In Treatment: Season 1

So what is this one about?
In so many ways I feel like anything I say wont do justice to this show. So, instead of using the netflix description, I will show you what I saw, a preview from an hbo dvd, that made me want to watch this show...


And how much did I pay to watch?
You'll likely be shocked to find out, as I was, that this show is 9 discs. Nine. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Now, I watch a lot of tv on dvd and I have never seen anything so long. So, nine discs over a time span that went from May 4 to June 27...probably cost as much as my membership for two months, because apparently for two months (or nearly so) this is all I have watched. I suppose I could have bought the dvds, but, well, too late now.

And what did I think?
One thing I like about Mad Men is that it is a show for grown-ups. Now, as it has become more popular, and as Season 2 smashed my heart to bits, it has gained more of a following. And the following isn't only grown-ups (this is probably one of the few, if only, times you will hear me refer to myself as a proper grownup adult). Now, In Treatment, on the other hand, is a show for proper grown-ups. It is slow. It is subtle. It is simply watching people talk. And of course because it is an HBO show it is flawless.

Gabriel Byrne's acting is so subtle and nuanced. His patients are full of pain, and are repressed, and are so exquisite in the way they hold themselves together sometimes. And Byrne is the same way. And lets face it, he is beautiful. The whole show is simply a masterpeice of acting, and writing, and storytelling. And pain. It is so striking to see such amazing acting which communicates so explicitly what the characters are supposed to be feeling. And as an audience we are pulled in. We feel for the characters when they hurt. We may feel like they've brought it on themselves. And we so badly want for everyone to be happy.

But, I suppose in therapy, as in life, that isn't always the case. And even if someone deserves and desires happiness, or love, or contentment, sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes people remain lost even if they are good people. And I suppose that is what I mean by the show is for grown-ups. Grown ups realize that life isn't always perfect, or happy, and sometimes even if you have all the access in the world to happiness and love it just may not happen.

I suppose it is the continuing on the path, the going back every day--or as in treatment, every week--that shows you are a grownup.

(And I suppose this meandering, vague, overly flowery description is why I don't tend to write reviews right after I have finished watching something. Usually I am too full of love and elation to seperate the way I feel about the show from what it is. However, in this case, the way I feel about the show is the way the show actually is. Magnificient)

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Months ago when I had first seen the preview for this show I had mentioned it to my friend Joe. He told me that the show was stunning. I had the feeling it would be, and I was right.

Everything about this show is extraordinary. In fact, sometimes I found myself marvelling at the acting, because it wasn't really a therapy session I was watching--a therapy session full of raw emotions spanning the whole spectrum--no, it was only a tv show.

This is a 10. Perhaps one of the highest 10s I have given. It is an amazing example of the skill and talent that HBO uses to make their incredible shows.