OTH: The Sopranos- "Meadowlands" / "College"
One of these episodes won the WGA Award, betcha can't guess which.
Season 1, Episode 4
Aired January 31, 1999
Directed by John Patterson
Written by Jason Cahill
Synopsis: Tony has a bizarre dream, where he sees a friend outside of Dr. Melfi’s office while they’re having a session. He walks out to spy on them and returns into his psychiatrist’s office, where her image morphs into his mother’s. What does this mean? Clearly, Tony is afraid of being caught seeing a therapist, which is compounded by almost being recognized by Silvio, whose dentist is next to Melfi’s office, before his next appointment. Tony attempts to call off their meetings, but Dr. Melfi pushes back, noticing that their time together has helped him. But this isn’t the only takeaway Tony is having about his sessions with Melfi- he’s quickly growing attracted to her, and has a corrupt detective that he has ties to, Vin Makazian, trail her. Makazian doesn’t have all of the information, however, as he seems to think that Dr. Melfi is a mistress of Tony’s. He trails her on a date and pulls over her suitor, who he beats up while trumping up some charges. A furious Melfi comes out of the car, demanding to know what right the detective has, when Makazian responds by asking why she would go out for hamburger when she has prime rib at home. Jennifer’s date (calling her by her first name sounds kind of wrong, doesn’t it?) ends up ghosting her after the encounter, as he remains traumatized by the aftermath.
Christopher is paranoid after his near-death encounter from the previous episode, which he still believes was caused by Tony. His paranoia is compounded when he and Adriana stops by Brendan’s apartment and sees his dead body still soaking in blood in his bathtub. Chris and Adriana pick up Meadow at school, where he aggressively interrogates her, blaming him selling her and Hunter speed for him being dragged to the meadowlands. A tearful Meadow insists that she wouldn’t tell her father, who would be just as furious with her as he would be at him. The thing is, as we know, she’s telling the truth. In fact, Tony is livid when he sees the condition Christopher is in, and he barges into a meeting his Uncle Junior has to beat Mikey Palmice, the man who assaulted Chris and shot Brendan. Junior insists that they back off, which results in the two having words, implying a war between the two. This couldn’t come at a worse time, as later that day, Tony learns of Jackie Aprile’s passing, and his heir isn’t confirmed. Rather than go to war with his uncle for something he’s wanted his whole life, Tony decides to back off and offers to nominate his uncle for the position. At least in theory- Junior will have the title, but Tony will be in charge behind the scenes.
At school, AJ gets into a fight with Jeremy Piocosta, a former friend of his, which results in him ripping a shirt gifted to him by his grandmother. Carmela insists that he asks for money to buy a new shirt, which Jeremy refuses and results in a planned showdown. The tables turn later that day, when Tony meets with Jeremy’s father at a plant nursery, where he attempts to talk friendly with Mr. Piocosta with a pickaxe in hand. This probably explains why rather than start the fight, Jeremy backs off and offers AJ the money. A confused AJ comes to Meadow’s room later that evening when he brings up how a friend laughed at the prospect of Jeremy being afraid of “him”, when she finally tells her brother the truth about their father.
Back in “46 Long”, Anthony Junior called his father a hero when his science teacher’s car returned (supposedly) in perfect condition. The youngest Soprano child remained clueless to his father’s business at the time, only thinking that his “uncle” Pussy was able to retrieve the car through his shop, but viewers should have been able to recognize that AJ wouldn’t be out of the loop from his father’s lifestyle for long.
While “Meadowlands” features the name of the eldest Soprano child, she doesn’t factor too much into the episode other than her scenes with Christopher and AJ. You’d think that the title would have a duel meaning rather than just involving the wetlands where Chris had his supposed assassination attempt, but that’s not quite the case… although it’s worth noting how she and her brother contrast at this point in the show’s run. Meadow clearly knows what her father does for a living, and realizes that it’s time for AJ to learn the truth.
Part of The Sopranos will involve how Tony’s children will react and factor themselves into their father’s business, and we get a taste at the very end, when AJ stares intently at his old man during Jackie Aprile’s funeral. The news of his father being a big-time mobster is still new information that he’s retaining, and it’s a lot to factor in. This isn’t the man he thought he looked up to, the man he’s named after. Or maybe it is and he’s finally being honest with his gut instinct. Still, the show, AJ, and Meadow all remain young, there’s more to unravel as we go along.
“Meadowlands” has plenty more to unpack besides the children, like Tony’s developing attraction to his therapist. Is this lust, admiration, or an attempt to control someone who’s starting to know Tony almost as well as he knows himself? He’s not sure yet, and I think this is why he’s called upon Vin Makazian to trail her. At this point, we’re not seeing too much from Dr. Melfi’s perspective, although we’re learning a little more about her as we see Jennifer outside of her office- she’s like many het-leaning women, someone who desires a sensitive man who still has impulsive reactions. Maybe not to the extent of Tony, who hires a violent detective to spy on her, but strong enough to not make her feel like she’s spending her downtime offering free sessions. I don’t think this guy she was seeing was quite it, but maybe she appreciates his knowledge of Jim Morrison’s lyrics.
