The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season: Disc 2

Released 2001
Starring James Gandolfini, Dominic Chianese, Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Lorraine Bracco, Robert Iler, Steve Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Joe Pantoliano
Directed by Allen Coulter, Tim Van Patten, Henry J. Bronchtein, John Patterson

Please note that this is volume 2 of a 4 disc set. For the conclusion of this feature, you will need to rent The Sopranos: The Complete Second Season: Discs 1, 3 and 4.

Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) has two families to care for … and one of them is the New Jersey mob. No wonder he's consulting a psychiatrist for anxiety attacks! Even more brilliant than the first two seasons, this Complete Third Season of the Emmy Award-winning HBO series offers thought-provoking story lines that introduce new characters and see old characters irrevocably changed. Disc 2 of 4.

This disc contains the following episodes:

Episode 31: Another Toothpick

Things start off violently in this episode when Bryan Spatafore, (Vincent Orofino) cousin to Jackie Aprile Jr is the victim of an unprovoked attack at the hands of a fella named: Mustang Sally (Brian Tarantina). To make a long story short, Mustang Sally decided to treat Bryan's head to the same level of respect as the welcome mat of a golf course. Needless to say, he’s injured severely and Tony gives Gigi, the new captain of Aprile crew the go-ahead to deal with this situation however he sees fit.

Gigi (John Fiore) decides to pull an elderly hit man, dying from lung cancer out of retirement to deal with Mustang Sally. The only problem is, Junior Soprano, (Dominic Chianese) who is essentially the real boss of the entire family, even above Tony, doesn’t want the man used for the job. Will Tony go over Uncle Junior's head? After all, what can Uncle Junior do about it? He’s been under house arrest since last season.

While traveling home with his wife, Tony is pulled over for speeding and is issued a ticket from an over-zealous policeman (Charles S. Dutton). When bribery doesn’t work Tony decides to use his connections in government to get the ticket squashed. This also results in the policeman being transferred off the streets. While this little side story has very little resonance in future episodes, it serves to show you the extent of Tony’s power and how his political affiliations, like his mob connections can make him nearly untouchable.

In conclusion, things take an unknown turn in Tony’s favour when his daughter Meadow, inadvertently frees him from the clutches of the F.B.I. wiretap.

Episode 32: University

One day Tony's sitting in the Bada Bing when one of the dancers approaches him. Her name's Tracee and she's baked him a loaf of date bread, a thank you for some advice he gave her about her son. Taken aback, Tony explains - gently but firmly - that her gift is inappropriate. "What we have is an employer/employee relationship," he tells her. Silvio is more direct. "Let's go, Betty Crocker," he says as he shoos Tracee away from the Boss. What's with this girl? She's a twenty-year-old mother who dances naked for a living, but she acts like some kind of Brady Bunch wannabe. Case in point, Tracee borrows three G's from Silvio - for braces, of all things. "Usually it's fake tits they want," Silvio shrugs. And despite Tony's clarification of their relationship, Tracee still follows him around, asking "to be friends." But Tony has enough trouble figuring out how to be a father to his own flesh and blood daughter; he can't play papa for an emotionally needy pole dancer, too.

Currently, however, the flesh and blood daughter won't give Tony the time of day. Meadow is still seeing Noah; in fact, their relationship has escalated to a level requiring condoms. Fortunately, Tony is unaware of this new development. But when Carmela asks Meadow whether she's in love with Noah, she cryptically replies, "At this point, I'd better be." It might be better if she weren't. Because not long after that, while Meadow and Noah are studying in the library, he casually breaks up with her. "You're too negative," he informs her, and goes back to his book. Meadow takes the news calmly, but then shows up at home, slamming doors and spewing invective at everyone who crosses her path.

Meanwhile, Tracee is MIA from the Bada Bing. It turns out that she's pregnant and the father is none other than Ralph Cifaretto. For three days she's been holed up in Ralph's apartment, plying him with Fresca, cocaine and Pop Tarts in an attempt to demonstrate her homemaking skills. But when Silvio shows up to drag her - by her hair - back to the Bada Bing, Ralph only stands by and laughs. Later, at a party at the Bing, Tracee retaliates by insulting Ralph in front of a roomful of made guys - including his immediate superior, Gigi. Then she goes outside for a cigarette, with Ralph right behind her. Seemingly contrite, Ralph assures Tracee that he wants to raise their child. But then he drops the act and tells her that if the baby's a girl, "she can grow up to be a cock-sucking slob like her mother." Hurt and furious, Tracee makes a few swipes at Ralph, who takes it in stride - until she draws blood. In a brutally thorough beating, Ralph hammers Tracee with his fists and then rejoins the party, leaving her lifeless body in the parking lot.

