Memetic Mutation / The Sopranos

Either it has memeing, or it has no memeing.

OH!

From its time as part of the cultural zeitgeist throughout the '00s to its reappraisal amongst social media in the '20s, The Sopranos is recognised for its quotability and meme value. So much so, certain characters are a Fountain of Memes in of themselves, and thus have their own subspecies.

All spoilers are unmarked.

---

General

• It didn't last very long, but there were dozens of copies and parodies of the final scene all over YouTube immediately after the show ended. The Pittsburgh Pirates parody was the most famous. Also in one of Hilary Clinton's earliest campaign ads in the 2008 Presidential Election, when she used it to introduce her new campaign song.
• Gabagool^ExplanationThe slang term "gabagool", the working-class Neapolitan Italian-American way of saying "capocollo" that's common in the Northeastern United States, is so ubiquitous throughout the show (and an important plot point, too, considering Tony's panic attacks being triggered by cold cuts), that it's guaranteed to come up whenever someone mentions the series online.
• [X] was my favorite character. I wish they did more with them.^ExplanationA meme going around in YouTube that was initially used for one-shot characters that had an impact on a viewer. It was later ironically appropriated for anything in the show with little significance, from extras to even inanimate objects.
• Oh/Woah/Ho^ExplanationThroughout the show, all the characters make one of these exclamations whenever surprised, offended, angry, or even just as a greeting. New stories, jokes, or comments online that are seen as out of pocket usually have a chorus of "OH!"'s in the replies.
• It's anti-Italian discrimination.^ExplanationSilvio Dante's response to Columbus Day being protested in "Christopher". A screenshot of the quote has become a popular tongue-in-cheek response to perceived slights against Italians or Italian culture.
• Those two black guys.^ExplanationStems from Vito's joking excuse for Eugene hitting Little Paulie in the face with a beer bottle. It's used to refer to any crime that was pulled off (some where the perps are known, some without anyone being caught), sometimes elevating the status of "those two black guys" to Memetic Badass status. Made even funnier because there are multiple pairs of black hitmen who this could apply to.
• You know, Quasimodo predicted all of this.^ExplanationA Malaproper from Bobby Baccalieri, mixing up Nostradamus and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
  • It's not enough you [X], I gotta get my balls broken, too?^ExplanationBobby's reaction to Tony laughing at his hunting outfit in "Pine Barrens".
• It was my blood pressure medication. I can get a note from my doctor.^ExplanationVito's absurd excuse to Tony for his homosexual activities when he asks to be let back into the mob.
  • A note from the doctor saying you don't like to suck cock?^ExplanationTony's sarcastic response to Vito's statement. Both of these statements are used whenever someone does something considered disgraceful or embarassing.
• "Up 'N Da Club" ^Explanation A hip hop song that is played once when Furio comes to collect money from Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte. Any time music is played in a Sopranos YTP, it will be replaced by "Up 'N Da Club", a song that is beloved by every single Sopranos character.
• Don Borko^ExplanationBorko is a YouTube channel that (among other things) uploads The Sopranos clips and compilations. This is very helpful for people who want to find a specific scene from an episode. So, he has reached Memetic Badass status in the community, with people changing quotes from the show to praise Borko. This reached new levels when HBO started posting The Sopranos clips, and their comment sections were flooded with people demanding that HBO kick up to Borko.
• 90% of [X] [Y] right before they're about to [Z]. ^ExplanationAn exploitable snowclone popularized by a promotional image of Sopranos with the caption "Fact: 90% of gamblers quit right before they're about to hit it big" over it, which started going viral as people began replacing "gamblers" with other groups.
• Neck braces^ExplanationMultiple characters on the show, most notably Christopher Moltisanti and Phil Leotardo, go through some form of injury and require a neck brace. Screengrabs of these characters during these moments are widely used as profile pictures due to their goofiness.
• Sopranoposting^ExplanationThe action of using Sopranos quotes or characters in any concept, most particularly in crossovers with other media, due to just how well they end up fitting in. Most famously, Pertinax has a series of videos about the characters of the show finding themselves in Skyrim, such as this one.
• "Hooah"^ExplanationRalphie Cifaretto's exaggerated Italian-American pronunciation of "whore" has been widely quoted.
• Discontinue the lithium. ^ExplanationIn "Isabella", Melfi instructs Tony to stop taking the lithium medication after he reports hallucination side-effects. As such, Melfi's quote later became an indirect way of calling someone delusional.
• Fibre Optic Cable Core ^ExplanationA type of video edit that became popular in 2023 involving various scenes edited to feel more ethereal and focusing on specific words or phrases complete with images of them. This is named after a video which focused on various Soprano characters saying "Fibre optic cable".
• Short Bus Crew. ^ExplanationAs there are many example of Stupid Crooks within the series (Brendan Filone, Matthew Bevilaqua, Sean Gismonte and Jackie Aprile, Jr. being chief among them), the fans started joking about them gathering around and making their own crew, with Little Carmine serving as their capo.
• Soft drinks of choice. ^ExplanationMany Soprano crime members ask people at various moments to get a soft drink of their choice, which has been exageratted to be the highest honor for anyone who works with the Sopranos.
• A. She was a hooah. B. She hit me. C. That wasn't my baby she was carrying. ^ExplanationRalph Cifaretto's excuse/justification for beating his girlfriend Tracee to death.
• Benny Fazio, criminal mastermind. ^Explanation A sarcastic moniker that Artie gives to Benny after he discovers his employees have embroiled his restaurant in a credit card scam. It's especially ironic considering he is possibly the biggest Butt-Monkey in the series.
• Doing X out of respect to Jackie Jr's fatha. ^ExplanationJackie Jr's attempts to get respect with the Sopranos crime family by trying to lean on his dad's reputation. Any scene with him will have comments claiming to do X out of respect for Jackie Sr.

