In Treatment Week 1 Gina Friday 7 PM S01E05 (HBO)

This is a surprising show on HBO. I was really dumbfounded when I discovered that there will be 43 episodes of In Treatment. Wow, 43. These are only half hour shows, or almost half hour shows, but still. That is just incredible.

In Treatment is based on the Israeli series Betipul. Gabriel Byrne plays Paul Weston, a psychologist trying to deal with his patients while going through some personal problems. Each show focuses on a different patient. Mondays feature Laura, an anestheologist infatuated with Paul. Tuesdays feature Alex, an ex-fighter pilot traumatized by events that happened a few years ago. Wednesdays feature Sophie, a suicidal teenage gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Thursdays feature Jake and Amy, a couple in couple’s counseling. Fridays feature Gina, Paul’s own therapist and mentor that he stopped seeing 8 years ago for some reason.

I’ve always loved psychology. This show really feeds that need. The sessions are almost verbatim of what would happen in a real session. This show is about characters, not actions. It’s a very smart show and I am also very surprised that Marky Mark is the executive producer. Marky Mark has had success with Entourage so it makes sense that he decided to try out other projects.

Now don’t say it! He’ll always be Marky Mark for me. I’ll never call him by his other name. That’s how I first knew of him and his funky bunch, so that’s that!

This is a great show. I really liked it. I find that it’s best to watch it a few episodes at a time. I recommend this show.

In the last episode, Paul setup a therapy session with his old supervisor Gina. Something happened 8 years ago between them. Something to do with a patient that Paul referred to her. She’s retired and writing a book. Her husband died recently. Their therapy sessions are much like a battlefield. Two opposing factions going to war. However, they serve a purpose since Paul has got some major personal problems.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

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Paul goes into therapy. He meets with his advisor. She is retired now. She turned 60.

It’s strange for Paul to be here after David. She coped with the loss of her husband David. He says that he is having another mid-life crisis. He’s got three children. His eldest is gone off to college. Rosie is still home. His wife Kate had another child when he stopped coming to see Gina. His name is Max.

He says that he needed to talk to someone. Lately he feels like he is losing his patience with his patients. He has moments when he can barely contain himself from having an outburst.

He talks about Jake and Amy. Amy got preggers and now she wants to get an abortion. Paul thinks that Amy wants to get rid of the husband. Jake rubbed him the wrong way and kept badgering him until he told them to have an abortion. He regretted it as soon as he said it.

He talks about Laura and her erotic transference. He talks about Alex, the bomber. Alex dropped a bomb on children in Iraq. He comes home and makes himself get a heart attack by running 22 miles.

Sophie idolizes her coach. Paul thinks that she is having an affair with her 40 year old coach Andrew.

Paul says that he is feeling anxious before sessions. Gina thought that there were problems at home. He didn’t even come to David’s funeral 10 years ago. He was the one who chose to stop having a supervisor.

Gina says that she is trying to write a novel. Paul says that he continually argues with Kate. They are fighting about the gifted student classes that Kate sent Max to behind his back. He was against it.

Gina says that there is something sad in Paul’s voice when he talks about her. Paul says that he doesn’t know where Kate is most of the time. Kate tells him that she is at the gym, but then he looks in her closet her gear is still there.

When he calls her cell, she never answers.

When he confronts her sometime later, she looks at him like she’s crazy. He gets sex once a month if he’s lucky. Paul thinks about sex all the time. Paul knows that she is having an affair but he won’t admit it to himself.

She keeps badgering him about Laura. Paul says that nothing happened. Gina isn’t a good therapist. She has control issues. She keeps inferring that he’s interested in Laura.

She loses her temper and shouts at Paul. She doesn’t know what role he wants her to play. Paul thinks that she’s woken up. She was gleeful about his return. She keeps talking about Laura, whom she calls Linda.

Paul leaves. She wants him to talk to Kate about it.

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