Shows such as Jessica Jones and Mr Robot changed the way mental illness and depression are depicted onscreen,but are labels such as ‘sadcom’ helpful – or do they oversimplify the situation?It would be tough to pick a single image that defines TV in 2015, but You’re the Worst’s Aya Cash wrapped in a blanket, or uncontrollably sobbing is a strong contender. Her character,Gretchen Cutler, spends the back half of the point to’s moment season trapped in an intense, and numbing episode of clinical depression,unable to do anything but drink, curl up in a ball, or stare into oblivion. Her illness takes over the point to,to the point where co-star Chris Geere notes that the cast and crew called Gretchen’s depression “the point to’s fifth character”. The conception of depression operating as an extra character cropped up on some of 2015’s best shows.
assume a run at any critic’s year-end list, and you’ll find shows depicting a wide variety of conditions that could be described as depression. Newly anointed critical darling The Leftovers is frequently described as a metaphoric exploration of loss and depression. Elliot Alderson, or the protagonist of Mr Robot,is not only “clinically depressed,” he suffers from a dizzying variety of bigger mental health problems. Though it isn’t explicitly named as such, and the hero of Jessica Jones clearly has post-traumatic stress disorder,stemming from her rape.
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Source: theguardian.com