By its third season, The Sopranos has pretty much become a massive hit. David Chase could do whatever he want by now, and he knew it. As a result, we got what is easily the ballsiest, darkest, and cruelest season of the whole show. At its best, we get some of the most iconic and classic episodes and moments, even if it comes close to being a bit too much.
In terms of its central storyline, Season 3 is probably one of the weaker seasons. I think it's because the actress for Livia died early on in the season's production, so there wasn't really a main villain due to all the reshuffling involved. The two closest things we had were Jackie and Ralph. Jackie, Richie's son and Meadow's boyfriend, was an alright antagonist, and I did really like how he ended up getting himself killed through his own ambition. But I especially love Ralph and his tension with Tony, even if things don't come to a head with him until Season 4. Above anything, though, I think the main focus of this season is on Tony's children, Meadow and AJ, who get a lot of screentime here. I actually really like Meadow, as the season builds up to her denouncing the mafia and her family as a whole in the season finale. However, there is one subplot that I didn't like at all, and that's Tony's new relationship with Gloria. While it has some funny moments, I ended up finding Gloria incredibly annoying more often than not, and I was relieved when she and Tony broke up. So if the main storyline of Season 3 isn't anything to write home about, why did I end up enjoying it as much as I did?
While I said Season 2 was experimental, even that's child's play compared to this season. When the season starts with a premiere entirely focused on the FBI rather than the main cast, that's how you know Chase is taking a lot of risks with this one. Season 3 is darker, gorier, and weirder. There are some genuinely cruel plot directions like Melfi's rape and Ralph killing the pole dancer, and apparently when this season aired, it went so far that some people dropped out of the show entirely! As for me, I liked most of these experiments. Another Toothpick's gory finale, University's cruel ending, Pine Barrens's odd comedic tone, this season left me horrified and hooked in equal measures. However, not everything worked out. I'll elaborate more on the rape episode down below, but Livia's death was a particular low point since the attempt at recreating her actress with CGI looked absolutely awful. But while not everything worked, I was never bored. The willingness to experiment with structure, tone, and expectations resulted in some of the strongest and most iconic episodes in the series. So while it might not have been as well-structured as Season 2, I found this season to be far more enjoyable.
Similarly to Season 2, Season 3's best episodes rank as some of the greatest in the entire series:
Another Toothpick: I love this episode so much. While the episode prior put me off, Another Toothpick drew me back in from the masterful opening scene where Tony and Carmella go to therapy together. But while the many subplots like Junior learning he has cancer and Meadow unintentionally stopping an FBI plot were good on their own, the best part of this episode is Bobby Sr's last job, culminating in the show's goriest fight and a shocking death.
Pine Barrens: Look, I don't think this is one of the great television episodes of all time. I don't even think it's the best episode of the show (that comes later). But Pine Barrens is definitely a brilliant, standout Sopranos episode because it takes a turn to an offbeat comedy. The dynamic between Chris and Paulie, the sheer relentlessness of that Russian, one of Gloria's few genuinely amazing moments, even Bobby's goofy jacket, there are so many memorable moments and lines that show that if Sopranos took a more comedic tone, it probably could have still been as beloved as it is today.
Army Of One: Apparently, this is a pretty underwhelming denouement for a lot of people, which I kinda get? Jackie's death is anticlimactic, for sure, but it still hits hard as a foregone conclusion that looms over a lot of the episode. But the real highlights are those little character moments that set up Season 4, like Adriana being forced to report to the FBI, Paulie getting frustrated with Tony and defecting, AJ having a panic attack, and best of all, Meadow running out on her family. A lot more happens in this episode than it initially seems, and I found it to be a very satisfying finale.
In addition, there is one episode in particular that I didn't quite enjoy:
Employee Of The Month: Okay, look, there are some things in this episode I liked. I liked that Melfi finally got a focus episode, I like the concept of Melfi being drawn to use Tony to solve her problems, and I even thought that abrupt ending was genius. However, I despise it when rape is used as shock value, especially given how sickening it is to watch here. And given how Melfi's rape is rarely mentioned again and given how University aired just two episodes after, it doesn't feel like it was meant as an important character, it feels like an episode meant to shock the viewer. Employee Of The Month isn't an episode about rape, it's an episode about how Melfi pretty much has access to the mafia, and it chooses to do so in one of the most shocking and exploitative ways a TV show can.
Overall, not everything Season 3 works for me, not all of its experiments pay off, but I admire its guts. This season is cruel, surprising, unpredictable, and it demonstrates just how much the show is willing to (and can) get away with. Even with three seasons left, The Sopranos never quite managed to top this season in sheer gutsiness.
4/5 Stars
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