have to say, think this show has improved greatly this term.

principally it's due to the absence of Pitt. i'm quoting from the Luck thread here:

i couldn't disagree w/this more.
from the very get go, jimmy was already the most played-out, lazy, uninspired & uninspiring character in this show - & played by one of the worst, dullest american actors of our time fwiw.
having shifted this deadweight, the show has sprung forward & moved onto more arresting territory.

granted it's still a mob-opera by numbers, but it's much more likable, watchable & humourous w/o jimmy/pitt's sullen nowhere-man putting a dampener on things.
i think it's really remarkable the change in quality that's come about. (i think also there may be new writers? however, i would be reluctant to give it & them too much credit as like i said, it's still p by-the-numbers/formulaic fair).

michael stuhlbarg is brilliant, & his argument w/buscemi in last weeks episode was terrific.
& likewise, michael shannon is one of the finest actors around today & his character is justice to his talent.
the rest are all much of a muchness & the show does rely heavily on well-worn plots. but they are infused w/a humour & a pace that was greatly missing from the first two seasons.

overall it's really accelerating into a fine tv show.
still nowhere near as good as it's budget or it's press suggest, it's still rife w/cliche stories. but it's much more entertaining this season than it has been.