Meadowlands (''The Sopranos'')

"Meadowlands"
The Sopranos episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 4
Directed by John Patterson
Written by Jason Cahill
Cinematography by Alik Sakharov
Production code 104
Original air date January 31, 1999
Running time 53 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

see below

"Meadowlands" is the fourth episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos. It was written by Jason Cahill, directed by John Patterson and originally aired on January 31, 1999.

Starring

Guest starring

Also guest starring

Episode recap

Tony becomes increasingly paranoid over his secret sessions with Dr. Melfi, especially after a near-encounter with Silvio, whose dentist is located just opposite Melfi's suite. However, Tony has also begun developing feelings for Melfi, even to the point of having a detective in his employ, Vin Makazian, secretly follow her. Unfortunately, Makazian assumes Melfi is Tony's mistress and, when he sees her with a date, he pulls the pair over before beating and arresting her boyfriend. Tony's dangerous feelings lead him to consider quitting therapy, but Carmela – still under the impression that Melfi is male – insists he continue therapy or else their marriage will be at risk.

A.J. is left confused when a physically bigger classmate, Jeremy Piocosta, backs down from a fight and pays for a shirt he ripped in a previous scuffle. With some guidance from Meadow, A.J. comes to realize that Jeremy was intimidated by Tony's reputation as a mobster. Tony had coincidentally met Jeremy's father the day before at a plant nursery as Tony was shopping for pesticide. Tony's friendliness while holding an axe confused Jeremy's father, and probably provoked Jeremy to quit the fight. Meadow educates A.J. on what exactly their father does for a living by showing him several Mafia-themed websites and asking him how many garbage men live the lifestyle they do.

Meanwhile, Chris is scared after his mock execution, which has left him in a neck brace. He is even more unnerved when he and Adriana discover Brendan's body. Assuming that Tony is exacting vengeance on him for giving speed to Meadow, he angrily confronts her only to learn she told no one about their deal. However, after finding that Junior and Mikey are responsible, he is keen for vengeance. However, Tony order Chris to stand down because Mikey is a made man. Instead, Tony drives to the luncheonette and assaults Mikey. He then confronts Junior, who coldly refutes Tony's offers of compromise and tells him he should "come heavy" (i.e. with a gun) for his next visit or not at all.

The prospect of war with Junior also looms large for Tony, especially after the death of acting boss Jackie Aprile, Sr. without a clear successor. Tony has the backing of other DiMeo family capos, but seeks a diplomatic resolution with his uncle. After some unwitting inspiration from Melfi about giving the elderly the "illusion of control", Tony concedes leadership of the family to Junior in exchange for his uncle's income-earning properties and contracts. Thanks to this agreement, war within the family is avoided while Junior becomes the primary target for federal investigations into the family instead of Tony. Content with his decision, Tony opts to remain in therapy.

At Jackie's funeral, Silvio and the capos worry about Tony's decision. Tony reminds them that he has only made Junior content and that every major decision will still be made by him. Chris tells Tony about the FBI presence at the funeral. Meadow gives A.J. a knowing look and nods in the direction of the federal agents taking pictures. A.J. then looks at his father who gives him a smile and wink, thus confirming A.J.'s suspicions about his father's profession.

First appearances

Deceased

Title reference

The Meadowlands is a wetlands area in northern New Jersey. Christopher identifies it as the place where his mock execution took place.

Cultural references

Reception

Retrospectively, Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club felt that although many elements of "Meadowlands" worked, the episode is "a bit of a step down from the previous three." He criticized the subplot involving AJ as "pretty pointless, playing out as a sort of miniature version of the Tony and Junior conflict and ending much the same way", but considered the overall episode to be "a pretty good summation of many of the things the show is going to be interested in going forward."[1] Alan Sepinwall was highly positive, calling the resolution of the Tony and Junior conflict "an elegant solution, [...] and a great indicator of what a savvy tactician Tony is". Sepinwall also praised the final scene of "Meadowlands" as "a strong way to end an episode that's been all about the crumbling walls between Tony's work and home lives."[2]

Music

Awards

Jason Cahill won a Writers Guild of America award for his work on this episode.

References

  1. ↑ VanDerWerff, Todd (June 16, 2010). "The Sopranos: "Meadowlands"/"College"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  2. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (June 24, 2015). "‘The Sopranos’ Rewind: Season 1, Episode 4: ‘Meadowlands’". Uproxx. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
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