Employee of the Month
Dr. Melfi is excited about her break through with Tony. She shares that news with her ex-huband who is possibly more excited that she is but not so much about the breakthrough as much as he is just excited to hear her talk about Tony Soprano. Dr. Melfi's excitement dies when Tony doesn't follow through with a promise he made to her to keep a log of moments he feels anxious.
Ralph takes Jackie, Jr. with him when he goes to collect from one of the businesses that owes him money. The owner gets violently angry so Ralph and Jackie, Jr. beat him up. Tony isn't happy when he hears about it. Tony also takes that opportunity to let Ralph know that he is putting Gigi Cestone in charge of Richie Aprile's old crew. Ralph wanted the job but Tony thinks he's a little too hot headed and too cozy with Rosalie Aprile.
Johnny Sac has moved to Jersey. Tony pays him a visit. Johnny Sac reassures him that he has no intention of expanding his business to New Jersey. It is just a place to live.
Dr. Melfi is physically assaulted and raped in the parking garage of the building where her office is located. The police catch the guy but then have to let him go because they didn't follow proper procedure. She feels hopeless. She is having trouble dealing with the memories of what happens.
Dr. Melfi returns to work. She goes out to grab a bite to ear at a fast food place. She is ordering when she sees on the wall the face of the man who raped her. Beneath his picture is his name and above it the words: Employee of the Month. She talks to her therapist about it.
Dr. Melfi has a dream about the man who raped her. She is in her office in the dream. There is a soda machine in her office. She tries to buy a soda. She uses dry macaroni instead of coins in the machine. Nothing comes out of the machine. She reaches up into it and gets her arm stuck. Suddenly there are two others with her. One is a Rottweiler and the other is the rapist. The dog attacks the man when he grabs her leg.
Tony goes to see Dr. Melfi, for the third time in this episode. She talked about him starting to see someone else because she felt that she had taken things as far as they could go. This occurred during the first session. This was before she was attacked. She was walking with a cane during the second visit. She didn't tell him the truth. She told him that she was in a car accident. The dream occurred between the second and third visits.
Dr. Melfi seems to have changed her mind about referring him to someone else by the third visit. She considers telling Tony about what happened. She starts to cry during the third visit. He comfort her. She regains her composure and says that it is the injuries from the car accident that are getting to her. He asks her if she has something to tell him. She says no.
Other things that happened in this episode:
- Tony sees Johnny Sac talking to Ralph
- The Russian mob sends a couple goons to get Svetlana's leg back
- The FBI listens in on a conversation that Tony and Christopher have about Jackie, Jr.
I recall this episode from the first time I watched it, 15 plus years ago, but not all the details. I didn't recall if Dr. Melfi told Tony the truth about what happened to her. There was a moment early on that I felt that this episode was moving a little too quickly or seemed too simplistic. That changed and by the end of the episode I was totally on board.
I fully understand now why she didn't tell him the truth. I'm not sure if I did 15 plus years ago. My read is that it makes her feel strong to know that she is withholding something from Tony. It also gives her a reason to keep him around.
I was thinking of putting down Season 3 before watching this episode but now I want to watch the next episode, again. I didn't like it as much as this one but maybe that's because I watched it out of order. It wasn't that it was a poorly made episode so much as it was that it seemed to highlight how sick and disturbed most of the characters on this show are. I know that Tony isn't going to change in any dramatic ways. I know that he is going to do vile and disgusting things between this episode and the end of the series, including to people that he says he cares about. Tony will not be redeemed.
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