In therapy, nothing is as it seems. From the first minute, the Amazon series works towards a revelation that ties together the sometimes confusing plot snippets. But the Sebastian Fitzek thriller spills the beans early on Notes on the resolution at the end.
The therapy reveals the ending in episode 1: This is what this scene is about
In episode 1 of The Therapy, Viktor Larenz’ daughter Josy (Helena Zengel) announces: She wants to have her ears pierced. A normal wish of a young teenager, which often leads to arguments between offspring and guardians. Larenz allows Josy to wear body jewelry – apparently. “Trust me”he whispers to his worried wife (Andrea Osvárt).
Amazon
The earring scene in The Therapy
When he arrives at the tattoo studio, the father (Stephan Kampwirth) first has a hole pierced in his own ear – ostensibly to calm his daughter down. He supposedly wants to demonstrate how harmless the stabbing process is. He flinches when stabbed. The wound bleeds unusually heavily and the whole process is quick and rough. Josy is visibly put off by what she has seen and doesn’t want her ears pierced anymore. The tattoo artist gives Larenz a quick wink: The two of them made an arrangement and the plan worked.
If you want to watch the scene again: It starts at minute 16:43 in episode 1 and goes until minute 18 – just 77 seconds in which Viktor Larenz reveals his entire inner life.
What does this scene mean in the context of the end of The Therapy?
What the scene reveals about the father-daughter relationship: In the first episode without further context, the scene can seem like an over-motivated attempt to save a child from making a hasty decision. Larenz’s behavior is highly problematic. The conflict between child and legal guardian is not discussed here. The father also does not choose the open ban, which would lead to an argument. He chooses: Manipulation. He betrays his daughter.
Amazon
Josy and Viktor Larenz
Larenz plays a false reality to his Josy in order to control her. The piercing scene reveals very early in the series how the relationship between father and daughter works. Or rather: doesn’t work.
How the scene fits with the final reveal of The Therapy: The final episode reveals that Viktor Larenz poisoned his daughter Josy for years because he suffers from Munchausen by proxy syndrome. It is the case if “a person causes harm to another person instead of harming themselves.” Those affected lead relationships that are characterized by “Distrust, deception and betrayal” are shaped, writes the Ärzteblatt.
More on the subject:
Larenz doesn’t want to lose his daughter and weakens her in order to tie her to the house. From here he controls her entire life. We learn that Larenz almost drowned Josy and left her to die. His daughter was not kidnapped, as the series and its main character have long suggested. Larenz’s wife hid Josy from her father. The only perpetrator in The Therapy is the therapist himself: Larenz.
The play in the tattoo parlor and the poisonings are part of the same Larenz game: he controls his daughter’s every move. No matter what the price.
*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we receive a commission.