“I am reminded of Louis the whatever’s finance minister…he built this chateau – Nicole and I saw it when we went to Paris – it even outshone Versailles, where the king lived. In the end, Louis clapped him in irons.”

Tony refers to him as “Brainless the Second” and, truth be told, Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr. (AKA Little Carmine) is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Although he comes from the same background as the other wise guys, Little Carmine fancies himself a sophisticate, peppering his speech with big (and often mispronounced) words to demonstrate his worldliness. Although he may seem buffoonish, as the oldest son and namesake of the don of New York, he’s not someone who can be easily dismissed.

Little Carmine loves his father very much, although it bothers him that Carmine, Sr. often treats him like he’s still a child. It undermines Little Carmine’s authority, especially when his father does things like remind him – in front of Johnny Sack – to put on sunscreen. Whether or not Little Carmine is aware of it, his dad’s underboss is his chief rival. Johnny chafes at the prospect of having to take orders from “that disgusting, fucking, cocksucking idiot son” of his boss. But even though Little Carmine is far less qualified than Johnny and has been removed from the New York scene for a number of years (he lives in Miami), as Carmine’s blood he’s the heir apparent.

When Carmine Sr. died of a stroke before naming a successor, Johnny Sack moved quickly to establish his turf – taking out two of Carmine’s lieutenants, including former paramour Lorraine Calluzo and Carmine Sr.’s old consigliere, Angelo Garepe. Little Carmine eventually retaliated, taking out Joe Peeps. But when the bloodshed got to be too much, he bowed out and retreated to Miami – realizing he didn’t have the stomach to be the New York don.