History Characters / TheSopranosDiMeoCrimeFamily

* EvilIsPetty: While he and Big Pussy are on a mission for Tony (investigating the carjacking of one of AJ's teachers), they ask around at a Starbucks expy. Paulie is appalled at the "appropriation of the Italian culture", (as Italians invented cappuccino), and opts to shoplift several cups and mugs to make up for it. The whole reason why he and Chris get lost in the woods for several hours and almost freeze to death in "Pine Barrens" is that he couldn't just let go of a minor slight and felt he had to escalate the situation all the way up to attempted murder.

JerkassHasAPoint: He comments on everything and anything, and half the time he's not half-wrong, even if not for the right reasons. Notably, he distrusts anybody who make waves, mostly because they steal Paulie's thunder. He outlives them all.

* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Wanted to keep his son away from the criminal life. Tony goes out of his way to try to honor this desire.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Paulie antagonizes everybody who is favored by Tony and is quick to badmouth and distrust them, not because they are bad assets but out of jealousy for being overshadowed. He's right in that they are not good enough to be around. Paulie survives the events while most others end up dead.

* ArtifactTitle: The family is named after Eckley [=DiMeo=], but, from the premiere onward, nobody named "[=DiMeo=]" is running this family. This is a case of TruthInTelevision, as the FBI named each family after whomever its contemporary head was during the Valachi hearings, and the mafia themselves rarely change the name even when its namesake has been gone for decades, likely out of convenience.

* ArtifactTitle: In-universe: the [=DiMeo=] Crime Family, of which the Soprano crew is a major part, still bears Ercole [=DiMeo=]'s name, even though he's been in prison for more than a decade, and no one named "[=DiMeo=]" has any part in running the family.

* AxCrazy: Paulie is highly impulsive and homicidal. "Pine Barrens" famously sees his inability to let go of what was an extremely minor slight set up the whole episode's central conflict. As a result, what was just a simple job of picking up a loan payment escalates to attempted murder and finally to him and Chris getting hopelessly lost in the woods where they almost get killed by exposure (while almost killing each other too). And just check out some of his psychotic facial expressions.

* SelfMadeMan: He's the owner of the Bada Bing, strip club and [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub Jersey Mafia headquarters]], but all in all, a serious business. He also has a hand in the music industry.

* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters: Generally averted, since the predatory nature of the mob is not hidden and the local business suffer regularly, but the Jersey mobsters are vigilant about people speeding in the neighbourhood, throw a traditional Santa Claus party and occasionally organize activities for the community.

* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters / VillainWithGoodPublicity: Generally averted, since the predatory nature of the mob is not hidden and the local business suffer regularly, but the Jersey mobsters throw a traditional Santa Claus party and occasionally organize activities for the community.

* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters / VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. Paulie is appointed manager of an amusement fair. He is such a cheapskate that he cuts corners and budgets to the point one ride becomes hazardous and an accident ensues.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Deconstructed, this guy is such a cheapskate that any activity organized by him may go dangerously awry.

* EvilVersusEvil: The [=DiMeos=] vs. whomever they face: TheCartel, [[GangBangers street gangs]], [[spoiler: the Lupertazzis in the final season]], among others. This is not always ALighterShadeOfBlack; they can be as bad, if not worse than them.

* UndyingLoyalty: Absolutely deconstructed. Instead of portraying TheMafia as a synonym of loyalty (like ''Film/TheGodfather''), you get dysfunction. [[spoiler:Very few members are really in it for the others (it's telling something that [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong Silvio]] was the single most loyal one) and most of them are more than willing to betray their partners for vengeance, resentment or greed]].

* ItsPersonal: Upon finding out that Meadow's soccer coach had sex with one of Meadow's friends (with Silvio's daughter part of that same team and circle of friends), Sil asks Tony who he wants to take the guy out. When Tony cites this trope, it turns out that that's just what Silvio wanted to hear.

[[folder:In General]]

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler: By the end of the series, most of Tony's key guys are either dead or otherwise incapacitated, making the future of the [=DiMeo=] Crime Family look pretty bad. The last scene of the series implies Tony might [[spoiler:have been killed in front of his family... or not. ''Everybody loses''... except [[KarmaHoudini Paulie]].]]

