MovieChat Forums > In Treatment (2008) Discussion > Sympathy for Paul

Sympathy for Paul

posted 8 years ago by murali-vajapeyam
2 replies | jump to latest

I see a lot of comments about how Paul was a bad therapist. I agree he was a pretty bad patient, but I think his empathy to several of his patients make him a very likable person in my book. Also, it is hard not to feel sorry for him: his patients abuse (somewhat expected given his profession), his wife Kate cheating on him and telling it to his face, the lawsuit...

I kinda felt sorry for him and really liked him. Gabriel Byrne I think did a good job of revealing a latent sadness, "lack of passion", through his looks.

I am not one who usually particularly cares about happy endings, but I wish this had ended better for Paul. Him essentially saying in the end that he is quitting his practice, throwing his life career away -- I would have preferred to see him regain that passion, and resume seeing patients as a calling in life. He certainly made mistakes as a therapist, but saying he was a bad therapist goes too far in my opinion.

Thoughts?

[–] jwkfh 8 years ago

I'd like to have seen another season with Paul connecting with Adel. They showed her as alone and lonely, just as Paul had guessed and I think they could have made a good story between them...
Paul was as fallible as all of us and IMO, a bit too singular... The weight of his patients woes was quite a burden to bear.
The series could have continued. I wonder if Gabriel was asking for too much money?
Any idea why it was cancelled?

[–] SheHateMe (47) 6 days ago

I read somewhere that it was too much work for Gabriel, since he was in almost every scene.

I haven't seen the fourth season, and it seems like that iteration of the show must've died, along with this board, 4 years ago. But I'm commenting for fun, and haven't posted on Moviechat in years.

You could make the argument that Paul leaving therapy might have been ultimately positive for his life. All things must end at some point, but also, he was neglecting his personal life for his work life. When he ended his practice, he likely went out and tried to find himself - which is a more important journey than a job. It's possible that with some time away he may have learned from his past mistakes and had a better balance to his life - which could potentially have enabled him to be a successful therapist - or clinical supervisor... or maybe even professor.
Or maybe he at least lived his life instead of his job.