In Treatment (2008–2010): Season 3, Episode 6 - Frances: Week Two - full transcript

So do I look familiar?

I don't go to
the movies that often.

Oh, no, no. I meant,
do I look like my sister?

I think it's interesting
that you chose to see me,

your sister's former therapist.

My sister is sick.

Breast cancer?

Stage IV.

Is that how you
perceive yourself...

As a former star?

I need help.



With your lines.

I have them down verbatim

and then I go into rehearsal

and wham...
They just disappear.

You've just come through
a difficult divorce.

I would imagine that the play

provided a kind of an escape.

Escape?

No. It's the problem,
not the solution.

What's the problem?

I'm failing.

You look tired.

I'm sorry.
I hate that.

Don't ever tell me when I
look like shit or tired...



Or old.

- What's that?
- Here, open it.

It's a prompter... an
earpiece for aging actors

Who can't remember their lines.

Too bad they don't have something
similar for younger actors

Who refuse to learn theirs.

The director wants me to
wear it during performances

In case I lose a line.

So how did it go this week?

As to be expected.

Everything's fine,

Sailing along, and then...

But I'm not wearing
this fucking thing.

Did you tell that
to the director?

I told the director that I am
seeing the best psychoanalyst

In New York and that
I'm sure I'd be fine.

So now both our reputations
are on the line.

So you'd like us
to be in this together.

Aren't we?

The stage manager keeps
shanghaiing me backstage

To talk about her
own memory problems,

Hormone treatments,
hot flashes.

She even gave me a book...
"the wisdom of menopause."

Thank you.

Oh God. I sound
like a spoiled brat.

- You must think I'm ridiculous.
- Why do you say that?

There's all this frivolous
stuff I'm talking about...

Lines and the stage
manager. I can't...

Frivolous compared to what?

Last week when you were here

You were worried
about seeming frivolous

Compared to your sister.

Tricia doesn't complain
about anything.

She faces it all so bravely.

You must think I'm awful.

I must think you're
awful or ridiculous

Or whatever.

Last week you were defending

Your decision to take a job

- Instead of staying at home.
- Yes.

And you said, "does that make
me a coldhearted egomaniac?"

Good memory.

Maybe you should
play this part.

Why do you use language like
that to describe yourself?

Is there some specific response

That you're looking for in me?

I'm sorry I even
brought any of this up.

I certainly didn't come here to
talk about Diane the stage manager.

So what are you here
to talk about?

Last week, do you remember
when just before you left,

I asked you to keep
an eye on what happens

During rehearsal when you go up

On your lines?
How did that go?

No rhyme or reason
that I could see.

One moment I'd be there,

I'd be Maxine.
And the next moment I'd be Frances

And I'd be thinking
of something else entirely.

I can't tell you where I
go when I jump like that.

- I don't remember.
- I want you to try.

I want you to really try

To remember.

Okay, two days ago I was
in the middle of a scene

And I found myself thinking
I needed to call Izzy.

So I tried to force myself
back into the scene,

But I couldn't remember anything,
didn't know was happening, total blank.

Why do you think you felt
this need to talk to Izzy?

I don't know.
I wanted to talk to her.

I called Russell later
looking for her.

And he told me that Izzy's been
spending all of her time at Patricia's.

Taking care of her, I suppose.

And did you call her there?

I didn't want to intrude.
Izzy's always preferred Tricia

And her father over me,
which is ironic.

- How so?
- I met Russell through Tricia.

She introduced us.

She was a graduate
student at Columbia

And he was this
sort of brilliant

Youngish Professor,

Kind of a star in
the history department.

I was 30,
sick of dating actors,

And she set us up.

And what did she think you
were going to like about him?

Well, he wasn't the best-looking
man I'd ever known,

But he was the smartest
and funny.

I liked his take on things.

It was a turn-on.

So he excited a part of you that
hadn't been excited before.

I guess that's right.

And he had...

What?

Really good hands.

Physically?

Sexually?

When Russell and I
first had sex,

It was completely
overwhelming for me.

I hardly knew him and we'd
only been out on a few dates,

But I don't know.
I fell so hard in love with him.

And it just all
went really quickly.

I didn't care about
getting married

But he did, so we got married.

You mean that you got
married to please him?

No no, I was just surprised
by how much he wanted to.

Later on, I did a lot
of things to please Russell.

Like what?

Getting pregnant.

Of course, I wanted
to be a mother.

Just happened very fast.
It had to.

I was 35,
he was 42-43.

So the clock was ticking.

So did you feel that you wanted
more time to be alone with him?

Just the two of you?
A lot of people feel ambivalent

When they bring a child
into a marriage.

