10 Grimmest TV Storylines Ever

Dancing at Tony’s Bada Bing strip bar, Tracee’s got an ill son at home and a volatile boyfriend in the form of Tony’s least favourite colleague, Ralph Cifaretto, played to detestable perfection by Joe Pantoliano.

Pregnant with Ralph’s child, Tracee incurs the wrath of his fellow mobsters when she starts calling in sick to spend more time with the father of her unborn child. Beaten by Silvio Dante with a laughing Ralph in the background, we follow Tracee back to work where an argument with Ralph gets vastly out of hand.

Watching Ralph violently beat and ultimately kill Tracee and their child is among the most disquieting moments in the notoriously violent series. Unflinchingly shot and acted, the abuse and ultimately murderous end to Tracee’s story is so messily done that even the other hard-hearted mobsters are visibly appalled.

Sitting in his therapist’s chair, visibly shaken by the actions of one of his men, Tony Soprano comments “Sad when they go so young”.

Sad indeed and a watershed moment in the Tony/Ralph dynamic that would dominate the mid seasons of the series.