[TV] HBO - In Treatment

[Emperor]

A nightly half-hour drama from screenwriter-director Rodrigo Garcia (“Nine Lives,” “Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her”), adapted from a hit Israeli series, “In Treatment” depicts the professional life of a psychotherapist working out of his home office.

 

On Mondays, Dr. Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) sees Laura (Melissa George), who is growing restless with her boyfriend and hot for doctor.

 

On Tuesdays, he sees Alex (Blair Underwood), a military man traumatized by a recent deployment.

 

On Wednesdays, he sees Sophie (Mia Wasikowska), a teen gymnast suspected of being self-destructive.

 

On Thursdays, he sees Jake (Josh Charles) and Amy (Embeth Davidtz), a couple contemplating an abortion.

 

On Fridays, Paul sees his own therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest).

 

The reviews are all over the place:

 

Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B-plus” and says:

 

… It all makes for lots of great soapy intrigue, and Byrne makes you believe he can solve everyone's problems. Except his own.

 

 

TV Guide says:

 

… only a glutton for punishment would consider In Treatment appointment TV. … tediously claustrophobic though sometimes searing … The acting is impeccable, but I often nodded off before Paul declares time's up. The exception is on Fridays, when the unhappy doc unloads on his own therapist (Dianne Wiest), or in any scene involving Paul's clashes with his bitter, neglected wife (the awesome Michelle Forbes). In these moments, the show can be shattering. …

 

 

USA Today gives it two stars (out of four) and says:

 

… the static, talky episodes themselves feel like tiny, amateurishly written, one-act plays. …

 

 

The New York Times says:

 

… hypnotic, mostly because it withholds information as intelligently as it reveals it. … The half-hour episodes are addictive, and few viewers are likely to be satisfied with just one session at a time. …

 

 

The Los Angeles Times says:

 

… Cleverly conceived, it boasts a star-studded cast (Gabriel Byrne, Dianne Wiest, Blair Underwood) who achieve, at times, theatrical transcendence. … If you've ever been in therapy, thought about going into therapy, known anyone in therapy or just really like Gabriel Byrne and/or Dianne Wiest (and I think I have covered the vast majority of Americans here), "In Treatment" is television as controlled substance -- highly addictive. … And the best part of "In Treatment" is that if, for some reason, you really can't stand one of the patients or the stories, you can just skip that night. Though I wouldn't recommend it. Even without a strike, television like this doesn't come along every day.

 

 

The Chicago Tribune says:

 

… if you like shrink-oriented, smartly written TV, "In Treatment" (Monday-Friday, 8:30 p.m., HBO) just might get you through the next few weeks with your sanity intact. …

 

 

The Washington Post says:

 

… the talent behind the cameras is smart enough to bring it all off with plausibility. Viewers who only want to watch one or two nights a week would do well to choose Mondays and Fridays, but then Underwood's character may hold the key to Weston's own undoing on Tuesdays. … It isn't high literature nor even perhaps high television, but "In Treatment" does have a welcome, and occasionally riveting, pulpy streak, perhaps inevitable with its promise of peeks behind doors that usually remain closed. …

 

 

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

 

… The writing is forced and thin, some of the acting stagey, most of the characters unlikable and - the show-killer quality that HBO execs apparently failed to see - profoundly boring. …

 

 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

 

… not enjoyable unless you like your lead character insufferable or you like to watch mom and dad fight. … There's nothing entertaining about "In Treatment," but it's not designed to amuse. It's a character drama created to provoke thought, and for viewers seeking a challenge, "In Treatment" will be a fascinating affair. …

 

 

The Boston Herald says:

 

Your HMO does not cover boredom. Keep that in mind if you decide to check in … tries to be both captivating TV and a realistic depiction of therapy. It fails spectacularly at both because the two are inherently at odds. TV thrives on linear narratives, arcs, breakthroughs and climaxes; therapy is long, exhausting and just as often one step forward and two miles backward. …

 

 

The Boston Globe says:

 

… If you've been wondering about the art of series-TV writing, and how potent and resonant it truly can be, you need look no further than HBO's extraordinary new "In Treatment." …

 

 

The Hollywood Reporter says:

 

… possesses bracing writing and direction … hits the ground with heavy doses of bathos, titillation and melodrama but somehow doesn't come across as gratuitous or manipulative. The opening episodes are instead uniquely engrossing, stripping out the bells and whistles to showcase dialogue that packs an oft-wrenching wallop. …

 

 

Variety says:

 

… Beyond the off-Broadway sensibility, the dialogue often sounds stilted, and you can feel the various writers pulling the strings. Similarly, the patients are almost uniformly too bizarre to be particularly relatable, indicating they were either unnecessarily exaggerated for effect or something was (literally) lost in translation. Only the bickering Jake and Amy approach a recognizable level of humanity, and even they succumb to their share of false-ringing notes. …