If you’ve been told you’re way too nosy for your own good, you’d probably get a kick out of the premise of the show alone. Each episode makes you privy to a particular patient’s session with a therapist, before bringing you into the therapist’s own complicated life. It’s a nice reminder that they’re people too, prone to the same mistakes and pitfalls. So, while we follow the progress of different patients on one hand, we’re also seeing the therapist really go through it on another. In seasons one to three, that would be Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne), while the reboot follows Brooke Taylor (Uzo Aduba). Both versions are set up simply: doctor and patient sit across each other and start a dance of sorts–one asks questions, the other answers in an increasingly emotional manner, and by the end of the session, you see them in a whole new light, fully invested in their at once unique and relatable problems. Thanks to the sparse setting, we get to focus on the actors’ delivery, and boy do they deliver. Every line and gesture is filled with so much intentionality and meaning, it’s almost like watching a play.
"In Treatment demands a great deal of prime-time attention, and it's an open question how such a talky production will wear on us. But intelligence isn't to be sniffed at."
— John Leonard
The intimate confines of psychotherapy sessions are seen from the perspective of a therapist and individual patients.
The first few seasons follow Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) an acclaimed therapist increasingly doubting his capabilities. The reboot follows another therapist, Brooke Taylor (Uzo Aduba), and her own set of patients and personal problems.
The setup is ingenious.
Finally, answers to the questions “Who therapizes the therapist?” and “Are they really better than us?”
Golden Globes
1 nomination
