SPOILER WARNING!
Season three of The Sopranos picks up not far after the conclusion of its predecessor–and based on the way things played out in season two, season three promised to be the most exciting to date. With Pussy (Vincent Pastore) out of the picture and the FBI struggling to find a new informant to follow Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his family, they bug his house with the hopes of finding anything to pin on him. The usual gang is back in action–from Paulie (Tony Sirico) to Christopher (Michael Imperioli), things seem to be as close to normal as possible for Tony’s crew, but danger is always lurking around the corner for the titular anti-hero. With new faces in town, seemingly here to stay, life will become even more wild for this series of popular individuals. Will Tony come out on top again, or has he met his match?
I have to be honest, I am so incredibly disappointed with the third season of The Sopranos. My biggest issue stems from the slew of characters present throughout the season. Prior to season three, even when characters appeared to lack development or possessed some character flaws, the majority of the characters either had redeeming qualities or promised to progress in the future. Characters such as Christopher, Paulie, Meadow (Jamie-Lyn Sigler), A.J. (Robert Iler), Carmela (Edie Falco), and Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) have their ups and downs to this point in the series, but season three finds them each on an entirely new trajectory–one that I cannot stand. I’m not saying that characters shouldn’t change, or their journeys shouldn’t find trouble–but the reality of this season is that each one of these characters transitions in unfavorable ways. I hate the fact that characters that I have become attached to changed in such a way–and this fact alone was enough to frustrate me throughout the course of season three.
Beyond the characters that viewers were already familiar with, new characters such as Jackie Aprile Jr. (Jason Cerbone), Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), Noah Tannenbaum (Patrick Tully), and Gloria Trillo (Annabella Sciorra) come into play–and my reaction to these four is nothing but negative. I understand that the purpose of these characters is to introduce trouble for the show’s protagonists, but all that it does is make it difficult for viewers to appreciate the season. Again, the characters, new and old, follow a path of frustration for viewers–and they pull viewers down a seemingly never ending hole of hell with them.
Through the first nine episodes of the season I had little to no hope regarding how season three of The Sopranos would conclude. I expected more, less-than-adequate additions to the narrative and a series of asinine decisions made by the characters of season three. However, even though each and every one of the aforementioned characters continued to infuriate me, episode ten, To Save Us All From Satan’s Power, managed to save the season. I know that The Sopranos isn’t necessarily about fun, but To Save Us All From Satan’s Power is a tremendously fun episode full of subtle and outright comedy that keeps viewers on edge from beginning to end. From this point forward–and, again, the characters still frustrate me to no end–season three of The Sopranos is far more entertaining than the first three-quarters. The narrative becomes more interesting, and the season begins to materialize into something far more enjoyable than it had been up to this point.
There are moments throughout the course of The Sopranos season three that I hated Tony, and Carmela was as frustrating as anyone else throughout the season as well, but the couple, full of turmoil, does something for viewers. I never doubted what I had, but I found myself, over and over again, being reminded of the wonderful life that I have, and even better, of my perfect wife. There’s always been some sort of message present throughout The Sopranos, but this was the most prominent to date. Writers like David Chase and Frank Renzulli firmly grasp this idea and they express to viewers that it’s important to appreciate what you have–because someone, somewhere has it far worse. Including a relevant, and fully accessible message throughout the narrative of season three is welcoming, and a big reason why the season, as a whole, doesn’t fail.
It’s no surprise that based on all you’ve just read that season three of The Sopranos is my least favorite at this point. The story develops far more slowly than the previous two seasons, and the list of pain-in-the-ass characters seems to go on forever. These characters ruined much of season three and made it incredibly difficult for me to appreciate many of the more exciting aspects. With all of that being said, however, as the season began to come to a steady close, the final four episodes saved the day and promised something better for the future of the show. I can’t be sure that things will play out as well as those episodes promise–but with the conclusion of season three I’m optimistic for season four.
Directed by Allen Coulter, Tim Van Patten, Henry J. Bronchtein, John Patterson, Jack Bender, Dan Attias, & Steve Buschemi.
Written by David Chase, Todd A. Kessler, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Terence Winter, Salvatore J. Stabile, Lawrence Konner, Michael Imperioli, Tim Van Patten, & Frank Renzulli.
Starring James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea de Matteo, Federico Castelluccio, Lorraine Bracco, Dominic Chianese, Aida Turturro, John Ventimiglia, Steve Schirripa, Kathrine Narducci, Nancy Marchand, Joe Pantoliano, Jason Cerbone, Patrick Tully, Annabella Sciorra, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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