Customer Reviews

The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I wouldn't rank this quite as highly as the first two seasons. Some elements that were highlighted became a bit shallow, a bit soap-operaish. But make no mistake this is another great season worthy of the show. If you're going in order you've already seen the first two seasons, and you don't really need any convincing from me that you should see this. I find the last three episodes especially strong, really astonishing, and of those the "Pine Barrens" episode is probably the best and most entertaining of the show's run.

This show is great, but come on, does it really need to be so pricey when it comes out for sale? After all, you only get 4 CD's for this price. HBO has a tendency to boost the price up. If they need to put the price up because of the box set quality (because it is quite nice), well maybe they should look at something a little less costly.

Other than that, this series is quite entertaining and the cast are honestly first-class and credible. If you like any type of mafia movies or shows, this is the one you want to see!

I'm a great fan of the series and have all four seasons on DVD and just finishing watching 5 on HBO. The third season is my favorite by far. Some reasons why:

The introduction of Ralphie Cifaretto to the show (played outstandingly by Joe Pantoliano), the hilarious and well acted Pine Barrens episode, the great chemistry and high drama between Tony Soprano & Gloria Trullo (Anabella Sciorra), and Jason Cerbone as Jackie Aprile (nice plot line involving him and besides he's great eye candy), the return of Janice, Carmella's scene in the male psychiatrist's office when she briefly confronts the reality of her life.

It's just fantastic and like the entire show so far, it's a must see. Although some were disappointed with Season 5 and truthfully it could have been better, the Sopranos continues to be complex and quality TV. It's more than just a mob show, for sure.

If you are looking at this review, you probably already have the first and second season. All I can tell you is that the third season is as good, if not better, than the first and second. This is truly one of the best series ever to have graced the television screen. Leave it to HBO to have come up with such an engaging, well-written, well-acted, and totally addictive series.

There are some major plot developments this season. Starting off slowly, the first episode chronicles the synchronized, often comical efforts of the FBI, which is trying to get an electronic surveillance bug in place in the Soprano's household. The season then heats up considerably from thereon.

Livia Soprano, Tony's wicked mother and a canker in her children's lives, dies, bringing daughter Janice back from where she had fled, after she had bumped off her manic boyfriend, Richie Aprile, last season. Janice returns with a narcoleptic, musician boyfriend who is the antithesis of Richie. As always, Janice likes to stir up trouble, and her mother Livia's wake and funeral services are fertile country for her new machinations and self-importance. When she tries to stir up trouble with Livia's one legged, Russian caregiver, which leaves the caregiver searching for her missing prosthetic leg, however, Janice soon discovers that she has gone too far, and her chickens come home to roost with a vengeance.

Meadow, the Soprano's daughter and eldest child, a college student at Ivy League Columbia University, gets a new boyfriend, Noah Tannenbaum. He is handsome, intelligent, and articulate, and Tony hates him on the spot for reasons the viewer will quickly discern, as Tony pulls no punches with Noah. This will create a certain amount of tension between father and daughter, and an estrangement ensues. When Noah breaks her heart, Jackie Aprile, Jr. is waiting in the wings with her parent's blessing, and Meadow goes from the frying pan into the fire.

Anthony Soprano, Jr., the Sopranos' other angst ridden teenager and youngest child, who has turned out to be an unexpected gridiron wonder, is also sowing his wild oats, getting himself in deep trouble at school, much to his parents' anger and dismay. When Anthony, Jr. continues in this vein, there is a big surprise in store for him, causing him to undergo a major life change. He is not, however, the only Soprano family member to do so.

Tony finds himself head over heels with Gloria, another of Dr. Melfi's patients. A Mercedes car salesperson, Gloria, the new light of Tony's life, is gorgeous, passionate, and a totally loose cannon. She will cause quite a bit of conflict for Tony as their affair heats up, as Gloria likes to fight fire with fire. Gloria has to watch out that she, herself, does not get burned.

Carmela, Tony's long suffering and patient wife, being only human, finds her thoughts increasingly absorbed by Tony's henchman, Furio, the sexy, pony tailed Italian. The problem is that Furio, too, is experiencing deep feelings for Tony's wife, a situation that can only become increasingly dangerous for all concerned. How Furio and Carmela handle their feelings and resolve this potentially dangerous development is of great interest.

