YMMV / The Sopranos S 3 E 4 Employee Of The Month

• Broken Base:
  • 'Employee of the Month' is perhaps the most controversial and divisive episode of the series:
    • Some may find it intriguing that the series delves into Melfi's character beyond Tony, and that her entire storyline provided the series with a character study of Melfi beyond what is commonly expected in a show like this. Others feel that Melfi's entire plot in this episode was unnecessary (especially considering that this event was never mentioned again) and served no real purpose for the series other than to depict a very graphic, Gratuitous Rape for the sake of shock value. It doesn't help that the rapist isn't even punished.
    • There is a searing debate among fans about whether it was right or not for Melfi to not tell Tony about the rapist. Is Melfi right for not giving into revenge and thus making Tony feel vindicated for being a mobster? Or is Melfi wrong for irresponsibly letting a dangerous criminal run loose?
    • As sympathetic as Melfi is in her rape scene and its aftermath, the way the suspect is treated is pretty horrifying. All they really have on him is that he was in the general area, fits the absurdly vague and generic description Melfi could have given, and has in his possession a piece of stolen property and a plausible explanation of how he came to obtain it. Medical staff has not even finished collecting tissue that they only hope might yield DNA evidence. The detective can't wait to identify him by name to her passionately-murderous son and ex-husband as definitely being the perpetrator and tells them where to find his dwelling.
• Nightmare Fuel: The rape scene.
• Rooting for the Empire: You are a rare person if you don't want Dr. Melfi to sic Tony and The Mafia on the rapist.
• Spoiled by the Format: If you watch this episode through an on-demand cable provider, you're likely to see "rape" listed among the parental advisory items (which normally for this show include things like "graphic violence" and "nudity"). May also qualify it for Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil.

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