Veteran character actor David Proval ("Mean Streets") joins the cast here as Richie Aprile, the older brother of the late don. Richie has just gotten released from prison after 10 years, and is hellbent on picking up where he left off. (Never mind the changes in the family's structure, this guy wants what he wants and isn't going to be told differently.) Dr. Melfi encounters Tony and his associates in a high-class restaurant and later reproaches herself for her choice of words. And Meadow gets into big trouble when a party is thrown at Livias' old house, and it naturally gets out of control.
Particularly enjoyable are the complicated relationships between Tony & Meadow, and Tony & Dr. Melfi. It's fun to see the looks on Meadows' face as she is fully aware that she actually has the power despite whatever inevitable punishment comes her way. Carmela & Janice really get into it when the latter dares to question the way that Carmela & Tony discipline their children.
While the whole cast is in excellent form, it's the arrival of Richie / Proval that provides the most juice, and the actor does a superb job at creating a character that is going to spell LOTS of trouble for the regular characters. He doesn't even back down when Tony attempts to intimidate him, and goes so far as to cripple a pizzeria chain owner (Paul Herman, "The Irishman") who is supposedly under Tonys' protection. You can see that things are only going to get more interesting from here on in.
It's nice, also, to get a cameo from filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich ("Paper Moon", "The Last Picture Show", etc.) as a colleague of Melfis' to whom she relates her own issues.
Eight out of 10.
Particularly enjoyable are the complicated relationships between Tony & Meadow, and Tony & Dr. Melfi. It's fun to see the looks on Meadows' face as she is fully aware that she actually has the power despite whatever inevitable punishment comes her way. Carmela & Janice really get into it when the latter dares to question the way that Carmela & Tony discipline their children.
While the whole cast is in excellent form, it's the arrival of Richie / Proval that provides the most juice, and the actor does a superb job at creating a character that is going to spell LOTS of trouble for the regular characters. He doesn't even back down when Tony attempts to intimidate him, and goes so far as to cripple a pizzeria chain owner (Paul Herman, "The Irishman") who is supposedly under Tonys' protection. You can see that things are only going to get more interesting from here on in.
It's nice, also, to get a cameo from filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich ("Paper Moon", "The Last Picture Show", etc.) as a colleague of Melfis' to whom she relates her own issues.
Eight out of 10.