Gonna Need Some Sort of Therapy Myself to Cope with the Loss

This one took me awhile to write/rewrite...not wholly satisfied, but I doubt I'll get it into the shape I wanted it to be...so, here ya go

Back in the halcyon days when I believed I was going to have a career, one of the few I considered most seriously and often was being some sort of therapist. I majored in psych, with the intention of earning at least a Masters' in it. I still read books, articles, and whatnot related to the field in my leisure time, and have a soft spot for characters in movies, books, TV that are in the field (the thing that drew me to Dr. Lecter was his being a shrink, for example). So when I heard about HBO's new show about a therapist, I had to give it a shot.

HBO lately has not been known for playing it safe when it comes to TV series, this years' In Treatment, is just another example of that. Based on an Israeli TV show, In Treatment is an intense look at one therapist, Paul (Gabriel Byrne), as he interacts with 5 patients and his own therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest). This was TV at its best--challenging concets, interesting--and real--characters, powerful acting.

In theory, each episode (there were just enough episodes off-formula to keep everything moving forward) was essentially one session--which was portrayed--and seemed--to be in real time, but the 50-minute hour was shown in 20-23 minutes (how they pulled that off every time, I'm still not sure). For eight weeks the series aired five nights a week, a different patient for each night, tracking Paul through the week as he saw each of the culminating in his own therapy session on Friday (the ninth week had only three episodes to air because of changes in the status of some patients). Not too many shows can handle that kind of schedule, but In Treatment not only handled it--it demanded it.

As in therapy, the little things in this show were important--and interesting, thankfully. The arching of an eyebrow, the silence between lines of dialogue, the way (or place) someone sits told as much as the words that came out of their mouth--maybe more. In Treatment didn't do so well as background noise, it required your attention to small details. Sure, you could get a decent idea what was going on only by listening, but you'd miss more than you'd catch.

Probably the best way to give you a taste of the show, is to follow its own format--a quick look at each days' patient.

Mondays: Laura--an anesthesiologist (played by Alias' Melissa George) who's been seeing Paul for a year or so...I don't believe we're ever told why she started therapy. By the time we're introduced to her, she's working on a serious case of transference, professing her love for Paul.

Tuesdays: Alex Blair Underwood blew me away with his performance as this Navy pilot who claims he comes to Paul to help him deal with a mission in Iraq that didn't go off as it should've. It doesn't take too long to see that his difficulty with the outcome of the mission is just the tip of the iceberg, this hardship is really letting/forcing Alex to deal with many questions he has about his own identity and family. I don't remember enjoying Underwood this much since his early days on LA Law. Possibly the only thing better than Underwood's portrayal, was when Glynn Turman appeared in two episodes as his father--you could see the same mannerisms, the way of speaking...unless you knew better, you really would think they were related. Great job all around on this one.

Wednesdays: Sophie quite possibly, this patient was the highlight of the series. Sophie's an Olympic hopeful acrobat, played by Mia Wasikowska who I've never seen in anything, nor heard of anything she's done. Which is a crying shame, because she's fantastic. Sophie was hit by a car while riding her bike and needs to have her emotional state checked before she can return to training. Paul was never better as a therapist than when dealing with Sophie (at least among the patients featured)

Thursdays: Jake and Amy From the blogs/message boards I read, Jake and Amy were the least liked of all the sessions. I never understood that. Josh Charles and Embeth Davidtz were so compelling as a married couple seeking some help working through some issues. I'm not suggesting for a second that the Mrs and I were anything like them, but I could relate to both of them better than any other character--particularly Jake. Their progress was a clear case of therapy going well, but the affect on the patient not looking anything like success.

Fridays: Gina Things in Paul's life and practice aren't going the way they should--I don't think it's giving too much away that Paul at some point realizes he's having some sort of mid-life crisis. So he contacts an old collegue/mentor and enters into therapy himself at the end of the first week. I frequently wavered in my opinion of Wiest's Gina--but in the end, I had to respect her a lot more than I thought I would. The sessions with her were so revealing--Paul played the same kind of games with her that his patients would with him--leaving out details, spinning others, etc.--but the audience would know Paul was doing so, while only suspecting that of Paul's patients.

One significant part of Paul's life that's not going too well is his marriage. His wife, Kate, is briefly seen before and after some sessions and shares a few with Paul at Gina's. I don't recall ever seeing Michelle Forbes playing anything other than a SciFi military character--Ensign Ro, Admiral Cain--and was pleasantly surprised watching her in a civilian role. I could see her pain, her anger--sometimes feel it just by watching her. I honestly didn't think she had it in her.

Obviously, the lynch pin to the endeavor was Byrne, someone I've appreciated since the first time I saw Miller's Crossing back in middle school. He carried each episode, it was really his story, his treatment being explored. Too frequently, his dealings with his patients were cringe-worthy, because Paul was not the all-knowing fount of wisdom that therapists are frequently portrayed as in TV and film. Not a bit. Paul was fallible, sometimes unreliable, sloppy, and careless--in short, human. And not for a second a therapist I'd trust with me or my family :)

43 episodes in 2 months is quite the demand to make of an audience, no matter the quality of the program--as the low ratings show--and several times during the initial weeks I considered abandoning the series. I'm very glad I didn't. In Treatment was the kind of show that proves TV doesn't necessarily turn brains to mush (although it does that too frequently). Now that it's over, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. Think less about what I'm watching, that's for sure. Obsess a bit less, too (which is a good thing, I realize).

Last I checked, the first 15 episodes were available for free on iTunes and at Amazon (although they're edited a bit). Try them while you still can, and when HBO puts out the DVDs, they're definitely worth the time and effort.