Army of One

God damn what a finale! This was a rollercoaster of almost everything as the thing we have witnessed and was build up, clash in this amazing set of events!

The core of The Sopranos have alaways been Tony attempting to balance his family life with "the family", and I think this episode shows that more than ever, as Tony clearly struggles with the situation at home, and the situation with the business!

There were some excellent scenes of drama, character and symbolism! So many scenes will stay in your mind as you attempt to figure out their significance!

By the end i could not help get emotional!

Season 3 delivered from beginning to end!

This episode was reelly one of the Top, its really expressed on the value of this brilliant series, actually all the 3 final episodes of this 3 season was great, but what's make me really Related with this final episode is the Final scene The director has expressed a lot through this scene with that high-end music track.

On the other hand, for the first time I saw Tony's weakness, I saw how the problem of his family Iaffected his Authority.

I hope he get back to his strength in the next episodes.

Jackie Jr hides out in the housing projects whilst Tony and Carmela clash over AJ.

This is a powerful and reflective episode with some exceptionally good performances.

It cleverly focuses on the situation involving Jackie and how it impacts Tony's attitude towards his own son. The varying outlooks on how AJ should be brought up are contrasted and portrayed in a number of emotive clashes involving Tony, Carmela, and AJ. These are intelligently written and wonderfully performed.

There is plenty of dark humour and irony. The scenes at Hudson, particularly those with Tobin Bell, are superb. Little touches such as when he talks about discipline, substance abuse and simultaneously lights up a cigarette are excellent.

Another well presented theme is the duality and hypocrisy of people who present a loving, communal face within society but in reality are cold and self serving. This is evident in one great scene involving Meadow that is incredibly well made and superbly acted by Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

Some of the issues are laid on quite thick, but it doesn't take you out of the narrative.

Season 3 is a bleak and compelling experience to put it mildly. We have seen a brutal rape, cold blooded murders, continual lies, parents pushing their children away, scenes of great ambiguity and bland "regularness". In the midst of it have been little rays of hope from characters who see the world for what it is make sound observations and strong ethical decisions. This episode just caps off a fairly cynical take on life by the writers.

For me it's a 9.5/10 but I round upwards.

Another year, another finale, and just like its predecessors, Season 3's epilogue shows no signs of pandering to expectations: it's an adult, tragic tale of retribution, lost hope and much more.

First things first: the fate of Jackie Jr. With his safety completely linked to Ralphie's decision, the poor kid's hours are numbered, and ten minutes into the episode Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli) sticks a bullet in his brains. The murder causes great sorrow, especially when it comes to Meadow, who starts drinking and being rude to everyone. As if that weren't enough, Tony also has to deal with his other heir: A.J. has been expelled from school for stealing a test, and is punished by being sent to a military academy.

Whereas the previous series ended with a major death (Pussy), Army of One gets that detail out of the way immediately, so that it can focus on the effect Jackie's premature demise has on those surrounding him: the funniest scene is arguably the one where Jackie's sister proves a lot smarter than the grown-ups by not believing the drug deal story and insisting her brother was clipped by "some fat f*ck in see-through socks" (pretty much Vito's profile). There is also (unintentional) humor in Anthony's face-to-face with Major Zwingli (Tobin "Jigsaw" Bell), head of the military academy, although the laughs actually make the scene more tense.

The show's biggest victory, however, lies in the perfectly structured final scene: for once (barring the series finale) it looks like one of the seasons ends on a cheerier note than usual (without giving away anything: Dominic Chianese's singing voice is beautiful), while in reality the almost lyrical atmosphere conceals a heap of silent despair. Bravo.

The last 3 episodes of Sopranos S3 are the peak of TV