I thought I read David chase read a review or heard alot of criticism of the show saying the show wasn't violent enough...so he proceeded to go more violent ..needless violence kinda just to troll the critics on "is this really what you want" type shyt.
(Ralph and tracie...paulie/Chris and the waiter).
Man, this show is crazy fascinating because each season is like its own personality type. Reading your post made me recall just how much the violence stood out in S3. ‘Employee of the Month’, ‘Another Toothpick’, and ‘University’ back-to-back is not for the faint of heart.
But as dark as the season was, I think it’s also one of the more ridiculous ones. The opening FBI surveillance bit, Jackie “You know who my father was?”
Jr. walking into Vesuvios with them sunglasses on, and the shenanigans that occur in Pine Barrens immediately spring to mind.
The cartoonish aspects are actually part of the reason why it’s so easy for me to rewatch though despite stuff like Melfi’s rape and Gloria’s mental illness sharing spotlight within the same season.
I recall initially hailing 3 as the best ever and suffering from whiplash by how much of a slow-burn the fourth season was in comparison. Now I fukkin’ love S4. It felt like the point where the writing really starts to embrace its subtleties more and transform into a deeper show. ‘Whitecaps’ and ‘Whoever Did This’ are incredible episodes that stand pat in my Top 10.