Product Description

HBO premieres the first of 43 episodes of In Treatment, a new half-hour drama series starring Gabriel Byrne, and adapted from an enormously popular Israeli series created by Hagai Levi (one of HBOs executive producers, along with Rodrigo Garcia, Steve Levinson and Mark Wahlberg). Set within the intimate confines of individual psychotherapy sessions with five sets of patients, the series centers around Paul (Byrne), a therapist who exhibits an insightful, confident demeanor when treating his patients, but displays a crippling insecurity while counseled by his own therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest). Patients undergoing treatment with Paul include a young doctor (Melissa George) who has fallen in love with Paul, a Navy pilot (Blair Underwood) reevaluating his life after a failed mission in Iraq, a teenage gymnast (Mia Wasikowska) with suicidal tendencies, and a sexually passionate couple (Josh Charles and Embeth Davidtz) who are troubled in all other areas of their lives. In addition, Pauls wife Kate (Michelle Forbes) will be featured prominently this season.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #681 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2009-03-24
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 9
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 1290 minutes

Features

• HBO premieres the first of 43 episodes of In Treatment, a new half-hour drama series starring Gabriel Byrne, and adapted from an enormously popular Israeli series created by Hagai Levi (one of HBOs executive producers, along with Rodrigo Garcia, Steve Levinson and Mark Wahlberg). Set within the intimate confines of individual psychotherapy sessions with five sets of patients, the series centers ar

Amazon.com
HBO's first half-hour drama gives new meaning to the term, "appointment television." Adapted from a popular and award-winning Israeli series, In Treatment in its first season aired five nights a week for nine weeks beginning in January 2008. Each episode eavesdrops on a weekly therapist-patient session. "The magic happens"—as one observer sarcastically remarks—in the home office of Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne in his Golden Globe Award-winning role). Monday's patient is Laura (Melissa George), a doctor who reveals in a harrowing "about last night" monologue in the first episode that she is in love with Paul ("You've become the center of my life"). Tuesdays bring Alex (Blair Underwood), a cocky fighter pilot whose last mission over Iraq went horrifyingly awry, earning him the media tag, "The Madrassa Murderer." Wednesday's child, Sophie (Mia Wasikowska in a breakout performance) is a teenage Olympic hopeful in need of an evaluation following a near-fatal bicycle "accident." On Thursdays, Paul meets with Amy (Embeth Davidtz) and Jake (Josh Charles), whose rocky marriage is further shaken as they wrestle over whether or not she should get an abortion. Fearing he is "losing patience with my patients," Paul turns to his former mentor, Gina (Dianne Wiest in an Emmy-winning performance), with whom he had a falling out years before, to talk out his own troubles. The therapist whose own personal life is unraveling could have either been bad sitcom or static and stagey talking heads. But with its insightful writing, powerful performances, and deft, unobtrusive direction, In Treatment avoids the pitfalls to become an intensely gripping drama. Each episode thrives on what Laura calls "the back and forth stuff," the soul-searching and the questioning that strip away the defenses of each damaged character, including Paul himself, who has his own demons to confront as he becomes further estranged from his neglected and resentful wife, Kate (Michelle Forbes), and grapples with his feelings for Laura. This series is something of a career breakthrough for Byrne, a celebrated character actor (Miller's Crossing, The Usual Suspects). As the rumpled and weary Paul, he is more compelling just sitting and listening than many actors are in action. Quality programs for adults that deal with the human condition are at a premium on television. For anyone whose psyche has been scarred by so-called reality TV, In Treatment is excellent therapy. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Incredible Serious. Downright Captivatingly Real.
The palette this series uses to paint emotive, empathic, and richly textured profiles of real problems with people has an alluring and self-therapeutic effect. This sounds cheesy, but after a few episodes you grow and feel a kinship with the characters.

I don't know how to describe how amazingly real this series is. As someone's not only studied therapy and psychology academically, but who has also been "in treatment" for over 100 hours, this is the closest thing to real thing. Byrne is exceptional. Wise, smooth, suave, composed, compassiaonte, and real. His supporting cast (the patients) are equally captivating.

A Show Where All The Action Takes Place Within The Human Heart
This is a powerful, deeply moving, intelligent, emotionally nuanced series. It consisting of nothing more than psychotherapy sessions between a cast of reoccuring characters, this show fills an important niche missing from most television -- the richness, complexity, and heartbreak of the "emotional life."

Are you tired of seeing thin, carbon-copied and cliched characters in movies and television shows? Then this is the perfect series for you, because here the whole point is to explore the inner lives of the characters.

Does the the fact that this series focuses a great deal on the emotions of the characters mean that there is no "action?" Only if you define "action" as soley encompassing explosions or giant robot attacks.

To me, however, there was more action in this show than almost any other I've seen: there was the complexity of coming to terms with the guilt of death, of a disintergrating marriage, of children torn between parents, of unrequieted love, of the intense pressures to be successful, of professional jealousy, of the quiet desperation of everyday life, and the pain and bravery of those trying to take control of their lives.

The writing is really quite incredible. I was time and again rivited by the ways in which the story tellers captured and traced the emotionally raw and complex workings of the human heart- the tangled web which constitutes human relationships.

Some detractors have said they find the characters "annoying:" these characters strike me as "real," for, in life, people are themselves complex and full of paradoxes, at times annoying but at others deeply sympathetic. I came to be involved with all the characters, and, in the end, they all suprised me, up until the very last episode.

The acting is also superb. Gabriel Byrne (as the therapist "Paul") gives the performance of his lifetime, and Mia Wasikowska gives a star making performance as "Sophie," a troubled gymnast.

This is a show for people who find themselves interested in the human mind and heart, particularly, in the complex ways in which we become entangled with our fellow human beings, and often punish ourselves, lie to ourselves, and hide from our own inner truths. What is the thrill of an asteroid threatening to destroy the Earth compared to the everyday struggle with such things as love, guilt, and the fear of facing another day on this planet.

Truly, one of the great shows I have seen- original, thought provoking, powerfully acted, intelligently written, and as deep and as rich a portrait of the human soul as we're likely to ever get on television.

GET TREATED!
For some reason I had some resistance to watching this new series from HBO. Was it going to be so-so like "Tell Me You Love Me"? Was it another "John From Cincinnati" that only 10% of it's viewing audience understood (or cared about)?

Where was the next "Soprano's", "Six Feet Under", "Sex in the City"? Why was I even getting HBO - I've seen their movies over and over and anything new was not anything I wanted to see so as a last ditch effort to convince myself that I "needed" HBO, one cold and rainy Saturday, I decided to give "In Treatment" a chance (I have onDemand and had access to 7 of the 9 weeks of "sessions" thus far).

The deal was I only had to watch one or two of the 30 minutes episodes. If I didn't like it, at least I could say that I gave it a chance. Okay, you already know the obvious based on my title of this review how much I liked it, but I need to state it again, GET TREATED! It's that great. Beyond great as a matter of fact.

We get to follow the week-to-week therapy sessions of 4 individuals (including the therapist) and one couple. If you've ever been to therapy, it's an instant recognition of the process. If you want to spend time with an incredible drama with the sharpest, most relatable writing and actors that can't convince me they aren't actors but real players for the entertainment of us "flies on the wall", then this might be a series for you. Gabriel Byrne, who portrays the therapist is phenomenal.

Does it sound normal that a person should get depressed and want to go into therapy to discuss why this season ending should affect me so? Call me crazy and make me an appointment!