# Unfilled Holes in "The Sopranos" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119 "2006-05-02T16:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/1 "2006-05-02T16:50:23Z")
As we approach the end of this monumental series each episode becomes more and more likely to tie up the loose ends from earlier ones, even those in previous seasons. And the writing staff and corps of producers have shown they are quite capable of resurrecting old plot lines and characters for some sort of closure or at least to iron out a wrinkle or two. As sort of a trivia game and as a way to focus on those plot holes that have yet to be filled, add to the list of things you know from past episodes that might rise to the level of reappearing in the closing weeks. I’ll start with a few obvious ones in hopes that you can be more esoteric or clever. 1. The Russian that Paulie and Chris left in the Pine Barrens 2. Tony’s girlfriend (and Ralph’s) who got burned and dumped 3. the bear in the backyard 4. AJ’s girlfriend Devin 5. Carmela’s boyfriend (Edward R. Murrow) 6. Furio 7. Bobby’s kids (the original pair, not the new one) 8. Svetlana 9. any of the FBI team that was after Adriana ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/2 "2006-05-02T17:29:46Z")
Not directed at the OP, but a lot of people complain about plot holes that aren’t actually plot holes… and a lot of them aren’t even dangling threads. 1. The Russian that Paulie and Chris left in the Pine Barrens Not a plot hole or dropped storyline no matter what most people think. The guy died in the woods. If his body was found and nothing become of it… then that’s a dropped plot…If the episode ended with a civvie finding him in the woods… then yes… dangling plot… otherwise… Not relevant. 2) Tony’s girlfriend (and Ralph’s) who got burned and dumped Again… what needs to come up with this? 1. the bear in the backyard It wasn’t even a plot… it was an event. It was a metaphor. 1. AJ’s girlfriend Devin Yeah that is a dropped plot… They went out of their way to establish her as actually wealthy… but considering this was a high school relationship and we have almost a two year gap AND Tony and Carm rarely talk to AJ about anything… chances are they broke up off camera and its not important enough to mention. 1. Carmela’s boyfriend (Edward R. Murrow) Resolved. They broke things off. He insulted her and she vaguely threatened him by invoking Tony’s name. AJs not in high school anymore… Why would this character come back? 1. Furio It does feel like we should atleast hear more about him… I would think maybe a reference to someone actually collecting on the hit Tony apparently put out on him. 1. Bobby’s kids (the original pair, not the new one) …what about them? 1. Svetlana I love the character but her story is done. 1. any of the FBI team that was after Adriana We’ve seen them this season. I don’t understand why they are on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/3 "2006-05-02T17:40:14Z")
So maybe this thread is a bad idea? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/4 "2006-05-02T18:09:56Z")
First, he wasn’t Russian, he was Czech. He was Special Forces, but too many viewers equate that with Rambo. Normal reaction, had you pissed off the mob and survived, would be to get the hell out of dodge and stay away, not return armed to the teeth to confront them. I don’t believe he died, **PYD**. Regarding Furio, we know what happened. He left and returned to Sicily. You may not get the closure you want, but it is not a plot hole. Now, either of these storylines could be resurrected, as could most of the others, but that doesn’t make them unfilled or plot holes. ---
**Author:** ![grossmrkup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@grossmrkup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grossmrkup)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/5 "2006-05-02T19:56:44Z")
I believe the guy in the Pine Barrens was an interior designer…he killed several Czechoslovakians though. (According to Christopher.) :). G. ---
**Author:** ![shefDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@shefDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shefDave)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/6 "2006-05-02T21:45:38Z")
> [@](#): > > I believe the guy in the Pine Barrens was an interior designer Really? His house looked like shit! ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/7 "2006-05-02T22:48:41Z")
> [@shefDave](#): > > Really? His house looked like shit! 😛 We use “Really? His house looked like shit!” frequently at my office whenever someone is being a doofus. Sometimes we use it a _lot_. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/8 "2006-05-02T23:02:34Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > First, he wasn’t Russian, he was Czech. He was Special Forces, but too many viewers equate that with Rambo. Normal reaction, had you pissed off the mob and survived, would be to get the hell out of dodge and stay away, not return armed to the teeth to confront them. I don’t believe he died, **PYD**. Really… He got shot in the f-ing head! The dude bled to death in the freezing cold. And don’t forget he was mobbed up too. He wasn’t just joe nobody he was the best freind of the Russian boss. If he lived he had no reason to run away. All he had to do was go his friend and say those two Italians tried to kill me. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/9 "2006-05-03T00:53:11Z")
what about the Rap star thug-wanna-be that Bobby shot in the ass? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/10 "2006-05-03T01:23:57Z")
Y’know, the phrase “unfilled holes” in connection with Vito’s current storyline is all kinds of funny… ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/11 "2006-05-03T01:28:14Z")
I misread the topic as “Unfilled Holes in “The Simpsons””, so the OP was a little confusing to me… ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/12 "2006-05-03T02:28:58Z")