Inside, Ralph tells everyone that Tracee "slipped." But when Tony sees her, his order is simple: "Go get him." When Ralph emerges, Tony backs him against a fence and puts it on the line, "You disrespect this place...you don't think...that's the reason you were passed over." At this point, Ralph's smartest move would have been to keep his mouth shut. But Ralph, ever the wiseass, looks Tony directly in the eye and says: "Is it my fault she's a clutz?" And that's when Tony does something no made guy is ever supposed to do to another made guy. He hits him. And hits him. And hits him - launching Ralph into the chain link and leaves him spitting blood. Should Tony have restrained himself? With characteristic understatement Paulie assures his Boss: "He was way out of line."

Episode 33: Second Opinion

"SOPRANO WINS FREEDOM, INDICTS NEPHEW - STAR WITNESS WEDS ANGIE DICKINSON"

Is that headline for real? Did Junior actually rat Tony out and hook up with Police Woman? No, no and not in this universe. But while undergoing surgery for his stomach cancer, Junior did have some very interesting dreams. In addition to the nuptials, the FBI offered him a complete cure for his cancer - if he'd testify against Tony. And where was Tony while Junior's subconscious was ratting him out? He was dutifully sitting in the waiting room - with Bobby Bacala and three of Junior's cardigan-wearing cronies - worried sick. Thankfully, Junior comes through the operation with flying colors. According to his surgeon, Dr. John Kennedy, "The news is all good." Tony is grateful, but when he tries to express that gratitude to the good doctor, he's administered a big dose of atttitude: Kennedy barely listens to him and walks away.

But who's got time to worry about some snotty surgeon? Tony's got human resource issues demanding his attention. Paulie's breaking the world's record for breaking Christopher's balls: he loses money to Christopher playing pool, then refuses to pay up. Then he made Christopher strip naked to prove he's not wearing a wire. And to top it off, he showed up at Christopher and Adriana's apartment at two A.M. to search for money he thinks Christopher is holding out on him. In addition to the inter-staff squabbles, Tony also has to deal with Angie Bonpensiero. Since Pussy's disappearance, Angie has been receiving a stipend from Tony; lately she's been hinting she needs more. She claims Cocoa, her osteoporotic French poodle, needs an operation, to the tune of $1,200. But when Tony goes to see Angie he finds her with a healthy-looking Cocoa and a brand new Cadillac. After taking a baseball bat to the Cadillac's windshield, Tony warns Angie against any further shakedown attempts: "Think of that fat fuck husband of yours and what he did to you. Not me, him."

It sounds like Tony still has some Pussy issues to work out. Unfortunately, he's been skipping therapy. When Carmela goes to the session alone, Dr. Melfi can't help but notice that Carmela is seriously depressed. Melfi would like to help Carmela, but tells her, "... your husband is my patient." So she refers Carmela to a colleague, Dr. Sig Krakower. Carmela sees Dr. Krakower, expecting him to advise her on how to cope with Tony. But Krakower's advice regarding Tony is as unexpected as it is blunt: leave him. "You'll never be able to feel good about yourself," Krakower tells her, "never be able to quell the feelings of guilt and shame...as long as you're his accomplice." While Carmela sits in stunned silence, Krakower adds for good measure, "One thing you can never say ...that you haven't been told."

And now Junior's not feeling so great either. It turns out that Dr. Kennedy may not have gotten all of the tumor. But before his uncle submits to the knife again, Tony insists he get a second opinion. Immediately suspicious of his nephew's motives, Junior wonders whether Tony just wants him to have whatever treatment will get him out of the way sooner. But he reluctantly agrees and ends up having chemotherapy. Despite this, Junior still worships Dr. Kennedy, telling Tony, "He has the hands of an angel. And don't forget his name." Tony takes a more jaundiced view of Junior's hero: "All the Micks named their kids that after he was killed." Nonetheless, Junior keeps trying to contact Kennedy, even though the heavenly-handed doctor won't return his - or Tony's - calls. Annoyed, Tony has Furio assist him in persuading the doctor to be more attentive. To Junior's delight, Dr. Kennedy soon pays him a personal visit and even gives him his home phone number. So now that he's been assured he's getting the right treatment, Junior ought to be able to sleep at night. The question is, when he does, will he have the dream about Angie Dickinson... or the one where he hands Tony to the Feds?

Summary from http://www.hbo.com/sopranos

I know one of the reasons this series is so successful is its blending of Tony's mob life with his family life, but I wish they'd spend less time on Meadow. Jamie-Lynn Sigler isn't a very good actress, and Meadow isn't an interesting character. Fortunately they don't spend too much time on her, and they move on to the violence. There are some brutal beatings on this disc, but not the ones I was hoping for. Ralphie gets smacked around a bit, and obviously something big will come out of that. He's such a fun character, but beating dim-witted Tracee to death has firmly set him as a villain. He'll be getting his comeuppance sometime, but I don't think it will be this season. I think he might be going over to the New York mobster who's moved into Tony's neighborhood. Just a thought... --Bill Alward, October 13, 2002