Hey, I think it's great that they showed Tony going to a therapist. It shows that he is a real guy with real problems like all of us. It also shows the two distinct different sides to his life, what a complex person he is. I go to a therapist, so do a lot of people. I think that by Tony going it encouraged others to go & talk out their problems. Having a difficult unpleasant mother is very common, although not to the extent he did.
I love all the characters, I used to feel as if I lived with them. The only one I found a bit annoying was Paulie.