Welcome back to the Pop Culture Club. A quick explanation for those who are new to this page: I pick a viewing assignment each week, and we meet back here to discuss it on the following Thursday, all while pretending to be doing our actual jobs. Got it? Let’s begin!
I’m going to begin this post with a game. What do these three things have in common?
1. Eating a sandwich with a slice of bologna and a slice of yellow cardboard.
2. Putting on sun-tan lotion, getting a beach chair, and going out to sit in your garage.
3. Watching Mental.
The answer? All of these things are, in theory, similar to things that I like, but in practice are really, really terrible.
The painfully derivative Mental was like Communist surplus House: A brilliant doctor with very unorthodox methods makes his anal coworkers splutter and his tightly wound female supervisor get all hot and bothered between her threats to bring said doc up on charges. Everything was House-y, right down to the two attractive residents fighting an inevitable attraction. It seemed like an oversight that Dr. Mental (Chris Vance) had full use of all four limbs and no drug addiction.
But here was my biggest problem: Dr. Mental is a terrible psychiatrist. (Yes, I know his name was Jack Gallagher, but that name is so appropriately generic that whenever I type it I fall into a deep sleep.) In the writers’ urge to make him unorthodox, they have him making decisions that make no therapeutic sense at all. Let’s note three:
1. When the change-fearing Dr. Hayden-Jones introduces him to herregimented day clinic (complete with uncomfortably sexed-up seniorcitizen), he sets them loose at a calypso party that just happens to begoing on in the hospital yard. (Incidentally, what is more heartlessthan for a hospital to hold a party with a band outdoors? Are theytrying to taunt all the sick patients trapped inside, watching fromtheir windows? Wheee, I’d hate to be bedridden now, I’d miss out on all these good times. Pass the beer!)When Dr. Hayden-Jones-Mermelstein-Jacobs discovers what Dr. Mental hasdone and yells at him for interrupting their routine, he says, "You’vecreated a safe, controlled environment. Life is loud and messy!" Yes,and these patients have proven they can’t handle the loud and messylife right now. That’s why they’re in a mental hospital. Whynot go visit the hospital’s amputees and toss them out on the lawn,too, and tell them to dance? "Life doesn’t have wheels, they’ve gottalearn to join the party!"
2. He invites patients to the staff meeting, because, "This wholesecret society thing isn’t the way to go." Yes, because what does everygathering of trained scientists really need to be more effective?Someone at the table suffering from acute delusions!
"What do you think we should do for the patient with anxiety disorder in room 452B?"
"I would prescribe Paxil and combine it with intensive behavioral therapy."
"I would go with Klonopin, and pair it with a talk-therapy approach."
"Speaking as Jesus Christ, I’d be happy to lay my hands on him, we’ll get this taken care of by lunch."
3. Dr. Mental makes himself out to be the only martyr who wants tohelp the naked schizophrenic artist. And yet when the episode wraps up,it turns out that he has come to the same conclusion as everyone else: get the guy back on some meds. Except, I guess, he’s the only one whowants to make sure that while medicated, nude Vincent will still beable to draw his cut-rate take-offs of old covers of Heavy Metalmagazine. Yes, thanks to Dr. Mental’s dedication, Vincent will be ableto live with his sister and her kids and continue to draw big-breasted fairies making love to two-headed dragons in the basement. Score one for psychiatry!
And what of the Annabella Sciorra character, whose name is — oh,you’ve got to be kidding — Nora Skoff. Skoff? They can’t even committo that sneering, doubtful moniker! Her role is to walk around shakingher fist at Dr. Mental’s krazy ways and threatening to fire him, andyet at the end, she uses his krazy ways as an object lesson in why Dr.Hayden-Bernstein-Gluck-Manfredi-Feldman should care for her patients asmuch as he does his. So which is it? Is he a dangerous menace or aninspiration for shrinks everywhere? As long as Dr. Skoff is working ina psych wing, she might want to help herself to some lithium.
Oh, and one last thing: Is it too much to ask that when TV writersgive characters signifiers, they take a one-minute time out todouble-check if these symbols are practical? Yes, having Dr. Mentalride a bike everywhere says volumes about what a loosey-goosey freebird he is. Yet having him do it in spread-out L.A. also says volumesabout how long it will take him to get anywhere. That’s not such agreat trait in a doctor who must respond to emergencies. Jeez, Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman could get to a patient faster on a horse.
Before I toss open the boards, let me give next week’s assignment.What better way to get ready for Will Ferrell’s big-screen remake ofLand of the Lost (opening on June 5) than to watch the cheesy pilot ofthe original 1974 series? Will the movie’s effects look even betteronce you’ve seen the cheap stop-motion of Sid and Marty Krofft? Or willwe realize that the show’s charm was in its cheapness, and making a CGIversion is just silly? I’ve embedded the Land of the Lost pilot belowfor your Hulu-ing pleasure, and we’ll meet back here next week todiscuss. Enjoy reliving your childhoods!
