In Treatment (2008–2010): Season 3, Episode 24 - Adele: Week Six - full transcript

Amphetamines?

No.

Corticosteroids...
either topical or inhaled?

Uh, no.

Excessive alcohol intake?

No.

Withdrawal from excessive
alcohol intake?

No.

And you said
you don't drink coffee.

That's right.
I don't.

And you're not currently taking
anti-anxiety medication?



I'm not.

Um, do you have any interest

in trying anti-anxiety
medication?

No, thank you.

Okay.

Well, I'm gonna write down
some names for you

just in case
you change your mind.

Larry Friedman, my colleague,

is an excellent
psychiatrist.

( Theme music playing )

Paul: He didn't recommend
you, by the way,

so you might want to beef up

on your contacts at Columbia.

I know you got
your degree there,



but they seem to have
forgotten all about you.

How did it feel
to get a second opinion?

It sounds as if he confirmed
what the first doctor told you.

Uh-huh, another non-.

Which is what?

I'd like to hear you articulate
what you heard him say.

"We'll have to
wait and see."

- Which means...? - That I'll
have to wait and see.

Because you're not
exhibiting enough symptoms?

Yet.

Not exhibiting them yet.

I mean, what am I
supposed to do

after an appointment like that?

How am I...

how am I meant
to live my life?

How am I supposed to make
informed decisions about my life

when I don't know for certain

whether or not I have
the goddamn disease

or how severe
it's going to be?

Well, forgive me for saying so,

but that doesn't sound
too different

from what we all face
every day,

the general state of being
for every person alive.

Well, I...

I asked him for
a worst-case scenario,

you know, how fast

Parkinson's can
actually progress.

And he, you know,
resisted for a while,

but finally
he confirmed what...

what I knew myself...

that in extreme cases

a patient can find himself
completely paralyzed

with advanced dementia
within four to five years.

Did he tell you what
percentage of those patients

face that accelerated
form of the disease?

Well, it's a pretty small
number but...

Less than half a percent.

I confirmed it
with a bit of research

since you first
came in.

So let's be clear
about the facts.

We're talking about
less than half a percent

of people who have a disease

that you've been told
you probably don't have.

Probably.

You just talked
about the difficulty

of making decisions
in your life when faced with

what you see as the real
uncertainty about your health.

Mm-hmm.

Let me ask you something:

What would you do
if you were told

with absolute certainty
that you were sick.

If you only had
a few years left to live,

how would you choose
to live them?

If I knew that were true?

Well...

Maybe I'd lock up the office

and travel the world.

Maybe I'd move
just closer to my kids.

I don't really know.

And what if somebody
told you the opposite,

told you with
absolute certainty

that you were not sick?

Would you also lock up
your office, leave town,

move closer to your kids?

Or would you continue
with life as it is...

continue seeing yo patient

dating your
girlfriend?

I... what point are you...

are you trying to make?

I think this continued
state of wait-and-see

is enabling you to live
in a kind of stasis.

It's like purgatory.

I'd say hell is more like it.

Okay, it's hell.

I want you to recognize

that in order to get out
of this hell,

you may have to make
decisions about your life...

what to change,
what not to change...

independent of this prognosis,

to take action, or not,

without knowing
if you're sick.

Action?
But what... what...

what kind of action
do you mean?

No, I'm-I'm...
I'm really asking.

I know that
you've got this notion

that I'm some kind of
Hamlet incarnate,

unable to act

or unwilling.

And I'm still
not really sure

what it is that
you're referring to,

because your evidence
keeps shifting.

It's not as if I've been sitting
on my ass doing nothing.

I'm seeing doctors.
I brought Max home.

That's true.

I mean, is there
something specific

you're looking
for me to do?

You talk about action, but I...

I'm just not sure
what you want from me,

what... what exactly
is so urgent.

Did I say something was urgent?

No, but you did
call me at home.

You left me a message at
the beginning of the week.

Yes, I did.

I just wasn't clear what it was

that you were saying
in the message.

Are you asking why I called?

I am, yes.

Were you encouraging me to act

on anything in particular

or was there some other reason?

I think I left
the reason why I called

on your voicemail.

I felt we left
a great deal unfinished

and we ended abruptly
last week.

I remember.

I called to offer you
another session

if you felt
you needed it.

