In Treatment

In Treatment is sublime when Brooke is at the center of it—as engaging as her patients’ experiences are, she is the thread that connects them. Understanding her psyche turns out to be the beating heart of the show.

Admittedly, eavesdropping on therapy sessions isn't for everybody, and the theatrical nature of the format can occasionally yield moments that feel a little too perfect or precious. Overall, though, In Treatment remains a compelling way to spend an hour, and as they say, it's cheaper than therapy.

There’s combustible chemistry to be found in all of these characters, and watching their life stories either trickle out or burst session by session helps the show develop its own storytelling style.

The clear standout for me was Ramos and the Eladio story, which has the perfect In Treatment combination of centerpiece performance, deliberately presented character arc and reactive material for the therapist. ... Moments of distraction were limited, the result of great actors being steered through emotionally wide-ranging writing by directors — Michelle MacLaren and then Julian Farino — who keep the show from ever feeling stage-bound. This is a show meant to feel of-the-moment to any moment it’s in.

Is In Treatment still a niche show a decade after Paul Weston disappeared into a crowded New York sidewalk in the Season Three finale? Yes. Is it still a great show? Absolutely.

[The clients] are all moderately interesting subplots that graduate in tone throughout the series, propelled by superb actors. ... [Aduba] soars in this role as a Black woman trying and sometimes failing to offset her clients' behaviors, and whatever instability, with a fascinating blend of empathy of aloofness. ... Even in its few missteps, it's a quiet yet critical examination of our own humanity.

“In Treatment,” in its fourth season (its first since 2010), does not hit the heights of insight into human nature for which it aims; it does not justify airing four episodes a week. But it makes the case for its own existence thanks in substantial part to the performance of Aduba. ... Aduba makes “In Treatment” a success by force of will.

The dialogue can ramble on to redundancy—this show is fond of the patient stump speech—and the theatrical sensibilities can slip into a kind of staginess, but Aduba’s presence makes something worthwhile out of the minimalistic structure.

The Colin episodes are excellent, but the others lag behind to varying degrees, and Brooke’s own self-examination doesn’t quite gel, despite Aduba’s best efforts.

In Treatment is saved by the performances by Aduba and the people playing her patients. But this is a show that feels like it’s from another time, despite the up-to-date references throughout.

Each title character is scripted by a different writer, leading to some inconsistency in tone. But, as is true of previous seasons, the success of each plot really depends on how much you like the character.

It’s not bad, and I fell into the faster rhythm of the episodes and the more direct performance by Aduba. It’s engaging enough, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season. But no, it isn’t as finely wrought, as inventive, or as profound as it once was.

This new “In Treatment,” occasionally stilted but still fascinating, may be the most organic so far because while all of its stories are unmistakably influenced by the events of the last year, they are only occasionally about those events. ... Eladio’s arc is the strongest even though he and Brooke interact entirely through screens and telephones.

The fourth season revival of In Treatment is beautifully appealing and inevitably a touch disappointing. Aduba is excellent as Brooke. ... The patients are great, too. Ramos is particularly remarkable as Eladio. ... The show’s structure says “chase me,” but it’d be a better story if the themes played harder to get.

“In Treatment” is still a theater piece, even if directors like Michelle MacLaren get off the couch as often as possible, and it still comes alive in spurts thanks to great performers bringing human moments to life.

It’s intimate stuff and a clear showcase for the actors, who are uniformly fine. The weak spot is Brooke’s weekly episode — she’s struggling with sobriety, a struggle that’s overly familiar.

Aduba really fights it, but the dialogue in the fourth session feels melodramatic more often than it does genuine, and that’s a shame given how often this show felt true and pure in its original incarnation. ... The man who often pushes through that melodrama is Ramos, star of this summer’s “In the Heights” and a young actor on the verge of superstardom. He finds honesty in the fast-talking Eladio that makes his sessions the easy highlight of the four episodes each week.

All the talking can be a little tiresome for the viewer, too: the show is intense, and the endless conversation – without action – demands great attention. With weaker actors leading the tête-à-tête, I fear listening to these strangers’ problems might grow rather dull. Given the subject, In Treatment felt a little on the nose.

If the whole show doesn’t add up to more than the sum of its parts, it is a lot of parts and Aduba holds them all together and makes them work. It’s worth booking your hours in again.

I'd probably enjoy In Treatment more if it focused on a single case. (Anthony Ramos and Quintessa Swindell are very good as her younger clients, but their situations lack Colin's urgency) Brooke's own backstory and neuroses veer more toward soap opera. [24 May - 6 Jun 2021, p.9]