Dr. Jennifer Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco, is the psychiatrist of fictional mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos.

Dr. Melfi is probably the closest person to truly understanding Tony Soprano. Over the years, Tony Soprano has been able to confide in Melfi many things that he has told no one else, not his associates and certainly not his wife, Carmela. However, Melfi and Soprano have an unusual, off-again-on-again relationship. He inwardly fears the prying into his life that Melfi does during their sessions, but he also fears the results from not dealing with the problem. As a result, she watches him go through frequent mood swings during their time together, sometimes acting playful, other times violent – sometimes acting responsive, other times being cold and distant.

For her part, Melfi has tried hard to help Soprano as much as possible, half chalking it up to some sort of visceral thrill of helping a gangster but also trying to resist the idea that she has romantic thoughts about the man − she wants to keep their relationship professional. Melfi, in addition, has an ongoing battle with alcoholism. However, while she has so far resisted Soprano's constant advances, which she is both attracted to and repelled by at the same time, Soprano no longer wishes for their relationship to remain strictly professional, as he seems to see her as the one thing that he is unable to truly have and, while continuing to pursue her, also resents her for it.

In the Emmy-winning third season episode "Employee of the Month", Melfi is raped in a parking garage. After the rapist was freed on a technicality, she had to resist the desire to have Soprano "squish him like a bug", instead deciding not to cross that line.

Melfi also sees a psychiatrist and colleague, Dr. Elliot Kupferberg (played by Peter Bogdanovich) on a regular basis.

External link

• HBO Profile: Dr. Jennifer Melfi

The Sopranos characters | Fictional psychiatrists | Fictional alcoholics