In Treatment (2008–2010): Season 3, Episode 4 - Adele: Week One - full transcript

Yeah well, I...

I'll leave it to you, Wendy.

No. Why don't you
just buy the tickets

And I'll be there?

That sounds...

That sounds fine.

That sounds fine too.

It's a bit...

A bit asinine.

No no. No no, Wendy.
Go... go ahead.

I love asinine.



Okay. Oh.

Cobble hill. 6:50.

No, let's...
let's meet there, okay?

I-I... uh...

I just want to drop
some things off

At my place.

I'm stopping
by the market right now.

Soy milk. Okay.

- Organic.
- Uh...

Okay, I... I've
gotta run, Wendy.

Okay, organic. I've got it.
Talk to you later.

Sorry, I... I didn't hear
you come in.

Hi, I'm Adele Brouse.

- Paul Weston.
- Please come inside.



Thank you.

Well,

It's, um...

It's very bright in here.

My, uh... my office is
dark...

More... Burrowlike.

Should I lower the shades?

No no no no, they're fine.

I should practice casting
off my molish ways.

The sun is probably...

It's probably
good for me. They...

They say it helps with sleep.

Ahem.

That would be something,
wouldn't it? Just...

If that's all it took...

A healthy dose of sunlight,

So I could just
go outside, and...

I wouldn't need to be here.

You'd rather not be here.

Very astute, but the truth
is, I don't really mind.

Long as I leave with...

- With what I came for.
- You said on the phone you're in need

- Of a refill of your Ambien prescription?
- Yeah, that's correct.

And I'll take that to go, please.

I think I explained

That my sleep
has been difficult.

My doctor in Baltimore was renewing
the prescription long-distance,

But now
he's decided to stop.

He wanted me
to find somebody local,

You're in the neighborhood

And you had
an open appointment so...

I see.

How long have you
been taking Ambien?

About five years,
on... on and off.

- Nightly?
- Well, nightly

For the past year,
maybe... I don't know...

14... 14 months.

One year or 14 months?

14 months.

- How many milligrams?
- 10.

The doctor in Baltimore
was your therapist?

- My physician.
- Your primary care physician?

Yes, my primary
care physician. Yeah.

And you're new
to New York?

How long have
you been here?

Two years...
two years and one month

Since you seem
to like being precise.

And precisely three nights
ago I ran out of Ambien.

Sorry.

I've... I haven't slept
since Tuesday.

It can be difficult
to stop abruptly.

Yeah. Believe me,
I'm aware of that.

Well, I never would
have stopped

If I hadn't run out of pills.

I started to take another half
in the middle of the night.

- Half of...
- half a pill.

That would be half of 10,

Which is five.

Got it.

So early in the week I noticed
the bottle was empty.

I have an appointment
with my neurologist

First thing Monday
morning, and I said,

"okay well,
I'll suffer through it

And then get him
to fill the prescription."

But once it became clear
I couldn't do that

I called Alan Burdick

And he referred me to you.

- I'm in the neighborhood.
- Right.

I have to say though,
I didn't expect you to be...

To be so... Young.

So you wake up
after a few hours and...

Yeah, I wake up
after a few hours

And I can't get back to sleep.
So I... I just...

I take another pill when I
have another pill to take.

How do you know Alan Burdick?

Oh, we went
to college together

At Georgetown.
We're... we're friendly,

Maintained contact
with each other.

- He's an excellent doctor.
- Yes, he is,

And he said
the same about you.

Though how he knows that,
I... I don't know.

Because you can't have been
practicing for... what,

Two, three years at the most?

That's the second time you've
mentioned how young you think I am.

Es my age bother you?

No. The truth is,
whatever grade you're in,

I'm sure you've learned
to write by now.

So if you're able
to fill out a prescription,

Then your age doesn't
bother me at all.

Look, I should have been
more clear with you

When I called yesterday.

I've actually been in treatment
for the last 20 years

On and off.
And I'm...

I really didn't come today
to continue that process.

- I understand that.
- Okay.

Though I can't just dispense
medication without...

