Ralph Cifaretto was a creep, but some fans of The Sopranos are sorry he's gone.
The character, played by Joe Pantoliano, was killed by Tony Soprano in Sunday's episode, marking the first major violence on the show this season. It was also the first major onscreen character departure since Jackie Jr. (Jason Cerbone) was killed at the end of the last season.
Now fans are wondering what's next.
Within minutes of the show's ending Sunday, fans began to flood HBO's Web site, as well as other online fan locations, with their thoughts. By midday Monday, HBO's site had nearly 400 messages focusing on Ralph.
"Say what you will about Ralph, but this character was a superb catalyst for the show," wrote a fan at HBO's site. "I somehow felt I was getting to know Ralphie this season. Whether what one found out was pretty or not, he was one of the most interesting characters."
Longtime Sopranos fans had turned to Cifaretto as the image of evil. He lied to friends, killed others and had an offbeat love life. Despite the flaws, observers suggested Cifaretto took the place as the show's key bad guy in light of Tony's seemingly going soft.
Of course, the image of a kinder, gentler Tony went out when he beat Ralph to death and had his nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli) cut him up.
"I will actually miss Ralphie as I thought he was a colorful, interesting addition to the show," said one fan. "It takes a great actor to make a character likable after the character commits such atrocities as Jackie Jr.'s hit and killing the pregnant stripper."
The sudden surge in blood and guts in "The Sopranos" couldn't have come at a better time. After the past few episodes, fans and some critics carped that the show had lost its edge and had become boring.
In what became nearly a weekly report card, critics around the country suggested that Sopranos creator David Chase had lost his touch. Many of the complaints stemmed from Chase's subtle storytelling approach, which often relies on revealing minor plot points that may - or may not - pay off in the future.