TV Review: Misguided ‘Mental’ Misses the Mark
Submitted by BrianTT on May 26, 2009 - 1:26pm.
MENTAL: Everything changes at Wharton Memorial Psychiatric Hospital when radically unorthodox psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance, C) arrives as the Director of Mental Health Services. As Gallagher takes on new cases, he is confronted with patients battling unknown, misunderstood and often misdiagnosed conditions in MENTAL premiering Tuesday, May 26 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Edwin Hodge, Marisa Ramirez, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra, Derek Webster and Jacqueline McKenzie.
Photo credit: ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Andrew Southam/FOX
“Mental” premieres on FOX on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 8pm CST. It stars Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra, House, Jacqueline McKenzie, Derek Webster, Nicholas Gonzalez, and Marisa Ramirez. It was created by Deborah Joy Levine and Dan Levine.
CHICAGO – Hugh Laurie deserves the heaps of praise he gets for his spectacular work on “House”. If you’re wondering what that show would be like without the same believable medical issues, interesting characters or whip-smart dialogue provided by the show’s underrated writers, though, check out the new “Mental”. It’s another series about a rebellious doctor and it pales in comparison.
 Television Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance) is the new unorthodox psychiatrist named Director of Mental Health Services at a Los Angeles hospital. He battles his conservative administrator named Nora Skoff (Annabella Sciorra), a woman with whom he happens to share a romantic past.
MENTAL: Everything changes at Wharton Memorial Psychiatric Hospital when radically unorthodox psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance, C) arrives as the Director of Mental Health Services. As Gallagher takes on new cases, he is confronted with patients battling unknown, misunderstood and often misdiagnosed conditions in MENTAL premiering Tuesday, May 26 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Edwin Hodge, Marisa Ramirez, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra, Derek Webster and Jacqueline McKenzie.
Photo credit: ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Andrew Southam/FOX
Solving each week’s medical mystery with Dr. Gallagher will be Dr. Veronica Hayden-Jones (Jacqueline McKenzie) and the combative Dr. Carl Belle (Derek Webster) on the administrative level and residents Dr. Arturo Suarez (Nicholas Gonzalez) and Dr. Chloe Artis (Marisa Ramirez) by the doctor’s side.
The new doctor first invites patients to sit in on staff meetings - “It’s really more their hospital than ours” - and then does card tricks. I’m sure it’s not the intention of the writers of “Mental,” but the show pushes the boundaries of the “maverick doctor” to the point that I kind of wanted him fired.
 MENTAL: Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance, L) and Dr. Veronica Hayden-Jones (Jacqueline McKenzie, R) discuss their plans for treating a patient in the series premiere of MENTAL airing Tuesday, May 26 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Photo credit: FOX |
Whoever thought it was a good idea to visualize the hallucinations of the patients definitely needs to spend some time in a padded cell. Moments seen through the eyes of the patient include a man who sees lizard eyes on people, another who visualizes stabbing a pen in his jugular, and even the graphic visions of the elderly sex addict. All of them are embarrassing from a dramatic viewpoint and demeaning from a medical one.
The mental health tragedy in this country - most homeless people are mentally handicapped and people are misdiagnosed on a regular basis - seems like an interesting foundation for drama. The problem is that “Mental” reduces everything to a device. All the mentally ill need is a rambunctious new doctor!
As for what works about “Mental,” Chris Vance is certainly not bad. He actually does what he can to rein in the melodrama around him and doesn’t overplay his character’s maverick side, even if the script keeps pressing him to do so. Annabella Sciorra isn’t bad either but she can’t find the cure for the eye-rolling dialogue. (A woman actually says to the doctor coming to her home, “visiting hours are over, doctor” to get him to leave. I couldn’t make that kind of writing up.)
“Mental” is merely more proof that TV has always been and will always be about the writing. The generic “House”-esque structure of “Mental” is problematic enough, but with more interesting characters and believable medical drama, the show might have worked. That was not meant to be.
FOX is burning off “Mental” in the summer months for a reason. It doesn’t have a sweet post-“American Idol” premiere and has barely been promoted. There’s a reason for both of those things. It would be crazy to expect “Mental” to be anything but a memory by the time the fall schedule premieres.
 | By BRIAN TALLERICO |
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“Mental” premieres on
“Mental” premieres on FOX on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 8pm CST. It stars Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra, House, Jacqueline McKenzie, Derek Webster, Nicholas Gonzalez, and Marisa Ramirez. It was created by Deborah Joy Levine and Dan Levine.
Starring HOUSE?
review of "mental"
This show was painful to watch, the characters introduced as though we should already know and love them (we didn’t),ludicrous premise (Really, tis guy just starts a new job and takes an obsessive interest in one schizophrenic patient? On what planet?), and the writing was just plain cringe inducing. Agree that Chris Vance did what he could but he really didn’t have much to work with. Hope he gets a chance to try his hand at something else after this sure-to-cancel show.
For similar subject but handled with intelligence and grace, watch HBO’s “In Treatment” with Gabriel Byrne. The acting and writing are terrific and while you may cringe occasionally watching this show as well, it is brought on by the intensity and how close to the bone true encounters with ourselves and others can be.
review of mental
Having worked at various state psychiatric hospitals for many years as a staff psychologist, I must say that I find this show totally unrealistic and unbelievable. My guess is that they don’t have an experienced mental health professional as a consultant for this series, and it really shows. This is a shame because the treatment of severe mental illness in our country is sometimes (if not often)lacking, and a show like this might have been able to provide some good publicity for this very serious problem. Instead, the producers have developed yet another improbable and somewhat naïve media portrait of serious mental illness.
"Mental is delusional
I whole heartedly agree. I had hoped “Mental” was going to paint an true-to-life picture of what patients, loved-ones and care-takers live with day by day, hour by hour, as they experience severe mental illness. It barely touched on hallucinations. I can’t see it’s staying on the air, so maybe someone can come up with something more realistic.
I totally agree. I’m 15
I totally agree. I’m 15 and have tourette syndrome an I find this show really offensive, especially the one with the man with tourette syndrome. That show made people think that people with tourette’s swear all the time and that people with OCD hallucinate. I’m disgusted by this show.
Show on mental illness/therapist for cable
I have an amazing show for cable that is based on my experiences. I would win Emmys with this show and yes, it is all about the writing. Give me Six Feet Under, and some of Boston Legal’s writers and it’s a huge hit. I have five seasons mapped out, and over four hundred characters from my experiences as a Mental Health Worker.
Spot on Review
Absolutely spot on review of “Mental”. I found the show unengaging at best. The characters were flat and seemingly inexperienced. Worst of all the emotions and story are so unbelievable that it causes the audience to turn on the show criticizing every scene.
Mental is a new and innovative approach
All those people out there that want a good show over the summer should check out Mental. With an innovative plot, great characters, and a decent scripter, it will be interesting to see how this show fairs. All great shows have to start at sometime, and this is one to watch. As a past movie reviewer for the New York Times I can say that I would much rather want my 15 year old daughter watching Mental, with the good laughs (and some explict content), over House, with the drug-popping docter.
You didn’t write for the
You didn’t write for the times. Your grammar is so bad i’d be willing to bet English isn’t even your first language.
Mental Review
I like it! So sue me. TV is supposed to be entertaining, and this show is. Forgive me if I don’t use fancy terms or break down the plot and characters into scholarly-sounding descriptions - I am just a regular person, and I enjoy this show immensely. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. But don’t try to influence other people’s opinions or actions.
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