Needed it for what?

To talk about what?

What do you imagine?

Don't do that.

Please don't play that game.

You called me.
I didn't call you.

You said that you had

lingering concerns

at half past 7:00
in the morning.

I just want to understand

what you felt
was so... pressing.

I thought we should revisit

what you told me about Sunil,

your reaction
to your patient.

That's why you called me?

In part.

You're shaking your head.

Because last week you didn't
want anything to do with Sunil.

You barely let me
get a word in.

I think you're aware
of why I was resistant.

You don't want to be
my supervisor.

I don't, but I would
like us to discuss

how you're responding
to Sunil...

or not responding,
for that matter,

if you're in me sort of stasis

as with your
medical prognosis...

a wait-and-see mode.

I'd like to understand what
you're trying to accomplish

by telling me
your concerns

or insisting
on my involvement.

Were you trying
to alarm me?

I was asking your opinion.

I thought, given the stakes,

that you might be
willing to engage.

I'm engaging.

Well, I appreciate that.

Certain details you spoke about

have stayed with me,

beyond Sunil's
volatile response

to his
daughter-in-law.

There are small children
in the house.

Well, there's...
there's no issue with...

I mean, I...

I don't think you hear
what I was telling you.

That's why I bring it up now...

in order to be clear about
what you're telling me,

if there's a genuine risk
that needs to be addressed,

and if so, to find out why
you're not addressing it.

I don't think
the children are at risk.

You're certain of that

- mm-hmm.
- And Julia?

You seemed
very alarmed last week,

and now I can't tell
if you're as concerned.

Well, we had a very
intense session on Monday,

and I have to admit

that things looked pretty
grim at the beginning.

Why was that?

Julia came in to tell me
that this was gonna be

Sunil's last
appointment.

She said that
they weren't willing

to keep paying for it.

Did she give any explanation?

There was a
misunderstanding at home.

Sunil pushed past her

and she fell into a bookcase.

She had a bandage on her arm.

He pushed her into a bookcase?

Well, he said that
he pushed past her.

I... honestly, I...
I think it was...

I think it was an accident.

Okay.

But, y know, it was
enough for her and Arun

to decide that...

Therapy wasn't working.

The fact that Julia showed up
in your office with an injury...

d you take that opportunity to
sit down with the both of them

and discuss
the potential for violence

that you've been
so concerned about?

Sunil came into the room.

I told him that I believed
it would be a mistake

if we discontinued
his treatment,

I felt that stopping
at this juncture

would be wrong. I...

it took some work,
but I convinced him

and he's coming back next week.

He's able to pay his own way?

No, he can't do that,
so I offered...

I offered to see him pro bono.

Really?

You know, I have to say this:

It's just curious to me

to hear you
so suddenly invested

in... in...
in this issue.

Aren't you conscious
of the fact

that we're now playing out

the fantasy

that I revealed
to you last week,

the one that you worked so
hard to get me to disclose?

What fantasy is that?

You know, that we would

discuss our patients together,

give each other advice

about our difficult cases.

You don't remember that?

I remember.

You described us
as having a dinner...

a meal... a glass of red
wine while we talked.

I don't think
I said "red wine."

Maybe not, but...

you must see
that what's going on

might play into that fantasy.

I do see that.

Did you see it when
you picked up the phone

to call me on Tuesday morning?

I felt...

I found myself worried that
I was negligent last week.

I was concerned

the situation might
deserve more attention.

At 7:30 in the morning.

Sorry?

Don't you think that was...

I mean, don't you think
that was kind of early?

Were you already at the office?

Why do you ask?

Because I know
you weren't.

The caller I.D.
On my phone

wasn't your office number.

That's right.

I don't think I'd gone in yet.

So you were at home,

having breakfast maybe?

Were you hoping
to talk over a meal

about my patient's dream

and what I should

or what I shouldn't
do about it?

Was that the reason
you called?

Or maybe... maybe
it's more than that.

Look, I...

I guess, you know, I just...

I just want us to be honest

about what's happening here.

Tell me what you think
is happening.

- I...
- ( Phone rings )

I'm sorry.

I thought I'd turned
the ringer off.

( Beeps )

Sorry about that.

You said you wanted
to be honest

about what's happening here.

No no, it's...

it's fine.

