Week 6 recap:

It's sad that the show's coming to a close next week. Last season ran for nine weeks, and this one's only going for seven when it seems like some of the threads are just beginning to heat up. Mia's session was interesting in how despondent she was over the miscarriage, and how she has warped her childhood views of her parents' affections toward her, and what that means for her present-day. Alison Pill again was fearless here as April. Katherine Heigl is getting all of the buzz right now for her cancer victim portrayal now for good reason, but for my money, Alison Pill's giving a master class on the subject, and if one is to be nominated this year, then so should the other. This was Oliver's best session yet, but it seems like there's so much more to be done to help him, and next week he moves away with Bess and that's it for him. Their sessions focused way too much time on Luke and Bess and not enough time on Oliver. That was a huge deficiency in their thread this season. The best parts of their weeks together were when Gabriel Byrne and Aaron Shaw shared scenes by themselves. The playground scene was especially standout for the both of them. They've done a great job of opening up the series from the confines of Paul's office from last season.

Walter's session was pretty devastating by the end, and John Mahoney was stunning with his breakdown sequence. It was nice to see Paul constantly call Walter out on his flattery and insincerity like that, and then seeing Walter having his a-ha moment about what his suicide attempt really meant was a big scene for both Byrne and Mahoney. But the real fireworks came from Paul and Gina's session. Wow did these two go at it with their shouting match! I wouldn't mind seeing Dianne Wiest submit this at all, and it could very well net her another Emmy win. It's been a running gag on the series so far that all of the traps and defense mechanisms that Paul tries to catch his patients pull on him are the exact ones that he pulls when he's with Gina. It's all of the same petulance, denials, outbursts, blame, and regrets, and it's only amplified with them since they share a past history together that informs so much of their interactions with one another. I hope that the final week brings proper closure to these cases for such a short season run, and I'm really hoping that there's a season 3 in the works.

Grade for "Mia -- Week Six": B
Grade for "April -- Week Six": A
Grade for "Oliver -- Week Six": A-
Grade for "Walter -- Week Six": A-/B+
Grade for "Gina -- Week Six": A-

Where does it say that it's only seven weeks? IMDB has that it's 9 weeks like last year. That's what I was expecting. What happened?

That's just not how they're doing it this season. Next week are the season 2 finale episodes.

quote:

Originally posted by Atypical:
I wouldn't mind seeing Dianne Wiest submit this at all, and it could very well net her another Emmy win.

Absolutely. She's masterful.

Episode Title: "Mia -- Week Seven"

Synopsis: After failing to lure Paul into a trap, Mia ends up making a life-changing decision.
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Episode Title: "April -- Week Seven"

Synopsis: April shares some news with Paul that sets the stage for a dialogue about facing her anger and her future.
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Episode Title: "Oliver -- Week Seven"

Synopsis: Bess and Luke find closure after a tough week; Paul tries to allay Oliver's fears.
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Episode Title: "Walter -- Week Seven"

Synopsis: Paul maps out a plan to rescue Walter from his old self.
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Episode Title: "Gina -- Week Seven"

Synopsis: Paul and Gina reach a crossroad in their relationship.
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SEASON FINALES

Discuss.

I'm going to miss watching Alison Pill on this show. She was incredible. It's going to be such BULLSH*T when she get snubbed.

So, after last night, is Dianne Wiest not coming back next season? If she goes back on her word, she'd be a bad therapist, and it wouldn't be in her character.

Week 7 recap:

Some of the sessions felt rushed this week, and that's probably the best excuse to have had this season go for nine weeks instead of seven. I like the idea of some of the sessions continuing on indefinitely (Mia, Walter), and others ending abruptly (April, Oliver), but something was missing in some of these sessions, like they were trying too hard for closure and in turn offered no genuine closure.

