Episode 06- Tony Loves Dr. Melfi

Junior becomes boss and already trouble is brewing. Junior’s not stupid but he’s just not able to handle all the difficult personalities around him. A mob boss needs finesse, sensitivity and the ability to be one step ahead, all of which Junior is incapable of. Junior’s biggest fault is that he cannot separate his personal grievances and his pride from the job of being the boss. When it comes down to it, he’s not Tony. Unfortunately for Tony, Junior’s not taking his position lightly and is already mixing it up within the organization. And, on top of it all, Livia sticks her hand into the mobster’s business, yet again, convincing Junior to charge a tax to Hesh, Tony’s longtime friend and adviser.

So, while all this is going down, Tony is also facing other challenges. These challenges lie in the bedroom. A few fantasies later and Tony believes he’s in love with his therapist. In a wonderful scene at the therapists, Tony admits to Dr. Melfi that he’s in love with her only to be shot down when she explains that it’s simply a byproduct of therapy. The dialogue is so good in this scene and Lorraine Bracco gives a wonderful performance here. She has to show Melfi keeping cool and yet you can see how hard it is for her. As he tells her she remains tightlipped with her usual neutral gaze. It’s as though you can imagine Dr. Melfi putting on an act in that moment, desperately trying to not show any emotion and carefully choosing her words. Most likely she’s been trained for moments like this but it seems that with Tony there is a greater danger. (I mean, if there was one single patient you wouldn’t want to piss off and belittle it would be Tony Soprano)! She treads lightly with her words but stands her ground when he reacts to his bruised ego. It is a wonderful, brutal scene.

And lastly, the tender scene that follows Tony’s confession where Tony and Carmela lounge by the pool strikes a totally different chord. In the previous episode Carmela’s strange and tempestuous night with the priest has led to her recognition that she has a lot of guilt and sadness because of her acceptance and at times gratefulness of Tony’s job and behavior. This all leads to her shocking confession in this episode that she accepted and even welcomed Tony’s ‘goomahs’ in the beginning of their marriage.
The one woman who has finally made her jealous is the one who is finally helping her husband face his demons; a role she is not able to fulfill. Her confession of this to Tony is one of the first moments where the connection between Carmela and Tony first shines. Their marriage will become more and more central to the series as it goes and in this episode you’re given a real chance to see that even with everything they really do care about each other.