Tony tells Melfi that he is working on "creating an inseparable bond" between him and Christopher so that he will be totally loyal. Later, Tony shows Christopher the ex-cop that killed his father and gives the order for Chris to kill him. Later, Christopher tells Adrianna that Tony had made something right in his life and he would follow that man into hell. Tony then tells Christopher that he is grooming him to be his #2 and Chris is honored. Did anybody else think that Tony was just planning on using Chris? To make him the fall guy?

Obviously life in the mafia is about protecting your boss. But it seemed particularly repulsive that Tony was working a psychological game on Christopher to make him loyal - not only that, but he wanted to use his own nephew as a shield to protect himself...

Well Christopher probably dreamed of being boss one day so I wouldn't exactly call it using. He wanted that position... Chris always wanted to be a wiseguy. In a way, Tony was also shielding himself but I think he genuinely wanted to pass the torch as boss to Chrissy when they'd both be ready.

Tony had done the same thing with Junior in Seasons 1-2 -- he let Junior take the big chair and the FBI magnifying glass. He figured Junior would absorb the hits from law enforcement, while Tony was free to run the streets.

A similar concept applies here, but there's two reasons for this, both very self-serving to Tony:

a.) Tony compartmentalizes himself from the day-to-day actions of the New Jersey crime family (in theory, but not true in reality because there goes the whole point of the series).
b.) Putting Christopher in that position increases the risk to Christopher, but Tony knew that Christopher was a blood relation, and far less likely to flip than if Silvio or Paulie were Tony's No. 2.

Putting Christopher in that heir apparent state just made him more paranoid. When Tony Blundetto was released from prison, Tony had pulled him into the inner circle, and Christopher openly lamented this to Adriana -- particularly with the casino and Christopher's screw up with the cigarette smuggling operation.

After the death of Tony Blundetto, Bobby Bacala is pulled closer to Tony, while Christopher is pushed out. Particularly telling is the episode "Walk Like a Man," where Christopher is grilling in the backyard, and he asks a simple question of Tony (who is talking to Bobby), and Tony gives him a disgusted look. Afterward, Christopher is so distraught over being shunned, and ends up killing JT Dolan for angering him at the wrong time.