Mia's session was less explosive than last week's, though I did like the many emotions that Hope Davis had to navigate with Mia here. She was ready to quit therapy when she sat down, went through another bout of blaming Paul for her confrontation with her father, tried to seduce Paul to regain control of her environment, and by the end, gained enough insight with what Paul was saying to want to continue on with her therapy. I haven't always liked Mia, but Hope Davis was a strong asset to the show this season and was a nice match for Gabriel Byrne. It's too bad that she was overshadowed a lot by Alison Pill, who's been so extraordinarily stunning and brilliant this season with April, and to think that she's only 23. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with soon enough, and it'll be a laughably sad day when she's snubbed for the Emmys. In this session, I liked that she came to a place of acceptance about her illness and possible remission, and then deciding that she needs to end therapy to focus solely on regaining her physical strength. It was like I could feel that woolly cap scratching her bald head all through her session. I also liked that brief mention of Sophie in April's session, which reminded me how wonderful Mia Wasikowska was last season. Just a remarkable season-long performance from Alison Pill and Gabriel Byrne for that matter.

It was sad seeing Oliver end up like that, b/c he's the one I wanted to see Paul help the most but kind of knew that he could only do so much for him. I wish that there had been more solo sessions with just Oliver and Paul this season (which a longer season might have provided). There was too much of Luke and Bess in Oliver's sessions, and they reminded me too much of Jake and Amy from last season. The phone call scene was cute, and I like the idea of Paul and Oliver keeping touch with one another for however long that lasts. Aaron Shaw was a great find in a role that seemed tailor-made for him. Walter's arc was the one where there's so much more to explore than the time that they gave to it, from his blame over his brother's death, his wife's addictions, his lack of communication with his children, his suicide attempt, the firing and public shame, and now picking up the pieces to his life. Walter has had a lot of growth from his first episode where therapy was the last place he wanted to be, but there was still more to go there with him. John Mahoney was great though, and he should be able to manage a nomination.

I don't know if I liked how Gina's session ended. The case being thrown out was convenient but necessary I guess to finally resolve the Alex storyline for good, but this made it seem like the only reason Paul was in therapy with Gina was b/c of the lawsuit and not to genuinely resolve his many life crises, and this replays the ending to season 1 where Paul decides that his therapy is over and needs to let go of Gina again. I liked the last scene where Dianne Wiest said that this is the part where she says that her door is always open, but this time she won't say that. I hope that's not the end for Gina, b/c she's a necessary counter for Paul to keep his self-absorption in check, and Wiest and Byrne are stellar when they're on screen together.

I hope that the show makes it for season 3, b/c this was such a strong season, and in some respects, it was better than season 1. I'd give season 1 more credit for fleshing out most of its patients' endings better with more time allotted. There's always room for renewal with new patients with Gabriel Byrne there as a grounding presence. I liked the way that the show opened up Paul's day-to-day life more, like seeing how his life has changed post-divorce, seeing him deal with his love life (though that Tammy thread kind of fizzled by the end), and seeing his reaction to his father's death. Alison Pill and John Mahoney were season-long standouts, and Dianne Wiest seemed to come alive this season, which I credit a lot to Marsha Norman's incisive writing. I'll miss this show a lot, and I hope that the Emmys properly recognize it.

Grade for "Mia -- Week Seven": B+
Grade for "April -- Week Seven": A-
Grade for "Oliver -- Week Seven": B/B+
Grade for "Walter -- Week Seven": A-
Grade for "Gina -- Week Seven": B
Season Average: A-/B+

Overall this was a much better season than season one. There was a much clearer focus and I think even though it seemed short, the length was just right. Alison Pill, as others have said, was a real revelation in this role and it really will be a shame if her heartbreaking work is overlooked. I think Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest are definitely getting back in this year, and John Mahoney has a pretty good chance. Hope Davis is sadly overshadowed by veteran Wiest and ingenue Pill, so she doesn't have much of a shot. Aaron Shaw was great in what he was given and kudos to him for memorizing all of those lines at such a young age. I'm glad they delved more into Paul's life, especially the episode where he visited his dying father. That might just seal up a win for Byrne, and rightly so.

