Cipherdom (deprecated)

Just When I Thought I Was Out . . .

The first Sopranos episode of Season 5 was more than alright. They teased us by showing Buscemi only in stills, they denied us Meadow, they pulled a predictable move by having NY boss Carmine stroke out, and yet there were plenty of good bits to compensate. Like the restaurant scene, where a bad tip turns into David Chase's trademark comic violence. Like the combination of delight and fear on Carmela's face when she realizes Tony's still jealous over her and Furio. Like Feech (Robert Loggia), who's already shaping up as a great foil for Uncle Junior.

But the best moment came when Dr. Melfi, after some mixed signals, spurned Tony's advances. His crude, out-of-control reaction was shocking but completely in character. On one level, Melfi exists to balance out all the supposedly damaging Italian stereotypes; as a consumate professional and good citizen, she's a credit to her ethnicity, blah blah. Or a credit to her gender, if you want to look at it that way -- she also counters the criticism that the show is misogynistic. She'd be too noble to believe except for the palpable kick she gets from vicariously experiencing Tony's business. Just like the rest of us voyeurs.