Even after it came to an abrupt end in 2007, audiences still won't stop believing that The Sopranos is one of (if not the) best series on TV. on best TV show) ever made. The story of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) struggling to serve as the head of two very different families is still the standard that so many shows hope to match thanks to his incredible performances and writing (as other shows would kill to replicate it). But which one season on "The Sopranos" stands higher than the rest? Well, according to Rotten tomatoesthere is one particular chapter in Tony's life of guns, gangsters and goons that reigns supreme and currently has a perfect 100% critic rating on the aggregator website.

Forget the closer Season 6 or Season 4 (which shows the collapse of Tony's marriage), it's Season 3 that, per RT, has walked away without a hitch. Filled with dead bodies and characters making tough choices that have audiences screaming at the television, season three also hosts an episode that any Sopranos fan worth their frozen mustard would agree is one of the greatest hours in the history of television. Yes, this is going to be another article that has a lot of praise for "Pine Barrens," but there are a few more Season 3 entries that deserve honorable mentions.

By the start of season three, The Sopranos has fully hit its stride, bringing in even more players—all of them looking for their own slice of New Jersey—to cause trouble both outside and inside Tony's criminal empire, even if it means having to taking out their boss in the process. The third season also begins with the death of Livia Soprano (due to the unexpected death of Nancy Marchand) in episode 2, "Pray, Livushka", setting the stage for the late Soprano matriarch to haunt her son mentally for years to come.

Anyway, let's just get this straight: "Pine Barrens" is not only the most important and major event of Season 3, but it's also a game-changing episode in its own right. Considered by some to be a bottle episode, directed by Steve Buscemi, the episode sees Tony trying to put out the fire left by Christopher (Michael Imperioli) and Pauly (Tony Sirico) after they meet a former Russian soldier and they will find themselves. stuck in the titular frozen spot. Hilarious in places thanks to the constant bickering between Tony's incompetent captains, "Pine Barrens" marks a sea change in the perspective of a boss he can trust. It's also one of the first episodes to leave questions for viewers to answer, like whatever happened to the Russian which Polly considered an "interior decorator."

With that being said, there's one more season three episode that deserves a shout-out, even if her primary focus is wanting to say nothing about it all (as much as we want her to).

While "Pine Barrens" may regularly be billed as the best The Sopranos has to offer, "Employee of the Month" is perhaps one of the show's darkest yet equally brilliant episodes — one that highlights the blurred lines between life at its best. to Tony and those associated with him, whether they like it or not. Indeed, this is the episode that sees mob boss therapist Dr. Melfi (Lauren Bracco) sexually assaulted by an unknown assailant and struggles to not only move on from the horrific incident, but to settle on the best path for his solving.

Brilliant proof of what she does one of the best characters in the sopranos This episode sees Melfi doing whatever it takes to keep his moral compass (what Braco was looking for)though both she and the audience are desperate for her to give in and set the towering monster she sees every week unleashed upon another. The result is one of the most uncomfortable plot threads in the entire show, and one that may have been tied up in a way that some didn't want. Not only does Melfi refuse to order Tony to fight back against her attacker, she keeps the truth from him entirely. Instead, when he asks if there's anything she needs to tell him, the good doctor at her most fragile responds with a firm "No."

"The Sopranos" series finale may have an iconic cut in black, but this season 3's, while brief, was even more deafening.