History Recap / TheSopranosS3E4EmployeeOfTheMonth

** She is also shown looking for any valuables Livia left behind by scouring the basement with a metal detector, just to show that Janice's {{Greed}} is UpToEleven. Tony calls her out on that as well, with characteristic [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snark]].

''[black screen]''

* ActorAllusion: Dr. Melfi is raped by Jesus Rossi, or J. Rossi. In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Creator/LorraineBracco's character also has a nemesis named J. Rossi (Janice Rossi), with whom her husband is having an affair.

** Dr. Melfi has a pleased look on her face when Tony notices she's wearing a low cut skirt.

** Richard expresses frustration that he can't act out his desires to exact private justice on Dr. Melfi's rapist. The camera cuts from Richard's tightly clenched fists to Tony chopping wood with an axe. A very obvious highlighting of the fact that Melfi does have a resource to pursue revenge against her rapist, and she is thinking of using it.
** Dr. Melfi expresses a certain satisfaction in the knowledge that she could, if she wanted to, have Rossi "squashed like a bug." Guess who appears in the next frame? Like you need to ask? Of course it's Tony.

** Johnny Sack tries to assuage Tony's concerns by saying that his wife wanted to move to Jersey, and that he's not there to "stick my beak in". It turns out, his very motivation for buying a house in Jersey is to [[ManipulativeBastard "stick his beak"]] into Jersey mob business, and in ways that will benefit his own plans.
** The most sympathetic one. Dr. Melfi tells her patients, Tony included, that she was in a car accident to explain away her injuries and cancelled appointments, and to hide her pain and shame over having been raped.

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Well, in this case it appears to be "Can't Send You To a Behaviorist, Still Need You." Dr. Melfi [[ContinuityNod apparently still believes]] that having Tony as a patient is therapeutic for her.
* CloseToHome: Tony, firmly believing Dr. Melfi's [[BlatantLies lie]] about having been in a car accident, tries to sympathize with her with dialogue about careless driving and the natural emotional responses to it causing an accident. The description of the accident itself is almost a spot on depiction of how the rape itself unfolded, and the emotional reactions almost perfectly describe how Dr. Melfi herself feels about it. She has a visibly uncomfortable reaction to what Tony says.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: It turns out that the bug planted in the basement lamp is working despite Tony's precaution of having the furnace fans go full blast. In less than a minute, the FBI agents stationed in the van hear everything that they could possibly need to bust at least Chris and Jackie Jr. for the Rutgers campus robbery. But the agents never make the connection, and instead get totally hung up on Chris referring to Jackie Jr. as "Lord [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]]pants" as though it were some kind of code speak.

* CrapsackWorld: Hearing about his mother's rape stirs Jason to condemn the whole world as filled with crime, evil and injustice.

* EmployeeOfTheMonth: The episode offers a much, ''much'' darker take on this.[[spoiler: When Dr. Melfi goes to the sandwich shop, she recognises the titular Employee of the Month..as her rapist who got OffOnATechnicality]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Tony is aghast when Dr. Melfi breaks down during their session, and does everything in his power to comfort her short of picking her up and rocking her like a baby.

* ItsAllMyFault: Dr. Melfi to a degree blames herself for the rape. Lampshaded when Melfi admits to Dr. Kupferberg that the vending machine in her dream symbolizes the self-blaming.

* MaleGaze: Both Jackie Jr. and Ralph ogle Adriana while she's working waitress as the new Vesuvio restaurant.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Ralph tells an associate that he's going to stick a "shish kebab" up his ass. He also calls the associate's brother-in-law as a "Sand Monkey" to Tony.

** Tony notices Dr. Melfi got a cut lower than usual skirt on during their first therapy session.

** That Dr. Melfi is deeply traumatized by the rape, disturbingly so, resonates with the years or even decades long struggles that many rape victims suffer. [[ItsAllMyFault Self-blaming]] is frequent too.

* WhamEpisode: Not just ''that'' Dr. Melfi was raped, but that every excrutiating moment of the rape was shown ''and'' the rapist got away scot-free.

