In Treatment -TV Review

HBO television series are great. I think I can safely say that I have enjoyed every HBO series that I have watched.

In Treatment consists of half hour (well, about 21 minute) episodes following the sessions of psychiatrist Dr Paul Weston(Gabrielle Byrne). Season one, which I have almost finished, goes through nine weeks, with each episode following particular patients. There is Laura (Melissa George) who has fallen in love with him, Alex(Blair Underwood) a pilot in the armed services who dropped a bomb in Afghanistan that killed a group of children in a school, Sophie (Mia Wasikowska), a teenage gymnast and Olympic hopeful who needs a psych assessment after a car accident and couple therapy for Jake(Josh Charles) and Amy (Embeth Davidtz),a couple who have fallen pregnant after a long series of attempts but are now considering termination. On top of this, Paul visits Dr Gina Toll (Diane Wiest) his own psychiatrist, to deal with his marriage which is in trouble, plus the issues he has with his patients.

It’s very, very good. Very, very, very good. All of the actors are magnificent in their roles, and the characters are frustratingly real. I found myself getting very annoyed at their behaviour and having to remind myself that they are in therapy for a reason. More often than not, this very annoying behaviour. The short drama format is great, too, especially with each episode generally based in one location and focused on one conversation.

I cheated a little and have looked to the episode titles of the next season, and was very disappointed to see that it is a whole new bunch of patients. I’ll miss these guys. But I look forward to the next two seasons.

Gabriel Byrne won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama in 2009. Blair Underwood, Dianne Wiest and Melissa George were all nominated for Support Golden Globe awards.

Hunted – TV Review

 

Good old Melissa George recently made a few comments that got most of Australia up in her face. If I didn’t like her recent work so much, I’d probably have agreed. George’s performances in the television shows In Treatment, Lie To Me and Alias alone have impressed me. I still hven’t watched The Slap. I don’t know if I can put myself through it, given that I didn’t really enjoy the book so much.

The story of Hunted follows a spy, Sam Hunter, who was a spy for a private British firm, but the first scene shows her betrayed and left for dead. A year later she returns to rejoin the company with no explanation of her absence.

George has again provided a great performance, but the series itself felt like it started a long way into the story, and there was a lot of catching up to do. It’s smart like that; things aren’t spelt out clearly and the audience member needs to do some brainwork to follow it. On the other hand, I didn’t have enough engagement with any of the characters to really care what happened to them. Perhaps this was echoed with other viewers, as at this stage, it has not been renewed for a second season.