Yes, I understand.
You've got your job to do.

If you want to ask
some questions, just...

Fine, go ahead.

Then you can send me on my way.

With whom were you
in treatment?

Gina toll from the Washington-Baltimore
psychoanalytic institute.

I'm not familiar with her.

Well, she was my teacher
at the institute.

She's one of the best
analysts around.

She was my supervisor for many
years and then she was my analyst.

She saw my ex-wife
with me for quite awhile.

Together?

Yes, together.

Sounds pretty
all-encompassing.

Yeah.

And you're a practicing
psychoanalyst?

Yes.

Okay. Why don't
you tell me

Exactly what's been
going on with your sleep?

Well, at the beginning

It was just
falling asleep, you know.

And then I would take a pill

And I'd be set
for six hours or so.

- But not anymore?
- No, not anymore.

I... I wake up after
two or three hours.

And what's your experience
of that waking time?

- Are you anxious?
- No. Not particularly, no.

- Worried?
- I'm tired.

What do you find yourself
thinking about?

I find myself wishing
that I had more Ambien.

Listen, I've never slept well.

I've always had
a problem falling asleep.

And once you are sleeping,
do you sleep deeply?

- Are you restless?
- Not really.

Frequent dreams?
Nightmares?

They're not uncommon
with people's sleep issues.

The past several months
I have been waking up

With a recurring dream but...

Look, I'm not interested
in discussing that.

I know what the dream is about.
I know what I've been suppressing.

I know what my unconscious is trying
to communicate with me and...

You're not interested in telling
me even in the general...

- No, I'm not.
- All right.

Would you consider telling
me what it is you feel

The dream has been
communicating to you?

I had a patient come in
for the first time

At the beginning
of the week... Frances.

She's...
she's an actress...

A famous actress...

though not quite
as famous as she thinks she is.

I probably shouldn't have...

I suppose you can guess who I'm
talking about by the first name.

I'll try not to.

I'm more interested in hearing
how she relates to the dream.

Okay. Well, her sister is
dying of breast cancer...

Her younger sister Patricia.

She didn't tell me right away.

She had plenty else to say.

She's... well, she's what I
kind of expected, you know...

Self-involved,
narcissistic,

"did Beckett in London."

But once she got to it...

What?

She talked about
the genetic marker

For breast cancer...
the brca1 gene.

How her mother had it
and then her sister,

That it's inherited.

My father died of
Parkinson's two years ago.

This is why you're seeing
the neurologist next week.

You're afraid
you may have Parkinson's.

My hand has been shaking
for three months.

- Have you had other symptoms?
- Stiffness, unsteadiness.

I drop things.

- Would you say this fear has...
- it's not a fear, doctor.

It's a fact.
My hand shakes.

My father had Parkinson's.

That's why I'm seeing
the neurologist,

So the neurologist
can address it.

This...

This concern
about Parkinson's...

Do you think it has something to do
with the dream you've been having?

Well, I've been actively ignoring
the clear symptoms of the disease,

And my unconscious has been trying
to get me to stop ignoring it.

That must have been very difficult
to deal with... your father's death.

Was this during your
treatment with Gina toll?

- Did you feel...
- look please, enough.

I've been over this

About my anger at my father for walking
out on us when I was a teenager;

My mother's suicide
when I was 17;

My need to save people
as a result...

I've been over this
again and again

With one of the best
analysts on the East coast.

I do understand it all.

There's really
nothing that...

Nothing more for you
to contribute to that.

I just wanna make sure
I understand something.

Sure, fine.

- You said Gina toll was your teacher.
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

- And then she was your supervisor?
- Yeah.

- And after that, your analyst.
- Yes.

And she also saw
you and your ex-wife

- As a couple's therapist?
- Mm-hmm, correct.

Yeah, I see.

What do you mean, you see?

- What are you implying?
- I'm not implying anything.

I'm just trying
to understand the methods

Of one of the best analysts
on the East coast.

Are you fucking kidding me?

What are you,
36 years old?

You've been practicing for what,
three or four years at the most?

