And how does that make you feel?
From saintly to scheming to crazy, TV has had some memorable therapists
Alas, therapy can be really boring. Unless it's on TV, and then it can be crazy, funny, scary, and dramatic.
This Friday, HBO wraps up "In Treatment," the most honest and searing portrait of therapy ever to hit TV. The nine-week nightly series rarely leaves the office of Dr. Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) or that of his therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest), and yet it takes us far into the vivid worlds of each of its troubled characters. Every episode has been crafted like a one-act play - tightly written and seamlessly acted - in which we see truths about the patients surface gradually into consciousness.
Here's a countdown of 10 (or so) TV therapists worth remembering:
TWISTED
Dr. Faith Wolper on "Nip/Tuck," played by Brooke Shields
How sick can you get? That's the modus operandi of "Nip/Tuck," which flies happily into transgression on a weekly basis. So naturally, any therapist on the series is going to be corrupt, and Dr. Faith did not disappoint. At first, as Christian's therapist, she pushed him to wonder if he was in love with Sean, making the series' ongoing gay subtext quite overt for a few episodes. Later, she slept with him, revealed her sexual addiction, and got a tattoo that read, "Property of Christian Troy."
"Nip/Tuck," you/rock.
FOILED
Dr. Alfred Bellows on "I Dream of Jeannie," played by Hayden Rorke
The NASA psychiatrist was as calm and cool as Larry Hagman's Tony Nelson was jumpy and anxious. Dr. Bellows always had his suspicious eye trained on Nelson's bizarre activities, but he could never quite figure out what the Jeannie-owning astronaut and his buddy Roger were up to. The big joke: Tony and Roger drove the shrink quite mad and made him look bad.
OUTRAGEOUS
Dr. Tobias Funke on "Arrested Development," pl ayed by David Cross
Too, too, too funny. Tobias Funke was one of the best characters on this gem of a sitcom. He lost his psychiatric medical license after giving CPR to a man who wasn't really having a heart attack, but he still considered himself a therapist. The victim of phobias including "never-nude" syndrome, Funke was also a latent homosexual who constantly stumbled into double entendres and Freudian slips about gay sex. One season, kicked out of the house by his wife, he disguised himself as a British nanny named "Mrs. Featherbottom" to gain access to his children. It was as brilliantly outrageous as anything on this classic series.
COMPASSIONATE
Dr. Sidney Freedman on "M*A*S*H," played by Allan Arbus
With Dr. Freedman came some of the deepest themes on "M*A*S*H," as he helped Hawkeye and others deal with the horrors of war. A fan of Freud, Sidney guided Hawkeye through nightmares and psychosomatic sneezing, and he helped a deluded bomber pilot who thought he was Jesus Christ after killing civilians. "What's your name, honey?" is how he first greeted cross-dressing Corporal Klinger. He was a good egg.
SAINTLY
Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on "Oz," played by Rita Moreno
Ah, Sister Pete. She was the drug counselor and psychiatric evaluator for the prisoners of Oz, but it wasn't just her job. It was her life's work to redeem the inmates and to inspire victims and offenders to heal each other. Sister Pete treated everyone with grace, and Moreno made her the heroine of a show extremely short on heroism. She was ruthlessly self-honest, too, after Christopher Meloni's Keller manipulated her into facing her sexual needs.
PRIGGISH
Drs. Frasier and Niles Crane on "Frasier," played by Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce
It's a tie. These brothers were a great team, a pair of neurotic therapists with sibling rivalry issues. Niles was persnickety, Frasier was stuffy, both were pretentious snobs. They were ridiculous and yet lovable amid their squabbling, like an old married couple or a pair of gay best friends. They were a classic sitcom treat, even if I wouldn't want to be treated by them.
DRY
Dr. Katz on "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist," voiced by Jonathan Katz
The Squigglevision therapist saw all kinds of famous comics and actors, including Winona Ryder, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ray Romano, Kathy Griffin, Conan O'Brien, Lisa Kudrow, and David Mamet, and he listened patiently to their shtick. But Katz was always the star of his show, with his stammer, his round eyes, and his very dry style. He was comforting in his low-key way, and he was particularly dear in the non-therapy scenes with his slacker son, Ben, as he tried to maintain his sedate therapy persona no matter how outrageous Ben was.
CONFLICTED
Dr. Jennifer Melfi on "The Sopranos," played by Lorraine Bracco
Her struggle with Tony Soprano was our struggle. She was disgusted and repulsed by him and what she knew of his lifestyle, and yet she was fascinated. In the unforgettable episode in which she was raped, she was even quite tempted to take advantage of Tony's violent vengeance. She helped us understand the way Tony's mind worked, which elevated the series from a mob action drama to one of TV's most incisive psychological portraits.
SUBDUED
Dr. Bob Hartley on "The Bob Newhart Show," played by Bob Newhart
Yes, of course. Endless kudos ought go to the person who thought it might be a good idea to make Bob Newhart, the king of comic reaction, into a sitcom therapist. His Bob Hartley was a great straight man - and what more can you ask of your psychologist? As a group therapist, too, Bob was the champion of some very lovable losers.
HUMAN
Dr. Paul Weston on "In Treatment," played by Gabriel Byrne
At first he seemed cold. But the more time we've spent with Paul on HBO's nightly therapy drama, the more we've been able to warm up to him. For nine weeks, Byrne has gradually been revealing a man of passion and compassion behind those small, tired eyes. His connection with teenager Sophie is particularly touching, as he convinces her to trust him. The silent moment in which they sat smiling at one another, finally comfortable, was one of the show's best. Paul is thoroughly and fascinatingly flawed, but he is also a good man.