As far as tapes I would go with:

Gabriel Byrne: "Gina: Week Four"
Hope Davis: "Mia: Week Three"
Alison Pill: "April: Week Four"
Aaron Shaw: "Oliver: Week Six"
John Mahoney: "Walter: Week One" (or Week Six)
Dianne Wiest: "Gina: Week Six"

and for the six tapes to submit to drama series should they get in:
"Mia: Week Three" & "April: Week Four"
"Oliver: Week Six" & "Walter: Week One"
"Gina: Week Four" & "Gina: Week Six"

I think this is the best possible combination. For the patients, submitting each actor's best tape for the first four tapes seems like a given. And for the last two, Week Four of Gina goes outside the therapy sessions which is refreshing and Week Six sees Wiest and Byrne going toe to toe. I think Mia and Oliver are a weaker pair than April and Walter so I think pairing them with "weaker" patients could provide a good balance. In any case, this is mainly an actors show so they might as well focus on that. (Though the writing has been even sharper this year, I'm not trying to disrespect that)

A wonderful set of finales. As for tapes, some are obvious for me. I don't remember week numbers, so I'll describe them by what happens:

Gabriel Byrne - The only choice for him is to submit the "Gina" episode that ends with him at his dying father's bedside.

Dianne Wiest - Her outburst last week.It's the showiest piece of acting she's done. She's been great during all weeks, but she needs to show voters that outburst in order to show some impact and range.

John Mahoney - He should submit last week's episode. The way it builds and builds to the open sobs at the end is remarkably powerful acting.

Alison Pill - Hmmm ... what comes immediately to mind is the week after the start of her cancer treatment, where she struggles with pain from the tube in her chest. But Pill could submit just about any of her seven episodes and have a good chance to win, if only Emmy has the wisdom to nominate her.

Hope Davis - Hardest to pick. I love Hope Davis and think she was brilliant as Mia, but it wasn't a character of serious outbursts or showy emoting. Maybe the episode when she discovered she wasn't really pregnant.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 742,

The more episodes I watch from this show, the more I love it. I agree Alison Pill deserves a nod for her performance. IMO, everyone in the cast was wonderful and really liked the poignancy of John Mahoney's performance. Very good chance it will get in for best drama.

For Alison Pill, I'd think I'd pick the one where Paul takes April to her first chemotherapy treatment. That one I remember being particularly standout. I think I liked John Mahoney's week one tape where he has the panic attack. Gabriel Byrne's most complete tape is the one where his father dies. Dianne Wiest could go with a lot this season, but maybe the shouting match one between her and Byrne is a strong one.

This season was great, i think i prefer season one because i cared more about all the patients but i did love Paul's storyline more this season.

Alison Pill as April was heartbreaking. The girl delivered an Emmy worthy performance every week. It will b a shame that she won't get a nomination.

Like someone said earlier, Gina came alive this season and Dianne Wiest was fantastic. And she was on fire in "Gina: Week Six". When she starts fighting with Paul=trilling!!!!

Gabriel Byrne was amazing this season, and "Gina: Week Four" should be a hard tape to beat. This whole season gave him a chance to show how great of an actor he is. LOVED HIM! Will easily be my pick for Best Actor in a Drama.

I only watched the eps with Alison Pill because they always happened to be on when I was sitting down to watch TV. She was so heartbreaking to watch, far and away one of the best performances on television for 2009. It felt so eerily real...

"In Treatment:" Irish Spring Campaign

Yesterday, you may have noticed a post here that noted - with a sense of urgency - that "In Treatment" is on the bubble.

Fans out there may have noticed because I am now informed that some enterprising Gabriel Bryniacs have launched an Irish Spring campaign, sending boxes of the soap to HBO as it deliberates the fate of this treasure.

Will this work? A call or letter might suffice, but knock yerself out. (Question: What will "Weeds" fans do when it hits the bubble? "True Blood" fans? ...)

http://weblogs.newsday.com/ent...ish_spring_camp.html

quote:

Originally posted by Molly:

Will this work? A call or letter might suffice, but knock yerself out. (Question: What will "Weeds" fans do when it hits the bubble? "True Blood" fans? ...)

http://weblogs.newsday.com/ent...ish_spring_camp.html

Fingers crossed for the superb "In Treatment." But considering its last episode, if "Weeds" ends up on the bubble, I might send Showtime a pin.

So, any updates on renewal? I'm starting to think the show isn't coming back and their just waiting for the buzz from nominations to cool down before they announce it's done.