Dr. Melfi herself undergoes great personal angst this season, following her violent rape at the hands of a stranger. A very conflicted Dr. Melfi finds herself on the edge of taking a path from which there can be no return. This season also finds Dr. Melfi doing husband/wife tag team counseling with both Tony and Carmela, a venture that provides some comic relief and gives rise to potential conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, Jackie Aprile, Jr., Tony's godson and Meadow's new main squeeze, the deceptively soft spoken and good looking son of the late mob boss, Jackie Aprile, Tony's best friend, is up to no good. Lying through his teeth about everything to everyone, he is misguided by his seriously unstable step-father, mob made man Ralph Cifaretto, who is busy plying both sides of the coin. It seems that Ralph, dissatisfied with the role to which he has been relegated within the family, is doing Tony dirty, going against his wishes at every turn, and the situation with Jackie, Jr. is no exception, a situation that will culminate in heartbreak for all concerned.

Back at the ranch, Tony's other henchmen seem to have their own troubles. Corrado "Uncle Junior" Soprano, the nominal boss of the family, who is kept in check by his nephew Tony, is busy battling cancer and a federal prosecution. Young Christopher Moltisanti, Tony's nephew, gets his long desired promotion, and is told to report to Paulie "Walnuts" Gaultieri. Christopher soon finds out that with Paulie "Walnuts" business is business. Meanwhile, Christopher gets involved in a sideline that bodes ill for him and his fiancee.

When Tony sends a resentful Paulie "Walnuts", accompanied by Christopher, on a mission that should have been that of another, Christopher sees an unexpected side of Paulie. When the mission, involving a member of the Russian mob, goes bad at the hands of an angry Paulie, Christopher discovers that Paulie may not be as stand up a guy as Christopher thought. While this is a terrific episode, very funny in a macabre sort of way, it also cleverly sets up Paulie in a new light for future developments. This particular episode, one of my favorites, is a feather in the cap of actor Stephen Buscemi, who directed it.

These are just some of the highlights of the third season. There is so much more! The writing continues to be intelligent, and the story lines are as well thought out and engrossing as ever. The performances are uniformly stellar. The late, great actress, Nancy Marchand, whose portrayal of the venomous Livia Soprano was a feather in her cap, left a legacy of memories, having died after creating such a memorable character. She will sorely be missed. This third season's attempt to bridge her death and use existing footage and computer effects to create a dialogue between Livia and Tony, however, was misguided, as its effect is a tad ghoulish, as well as disturbing. Nonetheless, I absolutely love this series!

If the last episode of Season Two got you hooked, you're going to be on the edge of your seat for Season Three. The DVD screensaver intro is different than past collections. Special features are also on Disc 1 which leads to cast and filmmakers,series index and DVD-ROM/Weblink. If it has been awile since you've seen Sopranos, it also offers you a Season One and Season Two recap. Actress Nancy Marchand who played "Livia Soprano" died so they used prior footage and also a body double with CGI computerized image of her face to complete the scenes in the second episode (#28) of the Third Season. Tony's psychotherapist is attacked and raped by an Italian (played by Mario Polit) who she thought was Puerto Rican. She tells her husband, but tells everyone else she was in an accident. If you are in the mood for a hilarious episode. Episode #37 (11) is the one. Tony's numbskulls shoot a Commie in the snow-ladden woods. They follow the trail of blood, but no body. They must find the Commie's body. Tony is having a fit. Joe Pantoliano joins the series. Burt Young is in episode #31. The Fourth season of "The Sopranos" is now available on VHS and DVD.

Capice? This is one fine show that NEVER gets old. The Sopranos rock. They plot, they scheme, they love, they fight, they rig things, they steal... What WON'T they do? Turn state's evidence. Wild wild wild show.

Tony's mother has passed on--as has the fine actress who played her, sadly--and he's thinking.. O.k. my biggest irritant is gone, right? I'm done with therapy. Wrong!

Carmella begins to really come into her own in this season and we see more of Melfi. The rape of Dr. Melfi and her susbsequent moral battle--whether to utilize the services of Tony Soprano in righting her personal wrong--was just brilliant. {And, I for one, really wanted her to tell Tony what was going on.. to get that rapist the Adios he deserved. She is a bigger woman than me!}

Paulie and Christopher out in the snow is one of the funniest episodes I've seen. They say the actor who plays Paulie is really fussy about his hair and so for him to walk around for most of an episode with his hair mussed was torturous for him!

Annabella Sciorra makes a nice turn here as Gloria, Tony's mistress de jour. Nice. She and Tony have some heat and she plays her role very well.

Add to that, the misbehavior of Jackie Jr. and the FBI's attempts to wire the home and you have a great season!

As compelling as the first two seasons were, season three is even more compelling, which is at odds with what I'd heard from several different people. Series creator David Chase obviously had to continue and even further improve on the intriguing and suspenseful saga that is the "family" life of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano and he and the rest of the cast and crew did that quite successfully with this particular season.

The entire season is set up quite beautifully with them giving a larger role to the Jackie Aprile Jr. character and them showing what Tony tried to do to keep the kid out of the business and harms way and of course, Joe Pantoliano's role as Ralph is brilliant in the conflict it creates between him and Tony.

