Employee of the Month (The Sopranos)

4th episode of the 3rd season of The Sopranos

"Employee of the Month"

The Sopranos episode
Episode no.| Season 3
Episode 4
Directed by| John Patterson
Written by| Robin Green
Mitchell Burgess
Cinematography by| Alik Sakharov
Production code| 304
Original air date| March 18, 2001 (2001-03-18)
Running time| 53 minutes
Episode chronology
| ← Previous
"Fortunate Son"  | Next →
"Another Toothpick"

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The Sopranos season 3
List of episodes

"Employee of the Month" is the 30th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the fourth episode of the show's third season. It was written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by John Patterson, and originally aired on March 18, 2001.

## Starring

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* James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
* Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi
* Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano
* Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
* Dominic Chianese as Corrado Soprano Jr. *
* Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante
* Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri
* Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano Jr. (voice only)
* Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano
* Drea de Matteo as Adriana La Cerva
* Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano
* Federico Castelluccio as Furio Giunta
* Joe Pantoliano as Ralph Cifaretto

* = credit only

### Guest starring

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* Sharon Angela as Rosalie Aprile
* Peter Bogdanovich as Dr. Elliot Kupferberg
* Denise Borino as Ginny Sacrimoni
* Jason Cerbone as Jackie Aprile Jr.
* Vince Curatola as Johnny Sack
* John Fiore as Gigi Cestone
* Oksana Lada as Irina Peltsin
* Will McCormack as Jason LaPenna
* Mario Polit as Jesus Rossi
* Peter Riegert as Ronald Zellman
* Richard Romanus as Richard LaPenna
* Shaun Toub as Arouk Abboubi

## Synopsis

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Johnny Sack and his wife Ginny have moved to a large house in New Jersey. Tony goes there and asks Johnny insistently why he didn't tell him about it. Johnny says they moved there for family reasons and that he is not going to interfere in Tony's business.

Two Russian thugs break into Janice's home and demand the return of Svetlana's prosthetic leg. When Janice refuses, one of them hits her hard. The leg is in a bowling alley locker; Janice takes them there and gives it to them. Tony visits her in the hospital, exasperated with her again; he will have to retaliate against the men who assaulted his sister. Janice says she has hit bottom but feels born again in the Lord: "I give myself up utterly and totally to God."

Ralphie is now dating Rosalie, and takes Jackie, Jr. with him to collect extortion money. Ralphie has no dispute with the man there but provokes a fight. The man takes out a baseball bat, but Ralphie and Jackie take it from him. Ralphie holds the man and urges Jackie to hit him. Jackie eagerly beats and kicks him. Ralphie empties the man's wallet and gives some of the money to Jackie, who is gloating. Partly because of this incident, Tony makes Gigi a captain instead of Ralphie, to his deep disappointment.

Dr. Melfi and her ex-husband Richard are now reconciled. Both he and Dr. Elliot Kupferberg are urging her to cease treating her gangster patient, whose name she inadvertently reveals to Kupferberg. She has her own doubts: "I've been charmed by a sociopath," she says. She believes it is now time for him to be treated by a behavior modification therapist, but Tony is reluctant to talk to anyone else.

In the parking garage one evening after work, Dr. Melfi is attacked and raped. The police quickly find the man. Richard and her son Jason are enraged, especially when they are informed that, because of a loss in the chain of custody, the police had to release the rapist. Jennifer and Richard fight, blaming each other for the rape. Melfi later sees a picture of the man, named employee of the month at a local sub shop. She feels a crazed desire for revenge and knows she could obtain it with a word to Tony Soprano.

She has a dream. She buys a soda from a vending machine with a piece of macaroni; when she reaches into the machine to get it, her hand is trapped inside. A Rottweiler appears and terrifies her. Then the rapist advances toward her. The dog turns and mauls the rapist, who cries in agony. With Kupferberg, she understands the meaning: the dog is Tony Soprano taking revenge on her behalf.

She tells Tony and others she has been in a car accident. When he sees her, Tony is shocked and concerned by her injuries. He tells her he is now ready to see a behaviorist, but she says, "No," and starts crying. Tony goes to her, lays his hands gently on her, and asks what the matter is. She composes herself and asks him to return to his seat. He goes back, but asks, "What? You wanna say something?" After a tense pause, she says, "No."

## First appearances

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* Ginny Sacrimoni: The wife of Johnny Sack.

## Title reference

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* Dr. Melfi happens to see her rapist's picture on the wall as "Employee of the Month" at a local subshop.

