411 Retro TV Review: The Sopranos – Episode 30
Posted by Mike Gorman on 04.18.2008
Dr. Melfi’s life is changed forever in one of the most powerful episodes ever created. It is truly one that you need to see for yourself.
Cast:
James Gandolfini ... Tony Soprano
Lorraine Bracco ... Dr. Jennifer Melfi
Edie Falco ... Carmela Soprano
Michael Imperioli ... Christopher Moltisanti
Drea de Matteo … Adriana La Cerva
Steve Van Zandt ... Silvio Dante
Tony Sirico ... Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri
Jamie-Lynn Sigler ... Meadow Soprano
Aida Turturro …Janice Soprano
Federico Castelluccio …Furio Giunta
Denise Borino …Ginny Sacrimoni
Vincent Curatola …John "Johnny Sack" Sacrimoni
Richard Romanus …Richard La Penna
“I've been charmed by a sociopath.” – Dr. Melfi
I’m almost too overwhelmed by this episode to review it so soon after viewing it. As I have said before I have never watched this show in its entirety before so I truly did not know what was coming. There is a definite central story to this episode that I will get to in a moment. First, let me recount that this episode includes Jackie Jr. getting more involved with the family business much to Tony’s chagrin, a hilarious exchange of fat jokes as Tony’s crew talk about Johnny Sack’s wife Ginny, and Tony is not pleased that Johnny Sack has moved to New Jersey without letting him know in advance. These are all stories that will continue to develop in the coming week’s but this week’s true focus is on Tony and Dr. Melfi.
At first it seems this will be the week that Dr. Melfi will convince Tony to see a new therapist. Dr. Melfi is back seeing her ex-husband and at his urging she puts a plan in motion to refer Tony to a behavior modification specialist. As a viewer this plot is interesting but inline with past episodes so I thought nothing amiss as Dr. Melfi heads to her car after a long day of appointments. What happens next was unexpected, graphic and powerful. Dr. Melfi is attacked and sexually assaulted by a stranger in her parking garage. This scene is presented in full detail and does not shy away from any difficult moments. I found it almost too much to watch. Melfi’s fear and vulnerability are palpable. The scene jumps to the hospital where she is undergoing an invasive rape examination. Richard arrives then and expresses his anger, as does her son. As someone trained to assist survivors of sexual assault I wanted to grab the screen and shake it, telling these men that they are not helping. That is of course not possible so I sat through the next thirty minutes watching Melfi try to cover up her experience to her patients, lash out at her ex-husband, and be shocked by the police when they tell her they had to let her attacker go due to technicality. Slowly Melfi loses trust in almost everyone around her though she does go back to work. At lunch one of the following afternoons she goes into a sandwich shop and just as she pays she notices the Employee of the Month plaque behind the counter. The picture on the plaque is her attacker. She runs from the store and we jump next to a dream of her’s. She is in her office and sees a door marked. “High Voltage, Call the NJGE.” Opening the door she sees a large red soda machine and she deposits two pieces of macaroni into the slot. As she reaches for her soda her arm is trapped and she sees a large dog nearby that is clearly violent and seems to be coming after her. Just then the door opens and it is her attacker; as he approaches her the dog attacks him. As her rapist begs for mercy she awakens.
Dr. Melfi tells her therapist that the dream empowered her and that she had not slept so well in days. Together they determine that the dream represented all of her feelings about the situation and that the dog is Tony. Melfi now believes that if she tells Tony what happened he would take care of her attacker in a way only he can. This concerns her therapist but she seems certain that she now has this power but will not use it. When she next meets with Tony, he is agreeable and seems ready to move his therapy forward even if it means leaving her care. In this scene it is clear that Melfi is fighting a silent internal struggle to determine if she will or will not tell Tony what really happened to her. Tony soon realizes something is going on and asks her if she is ok. Melfi bursts into tears and seems about to tell him all when she pulls herself back together and tells him to go on with what he was saying. He then asks her if there is something she needs to tell him and she takes a beat and says, “No.” Fade to black.
This story is clearly not over; and besides being both powerful and almost repugnant at times, it exhibited a very real reaction to this situation in the world of this show. Dr. Melfi has had her power removed and her attacker roams free. It is clearly human nature for her to reach out in a way that she feels would give her some of that power back. She can turn to the man who she recently realized she needed to break away from. What fascinates me is that the roles have completely reversed themselves in there relationship now and Tony is still unaware. How he will gain knowledge of what has occurred and what he will do are questions I cannot wait to see answer. Will Dr. Melfi make choices that corrupt her ability to really help Tony? I think she might and the consequences will be fascinating.
The 411: Wow. This episode took my breath away. I have said before that the events of an episode will change lives forever but this time it has never been a truer statement. Lorraine Bracco's superb performance gives added weight to this already heavy piece. This definitely one of the most powerful episodes I have ever seen of this show and in many ways any other.
