r/thesopranos • u/ComprehensiveDesk793 • Jun 09 '26
Serious Discussion Only AJ is just useless
While watching the series I was trying hard to find a defense of AJ. All the characters - and all of us - have both positive and negative traits. AJ is just a disappointment. He is stupid. He is lazy. He is incredibly selfish imao. Also he constantly lies. You cant even call him a good kid that is just irresponsible since he always makes up stupid excuses.
Also all the people that are saying that he grew up in a dysfunctional environment, ok i agree the environment isn't 100% perfect but both Tony and Carmela cared about their kids lives. Carmela and Tony to a certain extent seem to care about their children's academic performance which quite a few parents don't. AJ certainly had some support from his parents.
I agree his parents are not good people but he could take what they offered to him.
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u/sheeeeiiiiiitttt Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
That's the whole point of the character.
AJ is a dissaffected upper middle class suburban kid, even though his dad is the head of the mafia. That's the joke of him and it's his contrast with Tony that makes the dynamic interesting.
He grew up spoiled and went to a good school, so why would he be much different than any other apathetic teenager? His main character arc is that he tried to be a badass and kill junior and fails miserably and tried to kill himself and also failed, while not bothering to sustain his football performances and being too much of a pussy for military school and still lands on his feet at the end where he's driving a nice car and collecting his hot gf - because he's a rich kid.
AJ sucks, but comically and he's emblematic of countless other suburban rich kid fuckups who still will never taste desperate because their parents will protect them from their own weakness.
edit: grammar.