## Awards

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* The episode's writers, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, won an Emmy Award in 2001 for Best Writing in a Drama Series.
* Lorraine Bracco was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for season three. She lost the award to co-star Edie Falco, who submitted the episode "Second Opinion".

## Music

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* The song played over the end credits is "Fisherman's Daughter" by Daniel Lanois.
* The song that plays while Ralphie and Jackie Aprile, Jr are eating at Vesuvio's is "Speedoo" by The Cadillacs.
* In the scene where Janice Soprano is practicing guitar, she is attempting "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.
* In the scene where Dr. Melfi was at the sub shop (before fleeing), Britney Spears' song "Oops!... I Did It Again" is heard.
* The song played in The Bada Bing Club is "Love Rollercoaster" by The Ohio Players.
* The song played during the Sacrimonis’ house warming party is "Americano" by the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

## Reference to other media

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* Lorraine Bracco's character is raped by Jesus Rossi or J. Rossi. In the film Goodfellas, Lorraine Bracco's character also has a nemesis named J. Rossi (Janice Rossi), with whom her husband is having an affair.

## Filming locations

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Listed in order of first appearance:[1]

* Long Island City, Queens
* North Caldwell, New Jersey
* Lodi, New Jersey
* Satin Dolls in Lodi, New Jersey
* Fort Lee, New Jersey
* Verona, New Jersey

## References

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1. ^ Ugoku. "The Sopranos location guide - Filming locations for". www.sopranos-locations.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.

## External links

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* "Employee of the Month" at HBO
* "Employee of the Month" at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

The Sopranos

Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "The Sopranos"
* "46 Long"
* "Denial, Anger, Acceptance"
* "Meadowlands"
* "College"
* "Pax Soprana"
* "Down Neck"
* "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti"
* "Boca"
* "A Hit Is a Hit"
* "Nobody Knows Anything"
* "Isabella"
* "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano"

|

Season 2|

* "Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office..."
* "Do Not Resuscitate"
* "Toodle-Fucking-Oo"
* "Commendatori"
* "Big Girls Don't Cry"
* "The Happy Wanderer"
* "D-Girl"
* "Full Leather Jacket"
* "From Where to Eternity"
* "Bust Out"
* "House Arrest"
* "The Knight in White Satin Armor"
* "Funhouse"

Season 3|

* "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood"
* "Proshai, Livushka"
* "Fortunate Son"
* "Employee of the Month"
* "Another Toothpick"
* "University"
* "Second Opinion"
* "He Is Risen"
* "The Telltale Moozadell"
* "...To Save Us All from Satan's Power"
* "Pine Barrens"
* "Amour Fou"
* "Army of One"

Season 4|

* "For All Debts Public and Private"
* "No Show"
* "Christopher"
* "The Weight"
* "Pie-O-My"
* "Everybody Hurts"
* "Watching Too Much Television"
* "Mergers and Acquisitions"
* "Whoever Did This"
* "The Strong, Silent Type"
* "Calling All Cars"
* "Eloise"
* "Whitecaps"

Season 5|

* "Two Tonys"
* "Rat Pack"
* "Where's Johnny?"
* "All Happy Families..."
* "Irregular Around the Margins"
* "Sentimental Education"
* "In Camelot"
* "Marco Polo"
* "Unidentified Black Males"
* "Cold Cuts"
* "The Test Dream"
* "Long Term Parking"
* "All Due Respect"

Season 6|

| Part I|

* "Members Only"
* "Join the Club"
* "Mayham"
* "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh"
* "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request..."
* "Live Free or Die"
* "Luxury Lounge"
* "Johnny Cakes"
* "The Ride"
* "Moe n' Joe"
* "Cold Stones"
* "Kaisha"

|

Part II|

* "Soprano Home Movies"
* "Stage 5"
* "Remember When"
* "Chasing It"
* "Walk Like a Man"
* "Kennedy and Heidi"
* "The Second Coming"
* "The Blue Comet"
* "Made in America"

Characters|

* Tony Soprano
* Jennifer Melfi
* Carmela Soprano
* Christopher Moltisanti
* Junior Soprano
* Silvio Dante
* Paulie Gualtieri
* A.J. Soprano
* Meadow Soprano
* Adriana La Cerva
* Bobby Baccalieri
* Janice Soprano
* Livia Soprano

