Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood (The Sopranos episode)
Encyclopedia
"Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood" is the twenty-seventh episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...

and was the first of the show's third season. It was written by David Chase
David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...

, directed by Allen Coulter
Allen Coulter
Allen Coulter is an American television and film director, credited with a number of successful television programs. He has directed two feature films, Hollywoodland, a film regarding the questionable death of George Reeves starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, and Ben Affleck, and 2010's Remember...

 and originally aired on Sunday March 4, 2001.

Starring

  • James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...

     as Tony Soprano
    Tony Soprano
    Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...

  • Lorraine Bracco
    Lorraine Bracco
    Lorraine Bracco is an American actress. She is best known for her TV roles as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on HBO series, The Sopranos, and Angela Rizzoli on the TNT series, Rizzoli & Isles...

     as Dr. Jennifer Melfi *
  • Edie Falco
    Edie Falco
    Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...

     as Carmela Soprano
    Carmela Soprano
    Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...

  • Michael Imperioli
    Michael Imperioli
    James Michael Imperioli , commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an American actor and television writer. He is perhaps best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He also...

     as Christopher Moltisanti
    Christopher Moltisanti
    Christopher "Chris" Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.-Biography:...

  • Dominic Chianese
    Dominic Chianese
    Dominic Chianese is an American film, television and theatre actor, perhaps best known for his role as Corrado "Junior" Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     as Corrado Soprano, Jr.
    Junior Soprano
    Corrado John Soprano, Jr., played by Dominic Chianese, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually referred to as "Junior" or "Uncle Jun", he is the mentor and surrogate father for capo Tony Soprano. A younger Corrado sometimes appears in flashbacks and is played by Rocco...

     *
  • Steven Van Zandt
    Steven Van Zandt
    Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...

     as Silvio Dante
    Silvio Dante
    Silvio Manfred Dante, often referred to as "Sil", played by Steven Van Zandt, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is the consigliere to Tony Soprano in the Soprano crime family. Silvio has one of the lowest profiles on the show. He is usually a behind the scenes figure...

  • Tony Sirico
    Tony Sirico
    Genaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. is an American character actor who is most famous for his role as Paulie Gualtieri in the television series The Sopranos.- Background and career :Sirico was born in Midwood, Brooklyn...

     as Paulie Gualtieri
    Paulie Gualtieri
    Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri played by Tony Sirico, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is a caporegime and later underboss in the Soprano crime family.-Plot details:...

  • Robert Iler
    Robert Iler
    Robert Michael Iler is an American actor, known for his portrayal of A.J. Soprano on The Sopranos which aired on HBO from 1999-2007....

     as Anthony Soprano, Jr.
    Anthony Soprano, Jr.
    Anthony John "A.J." Soprano, Jr. , played by Robert Iler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually just called "A.J.", he is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano. He is a prototypical underachiever and is a constant source of stress and anxiety for his parents...

  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler
    Jamie-Lynn Sigler
    Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     as Meadow Soprano
    Meadow Soprano
    Meadow Mariangela Soprano , played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Character:Meadow is the first-born child of Tony and Carmela Soprano...

  • Drea de Matteo
    Drea de Matteo
    Drea de Matteo is an American television actress, perhaps best known for her roles Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey, as Angie Bolen on ABC's Desperate Housewives, and as Adriana La Cerva on the acclaimed HBO TV series The Sopranos, a role for which she won the Primetime Emmy...

     as Adriana La Cerva
    Adriana La Cerva
    Adriana La Cerva played by Drea de Matteo, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti.-Character history:...

  • Aida Turturro
    Aida Turturro
    Aida Turturro is an American actress probably best known for playing Janice Soprano, sister of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, on the HBO TV series The Sopranos .-Personal life:...

     as Janice Soprano
    Janice Soprano
    Janice Soprano Baccalieri, played by Aida Turturro, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is Tony Soprano's elder sister. A young Janice has appeared in flashbacks, played by Madeline Blue and Juliet Fox.-Biography:...