It doesn't matter.

Perhaps it does.

Is there anything more
you want to say about it?

You felt that by my
calling in the morning...

could...
could we just not?

I can see how, given the kind of
scenario you envisioned, you might...

for Christ's sake, please
let's just forget it, okay?

You're very upset with me.

I probably should have
thought more carefully

about the timing
of my call.

I just asked you
if we could stop.

I understand you don't want
to discuss that any further...

that's fine,
we don't have to...

but I would like to us to go
back to the reason I called you.

Frankly, I felt you put me
in a difficult spot.

You brought up sunil in the
last minutes of our session

and it was hard for me to tell

if there was
a legitimate danger

or if you were simply
trying to draw me in.

I do wonder if you're trying
to hand over your worry to me,

to somehow leave me
to deal with it

so you won't have to.

( Harrumphs )

I gather you disagree.

Can you tell me
what you're thinking?

I'm thinking I should never have asked
you about sunil in the first place.

I guess I should have known
how you'd see it.

- How is that?
- You just said it.

You think he's
a menace to society

and I'm some kind of
paralyzed fool.

It's not as if I haven't
given serious thought

to what to do here.
But I think it's easy,

from where you sit,
to jump to conclusions,

to twist the evidence.
You don't see the intricacies.

Do you want to help me
with those intricacies?

I'd like to hear more about
your session this week,

why you decided to see
sunil free of charge,

what your thinking was.

I'm also curious about
what I see as your clear

identification with sunil,
how strong it might be.

What does that mean?

How much you see
yourself in him.

Look, I know what
"identification" means.

I'd like to know what
you're talking about.

You've spoken many times about
his experience as an immigrant,

the depth of his alienation...

something you've
also encountered.

You're both
around the same age,

lead somewhat isolated lives.

Do you have any reaction
to what I'm saying?

Oh, I'm enjoying it immensely.

Just let me know
when you're done, okay?

I'm done.

Okay, so it's my turn now?

Yes, I do have

a great deal
of sympathy for sunil.

And I feel that I've got a...

a special window
into his struggles,

but it doesn't mean that I've
somehow lost perspective.

The truth is, I have
an instinct about him.

It's just...
I can't explain it.

It's a gut feeling that I
have sitting opposite him.

I just know... I just know
he's not a violent man.

And I have to
admit I'm...

I'm kind of having a hard time
following your reasoning.

I know you think that
I'm avoiding a decision,

that I'm overinvested,
that I'm in denial...

whatever way
you want to put it.

But you see, I see it

as me taking a bold step.

I've offered to see
this man for free

in order to keep him
in treatment...

the treatment
he desperately needs...

which, by the way,
it has been working.

And still you...

you seem
to criticize me for it.

Why are you convinced
it's working?

Because, look, the therapy gives
him an outlet for his anger.

I've gotten him
to express himself,

to reveal these
violent fantasies

instead of letting them
fester inside of him.

The fact that we're openly
discussing them means

that he is keeping them
under control.

They're just fantasies.

I mean, do I really need
to explain this?

You're sitting there like
I'm trying to sell you

a moldy carpet or something.

I'm simply listening
to what you're saying.

No, you're sitting there smug,
you're judging,

you e superior
and you're remote,

like a freudian ice queen

convinced that
I'm some kind of cripple.

I think we ought to talk about
where this anger is coming from.

It's coming from the fact

that you won't listen
to what I'm saying.

You don't trust me to judge

if my own patient is dangerous.

Look, if sunil wasn't
coming back,

if he ended his therapy
and he was out there,

then I'd say sure,
there's a problem.

I'd say go ahead and worry.

But he is coming back.
He's talking.

He trusts me.

Somebody who's actually
gonna hurt another person

doesn't hand you
a cricket bat and say,

"take it away from me."

A man who's actually gonna hurt
somebody doesn't say anything.

He just goes ahead
and he fucking does it.

Sunil handed you a cricket bat?

He gave it to me
for safekeeping.

His son was going away,
and he...

and he felt that
I should hold on to it.

Why would he want you
to hold on to it?

Because he... he was...

he didn't want to have it
around the house.

And you took this
as a good sign?

This is kind of pointless,
don't you think?

I've said
I made a mistake

bringing sunil up
in the first place.

