"The Sopranos" Denial, Anger, Acceptance (1999)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Nick Gomez

Writers:

David Chase (creator)
Mark Saraceni (written by)

TV Series:

"The Sopranos" (1999)

Original Air Date:

24 January 1999 (Season 1, Episode 3)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Tony encourages an unwanted son-in-law to divorce, Carmela learns another secret of Tony's, Meadow experiments with speed to study for the SATs, and Chris and Brendan find out the price of disrespecting Junior.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Psychiatrist | New Jersey | Mafia | Female Nudity

Cast

James Gandolfini	...	Tony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco	...	Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco	...	Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli	...	Christopher Moltisanti
Dominic Chianese	...	Junior Soprano
Vincent Pastore	...	Salvatore 'Big Pussy' Bonpensiero (credit only)
Steve Van Zandt	...	Silvio Dante (as Steven Van Zandt)
Tony Sirico	...	Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri
Robert Iler	...	A.J. Soprano (credit only)
Jamie-Lynn Sigler	...	Meadow Soprano
Nancy Marchand	...	Livia Soprano
Michael Rispoli	...	Jackie Aprile
Jerry Adler	...	Hesh
John Ventimiglia	...	Artie Bucco
Kathrine Narducci	...	Charmaine Bucco (as Katherine Narducci)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Kearny, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Brad Grey Television

Goofs:

Factual errors: Paulie and Silvio meet with the Chassid, Ariel. He is shown wearing a wedding band on his left hand. However, Chassid men do not wear rings. Also, Ariel does not have a full beard, but only has a few days growth.

Quotes:

Brendan Filone: Kids, you think you can protect 'em, well you can't.

Movie Connections:

References The Godfather (1972)

Soundtrack:

Turn of the Century

"Take it easy! We're not making a Western here!"

Damn right, Uncle Jun': this is a gangster epic that just won't let complacency or conventional film-making rules take over - it's too good for that to happen.

Episode 3 goes on with the development of three subplots introduced in the previous show, 46 Long: Uncle Junior seeks revenge for being humiliated by Christopher, the resentful Livia, angry at her son for placing her in a nursing home, gives some advice on the matter, and the medical condition of Tony's boss Jackie Aprile (Michael Rispoli) doesn't seem to get any better. In addition, Meadow asks Chris for some speed so that she can stay awake all night preparing for her SATs, and a friend of Tony's Jewish associate Hesh Rabkin (Jerry Adler) asks for help with a son-in-law situation.

The main pleasure of watching Denial, Anger, Acceptance originates from the fact that this is the first episode to draw parallels between the Soprano family and the Roman empire. Though most of Tony's crew is originally from Avellino, in the South of Italy, they have always felt a closeness to the greatness and violence associated with the once almighty Rome. The most obvious reference, from the pilot onwards, is the name David Chase chose for Tony's mother: Livia. Okay, so Chase claims it is based on his own mother, but it is hard not to be reminded of another Livia, the woman who married emperor Augustus and, according to Roman historians, plotted to keep the imperial power on her side of the family. She had a very sharp mind and conspired with subtlety, a characteristic Livia Soprano has obviously inherited - her conversation with Uncle Junior is a masterclass in restrained nastiness, and it leads to an inevitably brutal outcome.

The best in-joke, though, remains the scene where Tony, Paulie and Silvio confront the Jewish son-in-law and the latter mentions the battle of Masada, in which the Jews chose death ahead of slavery. "Where are they now?" he asks, referring to the Roman oppressors. "You're looking at'em, a**hole." is Tony's straight-faced reply. It is not a mere sign of Italian pride: there is something very ancient in Tony's code of honor and use of violence. No wonder the HBO-produced Rome continued in that direction: sex, blood, power and paranoia. Of course, The Sopranos did it first and, obviously, best.