* RunningGag: The most [[DumbMuscle idiotic]], ignorant and inexperienced members are usually the ButtMonkey in some episodes: Benny gets beaten up by the weak Artie and thrown onto a coffee table by Chris, Little Paulie gets a bottle thrown over his head, beaten up and thrown out a window, Donny K. gets beaten up by Johnny Sack and pissed on, [[DudeWheresMyRespect Matthew and Sean]] get shot and killed, Perry gets beaten up by Tony for something he didn't do and Chris receives the worst TraumaCongaLine of anyone in the series.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Ironically, even though the group considers the feds and other gangs to be their biggest threats, most of the members who are killed over the course of the show are actually killed by other members of the the family. Of the prominent members who die, [[spoiler:Silvio Dante[[note]]comatose, but unlikely to regain consciousness[[/note]], Bobby Baccalieri, Vito Spatafore, Richie Aprile, Gigi Cestone, and Eugene Pontecorvo]] are the only ones whose deaths don't come at the hands of another family member. Technically, [[spoiler:Vito Spatafore and Richie Aprile only ''weren't'' killed by the family because somebody else got to them first]].

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler: By the end of the series, most of Tony's key guys are either dead or otherwise incapacitated, making the future of the [=DiMeo=] Crime Family look pretty bad. The last scene of the series implies Tony might [[spoiler:have been killed in front of his family... or not]]. ''Everybody loses''... except [[KarmaHoudini Paulie]].]]

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: They rule Jersey, but the family is small potatoes next to the might of any of the New York five families from across the Hudson River.
* ArtifactTitle: The family is named after Eckley [=DiMeo=], but, from the premiere onward, nobody named "[=DiMeo=]" is running this family. This is a case of TruthInTelevision, as the FBI named each family after whomever its contemporary head was during the Valachi hearings, and they rarely change the name even when its namesake has been gone for decades, likely out of convenience.

* CurbStompBattle: The Family gives these to street gangs and petty drug dealers, for example, the time Paulie and a family associate bust in and kill some Colombian drug dealers and leave unscathed only receiving a nasty GroinAttack having stolen many bricks of cocaine and drug money.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of TheMafia in the modern-day. TheMafia here is nowhere near as powerful as they were in movies like ''Film/GoodFellas'' and ''Film/{{Casino}}'' thanks to a combination of informants revealing their crimes, modern forensics, and technology making it more difficult to steal or murder, government crackdowns, RICO law, hostility from other families, and drugs. Not helping matters is that the older generation has been dying off and the younger members [[DumbMuscle lack their intelligence and restraint]]. Basically, they are no longer the criminal organization of the old days, making them less of a government target and [[BigBadWannabe more of a group of violent street thugs]] living in the past and escaping the police.

* EndOfAnAge: The glory days of the mob are long past if any of the old-school gangsters are to be believed. Though the family still rakes in considerable money, the high life has long since past.
* EvilIsPetty: The mobsters all do horrible things at various points but still find time to be complete dicks too.
* EvilVersusEvil: The [=DiMeos=] vs. whomever they face: TheCartel, [[GangBangers street gangs]], [[spoiler: the Lupertazzis in the final season]], among others. They can be as bad, if not worse than them.

** Tony: Choleric (intense and prone to anger outbursts).
** Christopher: Melancholic (he can be introverted and reflexive).

** Silvio: Phlegmatic (the reasonable one).
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler: By the end of the series, most of Tony's key guys are either dead or otherwise incapacitated, making the future of the [=DiMeo=] Crime Family look pretty bad. The last scene of the series implies Tony might have been killed in front of his family... or not. ''Everybody loses''... except [[KarmaHoudini Paulie]].]]
* TheMafia: A rare modern variant. Instead of the incredibly powerful and intimidating mobsters from movies like ''Film/GoodFellas'' or ''Film/{{Casino}}'' (justified, as these movies take place during the mob heyday and pre-RICO era), the Family shows that TheMafia today is in decline as a result of rats, the government, RICO laws, hostility from other families, and drugs. It certainly doesn't help the fact that most of the smartest members are old and most of the younger ones (with a few exceptions) are ignorant, inexperienced thugs.

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: The [=DiMeos=] were based on the real-life [=DeCavalcante=] crime family, which primarily controls Central Jersey (South Jersey is part of the Philly Mob's turf, while North Jersey is split: the Jersey family controls Elizabeth, while the Five Families, especially the Genovese and Lucchese families, control Hudson, Bergen, and Passaic Counties; they divide Essex County).
** Ercole "Eckley" [=DiMeo=], the family namesake, was based on Sam [=DeCavalcante=], who was nicknamed "the Plumber" because he owned a plumbing company in Kenilworth. But he [[EmbarrassingNickname hated that nickname]] and preferred being called "the Count" as a safer alternative.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: For all of the power the family holds in North Jersey, they're really small fish compared to the New York families and the original mafiosi in Italy. Big Carmine Lupertazzi considers them to be a "glorified crew" that works for his family rather than equals with their own territory.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Due to the insular nature of an ethnic gang, they tend to be fairly bigoted against those outside their circle, ranging from other ethnicities, women or homosexuals.
* PyrrhicVictory: Over the course of the series, the [=DiMeo=] family is essentially rotting away from the inside. They manage to survive [[spoiler: a mob war,]] but the organization is on its last legs by the finale and the decay is likely irreversible.

