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Denial, Anger, Acceptance

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"Denial, Anger, Acceptance" is the third episode of the first season of The Sopranos. It originally aired on January 24, 1999. It was written by Mark Saraceni and directed by Nick Gomez.

Summary[]

Christopher and Brendan honor their promise to Tony by returning a stolen Comley truck, but Junior is not satisfied. While having dinner with Mikey Palmice, the two discuss how to deal with the two associates. Junior is cautious at first, but when the impulsive Mikey argues that they need to make an example out of them, he relents and decides to think about it a bit longer.

Silvio approaches Tony on behalf of Shlomo Teittleman, a Hasidic Jew who owns a profitable semi-luxury motel. Teittleman agrees to turn over 25% of his business to Tony if he is able to force the man's son-in-law, Ariel, into agreeing to a divorce with no compensation after learning that he has abused his daughter and wants a larger share of the motel. Shlomo's son Hillel argues against the deal as he fears Tony's greed, but his father insists. Tony's Jewish friend, Hesh, warns him not to deal with Hasidic Jews. Paulie and Silvio accost Ariel at the motel and beat him, but are unable to convince him to walk away from the marriage and the hotel with nothing.

During a second encounter, the two men kidnap Ariel, take him to Satriale's, and beat him again, but he manages to defend himself and continuously refuses to submit, even daring the men to kill him as his death will bring spiritual harm to the hotel owner's family and to his assailants. He references Masada, site of a long siege between a small number of Jews and legions of Roman soldiers that ended in the mass suicide of the Jews who chose death over enslavement.

Paulie and Silvio can't crack him, so they call Tony away from time with his comáre Irina to help them. Tony cannot intimidate Ariel either, so he is forced to swallow his pride and call Hesh, admitting that he was right; based on Hesh's advice, Tony threatens to castrate Ariel, and he agrees to the divorce. Shlomo then refuses to give Tony his promised share, instead offering cash, as he disapproves of using violence to resolve disputes and intends to forgive Ariel and give him back 15% of the motel. When Tony insists on the original 25% arrangement, Shlomo says he has created a golem; when Tony asks what that means, he calls him a Frankenstein.

In therapy, Tony discusses the terminal cancer diagnosis of his boss, Jackie. Dr. Melfi tries to use it as an example to show Tony he is trapped in negative thinking. Tony becomes angry and storms out after accusing her of making him feel bad about himself so he has to pay for more sessions. The crew visit Jackie in the hospital, where he is being cared for by his wife Rosalie. Tony later returns with a dancer from the Bada Bing to give Jackie a private party. On a third visit, Jackie's condition seems to have worsened and he is too preoccupied with his illness to talk shop. Tony discusses Jackie's downturn and the insult from Shlomo at his next appointment with Dr. Melfi. She asks him if he feels like a monster, i.e., lacking in feelings.

Carmela organizes a silent auction at the Soprano home to raise money for a pediatric hospital. She recruits Charmaine and Artie Bucco to cater the event while visiting their new home. Tony and Artie have a good natured food fight after Tony tells Artie to stop whining about the fire in his restaurant and start looking towards the future. Already irritated by her condescending manner, Carmela further offends Charmaine when she realizes that a hand gesture Carmela had used earlier is the same one she uses for her housekeeper. After the auction, Charmaine reveals to Carmela that she and Tony once slept together before they were married, and that she is happy with the choice she made by marrying Artie.

Meadow and Hunter are exhausted. The SATs and their choir recital fall on the same day, and they don’t have enough time to practice and study. In desperation, they visit Christopher and Adriana to ask them for some "speed". Christopher knows that Tony is likely to have him killed if he gets Meadow hooked on drugs, but rationalizes the situation by musing that the girls will just go to the dealers on Jefferson Avenue if he doesn't help them. However, he tells Meadow that this is for one time only.

Junior visits Livia at Green Grove and brings up his feelings of humiliation over Christopher and Brendan. Livia subtly points out that both she and Tony love Christopher like a son (her affection earned one year when Christopher put up her storm windows). She suggests that Junior only give Tony's hot-tempered nephew a "talking to," but says that she "doesn't know" about Brendan. Junior picks up on Livia's suggestion and complements her for such ruthlessness. She scoffs, sarcastically remarking that she must be "a babbling idiot" for Tony to put her in a nursing home.

The "talking to" given to Christopher manifests as him being put through a mock execution by two unnamed Russian men, whom he mistakes for friends of Tony's sent to punish him for Meadow. He shits himself in fear and the men laugh before leaving him tied up. Brendan's punishment is much more severe; while smoking and taking a bath, he gets shot through the eye by Mikey, as Junior quietly watches from behind the door. Both scenes are inter-cut with Meadow's recital, allowing her choir's version of the lullaby "All Through the Night" to decorate the violence. This scene is similar to the baptism scene in The Godfather, in which a peaceful event unfolds at the same time as mob violence.

Appearances[]

First[]

Deaths[]

  • Brendan Filone: Shot clean through the eye while in his bathtub by Mikey Palmice, on orders from Uncle Junior.

