Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood

The Sopranos does have some funny moments, that's undisputed. Most of the time, though, those moments are a brief intermission in an otherwise endless stream of darkness. Not so in the premiere of Season Three, which is probably the single most amusing episode of the show.

Starting where the previous season's finale ended (the execution of Pussy Bonpensiero), Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood sees the FBI nowhere closer to apprehending Tony. One option would be to make Livia testify, but that idea is quickly rejected. At this point, the only way out is to install a bug in the Sopranos' home. Of course, in order to pull that off, they will need a long enough time-frame in which the house is completely empty, with Carmela playing tennis, the housekeeper having lunch with her husband, Meadow studying at Columbia and A.J. doing whatever the hell he does all day. As for Tony, he might be in bigger trouble with Patsy Parisi (Dan Grimaldi) than the feds, since the former is (rightly) convinced the boss had something to do with the whacking of his twin brother.

Even that possible hint of brutality, however, climaxes into a disturbingly funny scene, so grotesque it almost distracts from the main story, which represents a refreshing departure from the show's traditional format: rather than an old-school gangster flick, this episode is a caper à la Ocean's Eleven, the Bureau's operation channeling the lighter spirit of intelligent crime comedies ("Entering the sausage factory" one guy says of Tony's house). Just don't get used to it: starting with Episode 2, it's back to bloody business as usual, so enjoy the fun while it lasts.

The FBI begin a deeper surveillance operation into Tony's life.

This is an entertaining way to set the scene for the third series.

Mr Ruggerio's Neighbourhood shows us Tony's life from the perspective of the FBI and does this in a quite humorous and entertaining way. I love how it portrays the relatable personalities of agents and the voyeurism that goes along with watching people.

The mix of Peter Gunn/Police is excellent and these sequences are brilliantly edited for a strong build up to the great punchline involving Tony's basement.

Appropriately, the ongoing Sopranos theme of the "regularness" of life comes out in the ironic scenes of boring conversation and mundane life captured by the implanted wire.

I enjoyed the banter between Tony's crew at the Bing, with James Gandolfini, Tony Serico, and Stephen Van Zandt on top form.

Not much happens this episode, and what does happen, sadly isn't that interesting and could be summed up with one or two scenes in a different episode

In this episode, we got a different perspective to what we are used to have while watching Sopranos, seeing Tony as an real antagonist to our side. Yeah, in this one, I supported the FBI team 😅 I love the freedom that the crew responsible to Sopranos have to play with music, screening, etc. That's why I love episodes like "Tenesse's Moltisanti" (I think that's the name) and "Funhouse".

I am still watching to the third season and I don't really know any spoilers, but I can tell for these kind of episodes that a lot of awesome things still gonna happen.

When I finish watching, I think I'm gonna lose my friends.

A comic episode. The FBI decides to bug "the sausage factory," otherwise known as the Soprano homestead. This proves difficult, with people coming in and out at all times of the day and night. Tony meanwhile must deal with Patsy, who knows Tony killed Patsy's brother. Soon enough, Patsy is standing in Tony's backyard, with a pistol aimed squarely at Tony's head, who is inside and highly visible through a window. The FBI boys are just yards away, in a panic over what to do. The episode with Artie pointing a rifle at Tony was dark and serious, while this episode is played strictly for laughs (although there is that one moment when you're not sure what's going to happen with Patsy). It's a Keystone Kops delight. To add to the merriment, Carm takes Adriana with her to tennis lessons, only to find her hunky instructor is leaving and a female instructor with eyes only for Adriana is taking over. Plus Tony's water heater blows up. Can't this guy ever catch a break?