In Treatment Review

When I first heard about HBO's new series, In Treatment, I thought they were nuts. A show that runs every night, and consists of watching different characters in therapy sessions? I didn't think it sounded very exciting, especially as I think HBO really failed with last year's Just Tell Me You Love Me, which also revolved around characters in therapy. I didn't bother watching In Therapy for the fist few weeks. Then, one night last week, there was nothing good on television, and I noticed HBO was showing several episodes of In Therapy in a row. I figured, what the heck? I really like Gabriel Byrne, who plays the therapist, and many of the cast members (who play patients) are also actors I like: Blair Underwood, Embeth Davitz, Josh Chalres, Michelle Forbes...

So, yes, I decided to give it a try, never thinking I'd get sucked in. If anything, I was hoping the show would lull me to sleep on a night when insomnia was keeping me up. No dice! The episode I tuned into featured Embeth Davitz as Amy, a severely troubled woman who usually attends couples therapy with her husband, but whose husband is not able to attend on this night. It took about three minutes for me to be completely drawn intot he world created by the actors....and about that long to forget it's a drama, and not a documentary. I watched the next episode and the next. And then I looked at the On Demand section of my cable package, and found that all the episodes are available for viewing. That was last week. As of tonight, I've almost caught up on all the episodes. The show is that good - it leaves you wanting more.

One of the things that's really intriguing, enjoyable and yet, disturbing about In Treatment is that it's very voyeuristic. One can't help but feel they're spying on people while watching this show. This is especially true for the later episodes featuring Blair Underwood, and all the episodes featuring Josh Charles and Embeth Davitz. It speaks volumes about both the writing and the acting that it's that easy to get lost in the drama.

If you're interested in human nature and behaviour (and really, who isn't?) and like intense drama, this show is about as good as it gets. Because it's an HBO show, they don't have to compromise when it comes to language or content. A lot of what is talked about isn't pretty or pleasant, but that's the natur eof therapy, right? Fascinating, reasonably paced, beautifully acted and unlike anything else on television.

Check this out if you like:

Six Feet Under, Dexter, Oz