But I think what’s even more important is Tony’s decision to back down from taking Jackie’s place and accepting the nomination to his uncle instead. We hear Tony’s reasoning at the funeral, and it’s sound, although I don’t think it’s entirely his idea- Dr. Melfi brought up earlier in the episode that people Uncle Junior’s age still cling onto holding some kind of power while they still can. Tony is using this to his advantage to allow Junior to take the fall for his tactics
Written by soon-to-be television legend Jason Cahill (we’ll see more of his work earlier/later on ER) and directed for the first time by regular/friend of David Chase’s John Patterson, “Meadowlands” is another fine episode of the show, but not quite the best it can be. For that, Cahill will win a WGA Award for the episode’s teleplay, even considering its immediate competition.
Season 1, Episode 5
Aired February 7, 1999
Directed by Allen Coulter
Written by James Mano Jr. and David Chase
Synopsis: Tony and Meadow are on a college-scouting trip in Maine, one Carmela is sitting out due to a case of the flu. After checking out Bates College and rejecting it due to its reputation, Meadow asks her father a pertinent question- if he’s in the mafia. Tony is taken aback, but realizes that this isn’t quite his little girl anymore and decides to tell her a half-truth and admits that some of their money comes from illegal gambling and other methods, which he keeps vague. The two stop for gas, when Tony sees a familiar face at the station- Febby Petrulio, a former DiMeo member who deflected, ratted to the FBI and entered witness protection. Tony grabs Meadow and tries to chase him down, but an anxious Meadow makes him stop at their looming motel. However, Tony is able to recall Febby’s license plate and has Christopher look it up. It turns out that the plate belongs to one Frederick Peters, who owns a hardware shop nearby. Tony and Meadow have dinner near their next college of choice, when Meadow comes clean about taking speed to focus on her SATs and choir practice, intentionally leaving out where she got it from. He’s unhappy about it, but appreciates that she’s coming clean after he did the same, kind of. But Febby is still on his mind, and an opportunity to scope him out arrives when Meadow befriends a couple of girls who go to her next school of choice, so Tony leaves her behind to go sleuthing. He finds Febby’s house and business, where he sees wooden sculptures of Ronald Reagan, just like the kind he made in prison. What Tony doesn’t realize is that Febby is aware that he’s being trailed and hunts him down, as he watches Tony walk a drunk Meadow into their motel room with a gun in his hand. Febby has the chance to shoot, but decides not to when he sees his daughter. The next day, Tony drops a hungover Meadow at Colby College, claiming that he “left his watch at the motel”. In reality, Tony is racing to Febby’s business, where the man is enlisting a couple of drug addicts to shoot down his former capo, which they balk at. Instead, Febby Petrulio is surprised when Tony comes from behind and strangles him for betraying their oath and ratting them out. Febby begs for his life and even reveals that he had an opportunity to kill him last night but shot it down, but this is all to no avail as he suffocates in the mud. Tony picks up Meadow and drives her to Bowdoin College when she notices blood on her father’s palm. Tony deflects her questions no matter how hard she pushes, and is soon reminded of the life he leads when he sees a particular Hawthorne quotation at Bowdoin.
Back in Jersey, Carmela recovers just enough to entertain Father Phil when he stops by hoping for some of her famous ziti (AJ is over at a friend’s at Carmela’s request). While the two bond over discussions of spirituality and a viewing of The Remains of the Day, the mood changes when Carmela receives a call from Dr. Melfi informing her that she won’t be able to see Tony on Monday. Carmela doesn’t appreciate the call from Jennifer and wonders why he lied to her about the gender of his therapist. She becomes despondent, and accepts Father Phil’s invitation to take communion with him. Carmela confesses that she has accepted evil into her house and doesn’t know the depths to what Tony will accomplish to achieve his goals, accepting anything in the name of wealth even beyond the safety of herself and her kids. Appreciating the ear and shoulder to cry on, Carmela leans in to kiss Father Phil, who rushes to the bathroom to vomit, presumably after too much wine. He stays over night on the couch, which Carmela doesn’t sweat off, knowing that they have nothing to hide. She even tells Tony when he and Meadow return home later that day. While Tony is initially amused by the revelation, his entertainment immediately disoves when Carmela bitterly lets him know that she has heard from her therapist, “Jennifer”.
“No man... can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one may be true.”
According to Davie Chase, HBO balked at the ending of “College”, worrying that if Tony proved himself to be a murderer that he would lose sympathy for the audience. Chase successfully argued that Tony would lose sympathy if he didn’t, as that would make him appear weak, which proved to be the winning argument.
But I think that’s only part of why “College” had to end with Febby Petrulio’s suffocation. The first few episodes of The Sopranos have arguably done too much to make Tony appear likable, and he needed a moment like a cold-blooded murder to remind audiences that he is, in fact, every bit the monster the media makes him out to be. Febby isn’t the first person he killed and won’t be the last, so there’s no point of trying to make Tony what he isn’t.
