Valentina La Paz (portrayed by actress Leslie Bega) was Tony Soprano's girlfriend in Seasons 4 and 5 of "The Sopranos".
Biography[]
Valentina claims she was born to a Cuban father and an Italian mother, hence her Spanish sounding surname. She initially was Ralph Cifaretto's girlfriend, and she met Tony at Hesh Rabkin's horse stables when Tony was meeting with Ralph.
She and Tony are quickly attracted to one another, and soon start an intimate relationship. After their first time together, Tony does not want to see Valentina anymore, mainly because she is dating Ralph Cifaretto. She reveals to Tony that Ralph has very strange sexual habits and is not meeting her needs. Tony's sister Janice confirms this to Tony, as Janice had previously dated Ralph. By happenstance, an elaborately manicured nail fall off her hand and into a pocket in Tony's trousers. This later gets discovered by an enraged Carmela when she is doing the laundry, although she does not get the full story.
When Carmela throws Tony out of the house and initiates divorce proceedings, Tony continues dating Valentina. She seems more emotionally secure than his past experiences with Irina or Gloria Trillo, however Tony lacks confidence she has potential to replace Carmela as his wife. Overall, Tony believes the relationship should be terminated as it is on the wrong track. One day she was cooking eggs for Tony and suggesting they take a holiday in Antigua at a romantic resort, Sandals. Distracted by this, she fails to notice her robe got too close to the pan and caught fire, which burns her body and singes her hair off. Though Tony rushes to give her immediate first aid, the burns are so intense she is hospitalized and rendered in and out of consciousness. While recovering in the hospital, Tony tells her he must go back to Carmela. Valentina is so groggy it is unknown if she accepts the break-up, instead reacting with horror to her baldness.
Trivia[]
- Valentina's relationship to Tony parallels Pie-O-My, with both being introduced to Tony by Ralphie, usurped by Tony, and ultimately both fall out of Tony's life after being set on fire. A main difference between herself and Pie-O-My is that Valentina survived being burned whereas the horse had to be put to sleep. Another reason was that Pie-O-My's attack came due to arson, whereas Valentina's malady had been accidental.
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