Imported by Tony Soprano from Naples with the ponytail of a Roman god, Furio Gunta is at turns hilarious and menacing – making him one of the most compelling and rewatchable characters on what’s arguably the greatest TV show of all time (and yes, we do make that argument: see The Best 100 TV Shows Ever).
Furio can brutalize a guy’s ribcage with a bat, threaten to punch a woman in the face, enjoy a stogie with Tony, and then quietly pine for Carmela while contemplating a life of being a simple gardener. That duality – and a dazzling portrayal by Federico Castelluccio – is what makes every Furio scene pop.
Let’s run down some of the all time great Furio scenes from The Sopranos like we’re taking care of that thing.
Furio and Tony intimidate Dr. Kennedy on the golf course
For my money, funny Furio is the best version of Furio. It’s absolutely priceless when Tony and Furio literally roll up on the pretentious Dr. Kennedy – a name Uncle Junior is weirdly enamored of. They’re there to pressure him into being more hands-on in his treatment of Junior, who’s both Tony’s uncle and occasional rival.
This is also Tony at his most hilarious and even relatable – who wouldn’t enjoy the power to make the healthcare system work for you once in a while?
Furio and Tony also get to rival each other in this scene for the best line.
Furio with: “You got a bee on you hat.” Menace meshed with slapstick. Vintage Sopranos.
And Tony dropping “the act” to end the scene, slapping the doc’s voice recorder into the drink: “Just remember it.”
Furio’s got a special set of skills
Let’s face it: Furio can kick some ass. No, sorry, Furio can kick a lot of asses, all by himself, and makes it look weirdly easy (and… I mean, kind of fun too, if we’re being honest here?).
Furio goes from stoic to batshit here, baseball bat in hand, as he becomes a one-man wrecking crew, tearing through an entire tanning-salon-meets-brothel.
Also priceless during this scene: Dr. Melfi dropping a call on Tony as the Jersey mob boss waits for Furio in his SUV outside.
Furio and Carmela: the Romeo & Juliet of The Sopranos
The thing is – the truly wild thing is – that we end up getting truly invested in the will-they-or-won’t-they of Furio and Carmela.
While Tony obviously has zero compunction about sleeping with anything within paw’s reach, Carmela has tended to struggle with temptation in quiet desperation, though fate may have intervened in the case of Father Phil!
But with Furio and Carmela, it’s different. He’s different around her, and she around him. They clearly have a deep connection, even though Carm could not possibly imagine what truly goes on in his “professional life” (much the same as with her husband).
When the only thing preventing them from kissing at Furio’s new house is AJ loitering around, you wish an ice cream truck would roll up blaring, “Hey kid! Free Creamsicles, all you can eat!”
Furio’s gotta look out for Furio sometimes, you know?
The doomed Bevilaqua kid and his scammy Webistics bro get the full force of the Furio treatment: efficient, cold, and terrifying. No wasted motion or energy: “give me $1,000.” To be clear, if it were me, I’d hand that cash over with a quickness.
And sidenote here: with full respect for different lifestyles and for what people do behind closed doors but… dude roommates hanging out in tighty whities. Bold choice. Let’s just leave it at that.
Furio has a hot take on Survivor
When Furio isn’t ass kicking, scamming low level randos, or making eyes on the boss’ wife, he’s opining on how to rip off the winner of the iconic reality show Survivor.
“See how good you survive this!” Furio tells Paulie, pointing his gun like a pistol.
The (creepiest?) best part is how specific the idea is though. He doesn’t want to simply steal the $1 million prize. That’s amateur hour. He wants to extort the winner for a quarter of it. Make them complicit, frightened, and alive and well enough to come back for more later.
“We should find out where they live,” Paulie replies, giggling.
But they both know it’s almost an actionable idea for guys like them.
Furio nearly kills Tony at the helicopter
The scene: blades whirring, a three-sheets-to-the-wind Tony with his back exposed, Furio hesitating. Wanting desperately not to hesitate.
Wanting to push. Be free.
He could murder his boss and the husband of the woman he loves in that moment, but he doesn’t. In one of the emotional pinnacles of The Sopranos, Furio relents, heads home, and then quickly escapes back to Italy without a word of goodbye to anyone.
Like the Russian in the woods, another delightful loose thread in The Sopranos universe.