Cast[]

* = credit only

Guest Starring[]


Quotes[]

Shlomo Teittleman- Mr. Soprano

Tony Soprano- Mr. Teittleman. (shakes hands)

Shlomo Teittleman- My pleasure.

Tony Soprano- Please, have a seat.

Shlomo Teittleman- Thank you.

Tony Soprano- Silvio, you know.

Shlomo Teittleman- Hi, Sil.

Tony Soprano- Paulie.

Shlomo Teittleman- How are you? (all sit down) This is my son.

Tony Soprano- Does he have a name, or do we have to give him one?

Shlomo Teittleman- Oh I'm sorry, it's Hillel. You know the story about my daughter and her husband?

Silvio Dante- Yeah, he knows.

Shlomo Teittleman- Do you have a daughter, Mr. Soprano?

Tony Soprano- Yes. Call me Tony.

Shlomo Teittleman- What would you do if your daughter was abused by her husband?

Tony Soprano- Talk to him.

Silvio Dante- Yeah. In ball-peen hammer.

Shlomo Teittleman- I think you understand my anger. He's not only harming my daughter, but he's mocking our laws of marriage.

Tony Soprano- Look. Let's understand each other from the get-go here, okay? I'm in the carton and waste management business. I'm only here 'cuz uh, I'm a friend of Silvio's, you're a friend of Silvio's. You may be having a family problem that I can help you with. And if I can do it, that will make me happy. (Hillel scoffs) What's your fucking problem, Hil?

Shlomo Teittleman- (Be quiet. Always present a united front. Save your criticism for when you get home.) Please finish.

Tony Soprano- I do understand you're being shaken down for 50% of your motel, is that right?

Shlomo Teittleman- Correct.

Silvio Dante- Yeah and the Rabbi goon squads who used to smacked these husbands around to get the divorce, they've been put out of business by the D.A's office.

Tony Soprano- Alright, 25%. He wants 50, we get 25.

Hillel Teittleman- I don't understand.

Tony Soprano- That's because I'm not talking to you.

Hillel Teittleman - (You're creating a golem. A monster to do your dirty work. Like the Rabbi in the story. He'll destroy you.)

Shlomo Teittleman- Get me what I want, Mr. Soprano, and you have a deal.

Tony Soprano- It's done. (shakes hands and Shlomo walks away)

Hillel Teittleman- Get these people in our motel and we never get them out.

Paulie Gualtieri- That's a commercial, isn't it? (everyone laughs)

Gallery[]


Trivia[]

  • Title reference: Denial, anger, and acceptance are the first, second, and fifth stages, respectively, described in the Kübler-Ross model. These stages pertain to people suffering from terminal illness (such as Jackie Aprile); they also apply to any form of catastrophic personal loss, which many other characters face in this and other episodes.
  • First appearance of a Polish maid, Oona (played by an unnamed younger actress) who works in the Soprano mansion. Character is later elaborated and renamed (Lilliana Wosilius) and recast with an older actress.
  • Chris tells Meadow he will sell her drugs to keep her from going to street dealers because they would rob her and leave her on the side of the road. This is exactly what happens to Chris while out trying to buy drugs in season four.
  • While in the hospital, Jackie Aprile, Sr. calls Mikey Palmice the Grim Reaper which come to a head in the episode "From Where to Eternity" when Christopher is pronounced clinically dead he sees Mikey in what he believes to be hell, also Paulie visits a psychic who claims he can "communicate" with dead people, including Paulie's victims. Palmice was apparently the leader of the dead souls following Paulie.
  • Tony calls the painting in Melfi's waiting room a "Korshak" test, confusing it with the Rorschach inkblot test. Sidney Korshak was a prominent lawyer and "fixer" known for his involvement with the mob, Hollywood and those with political power.
  • When Tony is in his Russian mistress' bedroom he notices a painting on her wall and asks what she sees in it. The painting, depicting a splash in a pool, is an imitation David Hockney. She says that it reminds her of "David Hockey."
  • Ariel the Hassidic Jew who resists Silvio and Tony's intimidation and torture mentions Shlomo the king and the historic Siege of Masada where Jews chose suicide instead of defeat against the Romans.
  • When Tony and Christopher meet with Schlomo, Tony refers to him as "ZZ Top", referring to the rock band known for their long beards.

Music[]

  • The song played on Christopher's car radio after him and Brendan return the stolen truck is "Gawk" by Ethyline.
  • The song played when Junior and Mikey eat dinner and discuss the situation regarding Christopher and Brendan is "Melodia del Rio" by Rubén González.
  • The song played when Christopher delivers the crystal meth to Meadow in her room "Turn of the Century" by Damon and Naomi.
  • The song played when Carmela has her fundraising dinner for a pediatric hospital is "Happy Feet" by Paolo Conte.
  • The song played when Tony meets Irina for an illicit rendezvous but is interrupted by Silvio is "Tenderly" by Chet Baker.
  • The song played over the end credits is "Complicated Shadows" by Elvis Costello.

References[]

Season 1 →
"The Sopranos" • "46 Long" • "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" • "Meadowlands" • "College" • "Pax Soprana" • "Down Neck" • "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti" • "Boca" • "A Hit Is a Hit" • "Nobody Knows Anything" • "Isabella" • "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"
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