'''Season 3, Episode 04'''
!Employee of the Month

While leaving her office one night, Melfi is attacked in the parking garage by a stranger, and raped on the stairwell, leaving her horribly traumatized. As she is tended to in the hospital, Richard and their son Jason rush to her side, both feeling impotent rage at the attack on her. They are informed that a suspect has been apprehended, and Melfi is put off when Richard reacts negatively to learning the man is named Jesus Rossi and likely Italian. Later as Melfi begins to convalesce at home, Richard calls the detectives working the case and learns that due to mismanagement of chain of custody, Rossi has been let off on a technicality. Melfi is horrified, and her mental condition is only made worse when, visiting a sandwich shop, she sees that her rapist is that shop's employee of the month.

Russian goons break into Livia's house while Janice is alone one night, asking that she returns Svetlana's prosthetic leg at once. Janice tries to play coy, denying any knowledge about the theft and the whereabouts of the leg, but the thugs are having none of it; they strike her and force her under the threat of further violence to retrieve Svetlana's prosthetic leg from the locker where she's keeping it. Later, Tony visits her in the hospital. He expresses annoyance about the whole thing, pointing out to Janice that she brought herself in this situation by refusing to return the leg. Still because Russians have assaulted his sister, he is now duty-bound as her brother to retaliate against them, something he complains will cost him time and money. Janice, meanwhile, seems to have undergone a total personality shift, with the supposed trauma of the encounter with the Russians leading her to become a born again Christian. Tony leaves, bemused by her behavior.

Russian goons break into Livia's house while Janice is alone one night, asking that she returns Svetlana's prosthetic leg at once. Janice tries to play coy, denying any knowledge about the theft and the whereabouts of the leg, but the thugs are having none of it; they strike her and her force under the threat of further violence her to retrieve Svetlana's prosthetic leg from the locker where she's keeping it. Later, Tony visits her in the hospital. He expresses annoyance about the whole thing, pointing out to Janice that she brought herself in this situation by refusing to return the leg. Still because Russians have assaulted his sister, he is now duty-bound as her brother to retaliate against them, something he complains will cost him time and money. Janice, meanwhile, seems to have undergone a total personality shift, with the supposed trauma of the encounter with the Russians leading her to become a born again Christian. Tony leaves, bemused by her behavior.

Russian goons break into Livia's house while Janice is alone one night, striking her and forcing her to retrieve Svetlana's prosthetic leg from the locker where she's keeping it. Later Tony visits her in the hospital, and Janice seems to have undergone a total personality shift, with the supposed trauma of the encounter with the Russians leading her to become a born again Christian. Tony leaves, bemused, after promising to enact retribution on the men who attacked her - more out of duty than any actual desire for revenge.

!Tropes:

** Tony notices she's got a cut lower than usual skirt on during their first therapy session.

--> ''No.''
--> [black screen]

* RevengeIsNotJustice: Averted, after Dr. Melfi struggles with the decision of whether to have Tony kill Rossi her rapist for her. The possibility is left open all the way to the end until her pause before the ending credits verifies the decision she has made. As such, although the trope is averted, its themes are lampshaded in the form of AnAesop by Melfi and those whom she confides in, such as Richard and Dr. Kupferberg.

* RevengeIsNotJustice: Averted, after Dr. Melfi struggles with the decision of whether to have Tony kill Rossi her rapist for her. The possibility is left open all the way to the end until her pause before the ending credits verifies the decision she has made. As such, all the trope is averted, its themes are lampshaded in the form of AnAesop by Melfi and those whom she confides in, such as Richard and Dr. Kupferberg.

* RealEstateScam: The Esplanade project promises to be a massive score for crime families on both sides of the river.

* RootingForTheEmpire: You are a rare person if you don't want Dr. Melfi to sic Tony on the rapist.

* ActorAllusion: Dr. Melfi is raped by Jesus Rossi, or J. Rossi. In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}", Creator/LorraineBracco's character also has a nemesis named J. Rossi (Janice Rossi), with whom her husband is having an affair.

* PetTheDog: When Dr. Melfi is raped and the perpetrator is allowed to go free on a technicality, she feels helpless and betrayed by the political justice system. She seriously considers telling Tony about the attack, enlisting him to exact brutal revenge against the rapist, but ultimately decides against it. At the end of the episode, Melfi breaks into tears during her therapy session with Tony, who gets up from his chair and puts his hand on her shoulder, and asks in the gentlest manner he could manage "what's wrong?". What's notable here is that Tony's strong sexual attraction for Dr. Melfi has been well documented, but there is no hint of lust or other prurient intent here: he's genuinely concerned for her as a human being and surprisingly tender.

* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Tony tells Janice, "Don't mess with the Russians". Turns out he was right.
** Ralph indicates to Jackie Jr. that Meadow is becoming a "little mink". Jackie ends up agreeing and starts seeing her.
** Tony and the guys at Satriale's use Johnny Sack's wife, Ginny, as FatComicRelief. The next time they do that, it will have tremendous storyline repercussions.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Tony mulls for a moment on the sight of Johnny and Ralphie having a private discussion. The link between these two will have some impact later in the season.

* AwkwardSilenceEntrance: Tony and the guys are having fun with [[YouAreFat fat jokes]] at [[FatGirl Ginny Sack's]] expense. They immediately fall silent and look sheepishly at one another the moment Ginny's husband, Johnny Sack, walks in on them.

* TheMafiya: It turns out that Svetlana has connections of her own, and she calls on them to make good on her [[WeWillMeetAgain threat]] from the previous episode. A couple of Russian thugs break into Janice's house, beat her to a pulp]], and force her to give back Svetlana's leg, without the [[MementoMacGuffin record collection]] in exchange to boot.

* ActorAllusion: Dr. Melfi is raped by Jesus Rossi, or J. Rossi. In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}, Creator/LorraineBracco's character also has a nemesis named J. Rossi (Janice Rossi), with whom her husband is having an affair.

* PetTheDog: When Tony tries to comfort Dr. Melfi when she breaks down.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Really comes across in the scene.

** Dr. Melfi has a pleased look on her face when Tony notices she's wearing a [[{{ShesGotLegs}} low cut skirt]].
** She also admits to Dr. Kupferberg that she separated from Richard despite, no [[{{SubvertedTrope}} BECAUSE]], he embodied the [[{{SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan}} ideal traits for a male partner]].

* AnxietyDreams / OpinionChangingDream: Dr. Melfi has a dream that potentially has elements of both. The dream features Jesus Rossi trying to rape her, but Tony (symbolized by a Rottweiler dog) brutally mauls him. It is open to interpretation whether the latter part persuades Melfi against [[{{WhatYouAreInTheDark}} pursuing revenge]].
* AwkwardSilenceEntrance: Tony and the guys are having fun with [[{{YouAreFat}} fat jokes]] at [[{{FatGirl}} Ginny Sack's]] [[{{FatComicRelief}} expense]]. They immediately fall silent and look sheepishly at one another the moment Ginny's husband, Johnny Sack, walks in on them.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Zigzagged. Tony fully intends to exact revenge on the [[{{TheMafiya}} Russian thugs]] who [[{{WouldHitAGirl}} beat]] Janice. But Tony makes it clear it feels like a burden to have to do so on account of Janice. Tony will get it done, not so much because he cares about Janice (which is debatable enough as it is), but because [[{{TheMafia}} the code of La Omerta]] demands it.

** Janice still tries to keep up the fiction that Livia's [[{{MementoMacGuffin}} record collection]] has sentimental value for her. Tony sees right through it.
** Johnny Sack tries to assuage Tony's concerns by saying that his wife wanted to move to Jersey, and that he's not there to "stick my beak in". It turns out, his very motivation for buying a house in Jersey is to [[{{ManipulativeBastard}} "stick his beak"]] into Jersey mob business, and in ways that will benefit his own plans.

** Jennifer outright accuses him of being one during their argument, after learning that the rape charge is being dropped. She tops it with a [[{{PrecisionFStrike}} Precision F-Strike]].

* CloseToHome: Tony, firmly believing Dr. Melfi's [[{{BlatantLies}} lie]] about having been in a car accident, tries to sympathize with her with dialogue about careless driving and the natural emotional responses to it causing an accident. The description of the accident itself is almost a spot on depiction of how the rape itself unfolded, and the emotional reactions almost perfectly describe how Dr. Melfi herself feels about it. She has a visibly uncomfortable reaction to what Tony says.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: It turns out that the bug planted in the basement lamp is working despite Tony's precaution of having the furnace fans go full blast. In less than a minute, the FBI agents stationed in the van hear everything that they could possibly need to bust at least Chris and Jackie Jr. for the Rutgers campus robbery. But the agents never make the connection, and instead get totally hung up on Chris referring to Jackie Jr. as "Lord [[{{PrecisionFStrike}} Fuck]]pants" as though it were some kind of code speak.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Tony is aghast when Dr. Melfi breaks down during their session, and does everything in his power to comfort her short of picking her up and rocking her like a baby.

