3 Review(s)

Season 1 HBO's first half-hour drama gives new meaning to the term, "appointment television." Adapted from a popular and award-winning Israeli series, In Treatment in its first season aired five nights a week for nine weeks beginning in January 2008. Each episode eavesdrops on a weekly therapist-patient session. "The magic happens" (as one observer sarcastically remarks) in the home office of Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne in his Golden Globe Award-winning role). Monday's patient is Laura (Melissa George, 30 Days of Night), a doctor who reveals in a harrowing "about last night" monologue in the first episode that she is in love with Paul. Tuesdays bring Alex (Blair Underwood, Dirty Sexy Money), a cocky fighter pilot whose last mission over Iraq went horrifyingly awry, earning him the media tag, "The Madrassa Murderer." Wednesday's child, Sophie (Mia Wasikowska in a breakout performance) is a teenage Olympic hopeful in need of an evaluation following a near-fatal bicycle accident. On Thursdays, Paul meets with Amy (Embeth Davidtz, Matilda) and Jake (Josh Charles, Dead Poet Society), whose rocky marriage is further shaken as they wrestle over whether or not she should get an abortion