Tony Soprano

• Tony Shoprano^ExplanationJames Gandolfini's distinct delivery of Tony's accent often means that anybody impersonating him, in either spoken or written form, usually adopt a Sean Connery-esque New Jersey accent.
• Carmela could you please SHUT THE DOOOOOOOOOR^ExplanationA screengrab from a scene where Tony yells at Carmela while she's vacuuming, noted for Tony's goofy expression.
  • Tony Soprano Soyjak/Soyprano ^ExplanationA Soyjak variant traced from this moment.
• "Tony, [X] died." "You're kidding... I mean, Jesus Christ."^ExplanationA scene from "Proshai, Livushka" where Carmella tells Tony that his mother has passed away (although in the original scene, she simply says "your mother died" and doesn't address Tony by name), often used as a way to announce the death of somebody notable
• How can this happen? How could this happen?^ExplanationSaid by a shocked and distressed Tony in the aftermath of Sean and Matthew's attempted hit on Christopher. Often used as a reaction to negative news.
• Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? The strong, silent type?^ExplanationSaid by Tony to Dr. Melfi during a therapy session in Season 1, with Gary Cooper often being replaced with a medley of different people to fit the reference.
  • He was gay, Gary Cooper?^ExplanationA later discussion about Gary Cooper between Tony and Silvio gets temporarily sidetracked when Chris gets confused and asks if Gary was gay, which an exasperated Tony denies (funnily enough, it would later be discovered that Gary Cooper was indeed bisexual). Again, Gary Cooper (and sometimes even "gay") is often replaced with something else
• Alright, but you gotta get over it.^ExplanationTony's absolutely callous response to Furio's supposed grieving for his father, often used in response to people being upset about something
• We're with the Vipers!^ExplanationA scene in which Tony makes a goofy face when mocking a duo of bikers he and Chris robbed just prior
  • How 'bout that prick's face when he saw the gat/gyatt?^ExplanationThe quote Tony makes before making that face would later take on a life of its own in 2023 when the term "gyatt" saw widespread adoption, being used on YouTube and TikTok and oftentimes sped up.
• He [insert action here], is what he did! He was a brave X! And in this house, Y is a hero! End of subject!^ExplanationComes from Tony's passionate defense of Christopher Columbus against his children
• I'm supposed to get a vasectomy when this is my male heir? Look at him.^ExplanationTony, having already balked at Carmela's suggestion of a vasectomy, utters this line when AJ drops a plate of food on the floor. Often used in reference to the sons of famous people whenever they make a huge mistake
• She was abusive to the staff!^ExplanationTony's criticism of Livia, used whenever someone is outed as abusive or hard to work with
• I can't have this conversation again.^ExplanationComes from a scene from Season 1, where Paulie asks Tony what his favourite scene in The Godfather was, prompting Tony to respond. Paulie's question is usually replaced with something far more surreal or bizarre, most infamously "Ton', if ya toilet was sentient, would ya rather it crave ya bodily waste or hate ya for it?".
• Fat Tony^ExplanationA mafia nickname for Anthony Soprano invented by Borko, after Fat Tony D'Amico from The Simpsons. In the show, calling Tony fat is a Berserk Button for him, but since he's the Boss, few are willing to do so to his face.

