I think Ralphie is a better villain. With Richie, you knew he was going to get whacked because he was such a jerk. With Ralphie, he is getting away with being a jerk because he makes so much money for them. Richie was expendable, Ralphie isn't.

Also, Ralphie has enough residual charm to make him more palatable, rather than Richie, where you just wonder why they didn't kill him earlier.

Don't get me wrong, Richie was a great character and was portrayed greatly. But you knew he was going to die because he had no positives, only negatives.

Ralphie, it seems they are trying to make his character more human this season. He broke up with one woman, only to get dumped by another, leading to some sympathy for him.