12 ‘Sopranos’ Easter Eggs From ‘The Many Saints of Newark’
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Many Saints of Newark.]
The Many Saints of Newark has arrived and the film is littered with callbacks to HBO’s original series The Sopranos.
Despite being a prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark brought to life many of the moments and memories shared during the late ’90s and early-mid 2000s show. Whether it was familiar quotes or recreated events, The Many Saints of Newark has a bevy of Easter eggs for fans to uncover.
Below, we’re rounding up a few of the big ones we found while viewing. In case you haven’t had the chance to tune into the movie, stream it now on HBO Max or visit a local movie theater for a big-screen experience, because we’re about to head into spoiler territory.
The Many Saints of Newark, Available Now, In Theaters and on HBO Max
Junior's Fall
In the movie, Uncle Junior (Corey Stoll) takes a tumble down some stone steps exiting a funeral and hurts his back in the process. While this moment serves as a catalyst for some of his actions in the movie’s second half, it also mirrors a moment from the original series. During legal proceedings regarding his involvement with the mob, Corrado Soprano (Dominic Chianese) is approached by reporters on the court steps. Unfortunately, a boom mic bumps him a little too hard on the head, causing the much older man to tumble down quite a few steps.
Tony's Love for Music
One of Dickie’s (Alessandro Nivola) gifts for his nephew is stolen speakers. While he’s reluctant to take them at first, Tony (Michael Gandolfini) enjoys the tech for a little while, blasting tunes from his record player. While he ultimately pitches the speakers after getting angry at Dickie in the movie, Tony’s love for music remains in his older years as evidenced in the series. Many times throughout the show’s run, Tony (James Gandolfini) would enjoy blasting music through his car’s stereo system.
Holsten's
Young Tony makes a pit stop at Holsten’s where he’s supposed to meet his Uncle Dickie. Unfortunately, [Spoiler Alert] he never shows up because he was shot and killed the night before. Showing up toward the end of the film, this was a perfect callback to the show’s own series finale where Tony was meeting up with his own family. It’s also the moment in which the screen conveniently cuts to black before we learn whether or not the mob boss was going to meet his end or not. This time around, though, Journey wasn’t playing in the background.
Surreal Moments
At the end of the movie as Tony attends Dickie’s funeral, he stands over the dead man’s corpse, and as the original show’s theme song begins to play, Dickie’s hand reaches out to Tony’s as their pinkie fingers intertwine. The gesture is symbolic, but the surrealist nature of the moment is reminiscent of some of The Sopranos‘ less conventional scenes. Examples of this surrealism were often found in Tony’s dream sequences, like when Big Pussy’s (Vincent Pastore) voice came out of a talking fish.
Funeral Business
An echo of the original show’s funeral sequences, The Many Saints of Newark proved that the events were often a place where business was discussed. In one scene, Tony even wonders aloud what the clusters of men speaking closely together were talking about.
Satriale's Pork Store
The butcher shop featured in several episodes of The Sopranos proved that it was a meeting spot for mobsters long before Tony was in charge. The movie included one of the customary backroom scenes, including food being served up by a young Paulie Walnuts (Billy Magnussen).
Like Father, Like Son
Following expulsion from school, Livia (Vera Farmiga) asks Dickie to talk to a young Tony (William Ludwig) as a way of getting through to the trouble-making boy. The scene is reminiscent of many father-son chats between Tony and his boy AJ (Robert Iler) in the original series. Like AJ, it seems that little Tony was a rabble-rouser growing up.
Makings of a Varsity Athlete
In the original series, it was often mentioned that Tony had aspirations of becoming an athlete as he played football in high school. When this is brought up in the series, Uncle Junior mentions that Tony “never had the makings of a varsity athlete.” This Easter egg is included during Johnny Soprano’s (Jon Bernthal) welcome home party as Junior tells a young Janice (Alexandra Intrator) the same thing.
Livia's Baked Ziti
According to the original series, Livia’s (Nancy Marchand) baked ziti was legendary — this is teased in the series premiere when AJ thinks she won’t be able to attend a family gathering. “So what? No f**kin’ ziti now?” the kid memorably asks. In the movie, Johnny remarks that Livia’s baked ziti at his welcome home party is particularly delicious, serving as a brief nod to this original mention.
Johnny's Arrest
In Season 1 of The Sopranos, Tony recalls witnessing his father’s arrest at a local carnival which also included one of his father’s associates being shot by the cops. This scene is recreated in the movie, but there are some differences and discrepancies that hint at Tony’s unreliable narratorship in the show. Considering he was a kid when it all happened, it’s understandable that details would be fuzzy.
Livia's Judgement
After hearing from a school counselor that Tony’s happiest memory was when she was sweet and caring towards him, Livia attempts to show a more compassionate side towards her son in the movie. But the facade doesn’t last long as she begins questioning whether he’s smoking pot or not. Despite his denials, Livia’s accusatory tone never disappears and she flies off the handle. The dynamic is one that viewers often saw in the original series between a grown-up Tony and his elderly mother.
Christopher Moltisanti
Dickie’s son Christopher makes an appearance in the movie as a baby who whines whenever Tony gets near him. One older family member mentions that babies know more than we realize, hinting that Christopher might know that Tony would one day be responsible for his death. This is also alluded to in the film through Michael Imperioli‘s narration as Christopher from beyond the grave. For those who might have forgotten, Tony and Christopher get in a car accident, and while the mob boss is relatively unscathed, Christopher is worse off. High on drugs and barely breathing, Christopher’s air is cut off when Tony puts his hand over the man’s mouth and nose.
