multifandom

We see Leo saying "I told you you need to go to therapy." as a boss and someone concerned about someone else. (which we will return to later)

But when I tell you that MOSTLY we see characters DOING THERAPY BEHAVIORS and that is the SINGLE MOST TELLING SIGN that all of my bitches are in Therapy after the Carla Incident?

I died.

I fucking DIED.

Because we start with my baby. My poor little meow-meow. Adam. Who is MARKEDLY DIFFERENT this episode. Not totally. He's still an antagonistic piece of shit. Of course he is.

But. From the clinical stand-point?

OH MY GOSH. He's doing conscious behavior modification: At one point he even says something to the effect of: This is a new behavior I am practicing. Because I want things to be better.

LET'S PUT ASIDE THE FACT THAT HE LOOKS AT LEO LIKE...I DON'T KNOW WHAT.

LETS PUT ASIDE HIS TONE OF VOICE WHEN HE SAYS HEY TO LEO.

LETS PUT ASIDE HIS SMILE WHEN HE SMILES AT LEO

LETS PUT ASIDE THE FACT WHEN I WENT TO FALL OUT BOY FOR THE FIRST TIME I WAS LESS HAPPY THAT THIS BABYGIRL IS RIGHT NOW

SERIOUSLY DANIEL WHAT IS THIS ACTING CHOICE? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS?

Okay seriously aside from the fact that in the first 5 seconds this interaction Adam is kinning Ariel when she first sees Eric dancing on the boat with his dog Maxi before the big thunder storm in the Little Mermaid? This is very much How People Act when they are engaging in a New Behavior to learn how to do it.

Pia and Leo are confused but they go along with it. Leo especially is like "this is what my pet idiot is doing to day. Pet his hair call him pretty ig?"

I know there's probably an impulse to read what Adam is doing there as him fucking with them. But when you put it together with him quitting smoking, and him moving out of his mother's house? We now have 3 intentional behavior changes to make his life better.

As a therapist - I am telling you right now - this one In particular is important to take seriously because Adam very clearly takes it seriously. He does not reference back to it as a joke later. He does not pretend it didn't happen. He does not dismiss it. If Adam was my patient? We would spend an entire session on how doing this made him feel and if it was good? How he could replicate it in other, different behaviors in his life that he isn't happy with.

I guarantee you that's what this is. This show is so incredibly smart and knows EXACTLY what it's doing and is one of the few things on TV I have ever seen that has EVER done this right. I'm fucking floored.

Furthermore you get to 3 in terms of narrative structure? It's not a coincidence. It's a pattern.And while we're his pattern of changing behavior to improve his life towards a narrative end?

Let's take a look at another thing that Adam does that we have literally never, ever seen him do before: Adam asks directly for Esther to take the knocked out tooth picture away and tells her why it upsets him enough that he wants it gone.

This moment shocked me so fucking much - as a therapist - that I went back and watched a half a dozen times in a row. It's at 35:10.

If you watch it? It shocks the fuck out of Leo too.

The number of therapeutically relevant things that happen here. I just...I die of professional and fannish corssover JOY

Adam recognizes that he is triggered

Adam sets a boundary with wanting it gone

Adam asks directly rather than indirectly

Adam feels secure enough to share something personal with his team about the way in which he currently feels unsafe

Adam allows Esther to actually remove the triggering item instead of suffering through it or removing himself from the situation

Yaaaalllll. Yall that boy has been actually making use of his department/Leo mandated sessions. He could not do that shit before. How do I know?

Because we have Pia's behavior in contrast. The not sharing of details.

And beyond THAT we have Leo - who shares ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. What do we know about his life? Not a thing.

He is a closed off locked down overcontrol nightmare. I want to be REALLY clear about that.

Even with a pulmonary embolism and tinnitus he doesnt want to stop driving. This is a control issue.

Leo is... Well, he's having a hard time. With power. With safety. With a lot of issues, if you ask me.

We see it in a little bursts with the fact that he is constantly reality testing - "Can a place actually be evil?" and the way he is trying to cope with his body, the one thing he once could trust, failing him. First in the woods. The in the bathroom.

Leo Is destabilized in this episode in a whole new way.

But! My team has had therapy! Or at least they value therapy tools! They are openly communicating! They are discussing what they need. They are doing their DEARMANS!

Describing Expressing Asserting and Reinforcing the issues they have with each other while being Mindful making no Apologies and being willing ot Negotiate. And how do I know that?

Because so much goes unsaid on screen. So much. There's not enough time for everything that happens between the team.

But above all? Adam drives them all home from Esther's village.

After he sets ANOTHER boundary with Esther. Huzzah he's been needing to set boundaries with Esther in a calm way for 4 episodes - that she is never to say any shit to him ever again. As is his right.

And it's the first real progress for them in YEARS.

But the biggest different is that after that?

Adam carries them both home. He's the one who gets them both home safe.

That's the last shot.

Because the thing that made Leo weep, when they were in that hallway years ago, was not that he wasn't the center of Adam's world. You know because you can see the MOMENT the first tear starts to form, is stlightly before on aber du du vertraust nur dir selbst - but you - you only trust yourself.

Not this time.

Leo is struggling. He could get through it though. But not driving? He is trusting Adam back. Rebuilding.

Ugh! Look at these healthy behaviors!

Between Adam actually speaking up for himself and asking to be protected (which let's be so serious, is something Leo was dying for) Adam actually working with him again (again something Leo was dying for) and Adam actually being concerned about him, his tinnitus, his well-being? I think Leo's just been waiting for an excuse. Just like he was looking for the non-smoking to be a way in.

Which is perfect. It really is.

It leans on the trust that they had before the money, before Roland ruined them. It's a sign that they're healing.

Even if separately they're in different places.

And for all of them, every single one of them - including Esther in the Torment Nexus.

And putting that on the one time we do actually engage with therapy? Holy majoly. I died of joy.

Yes, actually, healthy relationships can be interesting. Yes actually, people who love each other can be insane and fun to watch. Yes actually the road to recovery can be fucked up and insane and dynamic. Yes, actually therapy can be something useful that doesnt make your characters boring.

YES PLEASE DO THIS!

MORE SHOWS DO THIS!

I COULD WRITE A THOUSAND MORE WORDS ON THIS BUT IT IS NOW 6AM 7AM AND I HAVE PATIENTS AAAAARGH!