This new sit-com comes out this month. Â What are your thoughts/feelings about a show like this? Â Here’s the official site: Â http://www.sho.com/site/tara/home.do
New Landscape ~ DID/MPD Support Group
New York support group for people with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) / Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)
i went to the preview of the first two episodes tonight, and i was impressed. there are some things that didn’t ring true–changing clothes every time she switches, for example–but some of those really seemed more like ways of making fairly subtle stuff more visible.
one of the things that impressed me tied in with another discussion this month, on relationships. because this show is about what it’s like for the family, their friends, and so on. it’s not all focused on tara, so some of what comes across is how other people are affected by being in a relationship–sexual or otherwise–with a multiple.
there was one thing that tara said, i think at the start of the second episode, that really resonated with me. she was talking about how she hates cleaning up after them. yeah. i really get that.
the tara character really resonated with me a lot, i think. that stress, of not knowing what happened (although i have *way* more co-consciousness) and knowing things are happening that she can’t control, but at the same time trying to hold together her life. that part seemed very real to me.
one thing i didn’t like is that her different parts were really pretty unlikable. maybe because all of me is “parts,” i can’t help but want them to portray the parts/alters as being more likable!!
my partner, who went with me, is upset that they didn’t show any littles. and i kind of agree, to the extent that i’d expect there to be at least one. on the other hand, i think it might be more challenging, somehow, to portray littles, particularly with the whole changing clothes thing. who knows.
i’ll be interested to see what other people think. i think the episodes will be available online, so even if you don’t have showtime, you’d have the chance to see them.
anyone else watch this yet? (the first episode is available online, but you have to give them your email address… you can get a free email at gmail or some such if you don’t want to give them your regular one.)
I saw it last night. Kind of made me shifty toward the end. Went to bed with a stomach ache. Otherwise though, I thought is was well done, and obviously well thought out. They actually did their homework on this one. Consulting known doctors in the DID field is a huge step!
I do feel it was extreme though too. It is my understanding that most multiples are masters at hiding – and would do their best to at least fake being the “host” in a public setting. Not many would show up like Buck did, to the dance recital.
I do have a part that is male and puts on a hat when he comes around. He also doesn’t like it if he happens to be wearing pink when he shows up. He might change his clothes or at least do his best to cover girly type clothing if he could, or make changes so that he looks my neuter or guy like.
Overall, I think it has many positive features – and could make a positive impact. I’m interested to watch and see…. I also like how it mixes comedy with the heaviness of this condition. A semi-dark comedy… well, it’s sort of perfect. There ARE a lot of funny moments within this crazy DID-ness.
w and i have showtime, and we watched the little fifteen minute thing they did called “what is DID?”
it was with… dang, can’t remember the guy, but he’s a DID therapy bigwig.
mostly, it was good information. one really funny thing was that he referred to parts like Alice (who i don’t think was on the first episode, but she’s a kind of “everything must be PERFECT” part) as “diabolically exasperating.”
w and i laughed about that. it was funny, i could see where the therapy bigwig guy was coming from, because if i were a therapist, i would probably agree with him. you know, the parts who insist there’s nothing wrong, and they don’t really have problems, and don’t need therapy, and whatever they said in the last session, it’s not really a problem.
anyhow. w took offense, since she thinks there are good sides even to parts like that, and it’s not fair to call them diabolically exasperating. i teased her, and said this is because those parts in my system do things like make sure the house gets cleaned, and they are much more inclined to make things easier for everyone else. plus, they cook. 🙂
seriously, though… i guess i didn’t notice switching on my end mostly because switching is kind of my natural state. i’m not sure if i’d be as inclined to watch the program if i were normally more stable and it made me more switchy.
In looking around the Showtime website, there is quite a bit you can see. They really have done a lot of work on this show – like they have really actually done some homework on DID. If you can – watch the clip from Dr. Richard Kluft, who they consulted in doing this project. Very good.
http://www.sho.com/site/video/brightcove/series/title.do?bcpid=1847322218&bclid=5253538001
He explains that Tara is considered extreme – that only about 5% of DID people are this extreme – and that this isn’t a documentary. It’s for TV. But that the way they’ve done it could help regular people understand a bit more, with the humor and all – creates a bridge… something like that.
“diabolically exasperating. . Ahh… Something tells me my shrinkypoo could relate to that one. *sigh*
3rd episode last night – they showed Tara in therapy. I don’t like the therapist for some reason! But we’ll see how that goes. And I thought the scene where she’s trying to be all sexy for her husband, but then shifts in the middle of getting ready for him – well, ya – good scene.
They really seem to be showing some real issues/dynamics in her relationships – things where I go “yup”! And in this way, I think they are doing a good job with the show, even if she presents in an extreme way, as compared to most DID people.
I agree with you.
And I said the same thing about the therapist. I don’t know why, but she totally rubs me the wrong way.
A question: so, it finally comes out that the medication Tara had been on is Halcion. Since when does that keep parts from emerging? I really wondered about that one.
Overall, though, I like the dynamics. And it’s interesting how the side characters give the show a chance to respond to the kinds of idiot things people say in response to finding out that someone is multiple (“Aren’t we *all* multiple?” “I was molested as a child, it made me stronger.” Or the husband’s friend’s thing about how cool it would be to have all the different partners in one body….)
I’m really liking this show a lot!
I liked the therapist a little better this last time. And with the hand clapping at the end, maybe Tara does have younger people after all? ….. it’s hard to imagine any DID that doesn’t have younger parts. I mean, don’t we get DID BECAUSE things started happening to us when we were 7 or younger? Seems to me this almost HAS to mean that a DID person has younger parts.
I guess we’ll see!