Though it's not my "favorite," one of the most powerful and disturbing scenes in "Sopranos" was when Melfi was raped. Not only was the rape far more brutal and disturbing than the usual run-of-the-mill stylized TV/Hollywood violence, but the agony Melfi suffered afterwards was powerfully portrayed. After the "justice system" let the perp walk because of a screw-up, we saw Melfi--who had already been having problems with her feelings for Tony--agonizing about whether to tell Tony, which would have assured that the perp got rough justice, but would have forever changed her relationship with him, probably for the worse. In the end, she showed tremendous courage by resisting the temptation and maintaining her professional detachment. I had mostly given up on the Melfi character to that point, but she made a strong comeback in that episode.