We haven’t seen State Assemblyman Zellman or his [&Tony’s former] Russian girlfriend Irina lately. Zellman’s is probably finished, although Zellman’s name was mentioned when Tony came to get AJ out of jail. I’m sure we will see more of Irina. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/13 "2006-05-03T03:36:43Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Y’know, the phrase “unfilled holes” in connection with Vito’s current storyline is all kinds of funny… What unfilled holes? They all look filled to me. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/14 "2006-05-03T11:56:35Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > Really… He got shot in the f-ing head! The dude bled to death in the freezing cold. And don’t forget he was mobbed up too. He wasn’t just joe nobody he was the best freind of the Russian boss. If he lived he had no reason to run away. All he had to do was go his friend and say those two Italians tried to kill me. Are we talking about the same people? I was refering to the guy who got away from Paulie and Christopher in the Pine Barrens. The one they tried to get to dig his own grave. He escaped. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/15 "2006-05-03T12:00:24Z")
My [cite](http://www.nj.com/sopranos/ledger/index.ssf?/sopranos/stories/guide_seasonsix.html), which doesn’t say one way or the other: > [@](#): > > Episode 37: “Pine Barrens” > > Paulie loses his temper while collecting a debt from Russian mobster Valery and nearly beats the man to death. While literally digging his own grave in the Pine Barrens, ex-commando Valery beats captors Paulie and Christopher with a shovel and disappears into the snow-covered forest. Lost and utterly lacking in wilderness skills, the two mobsters spend a long, cold, hungry night in an abandoned van before being saved by Tony and the outdoor-savvy Bacala. The increasingly unstable Gloria throws a hunk of meat at Tony’s head when he has to leave her early to go on the rescue mission. When he finally tells Melfi about the affair, the doctor suggests that Tony’s new lover isn’t very different from his late mother. Meadow finally catches on that Jackie Jr. is neither that bright nor that faithful and breaks up with him. > > Body Count?: It sure looks like Valery gets a large chunk of his brain shot out, but because Paulie and Christopher don’t find a body (and because David Chase says we’re never going to revisit this story), who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/16 "2006-05-03T12:21:45Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > What unfilled holes? They all look filled to me. I am learning that the poor word choice in the OP has led down the wrong track from what I thought might make for some interesting speculation. There have been quite a few cases where someone mentioned in the dialogue one episode becomes a member of the cast in another. People introduced in an episode much earlier are now major players. No, those are not “plot holes” and many of those mentions and appearances have served their purposes and will most likely not be reintroduced in these final episodes. The point of the thread was to have been to speculate which (if any) of the events or characters from prior episodes (even prior seasons) _might_ be brought back for some reason. The list in the OP was not that their story lines had been left dangling (which **would** be _plot holes_) but that they are candidates for being brought back to move the final episodes along toward some Big Ending sort of thing. If it’s perceived that I was after blaming the creative team for leaving vast holes in the structure of the series, my wording got in the way of my intentions. For that I will apologize. But could we not have a little fun trying to think of people (or events) from earlier episodes that (in addition to Vito and Gene and now Carlo) might have their roles or stories enlarged? I will refrain from listing additional candidates of my own except to say that I have the sense that the guy who raped Melfi would be interesting to see again. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/17 "2006-05-03T12:24:49Z")
The only unresolved thing I thought about the Russian thing was that the Russian Boss never inquires about his missing friend nor does he find out about his fate. Considering the time he disapears and ifanyone ever finds his body you’d think the Russians might be a little suspicious of Pauly’s involvment. Still, it was one of my favorite episodes. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/18 "2006-05-03T13:19:24Z")
> [@5 time champ](#): > > We haven’t seen State Assemblyman Zellman or his [&Tony’s former] Russian girlfriend Irina lately. Zellman’s is probably finished, although Zellman’s name was mentioned when Tony came to get AJ out of jail. > > I’m sure we will see more of Irina. Zellman _was_ mentioned in the “Johnny Cakes” episode - I gathered he was the one who pulled strings to keep AJ from being charged. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/19 "2006-05-03T13:51:18Z")
I keep wondering if the Charles S. Dutton cop who got canned because he gave Tony a speeding ticket and wound up working at the Fountains of Wayne (was it?) might still bear a grudge for his treatment and seek some sort of restitution. We haven’t seen a lot of Hesh lately. Carmela’s cousin with all the financial advice got a lot of face time on _The West Wing_ during the campaign but it’s hard to recall the last time he figured into the plot in _The Sopranos_. The “dick doctor” with the commercials who treated Furio for the gunshot wound to the groin might be called in at some point to assist in some mishap. For that matter, there are quite a few doctors whose services may be needed in upcoming episodes. Meadow’s friend Hunter (David Chase’s daughter) hasn’t been around since high school days. Nor has the bass playing kid who had owned the SUV that Scatino gave to Tony to offset his gambling debts. Eric, was it? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119/20 "2006-05-03T16:53:39Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Nor has the bass playing kid who had owned the SUV that Scatino gave to Tony to offset his gambling debts. Eric, was it? That’s because he’s been busy having three ways, sex with a transexual Famke Janssen, and getting his penis cut off by his girlfriend’s racist dad… All on Nip/Tuck. (He plays the son.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfilled-holes-in-the-sopranos/355119.md?page=2)