One of television’s greatest shows does not involve a “Glee” club, a “Modern Family”, a “Good Wife” and her struggles, a comedy writer’s chaos at “30 Rock”, or some “Mad Men” executives and the women who deal with them. These are all fine shows but this one show I mention has a je ne said quoi (That’s French for “I don’t know”) quality to it. At times it doesn’t feel like a TV show but something more personal and complex. The show in question is “In Treatment”, an HBO character drama that had its third season premiere on October 25th and October 26th at 8pm. (Two episodes run on Mondays and two more on Tuesdays).
“In Treatment” focuses on Dr. Paul Weston (an outstanding performance by Gabriel Byrne), a fifty-something psychoanalysis, and some of his patients. Each episode is divided into sessions and lasts half-an-hour, and almost each session is in real time. The main (and often only) setting for each episode takes place in Paul’s office, which takes place in his brownstone in New York. The first two seasons have five weekly episodes; four of them were Paul and his patients and the fifth involved Paul’s therapy with his own psychoanalysis Gina (Dianne Wiest, who earned an Emmy in 2008 for her performance). Past patients were portrayed by Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are Alright), Hope Davis (American Splendor, HBO’s “The Special Relationship”) and John Mahoney (“Frasier”), and others. This season features only three patients and a new therapist for Paul.
On Monday, we have Sunil (Irrfan Khan, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Namesake”) is a retired widower who is coping with depression and has isolated himself from his son’s family. He has a defeated look on his face when he talks and moves. He is brought in by his son and daughter-in-law, whom he has staying with for several months, after he has isolated himself from the world. He won’t shower, eat, sleep, or play with his grandchildren. He is not fond of his daughter-in-law, a WASP-y control freak, and feels like his son has disappointed him. “My granddaughter is named after a bottled water company,” he says after the son and daughter-in-law leave the session. “My next grandchild might be called iPod.” Khan delivers a witty and somber performance out of this defeated man.
Frances (Academy Award nominee Debra Winger, “Terms of Endearment”) is a former movie actress who is returning to acting after a long hiatus. She is having trouble remembering her lines for a play. Frances also has a connection with Paul; her sister Patricia was Paul’s therapist many years earlier. Patricia becomes a dominant part of their sessions. I immediately saw the similarities between Winger and her character. Winger was one of the most popular actresses in the 1980s and early 1990s before leaving acting for a lengthy period, only to re-emerge recently. While she is entertaining to watch, I am unable to separate Frances from Winger. I’m not sure if Frances is either genuinely talking or ‘acting’ during sessions (she is quite a diva).
On Tuesday, we have Jesse (newcomer Dane DeHaan), a young gay photographer who would rather spend time taking photographers and frequent a bar run by two guys he occasionally beds than go to school. “(Photographer) Ansel Adams didn’t finish high school!” he shouts as an excuse to not attend class. He is not in therapy because he is gay, which is a relief, since this show does not have to resort to playing that card. In fact, I’m not quite sure why he’s in therapy but he has been seeing Paul for a quite a while. They fist-pump at the end of the session, “Knock the rock. Explode the rock”, which means that they have a decent doctor-patient partnership. At times Jesse is also aggressive, closed off, and just plain rude to Paul. This session sends Jesse into a tail-spin. He receives a phone call that jeopardizes the work Paul and Jesse have done during their sessions. These sessions feel at times like a father and son struggling to communicate with one another.
Finally, we have Adele (Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan, TV’s “The Wire” and “The Office”), Paul’s new psychoanalysis. Paul needs a refill on some Ambien so he can sleep. He is not in the mood to sit down and talk. Adele will have none of that. She is also aware that Paul is not taking her seriously due to her age (she is in her thirties) and her limited experience. Aware that he won’t get his prescription filled, Paul discusses his sleeping problems in detail and mentions a recurring dream where it’s implied that he is trapped. Paul also mentions that he believes he has Parkinson’s disease, the same thing that killed his father recently. At one point, he lashes out at Adele when she makes an assumption on his difficult relationship with Gina—and she strikes back (since this is HBO, this brilliant and tense dialogue between them cannot be printed for obvious reasons.)
I am still amazed after two years that HBO has this show on the air. Of course this is a network that often takes risks in its programming. But this show stands out even on its home network. HBO has “True Blood”, “Broadwalk Empire”, and “Big Love”, three shows that go all out on sex, violence, drugs, and many controversial subjects. These shows have big scenes that have people talking for days on end. “In Treatment” has no big scenes like “True Blood” or “The Sopranos”. It has the aura of a stage play, where everything happens and nothing happens at the same time. Instead of seeing a graphic sex scene between Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, you see a patient discuss a sexual encounter (sometimes in graphic detail) with Paul. In seasons past, there have been sessions where the Paul and his patients share intense, personal, and even heartbreaking conversations that I felt like I was eavesdropping.
During a television season with great and trashy entertainment, it’s a great privilege to have such a powerful and thought-provoking show that goes deeper into what’s on the surface. #
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