Help Me Help You - First Episode Impressions (Spoilers, probably, too)

Sorry Barb! I forgot to tell you it would be on tonight. Boot to my head . . .!

Well, there's the full of himself aspect that seems to be part and parcel of many of Ted Danson's roles; that wasn't unexpected. It leads to some . . . downright rude/unkind interactions or comments to/with his patients, but that was expected as part of the comedy as well. Although you certainly know he will NOT be telling the redhead to get a grip, anytime soon . . .

I thought the episode was a bit uneven. I can somewhat understand that, given the switch between stories of Dr. Hoffman's personal life, and the lives of the group therapy participants, as well as the group therapy itself. It still felt more uneven than I feel it could have been, though.

I actually thought it was funny and ironic of the car salesman to, after hugging Ted's divorcing wife, kissing her, and on his way out, he said to Ted as he was leaving, c'mon in and I'll replace that car for you. Or something like that; Ted's character kept insulting the car he had bought from this guy, upon finding out the guy was "with" his wife. Dr. Hoffman isn't the only one who is full of himself; I thought it funny to have that kind of brashness turned towards him, lol.

I was uncomfortable with Inger's scene in the bar?/restaurant, (she's the one with "no social skills" per the scripty diagnoses overlaid on the screen over their characters early in the show), as she goes on and on and on about herself, but not the way most people do, it's exaggerated (not unexpectedly . . .) She didn't sound like me, in what she said and the type, but I still cringed at the way characters are going to backlash against her, as I feel I have been incorrectly and unfairly judged and backlashed-against, this year, in several huge areas of my life. One of the most hurtful revelations, well, group of revelations all at once, about how some people I thought I could trust, ACTUALLY feel and think about me . . . well, I am going through some major stuff with that, as well as being in the midst of still barely beginning to process a major unpleasantness of finding out other hidden thoughts and feelings about me, from someone else, earlier this year, that will take years, if ever I CAN be done with it(understandably, I've been told), to process and work through . . .

It's been a hard, hard year . . . I still have the strains of someone calling me "psycho" echoing through my head; I don't believe I have ever acted anything near a manner that could begin to approach "psycho" behavior, but nevertheless, it burns inside me. The phrase, "you're a waste of a life and a human being" is one that hits even harder, as I have often thought that myself; I was horrified, though, to receive that sort of thing from someone. We have made up; this isn't about anger at her; it's just about the mess of crap I find myself dealing with and drowning in; this July episode of ugly revelations dredged the earlier stuff all back up again, as well; no wonder, because they are both very intense, and, as others have said, given what was done to me, that it is understandable that it be a slow, slow process to work through, most probably on the scale of years, or longer.

Anyway! All this stuff, wrapped up in an instant, gut reaction to this scene with the character Inger. I was also dismayed that persons without much social skill, for various reasons, might be put up in front of the world in this manner, via her character, to be ridiculed and stereotyped . . .

Yes, I know it's a comedy. There is room within a comedy, though, to show more than just a stereotype, although often that's as far as comedies go; this is an hour long show, though, and I WAS pleased to see it wasn't just joke, joke, joke, easy laugh, easy laugh, etc. without anything else inbetween . . .

I actually liked a particular moment in therapy, where one member gets up, says how uncomfortable it all is, and is going to leave. Dr. Hoffman says that this isn't uncomfortable, then gets up, walks over, and puts his face one inch from the other's nose, and says, "THIS is uncomfortable." I have NO idea whether that would work in the real world, but besides being funny, I also thought it true . . . and also wasn't all about the therapist, either.

I did see his character wanting to help is patients, at least, glimpses of it, when the narcissistic behavior and manner let up for a little here and there.

Dr. Hoffman's character, is rather pathetic in some aspects, but surprisingly not so in a few. So, he's not a complete ass (pardon my swearing), but he needs alot of work, lol. I guess part of the premise of the show is that he will discover he needs his patients just as much as they need him, ie, being the therapist for them, and maybe even learning from them, maybe. So, if he's got some room for growth built in to the show's basic premise, I suppose there could be some hope for him (ok, really, some hope for my "ideal" of him as a caring, supportive, capable therapist, lol). Yup, still looking for that male mentor type, am I. Ah, well. It's not like I can turn that off . . . I've tried. Before my therapy is over, though, I hope it will have naturally waned.

SO! There's alot about me and my psychological issues in this review of the first episode.

But, That's Me! (The characters aren't me, I'm Me, in case any of you were confused . . .)

Oh! I also thought it funny when Dr. Hoffman's daughter (in school to become some kind of mental health professional) starts videotaping he and his soon to be ex-wife, for her Freudian something something something class. She said it'd be perfect for what they were talking about in class, and for them to just pretend she wasn't there . . . lol. When they send her packing, she says, "NOW you have boundaries . . ."

Edit: Actually, those two phrases from earlier in the year, are much less powerful (right now? forever? not sure?) than the stuff I learned this last July from some ladies whom I had been afraid to "show" more of myself, and my mental illnesses, to, a year or two ago. They said, "We can handle it; it'll be ok." Well, they lie, and my initial assessment of them/fear of them proved to be all too correct, as I found out this summer. They KNEW I was trusting them with stuff that could easily be seen the wrong way . . . ok, that's enough bout THEM in this post. UGH.