Sopranos introduces us to Tony as he becomes acting boss of the New Jersey mob, a promotion that offends his Uncle Junior (Chinese Dominic). Meanwhile, Tony places his mother in a lavish “retirement community” (not to be confused with a nursing home!). As described in Chase's original storyline, Tony soon comes to terms with the reality that his mother along with his uncle have become his main antagonist, hiding in plain sight among all of Tony's other related enemies with the mob The two try to kill Tony, but fail, and all the characters live to allow their conflict to play out over the next few seasons. This first season is a good example of a story that establishes premises with room for series development and David Chase knew exactly what that plan was.

After a second season in which the two refuse to speak to each other, Tony gives stolen plane tickets to his mother. This misstep helps the FBI get closer to catching Tony than ever before. Chase revealed to the speaking soprano podcast that “There was a plan” for Livia's character in season 3 that they never got to follow through on.

“My plan was, in fact, I was starting [to happen already] — It had something to do with the plane tickets Tony had given him to go to Florida. They were, of course, stolen, and she was arrested with those tickets, and so she was going to testify against him in court. He was brought to a RICO and his mother was going to testify against him. And that would keep this horrible relationship going.”

Unfortunately, though, that wasn't the version of the story we got.

'The Sopranos' used CGI for Nancy Marchand after she died in season 2

Two months after Season 2 ended its telecast, actress Nancy Marchand died in June 2000, a day before his 72nd birthday. One silver lining to this unfortunate dark cloud was that the timing allowed the writers reconfigure the third season around his inevitable absence. To give the series the illusion of complete narrative control, Livia appears for a final scene before his off-screen death and subsequent funeral. To remind the audience that “she was quite unloving with [Tony] It was crucial,” Chase said. “I thought it was necessary to have that on the table in this story.” He added, “Because we see that Livia doesn't really say to him, 'Honey, I'm going to lie. [to the FBI] for you because I am your mother', we see that Livia continues to think about herself. I felt it was necessary to tell the rest of the story.”

While these simple setups would continue to ensure that his presence was felt in Tony's story moving forward, it was obviously too late to shoot the new scene with Marchand, so VFX was implemented to bring the actress back to life for a final scene. “Livia's repertoire of comments is usually the same,” Chase explained. “'Out of sight, out of mind,' 'What do you care?' the takes and clips from previous seasons. The limited footage meant that the scene fell victim to continuity issues with her hairas well as a clear dissociation between his head and his body, but given the strange preset dream sequences about The Sopranosit gets away with its weird feel more than other shows.

The reality is that Livia played such an important role in Tony's life and development, it was essential to his character that he have a final scene with her. Throughout the rest of the series, Livia's presence is felt in everything Tony does. It especially affects his relationships with the women in his life.

Tony Soprano's relationships with women are all about his mother

Tony confesses to his therapist Dr. Melfi (Lorena Bracco) that the news of his mother's death was a relief to him, somewhat because of his involvement with the FBI. He proved this to the public his complex relationship with his mother would not end with his death. Although Marchand's death meant that the series could no longer focus on Tony's relationship with his mother in the literal sense, the writers ensured that Livia's presence was felt regardless, especially in Tony's Freudian relationships with women who emulate his mother in various ways. First, of course, there's Dr. Melfi, whose job requires her to discuss Livia's influence on Tony, and she even appeared briefly as Nancy Marchand in a dream sequence. Then there are Tony's various mistresses (or “Goomahs”) who often remind him of his mother.

Earlier in the show, Tony went on a date with Annalisa Zucca (Sofia Milos) who, like Livia, controlled the crowd from behind the scenes. Shortly after Livia's death, Season 3 focuses on Tony's relationship with Gloria Trillo (Annabella Sciorra) whose psychotic tendencies lead him to admit, “I didn't just meet you. I've known you all my life.” Perhaps most surprisingly, Tony is also having an affair with Svetlana Kirilenko (Alla Kliouka Schaffer) who worked as his mother's caregiver before her death. And finally, of course, there is his wife Carmela (Eddie Falco), who despite his hatred of Livia, she bears a striking resemblance to Tony's mother. In the prequel film The Many Saints of Newarkwas played by Livia Vera Farmiga who wore a prosthetic nose, not only to look like Nancy Marchand, but also because “her profile was a little like Edie [Falco]'s,” Chase explained Mark Maron's WTF podcast, “So you can say, 'Of course he married his mother!'”

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