This isn’t a weakness to the show at all- in fact, the grayness around Tony’s persona is what makes him and the show so endearing. The legendary TV critic Emily St. James has called “College” the start of the anti-hero movement in TV dramas, and she’s right. Seeing Tony kill without a second thought is what lead to Vic Mackey, Don Draper, Walter White, Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, you name it. The lack of necessity to sugarcoat our protagonist or prevent them from receiving serious consequences will lead to an exciting range in storytelling and sophistication on the small screen.
And it works. “College” is The Sopranos fulfilling the promise of the pilot in its most intense details, delivering the show’s first undisputed masterpiece. And it does so with the barest of storylines, focusing on a small set of characters- primarily, Tony, Meadow and Carmela. AJ only factors into two small scenes, Livia is MIA, we only see Dr. Melfi once in a quick scene and only Christopher from Tony’s mob family, which is already a massive change of pace from the series we know, but to its betterment.
Of these, the lack of Dr. Melfi roundabout sessions appears to be the most surprising on the surface, given how their sessions lead much of the show, but this is by design and allows for Carmela’s impactful side story to blossom. Just why is Tony hiding his therapist’s gender from his wife, after all? There seems to be shame and confusion in his mind regarding the potential implications of his seeing a female therapist, even though there shouldn’t be. This isn’t a new development, as we’ve seen Tony not correct Carmela for assuming that his psychiatrist is male, like he’s intentionally leading her on.
And we’ve seen Carmela deal with conflicting feelings over her husband’s apparent infidelity, which she isn’t wrong for doing- we do see Tony call Irina before Carm, after all. This being her dealbreaker makes Carmela a fascinating character, in how she’s able to stomach the deceit and brutality Tony deals with on a daily basis until it directly affects her. Her confession to Father Phil may be her attempt to redeem her and her children’s soul, but it only comes after being confronted by her husband’s unwillingness to be faithful.
As we see, Carmela isn’t perfect either, although her almost-affair with Father Phil arguably comes from her need to fill some kind of void from Tony’s deceit. His is the one ear she can reach when her husband cannot remain faithful, and even though she attempts something with him, some force intervenes and keeps her innocent. For tonight, any way. It will be worthwhile to see if Carmela will stay faithful to Tony, not that he necessarily deserves it.
But Meadow’s story may be the most important part. While her brother gripped with his father’s legacy in the previous episode, now she has the chance to learn more about the family straight from his mouth. It’s not surprising that Meadow is more aware of who her father is, due to her age and intellect (we’ve seen no evidence that AJ is the star student Meadow appears to be), and she’s smart enough to recognize that Tony offering any sort of transparency with his lifestyle is a victory. At least she is until the end when Tony remains mum on where he bruised his knuckles, but this scene plays out the way it’s meant to. Meadow eventually concedes that she may not really want to know the truth about her father and gives up as he refuses to delve further. It’s a conflicting blow, as she’s enjoying the honesty the two are experiencing earlier on their trip, but they both recognize that there are still boundaries meant to be kept.
Chase returns to cowrite the episode with producer James Mano Jr, who offer the most exciting and entertaining drafts to date, while Allen Couter begins the first stint of his lengthy run as a director for the series as he keeps the pacing excitedly brisk and even does a decent job of making Jersey look like Maine. Brilliant stuff all around.
Don’t just take it from me, David Chase, James Gandolfini and Jamie-Lynn Sigler have all namedropped “College” as a favorite. The episode also proved to be a big draw at the Emmys this season, offering Chase and Manos the award for Outstanding Writing and being Edie Falco’s submission for her Lead Actress win. Absolutely deserved all around. What’s more, “College” ranked second on TV Land’s Top 100 television episodes of all time list in 2009, trailing only Seinfeld’s “The Contest”, both of which outranking their top choice in 1997, The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s “Chuckles Bites the Dust”.
Dr. Melfi’s Notebook:
Okay, so AJ mains Mario in Mario Kart 64, while Tony is more of a Luigi guy. I believe it, but I have a harder time believing that AJ’s copy can instantly go from single to multiplayer. If I want to get analytical here, Tony playing Luigi is meant to represent his accepting the position of second fiddle, in the game to his son, but in real life to his uncle. Anthony Junior, meanwhile, plays Mario because it’s his game and he’s young enough to still think that he’s the main character.
“I hate my life, I hate being a Soprano.” “Hey, don’t ever say you hate life, that’s blasphemy.” “Fuck you.”
I dig that AJ has Nevermore and Ulver posters in his room. Considering that the latter wouldn’t tour the states for another 20 years, that’s a surprising choice for a 12-year-old. It’s not like he’s going to discover them on tour with Metallica.
Finally another mob film is referenced this week, as Christopher recalls the climatic finale of Scarface as an example of retaliation. I love Silvio’s response “always with the scenarios”.
Although Meadow’s classmates are more into the mob life from Casino than The Godfather.
Father Phil is another character who was recasted from the pilot, this time being portrayed by Paul Schulze.
Five episodes in and we hear Tony drop the f bomb, in which he considers Father Phil to be gay. The show is going to address the LGBT community over its run, and we’ll see how that goes when the time arrives.
Next Week: Junior starts upsetting his fellow capos and AJ may or may not have ADD. Oh, I don’t know how that will go.