I mentioned Proval in the Mean Streets thread over in the Movie section - incredible actor. Ritchie is almost a caricature it's so over the top but when you think about what the guy went through with standing up and serving his time, losing his brother, coming home to see Beansie having legit success and Tony profiting from his losses you gotta feel a little sorry for the guy. When I look at how Ritchie was depicted I think it was a conscious effort by Chase to make him a sympathetic character. I think it's the first time that he meets Tony at the mall he's wearing an old Members Only jacket and some polyester sansabelt slacks that have not been manufactured since 1979. Yeah, he's a psycho but he's often pushed to it. When he gives Tony the leather jacket it was a sincere gesture - a peace offering. Even though he says he's letting go of the past I think he still treasures the jacket and the memories of that period of his life. He still had potential. He still could have been Tony if things had gone differently. That's why when he brings Carmela the tripe (how many of the other guys, besides Paulie maybe, would be that considerate)and sees the maids husband wearing the jacket he's legitimately hurt. Nah, no way you can hate Ritchie.
The guy I CAN'T STAND looking at is Dr. Elliot Kupferberg. Maybe it's because Bogdanovich is a scumbag in real life but I hate the way this guy tried to pull Melfi's strings. Suggesting she's an alkie because she likes a pop or two during the day. Manipulating not just her but their mutual friends to confront Melfi at the dinner party. He's a medical Svengali (just like he was in Hollywood) who sees a weak willed person who he can take advantage of. He's basically a coward who tries to manipulate Melfi into dumping Tony as a patient and by extension manipulating Tony, something he'd never have the balls to do by himself - remember the parking lot scene. The guy is a real piece of ...