Who the fuck are you to question my
treatment over the past two decades?

You've been resistant to
discussion since you came in.

I'm trying to get as full a sense
as I can of why that might be.

I'm sorry if I offended you.

You seem distressed.

Of course I'm distressed.
I haven't slept all week.

My wife's divorced me.
I'm alienated from my kids

Who live
with her and this man

That she's gonna marry.
And I now realize I've got a disease

Who is going to confine me to a
chair... trapped, paralyzed...

In five years or so,

And probably kill me within 10.

I think I have
a right to be distressed.

I think I have a right to maybe have
sleep problems, don't you think?

Of course you have a right.

Yeah.

Before I fill out
the prescription,

I just need to ask
some medical questions.

Do you have any
other medical issues

Other than the neurological
issues you mentioned?

No.

Are you currently
taking any medication?

Uh, just...

Lipitor, 20mg a day;

Oh, and baby aspirin,
one tablet a day.

- 81mg?
- Right.

- Anything else?
- Look, I want you to know that

My treatment with Gina was...
was an effective one.

Like I said,
she's a highly capable person

And she's able to keep her roles
separate when necessary.

She knew me well.

There was a lot of trust
and respect there

And... uh...

yeah.

I understand.

I do apologize
if I offended you.

Can I ask what it feels like

To be reading
your analyst's novel?

I couldn't help
noticing your book.

That's her, yes?
Gina toll?

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, like I said,

She's... she's
a highly capable woman.

She therapizes, she
supervises, she writes.

You should see her on a trapeze.

Anyway, I saw the ad
in the paper yesterday.

Then walking over here, I was passing
the bookshop on court street,

And there it was
in the window, so I...

Guess I couldn't resist.

I mean, if I'd thought for one
minute about how you might see it,

- I would have asked for a bag.
- And how might I see it?

- Here we go.
- No, tell me what you imagine.

Do you really need me
to tell you?

A patient comes into
a new therapist's office

Clutching a book
by his old therapist,

A giant picture of her face
grinning off the back?

It's...

What? What were
you going to say?

Well, it's kind of...
embarrassing, really.

It's like a shield,
a security blanket

Or, you know, a kind of
a get-out-of-jail-free card.

- Get-out-of-jail-free card?
- Please.

God, I wish I did
have a bag. Hmm.

Yeah. It's a pretty
good photograph.

It's airbrushed,

But she looks great.

Great big smile.

Very pleased with herself.

I would be with, uh...
with blurbs like these.

You've read the back?

"insightful and sharp.

A masterful spin through
the tortured human psyche."

That's Lorrie Moore.

"wise and deeply
empathetic"... Amy bloom.

I guess...
I guess it's good.

How does it feel,
reading those quotes?

That's high praise for a woman
whose talent and intellect

You say you respect.
And yet you read that...

- I'm happy for her.
I am. I am. - Okay.

See, I'm not claiming that it's
not... it's not complicated,

There's not some...
Jealousy.

Sure, but... of course.

I should... well, I should
wait till I read it myself.

But... but I uh...
I am pleased for her, yeah.

What are you jealous of?

Well, clearly she's made
a new life for herself,

Found a way to escape from...

From patients like me.

Quite a feat really...
phoenix like.

Why are you so convinced Gina
wanted to escape from you?

Give me another 10 minutes and
you'll understand completely.

You're probably
feeling it already.

- No. I hadn't been.
- Well, you're extremely polite.

Do you feel that way with your
patients, like you want to escape?

You know, I told Gina once

That with patients
I feel like...

It's like two mice
in a glue trap...

Stuck, immobile,

Getting nowhere.

She was disgusted
to hear that.

Do you still feel that way?

I've been a therapist for...

For 25 years, you know?

- I understand that.
- Really, you couldn't possibly,

But you will.

- It becomes...
- What?

Oppressive.
Oppressive.

You start
to see the limitations,

The artifice of it all.

In what ways?

I'm genuinely curious.

Another analyst
across from me...

I'd really like to know what
your experience has been.

