What is the name of the episode where Dr. Melfi is raped?

Dr. Jennifer Melfi is raped in “Employee of the Month,” the fourth episode of The Sopranos’ third season. The episode originally aired on March 18, 2001.

Melfi is attacked by a stranger in the parking garage near her office. The police arrest the suspect, but a mistake involving the chain of custody leads to his release without a trial. Later, Melfi recognizes his photograph at the sandwich shop where he works, displayed because he has been named Employee of the Month.

The assault creates one of the series’ most important moral conflicts. Melfi knows that Tony Soprano could have the attacker killed if she told him what happened. Her dreams even symbolize Tony as a vicious dog capable of taking revenge. Yet she refuses to reveal the truth or use Tony’s criminal power, preserving the boundary between her professional ethics and his violent world.

The episode is also significant because Tony is growing increasingly dependent on Melfi while she is questioning whether treating a mob boss is ethically defensible. Lorraine Bracco’s performance earned an Emmy nomination, and writers Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess won the 2001 Emmy for drama writing.