US of T

United States of Tara had a lovely scene in the last episode. Although I am generally a fan of this show, I have at times found it too... too. It can be over-wrought, over-amped, over-clichéd. But there is no denying Toni Collette's performance is amazing as she portrays the alters with her Dissociative Identity Disorder. And although they are cliches, they are meant to be. They are the identities that come out when Tara can't handle a specific situation and this is the alter that can. It's more the supporting cast that gets on my nerves as they are over-played - maybe this is on purpose - to show what dealing with a person diagnosed with DID would be like.

But in this last episode, Tara tries to compromise with her alters so that they stop ruining her life and this scene was very well done. She's in a white room with her alters at the table and she demands respect as the "king." She asks the alters to write out their wishes and Tara will try to accommodate them - instead of the alters taking over and causing havoc. But then Tara transitions back to reality and we see her in her college classroom where she's supposed to have been taking a test. But instead she's written all over her desk and herself with the notes of her alters. And all Tara can do is pitifully look at her psych professor and confess she's crazy. She is so sad in that moment and Toni Collette plays the frustration/desperation exceptionally well. It's a dramatic scene that actually plays well in this often over-played drama.