They're afraid that
it's gonna change

The dynamic
of the relationship.

- They're right.
- Mm-hmm.

When I got pregnant with Izzy,

I was really afraid that
he wouldn't want me anymore.

I'd be fat and I'd get sick.

And did he still...

- Want you?
- Yeah, he still wanted me.

He liked my new pregnant body.

So did I.

Then when Izzy was born

I thought, well,
now it'll be ruined.

The sex I mean.

What exactly were
you worried about?

Well, that I would be
destroyed by childbirth

And that he would be
horrified by what he saw.

Were you in the room when
your children were born?

So you know.
I mean, women tear themselves apart

To push a baby out.

I just turned into
this screaming, bleeding,

Sweating animal.

I thought I'd never recover,

I would be permanently damaged.

- But you did. You did recover.
- Of course.

The female body is
remarkable, don't you think?

And did he lose interest?

No, he still wanted me.

He used to come in and take
pictures of me when I was nursing.

He thought I looked beautiful.

And did you feel beautiful?

No, I felt fat, not beautiful.

But then later

I really got to love it.

That feeling of
my breasts filling up

And that was what she needed.

I mean, that little
beautiful warm head

In the crook of my arm,

What could be sweeter?

So you felt important

When you were nursing.

No, I felt like
I had a purpose.

Then she grew up.

Well, they tend to do that.

Yeah.

But now it seems that

You feel Izzy doesn't
need you anymore.

She hasn't needed me
for a long time.

Well, she's a teenager.
It's fairly ordinary.

No, but she pushed away
from me a long time ago.

She hasn't needed me
since she was 6 or 7.

You said that you
felt that she'd always

Preferred your husband to you.

Yeah, daddy's little girl.

And now you feel like
they're coming together,

United against you.

Team Wiskowitz.

Look...

I lost Izzy a long time ago.

But Russell, that...

That was a bit of a shock.

When did you separate?

Two years ago.
He had an affair.

Yes, you said, with one
of his students.

Oh God,
what a cliché, huh?

I was faithful.

I had a lot of jobs
out of town.

Many opportunities,
but I resisted.

He had to go and piss
all over everything.

Can I tell you something
that I haven't told anyone?

Sure.

I haven't had sex since
Russell and I broke up.

- You must think I'm pathetic.
- There you go again.

- What?
- What I think about you.

That I must think this
or I must think that.

Are you hoping that maybe
I'll agree with you?

Would you like to tell
me about this period

Of abstinence?

Well, everyone knows that a
virgin has the best complexion.

So it's an aesthetic choice.

No. I just figure,

Really, what's the point?

You know, at my age?

Here's the kicker.

Guess who's getting laid,
or is about to?

- Izzy.
- She tell you that?

She doesn't talk
to me anymore.

I've been reading her emails.

I hacked into her account.

Well, no, that sounds
too sophisticated.

I guessed her password.

Do you really think
that's the best way

To get close to your daughter?

She won't talk to me.

How would you like it if your
kids stopped talking to you?

I don't know what's
going on in her life.

She says she's in love.

You don't think
that's possible?

She's 15.
I mean, a crush maybe, but love?

And this boy, this miller...

That's his first name...
he's a junior.

What's he doing, messing
around with a freshman?

He's writing her love letters,
you know, quoting poetry.

It's not bad poetry...
e.E. Cummings,

William Carlos Williams,
Pablo Neruda.

Sounds kind of romantic.

Innocent, even.

"flower of fire...
Swollen fruit raised"?

That's Neruda.

Yeah, not so innocent, huh?

Do you feel then that
he's pressuring her?

Just the opposite.
He says he'll wait.

They have time.
He loves her, blah blah.

That sounds mature,
responsible.

No, it sounds devious
and Machiavellian.

He wants to get in her pants.
You have a daughter.

Patricia remembers when
your daughter was born.

You had a big bouquet of pink
roses out in the office.

She said you could hardly contain
yourself, you were so happy.

Yeah.

We called her Rosie

So we got a lot of roses.

You should've called her Ruby.

We should have.

She must be 18 now.

Don't you worry about her
getting pregnant?

Or h.I.V.
Or genital warts?

Do you know that 70%
of sexually active kids

Carry this virus?
It's an epidemic.

- I hadn't heard that statistic.
- That's my point.

Who is this boy?
She won't talk to me.

She won't tell me anything about him.
She just talks to Tricia.

Well, it makes a lot of
sense, don't you think?

Did you talk
to your mother about sex?

Fine.
I see your point.

Trish and Izzy...

They even look alike.

Those big brown eyes
blinking at you.