* UncertainDoom: Given that Tony left a few loose ends and the show ended without a conclusion, it's safe to say that the fate of the organization looks grim.
* UndyingLoyalty: Deconstructed. Easily one of the biggest deconstructions. Instead of portraying TheMafia as a synonym of loyalty (like ''Film/TheGodfather''), here is the opposite. [[spoiler:Very few members are really loyal (it's telling something that Silvio was the single most loyal member of the mob) and most of them are more than willing to betray their partners for vengeance, resentment or {{greed}}]].
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Ironically, even though the group considers the feds and other gangs to be their biggest threats, most of the members who are killed over the course of the show are actually killed by other members of the the family. Of the prominent members who die, [[spoiler:Silvio Dante[[note]]Technically comatose, but unlikely to regain consciousness[[/note]], Bobby Baccalieri, Vito Spatafore[[note]]though only because Phil Leotardo and his crew killed him before Carlo could under Tony's orders[[/note]], Richie Aprile [[note]]though only because Janice killed him before Tony could[[/note]], Gigi Cestone, and Eugene Pontecorvo]] are the only ones whose deaths don't come at the hands of another family member.
* WhiteCollarCrime: While the family is no stranger to street violence, drug trafficking, contract killing, and traditional crimes committed by TheMafia, they are heavily involved in illegal construction, credit card fraud, identity theft, mortgage fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery. In many ways, this has allowed them to survive in a time where they are constantly embattled by the feds, the RICO law, and their own internal problems.

** Christopher: Melancholic (more introverted and reflexive).
** Paulie: Sanguine (outgoing and in your face).

** More so to Junior, who never stops disrespecting him and abusing him.

* ShoutOut: In "Mayham", when he and his wife Gabriella are discussing his stewardship of the Soprano crew while Tony is in a coma, Silvio states "With great power, comes great responsibility", Franchise/SpiderMan's old adage.

* {{Manchild}}: He plays with toy trains.

* ArtifactTitle: The family is named after Eckley [=DiMeo=], but, from the premiere onward, nobody named "[=DiMeo=]" is running this family. This is a case of TruthInTelevision, as the FBI tends to name a family after its contemporary head whenever they start investigating it, and they rarely change the name even when its namesake has been gone for decades, likely out of convenience.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Zig-Zagged. The mobsters like to wear plain sportswear, but they dress up according to their fancy businessmen status when the occasion requires it. Members of the Lupertazzi crew can usually be seen in suits, befitting their more successful and refined nature when compared to the Jersey crew. Carmine Lupertazzi also stated to Tony that "a Don doesn't wear shorts".

** Ercole "Eckley" [=DiMeo=], the crime family's namesake, was based on Simone "Samuel" [=DeCavalcante=], who was nicknamed "Sam the Plumber" because he owned and operated a heating and plumbing company in Kenilworth. But he [[EmbarrassingNickname hated that nickname]] and preferred to be called "the Count" because he often claimed to be {{Blue Blood}}ed.
** Tony Soprano was based on real-life Jersey mobster Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, who later became the [=DeCavalcante=] crime family's acting boss (acting on behalf of John Riggi) before turning informer in 2003. Elements of Sam [=DeCavalcante=] were also added to Tony Soprano.
** Corrado "Junior" Soprano was based on Giovanni "John the Eagle" Riggi, who became boss of the [=DeCavalcante=] crime family after Sam [=DeCavalcante=] stepped down in 1982 and retired to Florida.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: For all of the power the family holds in North Jersey, they're really a small fry compared to the New York families and the original mafioso in Italy. Big Carmine Lupertazzi considers them to be a "glorified crew" that works for his family, rather than equal business partners with their own territory.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Due to the insular nature of an ethnic gang they tend to be fairly bigoted against those outside their circle, ranging from other ethnicities, women or homosexuals.

* TheConsigliere: His official role in the crime family; he's Tony's right-hand man and his primary confidant. He generally agrees with Tony's decision-making and sees to it that his orders are carried out, but he's not afraid to argue a contrary position or ask a hard question Tony would rather avoid.

* TheScrooge: Despite his high and pretty well-paid position in the mob hericary, Paulie constantly skimps and cuts corners wherever he possibly can, to the point of clipping discount coupons, and gets extremely upset and whiny whenever faced with even the pettiest of unexpected expenditures.