The Sopranos : Complete HBO Season 3 [1999]

There's tension in Tony's other "family", too, as Christopher finally gets made but then chafes at the extra responsibility, much to Paulie's disgust. In one magnificent episode (directed by Steve Buscemi) the two become stranded in the snow-filled woods overnight where all their mutual resentment boils over even as they both freeze. But Tony's real problems emerge from the Aprile family: Jackie Jnr is becoming a dangerous loose cannon, actively encouraged by his borderline psychotic stepfather Ralphie (a marvellous Joe Pantoliano), whose erratic behaviour threatens to ignite a deadly feud ("He disrespected the Bing", says Tony after punching him). When Jackie Jnr and Meadow become an item, both of Tony's dysfunctional families collide with devastating consequences.

On the DVD: The Sopranos, Series 3 arrives in a neat fold-out four-disc set, with four episodes on a double-sided first disc and three each on the remainder. The contents are an improvement on previous releases, with three separate episode commentaries, which are all informative and worthwhile: costar and sometime writer Michael Imperioli (Christopher) talks us through his own script for "The Telltale Moozadell"; Steve Buscemi appears on his directorial effort, "Pine Barrens"; and series creator David Chase chooses the penultimate episode, "Amour Fou". In addition there's a tiny three-minute backstage featurette. Picture and sound are up to par as ever. --Mark Walker

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, the series deserved every one of the twenty-two Emmy nominations it received in this, its third season. Moreover, James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, as Tony and Carmela Soprano, deservedly won honors as Best Lead Actor and Actress. I have watched the entire third season and am eagerly awaiting the fourth season. I absolutely love this series!


Sopranos is better than films   October 1, 2002
Trapper (Amsterdam Netherlands)
31 out of 34 found this review helpful

The fact that I viewed the third series on my brother's laptop whilst on a two week blitz of the east coast should in no way bias my review of The Sopranos Series III. Indeed, even if it hadn't been viewed on a tiny screen, perched on the edge of numerous motel room beds in Washington, Boston, New York, and - home of The Sopranos themselves - New Jersey, (yes, yes, yes, of course I went on the whistle stop Sopranos tour to pick up the skinny) I would still give the DVD 5 stars. It is quite simply the best thing on telly. Sopranos is better than films.

The third season starts where Big Pussy's execution left us - on a low - Tony's under surveillance from the FBI, Anthony Jr's in bother at school; Meadow's choice in boyfriends stirs strong feelings; Carmela is still feeling guilty and Tony swaps one bunny boiler goomah for another. The death of Tony's mum, the ghostly glimpse of Big Pussy in the mirror and the brutal assault On Dr Melfi cast a dark shadow on proceedings.

There's little relief for Tony at 'work' either. Despite the fortuitous disposal of Richie (it's good to see Janice again), the Aprile family still represent the biggest threat to Tony. Step forward Joe Pantoliano (Bound, The Matrix) as Jackie Jr's wicked stepfather. His erratic and dangerous behaviour (just as scary as Richie), culminating in the murder of one of the 'Bing girls, sparks a feud, which is further fuelled when Jackie Jnr and Meadow become an item.

Christopher finally becomes a made man, but struggles to meet the extra responsibility, much to Paulie's disgust. In one magnificent episode, directed by Steve Buscemi (On the US version I viewed, the pick of the extras were the commentary tracks: including episode directors Dave Chase and Buscemi - I imagine the Europe version is the same) the two become stranded in snow-filled woods and discuss their issues whilst freezing half to death.

I love the writing above all else. Understanding cause and effect. Every single character is believable. The acting is brilliant, the directing fantastic, the soundtrack brilliant again.

Although there isn't as much loose-ends tying at the end of the third series as previously, this only serves to leave this viewer eager for Series IV like never before. Experience has taught me that The Sopranos gets better the more you watch it - my only fear therefore is that IV is screened on terrestrial telly before I've time to re-watch, re-evaluate and re-scrutinise every nuance of the not yet released Series III DVD. Roll on 4/11/02 - mine's pre-ordered.


The Sopranos; the best programme on TV   September 26, 2002
Kevin Smith (Yeovil, Somerset United Kingdom)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

The Sopranos is a compelling and hard hitting series that fascinates the viewer from beginning to end with wondeful characters that in most cases you cannot help but love. The third series carries on from the previous two, but now with the FBI playing a more prominent role in the proceedings. Each episode is very different from the last in the events that happen and the activities that both "families" get up to. With Meadow Soprano at college and an ever growing riff growing between her and Tony due to her relationships, aswell as Anthony Soprano Jnr and the trouble that he faces at school, Tony's professional life often takes a backward stance.
The highlight of the whole series for me however is the episode where Paulie and Christopher are marooned in a freezing snow covered forest, totally isolated from civilisation. That particular episode stood out for me both for entertainment value due to the two characters involved and the diffences between them, and the suspense of what exactly was going to happen to them. It was magical.

The Sopranos is a fantastic series and this DVD set is a must buy for any fan. I can't wait for the next series to come around...


Great Show Poor Packaging   July 13, 2005
11 out of 18 found this review helpful

You can't beat Sopranos for a quality watch. However, SORT OUT THE PACKAGING. Series 1 and 2 was much better in this respect. Having disc 1 as a 2-sided disc without a label just looks out of place. The way the box opens isn't as user friendly and the menus on the disc look like they have had little time spent on them. Especially absent are the episode summaries. Still worth it for the content though. If the above points were addressed I would give it 5 stars as series 1 and 2 a worth.


Genius.....   November 30, 2003
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

...that is all I can say about this masterpiece. The first time I watched an episode of the Sopranos was last year. I bought the season two box set for my brother, not really knowing what the show was like. I'm normally quite sceptical of shows like this from America. They never have the artistic and intellectual integrity of the big screen gangster/ mob films like Godfather Pt.1, Scarface, Mean Streets. However sitting down to watch the first episode of the second series, having seen none of the first, I was blown away.

The great thing about the Soprano's for me, personally, is its pacing. I know this sounds stupid but you'd be surprised how much this matters for a long running show like S'.

Violence and sex appears in nowhere near the explicit and frequent way that you might imagine. But amazingly this makes the stories even better. It honestly becomes so real that you feel you've been living as a gangster for your whole life; Drinking shed loads of black coffee, running extortion rackets, lounging in strip joints, and murdering your colleagues!

However the best thing about the Sopranos has to be the exquisitly played out juxtaposition of Tony Sopranos two families; the MOB and the WIFE and KIDS!! But then again this is the main selling point of the series so this comes as no surprise.

Hope you like. Peace. Dalan