So back to Mental: Did anyone here enjoy it? Or did it make you –wait for it, here comes the pun — crazy? How many shows can you listthat feature an unorthodox genius scientist? And are there any shrinksout there who would like to weigh in on Dr. Mental’s techniques?
More from Josh Wolk’s Pop Culture Club:
‘Glee’: Josh Wolk’s Pop Culture Club is gonna debate you in three-part harmony
‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’: Josh Wolk’s Pop Culture Club is gonna discuss the crap outta it!
Comments (1-30) of 67 Add your comment
I’ll be returning my Pop Culture Club members only fanny pack if this show is ever mentioned in a future article. It was ungodly awful. I thought the idea behind most tv shows was to feature characters that are interesting and that the viewers might want to spend time with, at least that’s part of what draws me to most shows I watch. This is the first show that I’ve seen where a character (Jack) with unconventional methods is just as boring as the stuck-up people who are sticking to the conventional methods. The only thing I enjoyed were the hallucination scenes, but that’s not nearly enough to have me watch this again.
I started to watch it but since it followed a repeat of House, it could not keep my attention and after 5 minutes changed the channel.
Wow.Wow,was that a terrible review or what. I happened to really ENJOY this show,ALOT. I am ready to get my mother hooked too. This show is way better than you are giving it credit for. For the record I would describe it as House meets a bit of Burn Notice.It is quirky and edgy.My biggest complaint is that there was not enough supporting charachter development,too one dimensional still. I found the show to be intriguing because of its unorthodox approach to mental medicine.If this show wishes to preach about the overmedicated world that is the US then I am all for it.(Come on, people are even giving their unrully pets prozac as opposed to dealing with a problem.)This show deserves a chance(and a better reviewer-are you friends with Lisa Swartzbaum)and I cannot wait for next week.People, give this show some time,I’m telling you the truth,I am a picky viewer and hate networks(especially the canceling Pushing Daisies kind.)Besides,Chris Vance has a new fan,he is a yummy new summer treat.
I wanted so bad to finish my assignment of watching Mental but I could only get through about 15 minutes. Writing, production and even the lighting looked like it all cost $20 and than they paid the actors in hot dogs. I’m not saying that quality is expensive but they just went to no trouble at all wit this. Contrived characters? check! Hackneyed acting? check! Hope this gets canceled soon so some money can be freed up to pay for a cardboard box so the exec that green lit this can take his stuff with him when hes fired.
Well, speaking as one of the few remaining fans of Prison Break, I still miss me some Chris Vance. But please, someone set him free from this POS. His easiness on the eyes is not enough to quell the queasiness in my stomach.
Now, as for the PCC membership, I’m nervous I’ll have to be an observer only too often. First Jimmy Fallon (past my bedtime) and now Hulu??? Come on, Josh, how about some love for us Canadians who can’t access Hulu?
Jenna Fawn, what exactly was “edgy” about this show? The edgiest thing I saw was that they not only refuse to use a forwards “e” in their title, but they’re going to switch it right in front of your eyes in utter defiance of convention. That’s downright bold!
Wow – this was really a piece of dooty stuck to a smelly pile, wasn’t it? Of course, Doctor Hottie needs to teach compassion to his team of Super Models, else how will they function at the beautiful medical facility. (Did anybody else notice how they seemed to have eighth grade dioramas of nature lurking in the windows of the set instead of real exterior shots? Seriously, how cheap was that??)
So, let’s promise not to revisit this show, so that any of us have nightmares lest ourselves or a loved one be forced in the mental health system and into the care of this pack of bolognas!
Seriously Wojo? There were hallucination scenes? Were there really, or did you just nod off a bit there? I can understand the confusion.
Xena, yeah, I definitely couldn’t be blamed for nodding off, which did actually happen to me when I watched it last night. But unless the lizard people were real and Jack was really hitting on the octogenarian, then I think there were a couple of hallucination scenes. Or is this show “edgy” because the twist is that the lizard people are real and the doctors are really the crazy ones? If that’s the actual concept, I may have to re-evaluate my previous opinions.
I have to agree with all the negative comments – nothing redeeming about this show. And in order to be ‘edgy’, the crazy things Dr. Mental does have to have a purpose. House does crazy things to help his patients while avoiding the hospital’s rules, not just to show people how wacky he can be. And grannies with low-cut blouses are not edgy or comical, just gross
(I’m a prude, not an ageist!).
I guess I nodded off, and missed that there were hallucinations and all. You know what they should do? They should have a dance contest! And they should have Cat Deeley host it. That would make this show much better!
AA, I’m with you. I watched Prison Break to the end, and I was a big fan of Chris Vance and Whistler. I hope some TV network out there gives him something else to do, because this show is not going to make it much longer!
