Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood

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“Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood”
The Sopranos episode
Episode no. Season 3
Episode 27
Written by David Chase
Directed by Allen Coulter
Guest stars see below
Production no. 302 (3-1)
Original airdate March 4, 2001 (HBO)
Episode chronology
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"Funhouse" "Proshai, Livushka"
Episode chronology

"Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood" is the twenty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and was the first of the show's third season. It was written by David Chase, directed by Allen Coulter and originally aired on Sunday March 4, 2001.

Contents

[edit] Guest starring roles

[edit] Episode recap

After the FBI loses another informant, Agent Skip Lipari recalls that Tony takes his associates down to his basement to discuss private matters. If the FBI were to obtain a search warrant, they would be able to maintain a high level of surveillance on the Soprano home. Chief Frank Cubitoso and Agent Harris go to obtain the court order but are warned by the judge not to linger there for too long. The FBI discover a one hour and forty-five minute period each Tuesday when nobody is home. When the Sopranos leave for their activities on Tuesday and the maid goes to English lessons and a picnic with her husband, the FBI then "breaks into" the Soprano home to look around. They discover in the basement a lamp which could serve as a decoy for a hidden microphone. They then hurry and plan to come back the following Tuesday to plant the device. However, the Sopranos as well as the FBI are soon shocked when their water heater explodes and the basement is flooded. They are then forced to gather old relics and boxes before they are destroyed by the water. Tony then calls on his plumber, Mr. Ruggerio to ask him to fix the mess. The following week, after the water heater is fixed and the basement was put back in order, the FBI agents plant the new lamp and quickly leave before the maid arrives back from lunch.

Meanwhile, Meadow is adjusting to life at Columbia University where she meets her very energetic but homesick roommate, Caitlin Rucker. A.J. is cutting classes to smoke cigarettes with friends. Carmela begins taking tennis lessons with Adriana La Cerva. She is soon upset when she discovers the coach she had expected is moving away and has been replaced with a woman who has more of an interest in Adriana.

Tony is still running his crew and is concerned about a possible garbage war involving his company, Barone Sanitation. He then gathers with his friends at Satriale's where he finds a still-distraught Patsy Parisi mourning over his deceased twin brother. Tony acts as if he does not know what actually happened, but Patsy suspects Tony had something to do with it. The following day while the FBI watches, a drunken Patsy aims a gun at Tony from his pool patio. However, he then puts the gun down and urinates in the pool instead.

[edit] Title reference

  • Mr. Ruggerio is Tony's neighborhood plumber.
  • Like Tony in this episode, real-life Mafioso Angelo Ruggiero had his house bugged by the FBI, yielding crucial evidence that led to the indictment of John Gotti.
  • The title is also a reference to the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

[edit] Production

  • Although this episode aired first in season three, "Proshai, Livushka" was the first to be shot.
  • The episode was part one of a two-hour season premiere when it originally aired in 2001.
  • Federico Castelluccio (Furio Giunta) is now billed in the opening credits as part of the main cast, but only in episodes in which he appears.
  • First episode in which Nancy Marchand (Livia Soprano) is not billed in the opening credits.
  • FBI Codenames for the Sopranos: Tony - Papa Bing; Carmela - Mrs. Bing; Meadow - Princess Bing; A.J. - Baby Bing
  • Two plot point goofs regarding the lamp: (1) The lamp was only photographed on one side, leaving the backside unknown for the aging process; (2) When the FBI plants the lamp, the power cord barely reaches the outlet -- however, the FBI had just moved the table *closer* to the outlet, meaning that the original lamp couldn't reach the outlet at all.

[edit] Music

  • The episode features the "Peter Gunn Theme" (by Henry Mancini) and "Every Breath You Take" (by The Police) mashed up by Kathryn Dayak from HBO.
  • Elvis Costello's "High Fidelity" plays at the very end of the episode, as Tony and Carmela converse in front of the bugged lamp.
  • While driving, Tony sings along with Steely Dan's "Dirty Work." This is likely an ironic reference to his own illegal business practices.
  • In the dormitory, when Caitlyn is telling Meadow about the man on the train, "Van Gogh" by Ras Kass is being played in the hallway.
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