Something I was thinking about. To be clear, I don’t really have a theory here, more just want to hear what others think.
Melfi and Junior seem to be Tony’s primary sources of advice—even moreso than Sil, his actual consigliere.
In some ways, they combine to form one ultimate confidant. With Melfi he can talk about his feelings but not his work. With Junior he can talk about his work but not his feelings. Interestingly enough, with Carmella he can’t talk honestly about either.
But to keep the focus on Melfi and Junior…
Whether or not they know it, they share a connection through Tony’s quest for answers. They are two of the rare people Tony doesn’t feel “above” and that he genuinely listens to. In some ways Junior and Melfi fill the same role in Tony’s life, but in other ways they are opposites, counterparts, or even competitors for Tony’s conscience.
Like I said I don’t have any grand point to make here. I just wanted to posit these questions and hopefully spark an interesting discussion:
Can you think of any instances where Junior and Melfi show notable parallels or inverses? What meaning do you think can be drawn from such instances? Do you think there’s anything unique about their connection? Or are they both simply cogs in the greater machine—the sketchy mosaic—that is Tony’s sphere of influence? Are they adversaries or do they really both want the same thing—for Tony to be a more functional adult? Is their connection spiritual? Or even supernatural?
Not necessarily looking for answers to all these questions, just curious to hear any and all theories and musings this community may have surrounding the relationship between these two specific characters.
I said my piece.