You remember?
They're two peas in a pod.

And again, you're excluded.

When Tricia had her chemo Izzy
shaved her head in solidarity.

Now she keeps on shaving it.

She looks like
a big-eyed bald alien.

You find her alien?

Don't read too much into it.

Okay. Well, can I read
a little into it?

In what ways is
she alien to you?

What is about her
besides her bald head

That makes her seem
so unfamiliar?

The truth is,
the way she looks now,

It's exactly the way she
looked when I was nursing her.

Patricia couldn't
have kids of her own

And now she's sick.

And I'm jealous anyway.

Still.

I begrudge her
the one pleasure she has,

Which is time with my daughter

While she's suffering.

I had the worst
thought the other DA

Tell me.

No, Izzy's spending all
of her time with Tricia.

She hardly even takes
my calls and when she does,

She just guilt trips me about
not being there for Trish

Or being in the play.

Go on.

I thought...

That maybe
when Tricia's gone...

Izzy will let me back
into her life.

You know,
that she'll be mine again.

Like when she was
a little girl.

Do you feel that Patricia
has usurped your role

As Izzy's mother?

Do you feel that Patricia has
usurped Izzy prefers her.

Tricia's better at it.

Yet because your sister's sick,

You punish yourself
for feeling resentful.

Have you spoken to Patricia
about any of this?

Have you spoken
to Patricia at all?

Yeah, once to say hi.

And did she tell you
that she and I spoke?

When?

I called her
last Wednesday.

The day after I came in.

May I ask why?

I just wanted
to see how she was doing.

I told her I heard
she'd been ill,

But I didn't say how I'd heard.

She told me about the cancer.

And I asked her if she had
the support she needed

And if she was
seeing a therapist.

- What did she say?
- She is.

See?
Everything's fine.

No conflict of interest.

Did you tell her
that I came in?

I didn't mention you, no.

And neither did she,
which I thought was odd.

Because last week you said

That Patricia had
recommended me to you.

You said you'd asked
her permission to see me

And that she had
given it to you.

- Didn't say that.
- You implied it.

You led me to believe that.

You certainly did nothing
to correct my misconception.

- You're trying to trap me.
- Trap you?

That sounds very conniving.

- What, do you want to catch me in a lie?
- Did I catch you in a lie?

I was afraid you
wouldn't treat me.

For your therapy
to be effective,

It's important
that we be as honest

As we can with each other.

- Do you understand?
- All right.

I'm sorry.

God, it sounds like we're in
a relationship or something.

Therapy is a relationship.

You're getting the short end
of the stick on this one.

Why?

Well, all the crazy,
none of the sex.

I'll tell her.

Before the next session.

Okay, I promise.

Okay.

So do you know that
if you test positive

For the brca1 and your mother and
your sister had breast cancer,

You have a 90% chance
that you'll get sick?

This is the test Patricia's
been wanting you to take.

And it's one of the reasons why
you've been avoiding seeing her.

I made the appointment,

So she can stop nagging me now.

You know what
they recommend

If you test positive
for the gene?

Prophylactic mastectomy.

That's removing both your
breasts before you're sick.

Doesn't matter
what the result is.

I'm not gonna have
that operation.

You wouldn't ever
consider having it?

My sister had to have mastectomies.
She had cancer.

The doctor said that
was her best chance.

She never thought about it.
She had them removed.

She never even
had the reconstruction.

She said it made her
feel powerful,

You know, to be herself,
scars and all.

Oh, it looks...

What?

Izzy and I went to see her when
she came home from the hospital.

She really wanted
to show us her chest.

I wanted to say no,
but I couldn't.

She just lifted up her shirt.

There was horizontal slashes.

I mean, I only looked
for a second.

Of course,
Izzy scolded me later.

She said,
"mom, it's just skin."

But I couldn't breathe.

So I'd better test negative.

If my life had been
different, right?

You know, if Russell
would have stayed or...

Couples, I think, get closer
when stuff like this happens.

But alone?

51.

Who would ever want me?

How could they even see me?

You know, would you?

I'm sorry.

I know I'm not supposed
to ask you things like that.

I didn't... just...

You've...

You've had a great deal of loss

All at once.

Russell, Izzy, now Patricia

And the threat
of losing your breasts,

A part of your body
that's erotic and maternal.

And that comes at a time
just as Izzy herself

Is just starting
to become a woman.

Do you think I could just
sit here a little bit longer?

Thanks.

How long do I have about?

All right.

Come on.

Thank you.

You don't tell anybody that
I come to see you, right?

- Of course not.
- Good. Don't.

- Our secret.
- Thanks.