Universe|

* Satriale's Pork Store
* Bada Bing!
* Cleaver

Related|

* Awards and nominations
* Music ("Woke Up This Morning")
* Road to Respect
* Talking Sopranos
* The Many Saints of Newark
* Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

1950s|

* Reginald Rose for "Twelve Angry Men" (1955)

1960s|

* Rod Serling for The Twilight Zone (1960)
* Rod Serling for The Twilight Zone (1961)
* Reginald Rose for The Defenders (1962)
* Robert Thom & Reginald Rose for "The Madman" (1963)
* Ernest Kinoy for "Blacklist" / Rod Serling for "It's Mental Work" (1964)
* David Karp for "The 700 Year Old Gang" (1965)
* Millard Lampell for "Eagle in a Cage" (1966)
* Bruce Geller for "Mission: Impossible" (1967)
* Loring Mandel for "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" (1968)
* JP Miller for "The People Next Door" (1969)

1970s|

* Richard Levinson & William Link for "My Sweet Charlie" (1970)
* Joel Oliansky for "To Taste of Death But Once" (1971)
* Richard Levinson & William Link for "Death Lends a Hand" (1972)
* John McGreevey for "The Scholar" (1973)
* Joanna Lee for "The Thanksgiving Story" (1974)
* Howard Fast for "Benjamin Franklin: The Ambassador" (1975)
* Sherman Yellen for "John Adams: Lawyer" (1976)
* William Blinn & Ernest Kinoy for "Show #2" (1977)
* Gerald Green for "Holocaust" (1978)
* Michele Gallery for "Dying" (1979)

1980s|

* Seth Freeman for "Cop" (1980)
* Michael Kozoll & Steven Bochco for "Hill Street Station" (1981)
* Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll & Jeff Lewis & Michael Wagner & Anthony Yerkovich for "Freedom's Last Stand" (1982)
* David Milch for "Trial by Fury" (1983)
* John Ford Noonan, John Masius & Tom Fontana for "The Women" (1984)
* Patricia Green for "Who Said It's Fair, Part 2" (1985)
* Tom Fontana, John Masius & Joe Tinker for "Time Heals, Parts I & II" (1986)
* Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher for "The Venus Butterfly" (1987)
* Paul Haggis & Marshall Herskovitz for "Business as Usual" (1988)
* Joseph Dougherty for "First Day/Last Day" (1989)

1990s|

* David E. Kelley for "Blood, Sweat, and Fears" (1990)
* David E. Kelley for "On the Toad Again" (1991)
* Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider for "Seoul Mates" (1992)
* Tom Fontana for "Three Men and Adena" (1993)
* Ann Biderman for "Steroid Roy" (1994)
* Lance A. Gentile for "Love's Labor Lost" (1995)
* Darin Morgan for "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (1996)
* David Milch, Stephen Gaghan and Michael R. Perry for "Where's Swaldo?" (1997)
* David Milch, Nicholas Wootton and Bill Clark for "Lost Israel: Part II" (1998)
* James Manos Jr. and David Chase for "College" (1999)

2000s|

* Rick Cleveland & Aaron Sorkin for "In Excelsis Deo" (2000)
* Mitchell Burgess & Robin Green for "Employee of the Month" (2001)
* Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for "12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." (2002)
* Mitchell Burgess & David Chase & Robin Green for "Whitecaps" (2003)
* Terence Winter for "Long Term Parking" (2004)
* David Shore for "Three Stories" (2005)
* Terence Winter for "Members Only" (2006)
* David Chase for "Made in America" (2007)
* Matthew Weiner for "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (2008)
* Kater Gordon & Matthew Weiner for "Meditations in an Emergency" (2009)

2010s|

* Erin Levy & Matthew Weiner for "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." (2010)
* Jason Katims for "Always" (2011)
* Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff for "Pilot" (Homeland) (2012)
* Henry Bromell for "Q&A" (2013)
* Moira Walley-Beckett for "Ozymandias" (2014)
* David Benioff & D. B. Weiss for "Mother's Mercy" (2015)
* David Benioff & D. B. Weiss for "Battle of the Bastards" (2016)
* Bruce Miller for "Offred" (2017)
* Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for "START" (2018)
* Jesse Armstrong for "Nobody Is Ever Missing" (2019)

2020s|

* Jesse Armstrong for "This Is Not for Tears" (2020)
* Peter Morgan for "War" (2021)
* Jesse Armstrong for "All the Bells Say" (2022)
* Jesse Armstrong for "Connor's Wedding" (2023)
* Will Smith for "Negotiating with Tigers" (2024)

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