When this episode originally aired, in April 2001, the end credits listed celebrated director Mike Nichols (The Graduate) as one of the guest stars. In reality, Nichols had to back out due to prior commitments, and his role was taken by Sully Boyar, whose previous credits included an appearance on The Rockford Files, also written by David Chase. Boyar passed away two weeks before Second Opinion was broadcast for the first time - a shame, given his character could have been a compelling recurring presence.
The character in question is Dr. Krakower, a psychiatrist who provides Carmela Soprano with the titular opinion after she has tried a session alone with Dr. Melfi. Upon hearing what Carm's husband does for a living, Krakower immediately suggests she leave Tony forever, instilling the first of many fundamental doubts in her head. Remaining in the family trouble area, Junior undergoes surgery to get rid of his cancer and has a bizarre experience, while Christopher is jokingly accused of wearing a wire and subsequently bullied by Paulie at all hours.
For once, Tony is not the central issue of the show, meaning the authors can work more on Carmela and give a new angle from which to look at the show: until now, she's been nothing but a loyal gangster wife, albeit with the occasional kids-related outbursts of rage; starting now, she gains more ambiguous personality traits, enhancing the narrative's poignancy. But is this a one-woman show? Not at all, in fact the exploration of Chrissy and Paulie's rivalry is a great exercise in perverse humor, most notably when the older captain humiliates his employee in the middle of the night (to reveal more would be disrespectful).
To be brief, as mesmerizing as ever. Too bad Boyar's role turned out to be a one-time event, though.
