Paul (Gabriel Byrne) and Gina (Dianne West) reach a crossroad in their relationship on the second season finale of HBO's innovative series In Treatment. On the first episode at 9, Mia (Hope Davis) makes a life-changing decision, while April (Alison Pill) shares some news. The two patients wrap up their season on In Treatment, and as it says goodbye to our screens, A Taste of True Blood takes over come June 6th. The program returned for a second season which premiered on April 5.
Davis plays a successful malpractice attorney and former patient of Paul's from 20 years ago, who blames him for her present status: an unmarried, childless, workaholic, who makes poor choices in men. Pill, meanwhile, is an architecture student diagnosed with lymphoma which she has been keeping shamefully secret. She appears to be in denial about the severity of her illness. West, lastly, plays Gina, Paul's own therapist and mentor who painstakingly guides Paul from a budding midlife crisis to a road to personal satisfaction and validation.
Byrne plays the lead, "charming, relentless, but detached and neurotic" private practitioner who is seeking his own peaceful existence. On
In Treatment's sophomore season, Paul has divorced his wife and is very lonesome, relocated to Brooklyn and uses the living room of his small refurbished walk-up brownstone for his office visits.
On this season, the "Monday" and "Tuesday" sessions air back-to-back on Sunday, while the remaining sessions air back-to-back on Mondays. HBO repeats them in sequence, several times during the week.
In Treatment generally received positive reviews from critics, with a New York Times review calling it "hypnotic" and "addictive" because "mostly because it withholds information as intelligently as it reveals it."
-Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: HBO
(Image courtesy of HBO)