Lately, something has come to my attention that I feel I must share with you, fellow cookies of the websphere: the high incidence of psychopathological disorders publicized (and sometimes worshipped!) in today’s television. It seems producers and directors consult their psychiatrists/psychologists for input as their ideas run out. In fact, these apocalyptical (oh, believe me, this can shatter the very existence of quality television!) series of events have come so far as directors actually need to give their psychologists prime-time tv shows, so that they can expose their ideas (I will not mention Dr. Phil, as that would be highly unethical, and possibly frowned upon). So, what happens is, we have shows in which the characters impersonate the various psychiatric disorders, thus making them part of their “self”. House, M.D., is a perfect example of this. The guy clearly shows both a narcissistic personality and megalomaniac traits! And although everyone knows he would really, deep down, like to eviscerate every single one of the patients, no one does anything about it, thus feeding his narcissism! So he continues, on and on, for 3 seasons already! Therapy needed in House’s isle, STAT!
Mrs Melinda Gordon, for example, known to her friends as Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer) not only talks to “ghosts”, she also sees them while nobody else can! How schizophrenic is that?! Plus, the whole town must have some sort of pathological tendency or predisposition, because they all actually believe her! You must have already noticed how severely ill this population must be…and I urge you, we must do something about it! If it remains untreated, this disorder can have serious consequences on Mrs Hewit’s life, not to mention the impressionable audience, who sees this schizophrenic behaviour as appropriate and everything but condemnable. I won’t even ask how they can survive with nice cars and fashionable clothes with the pay check of an ambulance driver and an antique shop owner…that is prying and we do not do that in this establishment. But talking to the dead? Solving their “unsolved issues”, confronting living and deceased so that they can “follow the light”?! For pity’s sake!
CSI has wonderful and mind-shattering theories…of persecution (including the wonder-boy Horatio-I’m-too-sexy-for-my-shirt-Caine – who really should be ashamed, from the tip of his gold-platted hair to the over-used, over-practiced, over-righteous lines he uses on screen – thus, and although he has no perfectly identifiable pathology, I have welcomed him to our list, just because of his…well, self). Brothers and Sisters has two problems: the obsessive-compulsive mother (and you could say “but…aren’t all mothers like that?” – and I’ll say “NO!” all mothers do not jump into swimming pools during a cocktail party, after your husband has just died!) and Callista Flockhart (whose name, let’s face it, is a pathology on it’s own). Finally, Ugly Betty which…well, I have no idea what it is, but, people! It’s dangerous! I mean, they haven’t even been able to find a diagnosis that applied!
We also have the same problem in reality shows…do you know The Swan? The objective of this show is to turn less beautiful woman into potential pageant winners by cutting (in the chirurgical sense, obviously…) them all the way to perfection. A good example of this is also the world-famous show Nip/Tuck (“make me beautifull” tralalala…).Can’t you think of anyone who has developed the technique? Michael Jackson, folks! He has been drawn upon with a scalpel for his entire life…and someone should let him know they have a psychiatric nomenclature for that too – it’s called Body Dismorphic Disorder! We should just crown him the Swan Princess of the Universe and get it over with!
What will they think of next? A 3 season show about a plane crash on a deserted island? Geeezzz…
Mrs Melinda Gordon, for example, known to her friends as Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer) not only talks to “ghosts”, she also sees them while nobody else can! How schizophrenic is that?! Plus, the whole town must have some sort of pathological tendency or predisposition, because they all actually believe her! You must have already noticed how severely ill this population must be…and I urge you, we must do something about it! If it remains untreated, this disorder can have serious consequences on Mrs Hewit’s life, not to mention the impressionable audience, who sees this schizophrenic behaviour as appropriate and everything but condemnable. I won’t even ask how they can survive with nice cars and fashionable clothes with the pay check of an ambulance driver and an antique shop owner…that is prying and we do not do that in this establishment. But talking to the dead? Solving their “unsolved issues”, confronting living and deceased so that they can “follow the light”?! For pity’s sake!
CSI has wonderful and mind-shattering theories…of persecution (including the wonder-boy Horatio-I’m-too-sexy-for-my-shirt-Caine – who really should be ashamed, from the tip of his gold-platted hair to the over-used, over-practiced, over-righteous lines he uses on screen – thus, and although he has no perfectly identifiable pathology, I have welcomed him to our list, just because of his…well, self). Brothers and Sisters has two problems: the obsessive-compulsive mother (and you could say “but…aren’t all mothers like that?” – and I’ll say “NO!” all mothers do not jump into swimming pools during a cocktail party, after your husband has just died!) and Callista Flockhart (whose name, let’s face it, is a pathology on it’s own). Finally, Ugly Betty which…well, I have no idea what it is, but, people! It’s dangerous! I mean, they haven’t even been able to find a diagnosis that applied!
We also have the same problem in reality shows…do you know The Swan? The objective of this show is to turn less beautiful woman into potential pageant winners by cutting (in the chirurgical sense, obviously…) them all the way to perfection. A good example of this is also the world-famous show Nip/Tuck (“make me beautifull” tralalala…).Can’t you think of anyone who has developed the technique? Michael Jackson, folks! He has been drawn upon with a scalpel for his entire life…and someone should let him know they have a psychiatric nomenclature for that too – it’s called Body Dismorphic Disorder! We should just crown him the Swan Princess of the Universe and get it over with!
What will they think of next? A 3 season show about a plane crash on a deserted island? Geeezzz…
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