The Sopranos: 10 Most Disturbing Episodes

As played by the eminently likeable Steve Buscemi, Tony Blundetto was a character you wanted to root for. He was a bizarro Tony Soprano, rising through the ranks at the same time and through happenstance ending up behind bars for a lengthy stretch rather than ascending to become the King of New Jersey.

In “Marco Polo”, Blundetto gets a taste of what he could have won. Released from jail and on the straight and narrow, he visits Tony’s mansion for Carmela’s father’s birthday bash. There, he and his two sons are struck by the sheer opulence enjoyed by Tony and his family, while Blundetto breaks his back for a pittance.

The writing’s on the wall from there. By episode’s end, Blundetto links back up with the mob and carries out a hit for New York that will eventually lead to mob war and his violent demise.

Tony Blundetto only exists for one season, but he’s given so much in this tragic arc. He’s unusually smart, hyper competent, and at times commendably individualistic; nevertheless, he succumbs to laziness and greed, and in this instance the morality tale plays out.