New tv show, a bipolar MD ....

This show has ****** production. Great idea, piss poor execution.

So yeah I just finished watching the second episode and it has left me feeling disappointed and kinda pissed off. I was willing to give it another shot after last week even though I wasn't sure but this week??? All the lying and emotional immaturity and selfishness and reluctance to "make good choices" in a behavioral sense and illegal drugs and self prescribing etc..... Blah.

And all of that out of the context of an episode!!!!

This show will not make it easier for me to smile proudly and say "Yes I Am Bipolar!" Meaning I think it is doing **** for mental health stigma and Bipolar stigma in particular. I had hoped it would throw us a bone, show our suffering, show how a good amazing person can suffer from this disorder. But no.

I wasn't ever expecting it to be a realistic portrayal of bipolar or a documentary. It is TV for sure. But this? Too low for me. My big question and fear was what would a person who knew nothing about Bipolar think Bipolar was after seeing this show. And you know that most people will think that they know about Bipolar after seeing this show even though it is not a documentary and just a TV show.

Now I think that if I knew nothing about Bipolar and saw this show I would think people with Bipolar were lying, immature, selfish, unhinged, self destructive individuals who can't parent children and who should be avoided. And that pisses me off. Because I am none of those things and I am a fantastic mother.

So yeah no stigma fighting from this show. I feel like I need to call my friends who know my illness and say "if you saw Black Box please disregard it"

Okay and it is very poorly made. There are some great ideas in there but wow.

And you know what just gets me (on a roll now) is this thing with her boyfriend leaving all the time. Seriously it has been only two episodes and he has already ran away from her one way or another over and over again over her "Bipolar" issues. Well and then the lying which is not a Bipolar trait even though from watching this you would think it was. But anyway I am just finding his running off a bit tedious now. It's like fish or cut bait buddy.

Anyway can I just say one more time....Bipolar does not mean you are an emotionally immature, selfish, liar!!!! I feel like they just really like the bad girl image of Bipolar.

So yeah we are definitely sexy and awesome but we are not immature and stupid!


Sheeesh. Okay maybe that was a tad passionate.

I don't find the Catherine Black character to be realistic at all. Not just the bipolar but the brilliant neuroscientist role....it's all just a bit over the top. There's just too big a disconnect between the good doctor and the girl who does some "very bad things". I really wish this show were a better one, but I fear it only feeds into the stereotype of us BPs as immature, selfish, reckless, and out-of-control.

A best-selling book ("An Unquiet Mind") about bipolar experience was written about a dozen yrs ago by psychologist Kaye Redfield Jamison M.D. who is bipolar.

This should be taken off the air.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hopefully it will be soon. I can't imagine it surviving for 13 episodes. Even without it offending us it is kind of a hot mess.

Humans are drawn to looking at car wrecks when they pass them on the highway.

Any opinions on the third episode?

I really dislike the show but can't stop watching it. The show seems to simplify and create generalized cliches for people watching who aren't bipolar. I understand why they do it, but for me it's just like watching the L Word as a gay woman. It bugs me the way she describes her bp to her boyfriend. "Sometimes I go off my meds and do very bad things." It's just portrayed as so dangerous and evil by how she describes it. I do relate to some of the stuff--especially her relationship to music. It's just a bit irritating to watch for me. That's just my opinion. Thanks for bringing up this topic. I've been watching it with my partner who is not bipolar, and she feels the same way.

I think it was better than the previous two episodes. I liked that she was explaining her meds to the boyfriend, and that she wasn't so over-the-top with the bipolar. I also liked it when she threw the soup all over that ***** at the lunch truck; I thought "now that's something I'd do!" Didn't make her seem crazy at all. LOL

I just stumbled into this thread with no prior knowledge of the show, but I have to say in reading the comments I wasn't surprised. The trailer was enough to see that the writing isn't very good.

It's also odd they chose her to be a brilliant neuroscientist with bipolar since there's already a show called Perception about a brilliant neuroscientist with schizophrenia.

I'll just stick to Homeland when I want to see bipolar on tv.

I love Homeland.

I've never heard of Perception. I looked it up, and I'm halfway through the first episode and I think it's miles better than Black Box. Maybe because I'm not personally involved in schizophrenia, so I'm not catching all of the cliches or generalizations?

I love how he uses conducting music to calm himself down. I actually do that sometimes.

On cable and Dish.
I have not seen it so I cannot recommend it or otherwise.
At least Robert DeNiro plays the father of the bipolar guy.

I've seen Silver Linings Playbook. I really liked it. Jennifer Lawrence was hot... I mean fantastic.

AND OH MY GOD THE GUY PLAYING THE APHASIC IN THE FIRST EPISODE OF PERCEPTION IS A GUY I WENT TO THEATRE SCHOOL WITH. I haven't talked to him in years, it was cool to see him on TV.

That is so cool, TheatreKid, that you went to theatre school with the guy in PERCEPTION. Amazing.

Thanks for letting us know about PERCEPTION and your assessment of
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. And all good to you on your career path.

That's fun, TheatreKid

I want to see Silver Linings Playbook, but can't seem to find it anywhere.

I thought the 3rd episode of Black Box was fairly entertaining. It really lacks depth, though. Unless it has some major evolution and improves a lot I doubt it'll make it past the 13 episodes.

Sister Rags,

I've had some trouble finding how and where to view Silver Linings Playbook also.

What I have found thus far is that it airs on Showtime, next on 16 May.
No premium channels here.
So I looked online at hulu tv. Hulu used to be free now there is a fee to join. Oh well.
Just wanted to let you know.

Thank you PoorPrincess Yeah, I finally found the movie on U-Verse, so I set it to record on May 16th.

I came across Silver Linings Playbook at the library several weeks back. It was decent but not as good as I was hoping for. And honestly, I can't even remember why I didn't love it, if that says anything.

I'm getting to view BLACK BOX for the first time tonight.
In my book, it's got a tough act to follow, GRAYS ANATOMY in the previous hour.
So far Black Box is, for me, coming off frivolous, over acted, and script poorly written
with little accuracy or realism to bipolar. Not to mention respect.

this show is so crappy but I keep watching! 5 episodes have been order, looks like they won't order a full season.

This show is pure comedy.

So basically the show uses bipolar as excuse the have the character behave horribly???



I didn't like it. It was... I don't know. First half was focused on "take your meds", then there is painful scene of him taking his meds (painful because of the lenghty product placement shot) and then it basically transforms in yet another "let's dance" movie, except these two cannot dance. Some drama, the father is crazy in his own right but nobody cares....

I think people only think it's a good movie about it's not horrible and lifetime channely like other MI movies are. But that is not saying much.

I watched the fourth episode today. They seem to be moving away from the sensationalist bipolar MD goes off her meds and acts crazy angle. Bipolar was barely mentioned, and it wasn't even in regards to the main character.

So okay I watched first epi of Blackbox out of curiousity.......................

and the f..............

was this sponsored by Pharma?

Five minutes in and all the cliches are drawn out. Than the whole "but the great people killed themselves...". "Just like diabetes".

The boyfriend sucks. (again the "take yo meds" BS).

Catherine voice is graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaating!

And the manic episode seems unrealistic to me (and so cliche... speeches and sex? really?)

I feel that any interesting points about questioning normality are immediatelly destroyed immediatelly with cliches, bumper sticker slogans... it's not really going anywhere, is it?

Black Box : Kiss the Sky | Season 1 pilot Episode 1 Watch Full Episode - ABC.com

I think the other episodes are on there, too.