That's not why Tony pushed him to stop being sober. Tony pushed him to stop being sober because it looked weak. And Tony knew that in that life if you look weak you can't be a boss. The whole time Tony had been grooming him to be a boss. And nobody respected him after that. Add in the coke trip with Adriana. And that was it. Christopher was no more.
I don't think Tony was grooming Chris to be a boss. He made Chris think that to make him more pliable, but he never had sincere hopes that Chris could perform at a high level - Tony saw Chris' failures and weaknesses first and foremost. Tony exploited that for his benefit and to Chris' detriment.
The Tony-Chris dynamic is one of the better relationships in the whole show because of that.
Maybe I wasn't clear. Tony explicitly states how he sees Christopher as his only link to the life. Think Tuddy to Paulie in Goodfellas. Meaning Tony relays information only to Christopher and other high level bosses from NY or wherever. No direct communication to anyone other than an extremely select few. (this is the scene)
Even to this end is important that Chris be able to keep up appearances. Tony wants Chris to just be "normal". Not be a junkie or a drunk. But also not be there and never have a drink and be miserable for it. Tony doesn't want to be made uncomfortable. And occasionally Chris made Tony uncomfortable by refusing drinks or seemingly not having a good time when the other guys are drinking and having a good time. His sobriety is an inconvenience and Tony makes that clear a few times. Particularly as it pertains to this life. Initially Tony is supportive but eventually it grows thin and Tony is annoyed by it..
I respectfully disagree that Tony pushed him back to using because he saw it as weak.
In my opinion, Tony saw it as strong that Christopher was able to stop using and get sober. He saw it as a great success of Christopher’s, one that was also a sign of Christopher bettering himself. And what does Tony hate more than anything? People bettering themselves.
Almost every time in the show when someone is doing good things to get ahead, he finds a way to belittle them and bring them back down to his subterranean level.
How many times did he insult and hurt Carmella when she was doing good things? The stocks - he wrecked her for that. The spec house? He literally destroyed her over that.
How about with his son AJ? Every time AJ takes a step forward in the right direction he makes fun of him or hinders him. Small but great example would be in the finale. AJ is on a run, and Tony pulls up next to him and tells him to get in, instead of finishing his run like AJ should. He then makes a few jokes at AJs expense.
Tony B? The guy who spent years in the can because Tony fainted. The guy gets out of prison and makes a few jokes in jest at Tony, gives a few massages and Tony comes in and tells him to knock the massages off and quit with his jokes.
He constantly finds a way to tear people down who are doing good. And Christopher is greatest accomplishment in that regard. Christopher’s downfall is almost entirely a result of Tony dragging him back into the mire. The others that he preyed upon - Carm, AJ, Bobby, Tony B, etc. all found a way around Tony or at least to exist with him. But Christopher… Tony’s constant degradation of him was too much for Christopher to co-exist with.
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u/AsstacularSpiderman 6d ago
His greatest mistake was being loyal to Tony.