“Denial, Anger, Acceptance”

Directed by Nick Gomez   |   Written by Mark Saraceni   |   45 min

Creating a golem

By Colin Hart

9.2 / 10

Is Tony a golem? That is the central question of The Sopranos, or at least one of them. “Meadowlands,” the meditative follow-up to the climactic “Denial, Anger, Acceptance,” presents evidence as to both yes and no. To people Tony is involved with in business — like Shlomo Teittleman, the Hasidic Jew who calls him a “golem” —  he is indeed a Frankenstein’s mobster, a malevolent specter that only ends up consuming you.

Teittleman comes to the mob for aid. He wants Tony and his crew to help get his abusive son-in-law to agree to a penniless divorce with his daughter.  In return, Teittleman offers the Family a share of his local hotel business. Tony, Paulie and Silvio eventually get Teittleman’s stubborn and…