User Reviews

Carmela's ironic understated assessment of the ill-fated coupling of Richie and Janice still gives me chills as "I Saved the World Today" rises in the background. Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Given the arc of this season, it was the perfect conclusion.

The sad part is that Ritchie never got a chance to re-discover the true value of fresh produce. I never thought about Richie hitting Janice before marriage and how it parallels his scene with Christopher earlier in the season. Also worth noting Junior warned Richie about Janice in a previous episode, when he told the story of how she stole $20 from his wallet as a child. Richie brushed it off, kept his full attention on Tony, and never saw this coming. I always hated the scene of Livia laughing at Tony when he fell down the stairs. It's such a minor thing compared to other things she's done to her son but it really made me detest her even more and sympathize with Tony. Gotta say David Proval aka Richie Aprile, damn good actor he got everyone to hate him quickly. Best scene was Janice killing Richie with a mouthful of Ziti. Richie was also one of my favorite villains as well. In a way I liked him little bit . I love the acting by Edie in that last scene, from the realization that Richie is gone to her informing Tony she's going to Rome. Just the look on her face is priceless. Great acting between them. One thing you also could've picked up on was Tony standing up to his mother and defending Janice when he does the whole 'what chance did she have?' speech. I thought that was very powerful.

As Richie and Janice plan their wedding, the earliest concern is the expense of a Plan B in case it rains on the day of their sacred union.

Meanwhile, seeking a free hand to deal drugs as he sees fit, Richie steams ahead with machinations to "remove" his pending brother-in-law.

Meanwhile, Tony is dealing with the headaches of ditching his volatile Russian Goomah - but in a caring way.

Finally, Pussy starts seeing himself as an FBI associate as he wrestles with the need to change his life and betray Tony, his associates and his mob vows.

All these elements get mixed beautifully in Season 2's fabulous penultimate episode. Sure, the hour has its big moment when Janice practices SIG-Sauer Automatic therapy to deal with Ritchie's physical abuse.

But we also get a ton of memorable scenes. Sil giving 75 Grand and roll-with-it life counseling to distraught Irinia. Junior displaying the role of strategic thinker when deciding to choose either Ritchie or his nephew. Tony confronting his mother's pathologies for the last time - and professionally helping his sister "correct" her little mess.

Lastly, there's the wonderful capper when Tony returns home exhausted from dealing with the Ritchie Resolution only to have to bring Carmela up to speed on Janice's departure and Ritchie's disappearance. In a series with many exceptional episodes, this one is right up there.

Richie and Janice are getting engaged. But he is causing trouble. HE wants Junior to make another hit on Tony, only this time Junior tells it to Tony. He is thinking of getting rid of Richie, but he doesn't have to as Janice kills him herself. Tony also breaks up with his mistress and has to deal with her wanting to kill herself.

An excellent episode. First of all, Richie's death was great. I liked the character and am sad that he is gone.But it was done greatly. I only saw what is coming when he hit Janice, then I could see in her eyes that he is a goner. Which speaks for great acting on her part. But before that I wouldn't have said that this is the way he will be gone.

The story about the mistress was fun. The character wasn't very big to miss, but she always brought some comic relief. Here we have it again, with the shrink issue, including the Romanian one whom she wouldn't talk to because of some national issues.

After the relative calm of House Arrest, violence bursts in all its glory in the two-part season finale, of which The Knight in White Satin Armor constitutes the first half.

The screenplay focuses on two conflicting images: one couple forming, the other disrupting. In the left corner we have Richie Aprile (David Proval) and Janice Soprano (Aida Turturro), soon to be married despite general consensus nothing good can derive from their union (even Janice has her doubts, especially when it comes to Richie's bizarre sexual habits); in the right corner we have Tony and his Russian mistress Irina who, after learning the fat mobster is dumping her for good, threatens to kill herself and aims to keep that promise in a desperate attempt to win her man back. Death is also on the line in another context, as Richie keeps pressuring Junior to allow a new hit on Tony. However, it will ultimately be Richie himself who gets in trouble because of his extreme behavior, though not at the hands of who you might expect.

Apart from the opposite views on couples, Episode 12 of the second season deals prominently with the theme of trust, a fact underlined by Tony's comments when Junior tells him he was just pretending to be Richie's ally. In the world of organized crime, allegiances are in short supply, and the brief but very tense encounter between uncle and nephew anticipates the imminent closure of the subplot concerning Pussy's dubious activities.

But most of all, this show marks two departures: those of Proval and Turturro. Okay, so the latter returns in Season 3, Episode 2, but seeing her leave New Jersey to sort things out is a gripping moment. As for Proval, well, it was obvious he wouldn't last long (although James Gandolfini wanted Richie to live for at least another season), and it's equally evident the writers have the power to clip any character they please, but hey, he remains one of the serial's most charismatic presences. Oh, and his exit is just like his entrance: unforeseen, unstoppable and arbitrarily bloody. Magnificent.

Richie and Janice announce their engagement, to Tony's dismay. Tony breaks it off with Irina, which results in disastrous consequences. Richie, pressured by Janice, pushes Junior on okaying another hit on Tony. This makes Junior finally realize what he must do. And Richie learns the hard way what happens when you cross Janice. A great episode. It also is a farewell of sorts to Janice and Richie, two of my favorite "Sopranos" bad guys. Irina goes through some shocking changes upon being dumped, and Oksana Lada, the Ukrainian-born actress behind this volatile creature, certainly deserved an Emmy nomination. Speaking of a woman scorned, the deliciously desperate Irina will return to wreak further havoc on the Fat Man.

Richie was killed by his fiance (Tony's sister), who goes back to Seattle, Carmela gives Tony grief again, the usual busts are evident by some of the women.