Tony Soprano After that he also tells her that he murdered Big Pussy and his cousin Tony Blundetto. Following the dream, he acts differently to his friends and family, trying to see if they also feel relieved now that Christopher is dead. Following Gandolfini's death on June 19, 2013, Gandolfini's portrayal of Soprano was praised for its influence on subsequent other TV characters. "TV Guide" columnist Matt Roush stated, "Without Tony, there's no Vic Mackey of "The Shield", no Al Swearengen of "Deadwood", no Don Draper of "Mad Men"" (whose creator, Matthew Weiner, honed his craft as a writer on "The Sopranos").
Whitecaps (The Sopranos) "Entertainment Weekly" placed "Whitecaps" #3 on their list of the 10 greatest "The Sopranos" episodes; "TIME" placed it at #4. Whitecaps (The Sopranos) "Whitecaps" is the 52nd episode of the HBO television series "The Sopranos", and the 13th and final episode of the show's fourth season. Written by the series creator/executive producer David Chase, and executive producers Robin Green, and Mitchell Burgess, it was directed by longtime series director John Patterson and originally aired in the United States on December 8, 2002. The episode attracted 12.5 million viewers and is regarded by multiple critics as one of the series' best.