     *
  • Federico Castelluccio
    Federico Castelluccio
    Federico Castelluccio is an Italian-American actor and professional visual artist, who is best known for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     as Furio Giunta
    Furio Giunta
    Furio Giunta, played by Federico Castelluccio, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was an Italian mobster working for Tony Soprano.-Biography:...



* = credit only

Also Guest Starring

  • Louis Lombardi
    Louis Lombardi
    Louis Lombardi is an American actor.Lombardi was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Louis Lombardi, Sr. On television, Lombardi had a recurring role on The Sopranos as Agent Skip Lipari, and guest starred on such shows as Entourage, Heroes and CSI. He was a cast member of a 1990s...

     as Skip Lipari
  • Ari Graynor
    Ari Graynor
    Ariel Geltman Graynor, better known as Ari Graynor, is an American actress.-Life and career:Graynor was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was raised in a Jewish family and attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols, a private school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Trinity College, in Hartford,...

     as Caitlin Rucker
  • John Fiore
    John Fiore (actor)
    John Fiore is an American actor from Somerville, Massachusetts.Fiore is probably best known for his recurring role as Detective Tony Profaci on the long-running NBC crime drama Law & Order...

     as Gigi Cestone
  • Dan Grimaldi
    Dan Grimaldi
    Daniel "Dan" Grimaldi is an American actor who is known for his roles as twins Philly and Patsy Parisi on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Career:...

     as Patsy Parisi and Philly Parisi
  • Frank Pellegrino
    Frank Pellegrino
    Frank Pellegrino is an American actor and restaurateur.Born in East Harlem, Pellegrino has often acted in law and gangster-themed film and television productions. He was a member of an early sixties singing group called The Holidaes. There is a rare recording of a song called "Never" that appears...

     as Frank Cubitoso
  • Saundra Santiago
    Saundra Santiago
    Saundra Santiago is an American actress. She best known for her role as Det. Gina Calabrese on 1980s television series Miami Vice.-Early life and education:...

     as Jean Cusamano
  • Michele de Cesare
    Michele DeCesare
    Michele DeCesare is an American actress, best known as Meadow Soprano's friend Hunter Scangarelo in The Sopranos.She is the daughter of Sopranos creator David Chase.-Filmography:-External links:...

     as Hunter Scangarelo
  • Erica Leerhsen
    Erica Leerhsen
    Erica Lei Leerhsen is an American actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the horror films Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Wrong Turn 2. She is often referred to as a modern day scream queen...

     as Birgit Olafsdottir
  • Albert Makhtsier as Stasiu Wosilius
  • Katalin Pota as Lilliana Wosilius
  • Robert Bogue
    Robert Bogue
    Robert Timothy Bogue is an Americanactor, who played A.C. Mallet on Guiding Light from 2007 until the soap's ending in 2009....

     as Ed Restuccia
  • Anthony DiMaria as Ruggerio's Son
  • David Mogentale as Coach Goodwin
  • James Murtaugh
    James Murtaugh
    James Murtaugh is an American film and television actor. He is known for his rich and distinctive voice and was for years the television spokesperson for A1 Steak Sauce. Murtaugh is also a member of the Off-Broadway theater company TACT .-External links:...

     as Judge Lapper
  • Frank Pando
    Frank Pando
    Frank Pando is a Chilean American actor. Pando's acting career debuted in 1999 in the TV series The Sopranos as Agent Frank Grasso. Also, he is scheduled to appear in the 2012 movie Man on a Ledge as a cameraman for Kyra Sedgwick's role, a newsperson....

     as Agent Grasso
  • Gary Perez as Agent Marquez
  • Matt Servitto
    Matt Servitto
    Matt Servitto is an American actor, probably best known for his role on The Sopranos as FBI agent Dwight Harris. He also appeared on all 3 seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series Brotherhood as Rep. Donatello and had a guest appearance on Sex and the City as Carrie Bradshaw's editor...

     as Agent Harris
    Dwight Harris
    Special Agent Dwight Harris, played by Matt Servitto, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is an FBI agent assigned to Tony Soprano's case...


