Johnny Cakes

[RichardP]

[...For instance, when Dr. Malfi(sp?) got attacked a few years ago, one was really left thinking and waiting for her to tell Tony about it in a passive hope he'd have him nailed. Stuff like that. It just faded away. I gave up on it after a long while. It would impress the heck out of me if they touched on that again...]

That was among the most memorable episodes for me. She was so strongly tempted to abandon the "rule of law" and let Tony take care of the rapist for her, and it's like she barely mustered up just enough "morality" at that crucial moment to tip the balance and resist the temptation to solve the problem outside the law. Her moral nature barely won out over her emotional desire for revenge. I have wondered for a while how many Sopranos viewers have the thought "I wish I could solve my problems like Tony does" e.g., knocking off someone who wrongs us, or take what we think we deserve whether legal or not, etc. Hopefully, none actually do. It's one of very few shows where the audience identifies with, and pulls for emotionally, a protagonist who is actually a cold-blooded killer.