I'd... I... I'd like
to know what's coming.

I see this teenager, Jesse.

He's 16,

Adopted, gay,

Aggressive...
pushes everybody away.

Anyway, his, um...

His birth mother
called him this week

Just out of the blue.

And he hasn't been able to
tell anybody... not his mother,

- Not a friend...
- but he told you?

Yeah.

He told me.

It paid to listen intently.

There are times
in that room where I feel...

I really feel that we connect,

We make contact.

And then he goes back
into the world...

The real world,
the actual world...

And he just...

He implodes

And the work that we've done
together is just...

It's just gone.

I recognize that feeling.

It's incredibly frustrating

- To feel like you're not
making progress. - Mm-hmm.

But don't you think even t
act of listening has value?

I've been seeing
this new patient...

An immigrant from Calcutta.

He wife died
about six months ago.

So his son
and his daughter-in-law

Have him stuck
in the spare room...

No friends,
no one to talk to.

So they drag him
to see me

To make everything better.

And all he wants from me...

All he wants from me

Is for me to bring
his wife back.

He's got the loneliest face
I've ever... I've ever seen.

Hmm. Sits across
from me looking trapped,

Without an ounce of belief that
I can do anything to help him.

And sometimes I just wanna
say, "Sunil, you' right.

There's-there's
nothing I can do."

You described
both of these patients

As not having someone
to talk to, confide in...

At least outside your office.

And I'm wondering if you do.

If I... if-if I...

If I do what?

All the significant
attachments in your life...

The ones you've
mentioned here...

Your father, your wife,
Gina... have ended.

You say you're seeing
less of your kids.

I mean, do you have
someone... a friend,

A companion, another
adult... to talk to?

You mentioned
you were college friends

With Dr. Burdick
who referred you here.

- Do you talk with him?
- Do-do I, uh...

No. But we're
not really friends.

We're more old acquaintances.

But yes, I do have
somebody to talk to.

I've...
her name is Wendy.

We've been seeing
each other.

And yeah, I talk with her.

We...

We talk.

Is that who you were on the phone
with in the waiting room?

- Yes. - You told her you
were somewhere else.

What was it, the grocery store?

Well, she's 37.
I'm 57.

I-I haven't gotten
to the place

Where I feel comfortable
telling her

I have Parkinson's.

Well, I can understand your not
wanting to tell your girlfriend

About the possibility
of having Parkinson's,

But letting her know you
have a therapy appointment

Isn't exactly the same thing.

You're not seeing me
for Parkinson's.

Well, I mean, it... it's
all related, isn't it?

And because? I'm having the dream,
Ase, I can't sleep.He dream.

And because I can't
sleep, I'm here...

About to be late for a movie,

Waiting for you
to write a prescription.

Understood.

- You're seeing a movie?
- Yes.

You and Wendy?

Yes, Wendy and me.

I'm gonna prescribe the
extended-release tablets.

Some people find them helpful
in sleeping through the night.

- Thank you.
- Just remember...

You can't take more until
six hours have elapsed.

How was your sleep last night?

I woke up at 2:30

And couldn't get back asleep.

- Woke up from the dream?
- Mm-hmm.

You used very similar
language when you spoke

Both about the possibility
of having Parkinson's

As well as your experience
of being a therapist.

You talked about Sunil being
stuck up in the spare room,

About feeling trapped like mice in
a glue trap with your patients.

That same language
of escape and entrapment

Came up when
you spoke about Gina.

I'm wondering if your dream
has similar imagery.

No.

Actually, it doesn't.

Thank you for this.

May I ask you one last thing?

Yes.

You said you had the
dream again last night?

Yes.

Here's what confuses me...

If you figured out several
days ago what the dream means,

The content has be communicated
from your unconscious

To your conscious mind.
Why are you still having it?

I've gotta go.

- Enjoy your movie.
- Thank you.

If you decide you wanna
talk any further,

My door is always open to you.

What did you just say?

Max?

Is everything okay?

Hey, dad.

What... what are
you doing here?

I came to live with you.