** Tony tells Janice, "Don't mess with the [[{{TheMafiya}} Russians.]]" Turns out he was right.
** Ralph indicates to Jackie Jr. that Meadow is becoming a [[{{SheIsAllGrownUp}} "little mink"]]. Jackie ends up agreeing and starts seeing her.
** Tony and the guys at Satriale's use Johnny Sack's wife, Ginny, as [[{{FatComicRelief}} Fat Comic Relief]]. The next time they do that, it will have tremendous storyline repercussions.
* EvilMentor: Ralph, for [[{{TheStarscream}} his own motivations]], brings Jackie Jr. along for a collection from an associate. Ralph deliberately escalates the encounter in order to provoke the associate into attacking him. The result is that Ralph and Jackie Jr. together give the associate a [[{{NoHoldsBarredBeatdown}} No Holds Barred Beatdown]]. He also gives Jackie Jr. a cut from their victim's wallet. Ralph is actively cultivating Jackie Jr. into the mob life, and against Tony's [[{{EvilParentsWantGoodKids}} express wishes]].

* FridgeBrilliance: Dr. Melfi remembers what happened when [[Recap/TheSopranosS1E6PaxSoprana she had car trouble]], and knows that if she tells Tony about her rape, the rapist will wind up dead and she'll be responsible.

** She is also shown looking for any valuables Livia left behind by scouring the basement with a metal detector, just to show that Janice's [[{{Greed}} Greed]] is [[{{UpToEleven}} Up To Eleven]]. Tony calls her out on that as well, with characteristic [[{{DeadpanSnarker}} Deadpan Snark]].

** Janice, after [[{{TheMafiya}} The Mafiya]] put her in the hospital, puts on an [[{{TheAtoner}} Atoner]] act as a [[{{HeelFaithTurn}} brand new born again Christian]]. Tony doesn't buy it for a second, and actually [[{{ProperlyParanoid}} worries]] about the inevitable repercussions.

* NightmareFuel: The rape, and then the fact that the rapist is going to skate.

* TheMafiya: It turns out that Svetlana has connections of her own, and she calls on them to make good on her [[{{WeWillMeetAgain}} threat]] from the previous episode. A couple of Russian thugs break into Janice's house, [[{{WouldHitAGirl}} beat her to a pulp]], and force her to give back Svetlana's leg, without the [[{{MementoMacGuffin}} record collection]] in exchange to boot.
* TheMole: One of Tony's justifications for appointing Gigi a capo instead of Ralph. He wants Gigi to be his eyes and ears in the Aprile crew.

** That Dr. Melfi is deeply traumatized by the rape, disturbingly so, resonates with the years or even decades long struggles that many rape victims suffer. [[{{ItsAllMyFault}} Self-blaming]] is frequent too.

** The [[{{TheMafiya}} Russian thugs]] that Svetlana sends after Janice beat her to a pulp.

* YoureNotMyFather: Meadow still has some simmering resentment towards Tony for being [[{{PoliticallyIncorrectVillain}} racist]] to Noah.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: It turns out that the bug planted in the basement lamp is working despite Tony's precaution of having the furnace fans go full blast. In less than a minute, the FBI agents stationed in the van hear everything that they could possibly need to bust at least Chris and Jackie Jr. for the Rutgers campus robbery. But the agents never make the connection, and instead get totally hung up on Chris referring to Jackie Jr. as "Lord [[{{PrecisionFStrike}} Precision F-Strike]]pants" as though it were some kind of code speak.

* GilliganCut:
** Richard expresses frustration that he can't act out his desires to exact private justice on Dr. Melfi's rapist. The camera cuts from Richard's tightly clenched fists to Tony chopping wood with an axe. A very obvious highlighting of the fact that Melfi does have a resource to pursue revenge against her rapist, and she is thinking of using it.
** Dr. Melfi expresses a certain satisfaction in the knowledge that she could, if she wanted to, have Rossi "squashed like a bug." Guess who appears in the next frame? Like you need to ask? Of course it's Tony.

* PragmaticVillainy:Tony plans to retaliate against the attack on his sister but only for the sake of his image.

* ProperlyParanoid: Tony is suspicious of Johnny Sack buying a house in Jersey as part of an [[{{ManipulativeBastard}} agenda]]. He's totally correct and justified.