The fantastically addictive “In Treatment” is back for a third season — and the only sign of fatigue is the one hanging over Dr. Paul Weston’s overcrowded head.
I’m talking about the charac ter’s fatigue with life, not the grand performance by Dr. Paul’s psychological alter-ego, Gabriel Byrne. And the patient load is reduced from four patients a week to three. Hey — not everyone can afford health care these days.
This season’s slate of characters with problems include Dr. Weston himself, who seems like he’s alternately bored and fascinated by the constant whining of his patients. Of course, if there weren’t whiney patients with psycho-drama, he’d have to become a dermatologist or something. Problems are his business.
Tonight, we meet both Sunil, (Irrfan Khan) and Frances (Debra Winger), two new patients who come in dragging more baggage than a sold-out Airbus.
Tomorrow night, we meet new patient Jesse (Dane DeHaan) and Adele (Amy Ryan), a possible new therapist for Paul.
And, unlike a few characters in seasons one and two whose lives I just wasn’t interested in, I won’t be skipping any therapy sessions this season. They are all fascinating.
For example, Sunil, a man in his late fifties, is a former math professor from India who was recently widowed. He was subsequently brought to this country by his son (Samrat Chakrabarti) and daughter-in-law (Sonya Walger), and he now miserably resides in their home. He’s so unhappy that he won’t speak in the home any longer.
Frances is a former movie star and now well-respected stage actress whose sister was treated 18 years earlier by Paul. Frances is blanking on dialogue while in rehearsals for a new play — but her problems go much deeper than dropping more dialogue than a cell phone in the mountains.
Then, there’s Jesse, a 16-year-old gay kid with gigantic aggression, a drug business on the side, an obsession with photography and a troubled relationship with his adoptive parents.
Finally, there’s Paul himself, whose Freudian slip is showing all over the place. He’s a wholesale mess. In fact, he only goes to see the new therapist to get his Ambien prescription renewed and becomes as rude and aggressive to her as any of his patients ever are to him.
I’m thrilled to see Amy Ryan back on TV. Robbed of her deserved Oscar for “Gone Baby Gone,” she is simply one of the best actresses working today. In fact, she’s so good, I’m ready to go dump all my problems on her couch.