Christopher Moltisanti

• Soft drinks of choice.^ExplanationChristopher mentions to both Sean Gismonte and Matthew Bevilaqua about how one of the perks of being made is that the local pizza parlor gives you whichever soft drink you want rather than just the luck of the draw, leading fans to believe that soft drinks of choices is the main motivation of all the mafiosos in the show.
  • Don't disrespect the pizza parlor!^ExplanationComes from a later scene where Chris breaks up a fight in the parlor and yells this line. Fans now treat the pizza parlor as a sacred ground where violence is strictly verboten amongst made guys.
• It's called [insert concept here], T'.^ExplanationNot directly based off of an actual scene in the show, but a screengrab of Chris in sunglasses with a lit cigarette in one is often used for him to describe a certain concept in-character to Tony.
• "You ever feel like nothing good was ever going to happen to you?" "Yeah, and nothing did. So what?"^ExplanationChris, saddened by his relative lack of importance in the wake of Brendan Filone's death, asks Paulie this question. It's since become a favourite amongst sadposters, with Paulie's response often following suit.
• I did-dent.^ExplanationA line from Chris, high on heroin, denying that he promised Tony he would stop using. Chris' delivery, the result of a flub from Michael Imperioli, has remained in firm usage amongst fans ever since
• BEAUTIFUL GIRL: Thank you!!! CHIP: I must be loyle to my capo.^ExplanationTwo lines from an early draft of Cleaver, Chris' screenplay, often quoted in relation to writers' strikes or any bad elements of writing.

Uncle Junior

• Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.^ExplanationDuring the Soprano dinner at Junior's apartment in "Where's Johnny?", Junior keeps informing everyone that Tony could never be a professional football player, eventually enraging Tony to the point that he and AJ promptly leave. This phrase is frequently used as a playful tease for people who claimed to have been great athletes in college, but never "made it to the big leagues".
  • Small [X], that was your problem.^ExplanationJunior's followup to the above quote, often adlibbed into any shortcoming the person in question possesses.
• Oh, this fucking shit! What's the point? I can't take it anymore!^ExplanationAt Uncle Zio's funeral "In Camelot", Junior suddenly breaks down in tears and starts lamenting his life, much to the concern of other people present. This phrase has often been used to point out something that a person has been doing for a long time without any success, to the point of breaking down.
• What kind of likeness is that!? ^ExplanationJunior's reaction to his unflattering courtroom sketch. Any resemblance to a Sopranos character will inevitably be followed by this remark.
  • I'm fucking fodder for cartoonists now? ^ExplanationJunior's follow up statement after Bobby compliments the drawing.

Paulie Walnuts

• Heh heh^ExplanationPaulie's signature laugh, beloved by fans and used in every single possible impression of him
  • 🤘/🤟/✋^ExplanationPaulie's hand gestures, which he often uses to point at someone, are as signature as his laugh.
• You're not gonna believe this. He killed 16 Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator!^ExplanationIn "Pine Barrens", Tony relays to Paulie that Valery, a man that they may or may not have failed to whack, was a member of the Interior Ministry and single-handedly killed 16 Chechen rebels. Paulie, flabbergasted, proceeds to give Chris this wildly incorrect quote. Fans often adlib this line to describe badass or dangerous characters from other works.
  • His house looked like shit.^ExplanationChristopher's response, also widely used.
• Oof, madone, he looks terrible!^ExplanationPaulie exclaims this upon seeing Tony comatose in the hospital, despite Meadow telling him that he should only say positive things around him. Often used to describe people looking less than stellar or ruined objects.
• How much more betrayal can Paulie take?^ExplanationWhen the Soprano crew get proof of Vito being a Gayngster, Paulie says he feels like Vito stabbed him in the heart after he gave him the benefit of the doubt and whines that he can't take even more betrayal. A few episodes earlier, he learned that his mother Marianucci had pulled a Family Relationship Switcheroo and is really his aunt. Paulie's It's All About Me attitude has led fans to mockingly elevate every setback Paulie suffers because of another character as a Judas Iscariot-level act of betrayal.
• Ay' Tone.^ExplanationA phrase that Paulie frequently utters throught the series. It's combined with the image of him in a red tracksuit in Mayham with a comment written in his speech patterns.
• I don't understand. When I was a kid [X] was an old [Y]. Now I'm old, and [X] is still old!^ExplanationA line uttered by Paulie when he sees his aunt and mother. It's commonly used when referring to any old character in the series or their actor.
• [X] came at me with chainsaw. I got a right to defend myself Ton! ^ExplanationPaulies excuse for beating up two gardeners in "Where's Johnny". Fans ran with it and used it to justify characters attacking others in a very Black Comedy manner.

