User Reviews

I've written before that I'm a sucker for one-on-one scenarios - they're generally the hardest to pull off, but when they're good, they're very, very good: intimate, intense and deeply rewarding. In Treatment has a unique format: Monday through Thursday, we focus on a different patient of therapist Paul (an interesting performance by Gabriel Byrne) and then on Friday, it's Paul himself who is in therapy (with the superb Dianne Wiest as Gina).

For the most part, the sessions are written in a realistic way, where the issues are revealed in layers, not upfront, which is how things generally are revealed in real life, so this works.

On Monday, we have Laura (the compelling Melissa George), who tells Paul she is in love with him. Yer basic "transference" as it's called, and Paul responds by telling her he's not an option. She's very persuasive, this Laura, and the next week (the second session we see), she comes back to tell him she's decided to accept her boyfriend Andrew's proposal of marriage, simply because Paul told her no. A lot of game-playing and power-tripping going on here, a lot of testing, as well, and then there's Paul's true feelings about the situation, which go far deeper than he shows Laura, of course.

Tuesday is Alex - he's a pilot who's flown bombing missions and is seeking help for his guilt, which he cannot even admit he has. He's the most controlling of the patients, constantly playing tedious ego games with Paul.

Wednesday, we've got Sophie, a teenage gymnast and Olympic hopeful who may or may not be subconsciously causing herself harm in order to get attention from her mother and/or to get out of the pressure of training. She also might be sexually involved with her coach - this is something I picked up on during the first session and I was pleased to see Paul bring it up with Gina in his own second session (which I watched last night). The actor who plays Sophie is Mia Wasikowska, and she is absolutely fantastic - she makes her lines sound as if she's creating them on the spot, a brilliant actor with a stunning career ahead of her. Her sessions are by far the most believable, and I find myself truly caring about what happens to her character.

Thursday we meet with a couple, Amy and Jake, who are having a baby and not sure if they want to keep this baby. The second of their sessions was cut short when Amy started having pains and they had to leave.

This provided a chance for Paul's wife Kate to have it out with him in his office, which she feels he uses to escape from her and shut her out. She's been very unhappy because she feels Paul puts all his energy into his work and has nothing left for her and their children - "all I get is an anemic old tired man," she tells him. Then she proceeds to say she's been having an affair - something Paul already suspected and had mentioned to Gina in his first session with her. He then flies into a rage and demands details, so he won't be left to his own imagination, he tells her.

Friday, things really heat up, when Paul seeks solace by going to see Gina, a therapist with whom has an apparent history. By the second session, he's a wreck, although he was a mess the first week too, confiding in her that he feels he's been "losing patience with my patients" - which is true, from the behavior we had witnessed.

It's like the blind leading the blind, really, because Paul, we find, is egotistical, angry, deeply conflicted, confused and in denial just as much as the patients he attempts to treat. Even worse, he's withholding when it serves him. For instance, in their second session, he fails to tell Gina that HE was the one who demanded details of the affair from Kate, instead passing it off as if she was throwing these details in his face. It's only when Gina calls him on it that he sort of admits what really happened.

This is good though, the way Paul is portrayed - it makes him human. And the show is addictive, if you like this sort of thing, which I do, of course, even with the self-consciousness of some of the writing - only the sessions with Sophie genuinely ring true, as I've said. Rodrigo Garcia, who also worked on the other therapy show, Tell Me You Love Me, is a good writer and director, as are the others being employed, and I believe this show could blossom and go on for quite some time.

2/26/08: I've watched weeks 1-7 now, and I have to add: keep watching. It gets better. MUCH better. I've up'd my rating from a 6 to a 7 to reflect this.

3/18/08: Week 8 is nothing less than transcendent, some of the most compelling TV I've ever seen. Giving the series an 8 now.

5/5/09: After 5 weeks of Season 2, it's a 9 from me. This season is much better, in every possible way: all the self-consciousness is gone from the writing, it's much more organic now and quite brilliant. Paul has new patients (all intriguing and beautifully written and brought to life in stunning performances across the board), and he's dealing with the fallout from Season 1 - most notably his infatuation with Laura which cost him his marriage and the potentially hugely damaging lawsuit brought on by Alex's father, who holds Paul responsible for his son's death.

In Week 5, we see a heart-breakingly sad Paul, whose father has just died. The subtlety, complexity and poignant restraint with which these segments were written and performed represent, in my opinion, some of the most stunning and affecting television you will ever witness.

As a therapist myself (not psychoanalytical), I think this series comes the closest to depicting a real therapy session that I have yet to see on television. Yet, it has its flaws. To wit: What clinician, in his right mind, would leave prescription meds in a client bathroom? Also, the characters of Paul and Gina follow the stereotypical image of the therapist as detached and soft-spoken with bland affect. I don't know of any colleague (myself included) who doesn't infuse her/his sessions with humor, emotion, and most important, empathy. These are important tools that help us connect with our clients. There may be hope for Paul, however, as in Session Four with the gymnast, he managed to show anger when she told him she'd been taken advantage of by her date.

Finally, there is the usual assumption that therapists are upscale (check out Paul's and Gina's respective digs). Psychology, Social Work, and Professional Counseling are arguably the lowest paid of all professions.

I would love to see a competing series about a therapist who works out of a cramped office in a bare-bones non-profit agency, and drives to work in a second-hand Yugo. This therapist would, of course, also share a laugh and a a tear with the clients from time to time.

Read about how it was merely doctor patient conversations and stifled a yawn. About 2 minutes into the first episode and was hopelessly hooked.

Doubt the portrayal is entirely realistic but don't care. It is gripping and moving. Immersive and addictive. No matter how many episodes passed, still couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Have always liked Gabriel Byrne and he brings to life this flawed man trying to display an air of imperviousness. Deeply affected by his patients yet struggling to keep his distance at all times. Inevitably his reserve seeps into his personal life, alienating his family.

As an actor he has to depict a wide range of emotions, all the time bound by the chair he sits in and the patient/character he speaks too. Truly a sight to behold.

He is helped in no small part by the supporting cast who more than hold their own.

In the age of transformers and avatar this is a master class in storytelling and drama.

If you are debating seeing this, don't.

Wish them well.

Thank you.

"A man should have someone to talk to who cares about him, not by someone who charges by the hour" A very profound sentence said by one of the patient's dad.

Gabriel Byrne carries the show. He's magnetic and just perfect as the therapist Paul Weston. His personal life is chaotic and dysfunctional so he buries himself in work. It is a mystery to me why the actress who plays Gina won an award and Byrne didn't. She's deeply unlikeable and has two facial expressions (smiley and worried), there's no wide range of emotions. She's Paul's therapist.

A credit to the actress portraying Sophie, a bratty spoiled teenager who's suicidal and yearning for parental love. Her interaction with Paul is gold.

Also a worthy mention to Paul's eldest son Ian who made a short feature, too short in fact. I wish there would've been more scenes with him in it, albeit I'm only in end season 1 so perhaps he'll show up again.

Paul's wife does a fabulous job at portraying the frustrated and hurt spouse who is finding herself.

Character of Alex is complex and grating. He's arrogant and ungrateful, not very insightful but he's entertaining.

Last mention is Laura who admits she's in love with Paul. Her sessions consists of her agonising about her life and being defensive whenever Paul asks her deeper questions. It's hard to see why Paul has feelings for her. She's a teenager in her behaviour and mindset. However the character grows and we get to get to know her and she reveals a vulnerability to her persona.

All in all an slightly above average show. At times it will drive you nuts (scenes with Alex and Sophie). You just want to scream at them for being so reckless and entitled. Watch with a good friend so you can debate and pick your favourites.