  • Bryan Smyj as Agent Smyj
  • Colleen Werthmann as Agent Malatesta
  • Jay Christanson as Agent Jongsma
  • Dennis Gagomiros as Agent Theophilos
  • Neal Jones
    Neal Jones
    Marvin Neal Jones, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor. His roles range from Billy Kostecki in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing to Sergeant Major John Sixta in the 2008 HBO original miniseries Generation Kill.Jones was born in Wichita, Kansas to Marvin Neal Jones, Sr. and Marian Myrl...

     as Agent Tancredi
  • Gary Evans as FBI Tech #1
  • Glenn Kessler
    Glenn Kessler
    Glenn Kessler is a veteran diplomatic correspondent who writes the popular "Fact Checker" column for The Washington Post, in which he examines the truth behind political and diplomatic rhetoric.-Career:...

     as FBI Tech #2
  • John Deblasio as S.E.T. Lineman
  • Anthony Indelicato
    Anthony Indelicato
    Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato , also known as "Bruno", "Whack-Whack" and "Anthony Indelligado" is a capo with the Bonanno crime family in New York City,-Biography:...

     as S.E.T. #1
  • Murphy Guyer as S.E.T. #2
  • Frank Deal
    Frank Deal
    Frank Deal is an American actor and acting teacher based in New York City. He has a successful career in television, theatre, and film, as well as steady teaching jobs at Juilliard and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.-Career:...

     as R & D #1
  • Katie C. Sparer as R & D #2
  • Matthew Breiner as Rob
  • Ian Group as Colin
  • Mark Karafin as Egon Kosma
  • Etan Maiti as Jason
  • Tommy Savas as Xavier


Episode recap

After the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 loses another informant, Agent Skip Lipari recalls that Tony
Tony Soprano
Anthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...

 takes his associates down to his basement to discuss private matters that cannot be discussed away from home, counting on the noise of the vast 6000 square feet (557.4 m²) home's five central air conditioning units to mask any conversation. 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
Dwight Harris
Special Agent Dwight Harris, played by Matt Servitto, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is an FBI agent assigned to Tony Soprano's case...

 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, hidden inside an exact replica of the lamp being replaced. However, the Sopranos as well as the FBI are soon shocked when the 120-gallon 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 is put back in order, the FBI agents plant the new lamp and quickly leave before the maid returns from lunch.

Meanwhile, Meadow
Meadow Soprano
Meadow Mariangela Soprano , played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Character:Meadow is the first-born child of Tony and Carmela Soprano...

 is adjusting to life at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, where she meets her very energetic but homesick roommate, Caitlin Rucker. A.J.
Anthony Soprano, Jr.
Anthony John "A.J." Soprano, Jr. , played by Robert Iler, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. Usually just called "A.J.", he is the son of Carmela and Tony Soprano. He is a prototypical underachiever and is a constant source of stress and anxiety for his parents...

 is cutting classes to smoke cigarettes with friends. Carmela
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...

 begins taking tennis lessons with Adriana La Cerva
Adriana La Cerva
Adriana La Cerva played by Drea de Matteo, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti.-Character history:...

. She is soon upset when she discovers her coach is moving away (and is married) 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
Satriale's Pork Store
Satriale's Pork Store is a fictional establishment on the HBO series The Sopranos. As told in the television show, during the 1970s, the pork store was taken over by Johnny Boy Soprano, a member of The DiMeo Crime Family, when Francis Satriale failed to make payments on a gambling debt and later...

, where he finds a still-distraught Patsy Parisi mourning over his deceased twin brother (Phillip "Philly Spoons" Parisi) on their birthday. 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.

Title reference

  • Mr. Ruggerio is Tony's neighborhood plumber
    Plumber
    A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...

