The 25th Frame
You should be watching "In Treatment." Well, finish reading this first. Then go watch it.
If there is one thing I find difficult, it's loving T.V. Why, you ask? Because virtually any show I love has a tendency to be a cult classic, and requires some sort of explanation as to why it should be watched and/or saved in some instances (please renew “Caprica” SyFy. Please). For anyone who knows, I've already made a case for “Damages” here at HEAVE, whose prospects for renewal are not looking good, much to my anger. Fingers still crossed though.
Due to my mental instability, I have a number of friends in two areas of study: digital cinema and psychotherapy. While it's much easier to share cult shows with my DC friends, it's oftentimes difficult to do this with my therapy friends. They study too much. However, I cornered one of them recently for food (man has to eat) and we got to talking (as can happen when you eat with someone else). Knowing my pattern of conversation, it led to me telling her of various films and T.V. she had to see; then it hit me.
“You need to watch 'In Treatment!'”
“What?”
“'In Treatment'! It's a show about how a psychotherapist approaches his various patients while dealing with his own mental health issues! It has Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest!”
“Who are they?”
That was the point where I almost left the lunch or contemplated throwing something at someone's head (something hard and/or sharp), but opted to take a drink of water and explain the greatness that is Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest; especially on “In Treatment”. And it hit me that I need to share this show with you lovely people Airing on HBO, which seems to be undergoing a comeback with “True Blood," “The Pacific” and “Treme," “In Treatment” stars Gabriel Byrne as Dr. Paul Weston, a highly regarded psychotherapist who, at the start of the series, finds himself losing patience with his patients. After a particular outburst in a couples counseling session, he phones former colleague/mentor Gina (Dianne Wiest) in an attempt to get a handle on his practice and better understand how he approaches psychotherapy.
Sound dry? Sure it does. On paper, it's about an overworked therapist and his bitchy patients. But from the first episode, I was hooked; if only because the format of the show is fascinating to me. Never mind the writing was fantastic and acting even better. To put in perspective, the first season is 43 episodes long, around 25-30 minutes a piece. That's a pretty damn tall order for a viewing audience to swallow. The reason of the increased size is due to how “In Treatment” presents itself, much from the standpoint of Paul.
HBO would air episodes typically five times a week, Monday through Friday; each day correlating to a different patient. In the first season, Paul would see a young doctor (played to a manic T by Mellisa George) who admits in the first episode to being in love with Paul. Tuesday, he would see a cocky fighter pilot (Blair Underwood), Wednesday would bring a suicidal, sexually distorted gymnast, played by the rather fantastic Mia Wasikowska, of “Alice in Wonderland” fame. Thursdays would focus on a married couple (Embeth Davidtz and Josh Charles) who only function well in a sexual sense and Fridays capped off the week with Paul visiting Gina.
Again, it's a lot to take in; but it's such good product that it's hard to look away. It's a show that relies entirely on writing and performance. Oftentimes, the episodes will never leave Paul or Gina's homes (where both of their offices are located). Solid silences are common, where facial expression speaks more than dialogue; Byrne doing more with silence than any actor working, in my opinion.
And let's just take a second to take about Dianne Wiest, and how much she rocks. Stone.Cold.Nails this role. As the first season is measured in “weeks” (for a total of nine), it's worth seeing the whole thing to see Wiest blow the doors off the place with her monologue that occurs in the Week 8 session with Byrne. I was shaken in such a good way, especially given the nature of the relationship between their two characters up to that point (not exactly the most positive history between Gina and Paul).
Like any show I love, it demands a lot of a viewer. It's a show that has to be watched from beginning to end; the payoff being worth it for anyone interested in developing characterization and arc heavy storytelling. It can be argued that it's cruel to find the pain of human beings (albeit fictional) fascinating; no character in this show is happy. However, “In Treatment” is not simply about putting human pain on display. Rather, it's a show about interaction, the effects that come from it and how we do (or do not) process such experiences into our overall identity.
Since it's an area of humanity not often addressed in our everyday lives, let alone T.V., there's a wildly hypnotic appeal to such a show, especially when it is headed by sharp writing and even sharper performances (not a bad actor in the show). Now going into it's third season, it remains to be seen how much longer “In Treatment” will be around due to it's insane production schedule and the fact that it's not pulling in the numbers of “True Blood." Regardless, if you're interested in a show that puts on a calm face and leaves you thinking into the night, “In Treatment” is the right choice for you lovely people.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm running late for my session.
Posted by Max Alborn, Max Alborn on Apr 19, 2010 @ 12:00 am
