Should You Seek Treatment from Gabriel Byrne?
The when: Premieres Monday, Jan. 28, at 9:30 pm/ET on HBO, and airs thereafter Monday through Friday over nine weeks.Why watch?: HBO's newest drama examines the professional practice and private dramas of a psychotherapist, played by the electrifying Gabriel Byrne. The genius part is that the guy's a real jerk — but he's a master at hiding his angry side when he's in sessions. A sweethearted softie in front of his patients, his dark bitterness only comes out in sessions with his own therapist, played by Dianne Wiest, and occasionally in spats with his wife, portrayed by Michelle Forbes. The premise is a talky one, and its setting can feel claustrophobic — the whole thing takes place inside one room, after all — but Byrne's patients are so mesmerizing that I stayed up all night watching the first two weeks of episodes. (That's right, I spent five hours watching people talk in a room, and I was rapt.) Byrne's patients are petty, phony, manipulative and combative but I'l...
Mon, Jan 28, 2008