As this chapter begins, Paul Weston is arranging some flowers to take to the waiting room. He is surprised when he sees a woman standing in the middle of the room. It is Frances, who excuses herself, she believes in punctuality. Frances is a somewhat prominent actress in New York, about to appear in a new production of "The Night of the Iguana". She is playing the role Ava Gardner played in the film version of the play.
Frances has a connection to Paul in that her sister Patricia was a patient of his eighteen years ago, in Baltimore. He has come highly recommended. Paul figures it has been a long time since he saw the sister, so it will not present a conflict of interests. Frances goes into what has brought her to seek help. Being in rehearsals now, she has been having lapses of memory, forgetting her lines, and even feeling she gets disoriented, not knowing what to do next.
As they talk, Frances reveals some of her life. She is divorced from her college professor husband. There is a teen aged daughter; both parents share custody. Taking the part in the play has given Frances a lot of stress. One of the producers did not care for her, so she feels the stress of the creative process plus trying to make an impression. She confesses her sister is not well. As a matter of fact, she is on stage 4 of breast cancer, a disease that also killed her mother. Paul seems intrigued by what he can do to help her.
The fact that there is a history of cancer in Frances' family weighs heavily on her. She has not been tested to see if there is a possibility that she will contract the disease. After Frances leaves, Dr. Weston calls a colleague to inquire about a neurologist that his friend can recommend, when asked why, he answers he has to check something about Parkinson's disease, something that must have come to his mind when Frances told him about the family history. One wonders if Paul is suddenly concerned about something that runs in his own family.
Paris Barclay directed the episode with his usual care for detail. The screenplay is by Alison Tatlock, who must be following the original guidelines set by the creators of this wonderful Israeli series. Mr. Barclay gets a wonderful response from one of the most talented ladies in the business, Debra Winger, who looks radiant as Frances. Gabriel Byrne matches Ms. Winger perfectly.
Frances has a connection to Paul in that her sister Patricia was a patient of his eighteen years ago, in Baltimore. He has come highly recommended. Paul figures it has been a long time since he saw the sister, so it will not present a conflict of interests. Frances goes into what has brought her to seek help. Being in rehearsals now, she has been having lapses of memory, forgetting her lines, and even feeling she gets disoriented, not knowing what to do next.
As they talk, Frances reveals some of her life. She is divorced from her college professor husband. There is a teen aged daughter; both parents share custody. Taking the part in the play has given Frances a lot of stress. One of the producers did not care for her, so she feels the stress of the creative process plus trying to make an impression. She confesses her sister is not well. As a matter of fact, she is on stage 4 of breast cancer, a disease that also killed her mother. Paul seems intrigued by what he can do to help her.
The fact that there is a history of cancer in Frances' family weighs heavily on her. She has not been tested to see if there is a possibility that she will contract the disease. After Frances leaves, Dr. Weston calls a colleague to inquire about a neurologist that his friend can recommend, when asked why, he answers he has to check something about Parkinson's disease, something that must have come to his mind when Frances told him about the family history. One wonders if Paul is suddenly concerned about something that runs in his own family.
Paris Barclay directed the episode with his usual care for detail. The screenplay is by Alison Tatlock, who must be following the original guidelines set by the creators of this wonderful Israeli series. Mr. Barclay gets a wonderful response from one of the most talented ladies in the business, Debra Winger, who looks radiant as Frances. Gabriel Byrne matches Ms. Winger perfectly.
