The Hilarious Vin Theory That Would Change The Way You Watch The Sopranos

The HBO original series "The Sopranos" is arguably the "Citizen Kane" of 21st century TV. And that means it has plenty of fans discussing its many nuances and ambiguities almost 15 years after its controversial finale first aired.

With fan chatter comes fan theories, and even though "The Sopranos" is not particularly given to the off-the-wall and imaginative interpretations of sci-fi or fantasy fare that make up most of these concepts on the internet, it does have a few surprise fan theories floating out there for those who care to look. One of the most entertaining of these has to do with the character of corrupt Newark police detective Vin Makazian, who appeared across a handful of episodes in the show's first season, making a return during a Season 5 dream sequence.

Makazian is played by the late John Heard, a famed character actor who's probably familiar to any moderately TV and film-literate person today. And it's that familiarity that lends itself to this outlandish — but just plausible enough to be funny — fan theory about his character that's made its way online.

The theory is as simple as it is tantalizing. Might it be possible that Vin Makazian, corrupt police officer with serious and ultimately tragic ties to organized crime in New Jersey, actually be mysteriously wealthy patriarch Peter McAllister of "Home Alone" fame?

Both characters are, of course, played by Heard, and mob ties would certainly explain how McAllister is able to afford a massive mansion in the tony suburbs of Chicago — another city that's known for the historical presence of the mob. Then, as one Reddit theorizer pointed out, Makazian is described in one "Sopranos" episode as a "family man." Coincidence? Or a sign of a deep and previously invisible connection between the "Sopranos" and "Home Alone" fictional universes? Some Redditors seemed to agree to a certain extent, with u/FatJimmyWIllis writing that the theory could hold water if "the whole family is a bunch of backstabbing mobsters." This ties in with the rumors and fan theories suggesting Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) is the real mastermind of the robbery in "Home Alone."

Whether you buy into this idea or not, it is kind of fun to imagine "The Sopranos" and "Home Alone" characters occupying the same reality. And once you start doing that, it's almost impossible not to start thinking about a robbery gone wrong when Christopher and Paulie try to break into a house protected by one exceedingly clever and resourceful child. The movie practically writes itself.