Jenna Fawn, this is not a review, it’s an opinion. And Americans being overmedicated may be true, but this show contributes to the notion that unorthodox “think outside the box” quackery has a place in psychiatric care (pardon me, “mental medicine”). Some people may be giving their pets prozac, but is it an epidemic? Are more than .0005% of all pet owners really medicating their animals with antidepressants? I doubt it. Sounds like a leading story for a local news station, not an actual cultural shift.
Wow. It’s amazing how bad this show was. It looked like it was filmed by some kids as a high school project. I didn’t make it 10 minutes into this show. Why would FOX even waste our time with this crap?
For you, for me, it was just aiight….
Saw it, did not make sense at all! Happy I was not the only one thinking so! Not a fan!
Xena, could we then call it “So You Think You Have Bugs Crawling Under Your Skin?”
Oh wait, I guess it would have to be “So You Think You Have Jitterbugs Crawling Under Your Skin” to capture the dance motif in the title.
I actually thought the show was ok. It had a bit of a rough start, but I really think the potential is there. Some of the actors are a little stiff and not really committed to their characters. But that being said, I am more than willing to give this program a shot. I refuse to write it off after only one episode.
Ive been in snd out of mental hospitals since forever and i could only wish i had a doc like him…his creativity has just begun…so it a lil “Housey”…at least i understand the words and can foolow along and not just wait for the last five minutes for wilson to give him the ah ha moment he needs…i watched it with my mom and found it to be fun…i dont think its supposed to be a drama…i think it supposed to comedic…so chill out and sit back and go with it…crazy meg
Thanks for this review, it was hilarious!!! I’ll be avoiding MENTAL for good.
I REFUSE to watch this show – because ONCE AGAIN an American TV show stars BRITS and an AUSTRALIANS. I am so sick and tired of our acting jobs being outsourced. It is bad enough that this show is set in LA but FILMED IN SOUTH AMERICA – so all those crew and acting jobs have been outsourced – but even the leads are not American. I BOYCOT shows like this. There are 100,000 plus SAG members in LA alone looking for work – why are these jobs being given away to non-Americans? Bad enough that tons of American films and TV are still being shot in Canada (and South Africa, Australia, Eastern Europe, etc) – lets not give all the acting jobs away as well. Why is no one doing anything about this??? AMERICAN CREWS and ACTORS NEED JOBS.
When you see something like Mental on the air, you know life is not fair. Fox could have picked up, say, Life or Reaper, but no–they picked this. Bike riding in LA? In that traffic? Without a helmet? That’s not just ‘mental’, it’s stupid beyond words. I could have wasted an hour watching an old Bones episode and been much happier.
Let me start by saying that I really really hated this show. It didn’t make any sense and the characters were just carbon copies of all the characters on “Lie To Me” which are themselves copies of all the characters on “House”. However there are two things that *could* keep me coming back: #1-Jacqueline McKenzie who played Diana Skouras on “The 4400″ which was a show that I have a strange loyalty to and #2-the mystery of Dr. Mental’s sister. I thought that scene was actually played really beautifully and it made me like him a whole lot more. However, let me say again. I REALLY hated this show.
YAWN!!! I stopped watching after about 15 minutes of totally generic, really BAD workplace flirting and lame sexual innuendo, bad acting. the only good part was when the doc took his clothes off (cause duh he’s hot) but even that felt completely staged.
This is a Canadian import show being broadcast on FOX for the summer. It’s not like an American studio cared enough to cast a bunch of people for it or anything.
This show is pretty terrible, so I wouldn’t watch anyway if I were you actingup – you’re not missing much.
Oh man, look, I’m not a perscribing psychiatrist, but I am a social worker who has worked in locked psych units and the idea that patients who are actively psychotic should sit in on staff meetings makes my skin crawl. We all know there are power issues between Doctors and patients, but that is an issue that wasn’t even given the serious attention it deserves in this show. It’s as if this dude thinks we can all just benefit from “life experiences” like dancing and our mental break will be cured! His intervention smacks of Dr. Phil style of “common sense”. Ughhh.
P.S. would love to participate for next week as I’ve found the previews for Land of the Lost hilarious, but I live in Canada and can’t get Hulu. Sorry.
I DVRed this show and got about 10 minutes into it before I cancelled the recording of the rest of the series. This show is absolutely HORRIBLE. And this is coming from a girl who watches almost every show on network TV!!
It’s odd that I find myself almost defending a show I didn’t really like while I was watching. Many readers have been comparing it negatively to “House” and “Burn Notice” and I wonder if, because I have never watched a single episode of those shows, I didn’t feel the visceral hatred many of you experienced (I’d be interested in knowing if your love of “House” increased your dislike of this show). I agree that many characters were stereotypes, but last week in our discussion of “Glee” many of us agreed that in pilots, variations of stereotypes are sometimes used to introduce the audience to the characters. I liked seeing Chris Vance too (but does he only play crazy?)and I agree with DDS that the sister character was intriguing. Bottom line: I will give “Mental” a second chance next week to see if the characters expand or remain stereotypes – and to see where the sister storyline goes.
This show was a train wreck start to finish…..ugggggggggy.