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.
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.