The 13 Most Ruthlessly Rational TV Deaths

      Here are some of the most logically cold TV deaths. Although they were tragic, they made sense. Spoilers ahead.

      Eddard Stark on Game of Thrones

      Eddard (Ned) Stark once stated, “The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.” He was correct, but his assassins chose a different, cowardly path.

      For those who hadn’t read the books, Ned’s (Sean Bean) death was a shocking moment that effectively set the stage for the chaos to follow: If the protagonist of Game of Thrones could perish, then anyone else was at risk too. We continued to watch with trepidation, praying for a wedding episode to provide a brief escape from the grim events.

      But there were no escapes!

      Walter White on Breaking Bad

      AMC

      Few could feel too sympathetic for Walter White, as his demise seemed predetermined from the very first episode of Breaking Bad. He committed numerous heinous acts.

      Nonetheless, he went out on his own terms by eliminating his foes, liberating Jesse, securing a future for his family, and instilling fear in his former friends turned traitors, Elliott and Gretchen. Walt had nothing left to prove, and his death stands out as one of the most logical, yet least tragic, in television history.

      Rita Bennett on Dexter

      Showtime

      Rita (Julie Benz) was wed to a serial killer who targeted other killers, and in the remarkable fourth season of Dexter, he made the grave error of leaving her vulnerable while confronting the Trinity Killer (played by the outstanding John Lithgow). Unfortunately, Rita never stood a chance. It's somewhat surprising that she survived as long as she did.

      Tony Soprano on The Sopranos

      HBO

      Let’s be honest here; we’re all adults. Tony Soprano met his end at Holsten’s. Even if he hadn’t (but he did), he would have soon faced death at the hands of another gunman in a Members-Only jacket. Live by the sword and gun, die by the sword and gun.

      Sopranos creator David Chase more or less confirmed Tony’s fate, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 15 years post-finale: “What annoyed me was how many people wanted to see Tony killed. That bothered me,” he stated.

      We all have to leave this world eventually, and there are worse ways to go than enjoying onion rings and listening to Journey with loved ones. In a sense, Tony Soprano had one of the more peaceful deaths on TV.

      Although we miss James Gandolfini, we enjoyed seeing his son, Michael Gandolfini, portray a young Tony in The Many Saints of Newark.

      Everyone on Six Feet Under

      Saying goodbye on Six Feet Under

      The entire series revolved around death and coming to terms with it, so it was only fitting that Six Feet Under concluded with death, culminating in a stunning montage. It remains one of the most emotional finales in television history, and also surprisingly one of the most logical.

      Gale Boetticher on Breaking Bad

      For a meth manufacturer, Gale (David Costabile) was surprisingly kind-hearted and naive. When Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) directed him into Walter White’s path, his death became inevitable, sparking an intense cat-and-mouse game between Walt and Gus in Season 4 of Breaking Bad that could have easily turned out differently.

      That’s why Fring’s demise isn’t listed among these coldly logical TV deaths: he could have easily emerged as the victor.

      Adriana LaCerva on The Sopranos

      Adriana may be gone, but her impeccable style endures.

      There’s an unspoken rule in TV deaths that the most innocent character surrounded by frightening individuals tends to die too soon. Adriana (Drea de Matteo) was a good person, despite her involvement in money laundering and other activities, and the FBI cruelly exploited her affection for a weak man. Her death was heartbreaking, yet made sense within The Sopranos’ universe.

      Additionally, her last name means “the doe” in Italian, and the show ends her story in the woods. This, in our view, is one of the most tragic TV deaths.

      Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos

      With his struggles with addiction, quick temper, and general untrustworthiness, Chrissy (Michael Imperioli) left Tony with no choice but to have him killed. After he allowed the events concerning Adriana to unfold, we weren’t particularly upset to see him go.

      Why does The Sopranos feature three entries on our list of the most coldly logical TV deaths? Perhaps because it’s one of the best-written shows, adeptly handling logical deaths just as well as it did everything else.

      At least we can still appreciate Imperioli in roles like his memorable performance in Season 2 of The White Lotus.

      Eddie Munson on Stranger Things

      Netflix