    ; one of the FBI agents says the Soprano house is in "Mister Ruggiero's Neighborhood."
  • Like Tony in this episode, real-life Mafioso Angelo Ruggiero
    Angelo Ruggiero
    Angelo Salvatore Ruggiero Sr. pronounced was a caporegime of the Gambino crime family and close friend of John Gotti.-Mob family roots:...

     had his house bugged by the FBI, yielding crucial evidence that led to the indictment of John Gotti
    John Gotti
    John Joseph Gotti, Jr was an American mobster who became the Boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti grew up in poverty. He and his brothers turned to a life of crime at an early age...

    .
  • The title is also a reference to the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
    Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
    Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, also known as Mister Rogers, is an American children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages, 2-5, but has been stated by Public Broadcasting Service as "appropriate for all ages"...

    .

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
    Federico Castelluccio
    Federico Castelluccio is an Italian-American actor and professional visual artist, who is best known for his role as Furio Giunta on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.-Early life:...

     (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
    Nancy Marchand
    Nancy Marchand was an American actress, whose career encompassed both stage and screen. She appeared in various theatre productions throughout the early 1950s, before being offered roles on film and television....

     (Livia Soprano) is not billed in the opening credits.
  • FBI Codenames for the Sopranos:
    • Tony - Papa Bing / Der Bingle
    • Carmela - Mrs. Bing
    • Meadow - Princess Bing
    • A.J. - Baby Bing
    • The Soprano residence - The Sausage Factory (also referred to as "The Factory")
  • The lamp is only photographed on one side, leaving the other side unknown for the aging process.
  • The exterior shot at minute 22 of the FBI Academy
    FBI Academy
    The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...

     in Quantico, Virginia
    Quantico, Virginia
    - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...

    , is taken from the beginning of the 1991 film
    1991 in film
    The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...

     The Silence of the Lambs.

Music

  • The music playing when Tony walks down his drive-way in the first scene is the intro to "Sad Eyed Lady"' by Alabama 3
    Alabama 3
    Alabama 3 are a British band mixing rock, dance, blues, country, and gospel styles, founded in Brixton, London, in 1995. In the United States, they are known as A3, allegedly to avoid any possible legal conflict with the country music band Alabama...

    , who also perform the iconic "Woke Up This Morning
    Woke Up This Morning
    "Woke Up This Morning" is a song by Alabama 3 from their 1997 album Exile on Coldharbour Lane. The song is best known as the opening theme music for the HBO drama series The Sopranos .Alabama 3 frontman Rob Spragg wrote the song after hearing about the 1996 murder case of Sara Thornton,...

    " in the opening credits.
  • The episode features the "Peter Gunn
    Peter Gunn
    Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...

     Theme" (by Henry Mancini
    Henry Mancini
    Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...

    ) and "Every Breath You Take
    Every Breath You Take
    "Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...

    " (by The Police
    The Police
    The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...

    ) mashed up
    Mashup (music)
    A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...

     by Kathryn Dayak from HBO. The music is played when the FBI are planting the bug in Tony's house, the significance being that the "Peter Gunn Theme" is from a detective show, and the lyrics of "Every Breath You Take" are evocative of stalking and surveillance.
  • Elvis Costello
    Elvis Costello
    Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...

    '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
    Steely Dan
    Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...

    's "Dirty Work
    Can't Buy a Thrill
    Can't Buy a Thrill is the first album by Steely Dan. Originally released in 1972, the album was a huge success. It went gold, and then platinum, peaking at #17 on the charts. In 2003, the album was ranked number 238 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time...

    ". 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
    Ras Kass
    John Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is also a part of hip hop supergroup The HRSMN along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt...

     is being played in the hallway.
  • Tony listens to "Hotel California
    Hotel California (song)
    "Hotel California" is the title song from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the album-oriented rock era. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey...

    " by the Eagles while exercising at the end of the episode.
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