Every one of the actors and actresses deserve every award and accolade they've received for their performances in this brilliant season. The ever beautiful Annabella Sciorra makes a very poignant and compelling guest appearance and her acting skills shine through in this role.

I highly recommend not only this third season DVD set but every one that is available; you will be hard pressed to find a more compelling and intriguing series on television today that covers the material that the Sopranos does with such ease.

Episode recaps:

Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood - I truly enjoy how they begin every season with Tony walking down his driveway to get the paper and looking "around." In this brilliantly written season opener, FBI Agent Harris concocts a bold scheme to get a bug in Tony's basement where he holds "private" business meetings.

Proshai, Livushka - Tony no longer has to worry about his mother ratting him out with the Feds when she passes away and the shows creators come up with a digital masterpiece to give Tony and Livia one final scene; meanwhile, Tony meets Meadow's new boyfriend from college and is not exactly pleased with his heritage.

Fortunate Son - Christopher soon discovers that being a "made" guy isn't all it's cracked up to be as finds himself behind in payments to Paulie plus he allows Jackie Aprile Jr. to help him on a heist which doesn't exactly make Tony happy; Janice moves into Livia's house and immediately has a problem with the Russian housekeeper; Anthony discovers some leadership skills and something "else" on the football field.

Employee of the Month - Ralph Cifaretto is starting to become a major problem for Tony; Dr. Melfi faces a major personal crisis which makes you wish she'd chosen differently at the end of the episode; Svetlana calls on the Russian mob to help with her conflict with Janice and Tony cannot help but wonder why Johnny Sack has moved to Jersey.

Another Toothpick - Bobby Baccilieri Sr. comes out of retirement to make a hit against the wishes of his son and Junior; Christopher insists that Adrianna quits her job at Arties restaurant and Arties finds he must confront his feelings between both Adrianna and his wife Charmaine and Carmela is now taking a more active role in Tony's therapy.

University - Ralph's behavior comes into even further question by Tony when Ralph has a volatile relationship with one of the strippers from Bada Bing; Meadow and Noah's relationship becomes strained due to her mentally instable roommate.

Second Opinion - Tony convinces Junior to seek a second opinion; Carmela sees a different shrink and Christopher finds himself being even further humiliated at the hands of Paulie and his probationary period.

He is Risen - Tony and Ralph's relationship becomes even further strained despite Johnny's "efforts" but Ralph's luck is about to change; Jackie Jr. and Meadow become involved, much to Tony's pleasure and Tony meets Gloria (Annabella Sciorra) at Dr. Melfi's office.

The Telltale Moozadell - Tony meets Gloria at the Mercedes dealership and their relationship becomes a lot more interesting; Christopher gives Adrianna a night club; Anthony Jr. gets into some serious trouble at school and Tony has a serious conversation with Jackie Jr. about his relationship with Meadow.

...To Save us All from Satan's Power... - Tony is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past; Janice has a new boyfriend and a music "career" and Furio and Tony pay a surprise visit upon a Russian who roughed up Janice.

Pine Barrens - This episode has to be one of the most hilarious episodes of the entire series as Paulie and Christopher go to collect from a Russian and Paulie's mouth sets off the Russian and they "whack" him and take him to the woods but soon find out he's not dead and they end up lost in the woods; Tony's relationship with Gloria takes a very unexpected turn for him.

Amour Fou - Ralph tells Jackie Jr. about how his father became a made guy and Jackie Jr. decides to attempt to follow in his fathers' footsteps and everything falls apart for him and Tony discovers that his relationship with Gloria is very similar to that which he had with his mother.

The Army of One - Tony begins to seriously reconsider his practices as the head of two families; Anthony Jr. gets himself expelled from school and Tony tries to send him to a military school; Jackie Junior's attempt to become a made guy puts him at odds with the business and Meadow is forced to reflect upon life and death in the Soprano family at his funeral. {ssintrepid}

Episode list:

Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood
Proshai, Livushka
Fortunate Son
Employee of the Month
Another Toothpick
University
Second Opinion
He is Risen
The Telltale Moozadell
...To Save us All from Satan's Power...
Pine Barrens
Amour Fou
The Army of One

Special Features:

-Episode commentaries by Michael Imperioli, Steve Buscemi and David Chase
-Behind the Scenes Featurette
-Episodic and season recaps and previews

Pine Barrens is a must... Gotta love Paulie and Christopher wandering through the woods... And you get Jackie Junior, Furio, The Christopher hit, it's too good to pass up... A definite must for any Sopranos fan

This is one very entertaining show. Like Ozzie and Harriet only they kill people. The characters are all bad guys but you like 'em anyway.

These bottom feeders are not the brothers I know. They give love a bad name.