You've said you don't want
to supervise me.

You'd rather not
indulge my fantasy.

I'm not sure that
I still have it but...

so why don't we just
both respect that?

Several minutes ago
you were quite happy

that I'd engaged
with you on this topic.

Please, can we go back

to talking about
something more pleasant...

Parkinson's maybe,

Max and Steve, global warming?

My pregnancy?

How your noticing it earlier

might be affecting
our discussion?

Is this your way
of telling me that

you are pregnant?

I was under the impression you
noticed a few minutes ago.

So you are pregnant.

I am.

Well, are you also planning

to tell me where
you've registered,

so I can send you
a baby shower gift?

I wasn't planning
on doing that.

Am I wrong?
Had you not noticed?

When are you due?

March.

- Does it upset you to hear that?
- No.

I have to say,
you seem upset, as if...

as if what?

As if it's some kind
of betrayal, as if...

this is fucking ridiculous.

- What is?
- And it's cruel.

It's narcissistic.

You deliberately encouraged me

to talk about these

stupid fantasies.

I have to wonder if all
analysts simply get off

on their patients' imagined
relationships with them.

Are you?

While I sit here and
make a fool of myself,

spinning out
these idiotic tales

of having drinks together

and dinner
and discussing our work

and how you
might be lonely

and how you might understand

my miserable fucking life.

And you just sit there
and you nod placidly.

And you encouraged me

to indulge in these delusions.

And all the while you...

you hoard
this information that...

You're in a happy relationship,

with a growing family.

Is that what you assume?

Stop it.

Just fucking stop it, okay?

Who cares what I assume
or don't assume?

It's all
a crock of shit anyway.

You know,
it's all designed

to give power and thrills

to the sphinx-like doctor

at the expense
of the humiliated patient.

I never intended
to humiliate you.

Oh well, that's comforting to hear.
Unintended humiliation

is much easier to swallow,
don't you think?

You're really angry with me.

I don't even know you.
How could I be angry with you?

- Paul.
- What?

Are you gonna encourage me to
talk about how furious I am

at some
self-projected phantasm?

How absurd and
navel-gazing can one get?

I want to go.

There's something I want to
say to you before you leave.

I'm worried about you.

( Harrumphs )

I don't think you understand

the gravity of the situation
you're in with sunil.

I don't understand the gravity?

I don't think
that you see the danger

in what you're
telling me to do,

what it would mean to be wrong,

to compromise the confidentiality
of a patient like sunil.

Do you understand what it took to
earn that trust in the first place...

the time, the care, the...

talk about a betrayal.

Paul, he handed you a weapon.

A weapon?

You need to take
a step back

and look at this
situation clearly.

You have options.

You don't need to jump to
notifying the authorities.

You can include
his family first,

tell them about
his violent impulses.

We just talked about

the different ways
you identify with sunil.

I think I'm becoming aware
of yet another connection.

What are you talking about?

Sunil's a lonely man
in his 50s,

attracted to a younger woman
who's unavailable to him.

Amazing.
It's amazing, really.

I mean, are you not...
are you not embarrassed

to bring everything
back to you?

It's really that irresistible?

Sunil has obviously shown a
tremendous rage towards Julia.

The way you looked
at me just now...

are you suggesting
that I can't distinguish

my own anger from sunil's?

It's a radically
different situation.

It is, and you're
a radically different man.

I can feel how angry
you are at me.

It's visceral.

And yet I don't feel worried
that you're going to

come across this coffee
table and strangle me.

I'm not as certain
that your patient

is as in control
of his emotions.

You don't even know sunil.

That's right.
I don't.

Now how well do you know him?

Now how clearly, would you say,

you're able to see him?

You talked to me
so many times

about feeling dissatisfied
in your work.

You called psychotherapy a
crock of shit this afternoon,

and yet you've done nothing
about that dissatisfaction.

Are you secretly hoping

this situation
with sunil might explode,

that it'll save you from
having to make a decision

to change your life
on your own?

Because if it does explode,

you will have destroyed
your career...

And you will always know you
could have done something

to protect a woman
and her children.

( Phone ringing )

Julia:
Hello.

Hello?

Hello, is this Julia?

Yes.

Hello, Julia.
This is Paul weston.

Do you have a minute?

( Theme music playing )