The United States of Tara has just finished its second season, but remains somewhat unknown this side of the Atlantic. It's written by Juno creator Diablo Cody, but don't let that put you off. It is by far one of the most original shows on television. Also it avoids the typical suburban neighbourhoods of California and the like, and instead is based in a small town in Kansas. Toni Collette stars as Tara Gregson, an artist, mother, wife, teenager, old-school housewife, Vietnam war veteran....Tara suffers with Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder, a condition triggered by stress. Our leading lady tries to live a normal life with her laidback, patient husband Max (played by John Corbett), outspoken teenage daughter Kate, and sensitive sexually-confused son, Marshall. Her younger sister Charmaine lives close by, and often feels overshadowed by Tara's illness.
It would have been easy to exploit Dissociative Identity Disorder and make this show into a brash comedy. Instead, DID is revealed to be an extremely difficult disorder to live with, especially as Tara has no recollection of transitioning or what she does in that state, and also how much her family struggle to live with it. There's still a lot of dark humour in the dialogue, without which the show be a bit depressing.
Her personalities include T, a rowdy and outrageous teenager; Alice, a 1950s style housewife, and Buck, the only male personality, who claims to have had his penis blown off in Vietnam. As the series progresses more personalities come out, such as Gimme, an animalistic and feral creature.
Tara's mental illness is so unpredictable, her children have had to become responsible for themselves from a young age, and parenting often takes a backseat while one of Tara's personalities disturbs the household. Kate and Marshall are mature beyond their years, and are clearly affected by their circumstances. Kate is introduced as a defiant teenager whose rebellion is encouraged by T, but discouraged by Alice, and her sharp wit is indicative of her untapped intelligence. Marshall, who is fourteen at the start of the series, has already come out to his parents but experiments with a girl in the second series. He is a vulnerable soul, who spends time in his room listening to Billie Holiday, and likes Alice the best of his mother's alternative personalities, possibly because she is the most maternal. Kate and Marshall are close and frequently confide in each other. Despite their maturity, they still have naive moments, and times where they desperately need their mother, which can be heart-breaking to watch.
Max is the supportive, fiercely protective husband, who holds the family together. As patriarch of the family, his children show more respect for him than their mentally ill mother. However, Max is often distracted by his wife's condition and the children get away with a lot as a result. Kate and Marshall are sometimes resentful of their abnormal family life, which can lead to fights, but mostly they find their own ways to blow off steam. Charmaine is presented as the jealous little sister, who believes Tara's DID is attention-seeking behaviour, but as the series develops she grows closer to her sister.
Tara is constantly trying to seek answers of her sketchy life, as large chunks have been lost transitioning into the 'alters.' Details of her childhood remain shady and her parents aren't keen to divulge too much information. Thus she's always searching for reasons as to why she developed the disorder and why certain personalities came out. Tara and Max deal with several issues as a result of her condition, including infidelity, childhood trauma, and even social services calling round to see if she's fit to take care of her children.
The alters are however, in the beginning, hyperbolised versions of common stereotypes. T, the wild teenager, is so extreme is can feel a bit forced, and her actions are sometimes more childlike than teenage. Alice, the perfect housewife, is so immaculately presented and neatly coiffed she resembles a cartoon character. Buck, the redneck veteran, is a typical beer-guzzling, gun-toting hick, but lacks the grace to accept Marshall's sexuality. The characters are very exaggerated, but I think they need to be, otherwise it would be difficult to tell Tara apart from her alters. The hyperbole does eventually die down as we get to know Tara and her personalities, which makes it more believable. However it's difficult to narrow down which demographic it's aimed at, as a lot of the problems in the show are encountered by the teenagers.
The United States of Tara is an entertaining, unusual show that's full of surprises and witty dialogue. It's not for everyone, as there's a lot to take in, but it's worth it if you're willing to be patient. It paints a new picture of the dysfunctional family, and shines a light on mental illness. If you think you can handle it, check it out.
L McDermott
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