Watch: A.J. Soprano: The Heir Who Never Stood a Chance

A.J. Soprano inherits his father's depression without his father's competence, and becomes the series' most uncomfortable mirror: the mob prince raised in a world that no longer needs him. Watch the video above, then read A.J.'s story.

Robert Iler plays A.J. as the end of the line: coddled, diagnosed, expelled, and drifting through schemes, a military fantasy, a nightclub job and a suicide attempt in the family pool, the same water where the ducks once landed. The show's cruelty is that A.J. understands the family business's emptiness before anyone: his nihilist rants are Livia's philosophy in a teenager's voice. His final placement, running a production company bought by his father's money and connections, is the most quietly damning ending any Soprano gets: saved, permanently, from ever having to become anything.

Quick answer: A.J. is Tony's damage without Tony's drive. He survives the series infantilized, rescued by family money from every consequence.

Keep reading: Why Furio Left The Sopranos—and Why He Never Returned · Watch: Pine Barrens' Russian: The Mystery That Never Ends

From the shop: the Tony Soprano Christmas Sweater at MobstersDaily.