A quieter than usual episode, HOUSE ARREST sees Tony spending time behind a desk at his carting company, and he is quickly bored to tears. Junior is under house arrest after some surgery, and quickly becomes frustrated when the not-entirely unattractive widow of an old pal reinserts herself into his life. He struggles with how much he should tell her about his situation. Tony meanwhile pisses and moans to Melfi, to no avail. And she is drinking more than ever, which leads to a dramatic moment in a busy restaurant. Tony attends a carting contractor gala and promptly collapses. after yet another run-in with Richie, who later in the episode makes a sarcastic reference to Junior about Tony's "grand mal" spells. Gandolfini nails the situation when, with nothing to do in his new office, he doodles and then starts picking at a stress-induced rash on his arm. The episode starts out with an amusing bit involving a garbage truck dumping a huge pile of trash in a deli owner's parking lot. Of course, it's not funny to the store owner. A phone conversation between the owner and Richie is not to be missed.
Review of House Arrest
