I’ve always wondered if my wife’s therapy clients have any clue as to the bedlam and stress in the wake of their arrival; the frenzied tidying and screaming to get five kids dressed and out of the house, creating a calm relaxing atmosphere to be healed in, and the rest of us traumatised. With the new series of In Treatment there’s a similar discrepancy between forced reality and reality reality, except the effort here may just leave you a bit bored.
It’s seemingly such a great concept for a TV show, every episode a rotating set of characters in therapy, with the therapist suffering from their own issues. That it was originally an Israeli production, BeTipul, remade in over 20 countries, and the first Israeli TV drama series adapted for America, should’ve put me first in line to devour it when it debuted more than a decade ago. HBO, Gabriel Byrne, and what Jew doesn’t like or couldn’t do with a bit of therapy? But something held me back, instinctively I knew it would require something I had limited supply of, emotional investment.
Now, after more than a decade off-air, In Treatment has returned for a fourth series, with a new therapist, the excellent Uzo Aduba, unrecognisable from her star turn as Crazy Eyes in Orange is the New Black. There are a few easter egg references to the original series but this is the perfect point to jump onboard. Things are going to be different this time, I’ve matured. Four episodes in, nope, I’m obviously still lacking.
