In Treatment: Sophie - Week Five
By fred | February 28, 2008
(S01E23) So far this week I’ve really been enjoying this show, and for its third installment this week and what will likely be, for me, the last one of the week, I have to say I was pretty excited about it, because I believe that of all of Paul’s patients, Sophie is the most interesting one. Not only that, but those sessions are really unlike any others because, believe it or not, but Paul actually look like he’s a real therapist on Wednesdays.
A good one even. Granted, he’s still dumb enough to let pills around his suicidal patients, which has to be a very stupid idea, but with Sophie he has done a pretty good job so far at creating a relationship and installing trust. On Wednesday Paul looks like a real therapist, and that’s a very appreciable change.
This week started differently than any other, because we had some interactions - outside of Paul’s office - between Sophie and her mother ! Sophie did mention her many times in the past, and she never even tried to hide her dislike towards her mother. But what we got to see this week is how she actually is and how the two of them do work together. And men was it ugly!
Sophie had always had her strong personality, and we knew she could be, say, annoying. But My God! what a pain she can be. It’s pretty impressive, just as much as the way she and her mother actually interact with one another. They can’t have a conversation, nothing, Sophie is constantly attacking her mother, make that actually insulting her mother, a mother who doesn’t appear to be an evil bitch but just a lost woman.
And that she is, completely lost. I have to say it’s pretty impressive. I can’t believe that for instance she was scared to enter Paul’s office, even after he invited her in, because Sophie threatened her. And when Sophie is yelling at her and insulting her, calling her a bitch even, and all that in front in Paul, she does not even react. She just can’t, she is completely lost, she has no idea what to do and how to deal with her daughter.
And when Paul showed “support” for her, even simply by telling Sophie that he could understand her mother, she was shocked and even thanked him. But the most shocking thing she witness was that Paul was actually able to “control” her daughter, he could talk to Sophie, and Sophie would listen to him and what he had to say. That’s something she hasn’t done with her mother in a long time. The relationship between Sophie and her mother is really bad, I’m not sure how it could got so bad, but that’s not going to be easy or quick to fix.
Paul was really good there, when they were three in the room, because while he understood the mother the simple fact that he said he thought Sophie should go back to training was enough to make her happy. And after that, he took good care to not get involved in their fight, not to ever pick a side or be caught in the middle, he waited to be alone with Sophie to bring back all the issues again, which prevented Sophie from dismissing them and simply directing all her anger (hate?) towards her mother.
Paul waited to be alone with Sophie, and as a result Sophie had to really consider those issues and address them seriously. The discussion between Sophie and Paul was also very different from another session, it looked and sounded a lot more personal. Paul successfully got Sophie to trust him, and this time was really insisting that he loves her, that he’s a friend, one she can trust and count on, and not just a therapist. I’m not sure he would have sit with her on the coach if he hadn’t been as confident as he was today.
Paul took over the father role for Sophie, and he took good care to lay down a few basic and essential rules, and made it clear to Sophie that there was no way around it. It was important also to get Sophie to realize that while he really cared for her, his trust wasn’t unconditional and she needed to be worth of it, that she couldn’t do what she wanted and only that, looking the other way when she didn’t feel comfortable with something.
It also was a strong sign that there was no way Paul would let her treat him the way she treats her mother, in such an ugly, mean and totally remorseless way. Her mother also put lights on some of the lies Sophie had been feeding Paul with, and it was no shocker to find out that not only her father didn’t showed up during she was at the hospital, but that he hasn’t been around for some time now. In fact, he hasn’t even talk to his daughter in months ! He’s not the great man that Sophie had been describing, but Sophie has idealize him a lot now, just like she’s grown to hater her mother just because she’s around.
This session was really good, and amongst other interesting bits were when Sophie mentioned having sex with Sy on her hospital bed. It was a lie, and just meant to hurt her mother, a mother who’s really got no clue of how to react now. And Paul did not appreciate all of that, th epossible lies, and Sophie’s constant threats of suicide, whether she was threatening him or her mother, and he had to send a strong message about his deal, which may be why he didn’t opened the door for her or even turned around.
One last thing I’ll mention, because it always had me laughing, is the money, Paul’s payment. I know that Sophie’s mother only used that as an excuse to come back into the office and to talk to Paul a little more, but it really makes me laugh how this issue keeps being used on the show. Apart from Alex who always showed off his money - except last time, for obvious reason - none of the patients ever paid Paul, except on rare occasions. We had Laura sending a check, Jake puling out some money, and now this for Sophie’s session. Christ, I can’t wait for the day when Paul will actually be the one taking bills out of his wallet to give Gina !
All in all another pretty good episode, well written and brilliantly acted. Wednesday’s sessions are definitely the best in my opinion, and I can’t wait for next week. I know there are two more sessions this week, but I really don’t care for those…
Posted in Reviews
Shows: In Treatment