Phil Leotardo

• Phil turning himself into a house.^ExplanationBased on the scene in "The Second Coming" when Phil refuses to meet with Tony and Little Carmine then yells at them from his attic as they're leaving. The framing of the scene makes it seem like the house itself is speaking in Phil's voice.
• 20 years in the can/20 fucking years/It's never mentioned how long Phil spent in the can.^ExplanationThroughout his appearances, Phil often brings up that he spent 20 years in prison as if it entitles him. Fans ran with this and ironically turned it into one of the show's greatest mysteries.
• 20 years in the can, I wanted [X]. I compromised. I had/did [Y] instead. ^ExplanationA variation of Phil Leotardo's description of how he spent his 20 years in the can, wanting manicotti but instead eating grilled cheese off of the radiator.
• The Shah of Iran^ExplanationAn observation about Phil's appearance made by Tony, which he detests, and has since become a Fan Nickname.
• That fucking animal Blundetto.^ExplanationAfter Tony Blundetto wounds Phil and kills his brother Billy, Phil often refers to Tony B as an animal, thus prompting fans to join in whenever discussing him.
  • I can't even say his name.^ExplanationPhil says this at one point when speaking to Butchie about the animal.
• Historically speaking, Carmine always said the Sopranos were nothing more than a glorified crew.^ExplanationPhil's speech before outright declaring war on the New Jersey family is kicked off with this line, with the words "glorified crew" often used by fans of both The Sopranos and other works to belittle a faction.
  • Let me tell you a couple of three things.
  • The five fucking families, and we got this other pygmy thing going on over in Jersey.
• [Insert age here], they were a fucking kid.^ExplanationPhil grieving for his brother to Butchie, often used in tandem with the "you're kidding, I mean Jesus Christ" meme above. Billy was 47 when he was killed.
• I loved him like a brother-in-law.^ExplanationA Backhanded Compliment said by Phil to a distraught Marie Spatafore about her husband Vito, who Phil had brutally killed for being gay.
• My estimation of [X] as a [Y], just fucking plummeted.^ExplanationPhil, upon seeing Johnny Sack crying at his daughter's wedding, laments his supposed weakness. Fans use this quote whenever a person or group act in a subpar manner.
  • My estimation of [X] as a [Y], just fucking skyrocketed.^ExplanationThe inverse of the above phrase, used to refer to anybody who does something commendable.
• It's an honor to be joined by real [X]. ^ExplanationA way to give praise to somebody while dissing anybody else (often some participants in a discussion), mirroring how Phil praises some new made men with this phrase just to initiate a rant against Vito.
• Shinebox.^ExplanationSopranoposters will often make references to Frank Vincent's other mob roles, especially his turn as Billy Batts in Goodfellas, which The Sopranos recycles a lot of the cast members of.
• WHATEVER HAPPENED THERE?! ^ExplanationPhil's exceptionally angry reaction to Carmine Jr casually bringing up the death of his 47 year old kid brother Billy Leotardo.
  • I'LL TELL YOU WHAT FUCKIN' HAPPENED - THIS PIECE OF SHIT [X] DID [Y] WITHOUT ANY PROVOCATION WHATSOEVER! ^ExplanationFollowing that quote, Phil rants about how Tony Blundetto killed his brother without any provocation, which fans will snow-clone into what best describes the subject.
• "Captain"? Of the Good Ship Lollipop ^ExplanationPhil dissing Vito, and thus granting him a fan-favorite nickname
• Charles Schwab over here ^ExplanationPhil's put-down towards Tony, invoked as smug criticism

Little Carmine

• I'm glad you caught that, very observant. The sacred and the propane. ^ExplanationUsed ironically as a fake compliment, echoing Little Carmine's malapropism when he discuss the faux symbolism of his movie Cleaver
  • Very allegorical ^ExplanationA nonsensical adjetive added randomly in a topic, taken from Little Carmine's poor eloquence when he talks about Tony Soprano with his father
• “The fundamental question is, will I be as effective as a boss like my dad was. And I will be, even more so...But until I am, it's going to be hard to verify that I think I'll be more effective.” ^ExplanationLittle Carmine's hilariously redundant speech (based off of a quote by George W Bush apparently) explaining why he's avoiding being the boss of the Lupertazzi family.
• Whatever happened there... ^Explanation Carmine pointlessly brings up the death of Billy Leotardo during a conciliatory meeting with Tony Soprano, which naturally enrages Phil. Often used ironically by the fandom in a Captain Obvious way.

---