Bipolar Disorder: How Will The Show Handle It?

[Syndicate]

OK, now we know our sexy older son Andre has this condition.  Does anyone wonder, like me, if the show will portray his condition in its real form (mania, depression, and all symptoms associated with it) or will they choose the campy route ( highly possible given what we've seen in just two episodes) and have Andre spiraling completely out of control with extreme crazy and erratic behavior, split personalities, etc.?  I'm already envisioning Andre's thuggish alter, "Antoine" coming out to "save" Andre from himself.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Syndicate

[ribboninthesky1]

Oh, my! Well, I'll be honest - I highly suspect they will go the campy route.  I can't see this show handling it with much nuance and circumspection.

[Malbec]

In this interview (Youtube video) Trai Byers made some nice remarks about feeling a responsibility to correctly portray the illness.  God bless him, but I'm not setting my expectations too high that the show/writing will entirely live up to that.  I'd love to be pleasantly surprised, though.

[copacabana]

I'm betting they do just fine.  

[leisawoo]

I am bipolar and they are already portraying it correctly.

[copacabana]

I am bipolar and they are already portraying it correctly.

 

Me, too, and yeah!  The scene at the club while waiting for Hakeem to perform was all too familiar!  You can tell he's afraid that if he stays on his meds, he won't be able to do what he needs to do.  Take your pills, Andre -- It'll be better than okay if you do. 

[Actionmage]

I hope that Andre's situation is highlighted next episode. He not only has to deal with his condition/ meds, but Rhonda's pregnancy, his fears over passing the condition on to the baby and Vernon's murder. Oh, yes, also? The continued painful rejections from Lucious.  Any of those could cause a strong man to step back and wonder if a new job or something should be tried. Yet our Andre keeps trying to hold his birth family together with no one, except Cookie, seeing how hard he's trying.

 

Bless Trai Byers for doing so well with a hard character!

[Milz]

I think they are portraying it in a realistic and accurate way based on the flashbacks we've seen of Lucious' mom and based on how Andre is portrayed this season.

[Actionmage]

With the video of Lucious' past pretty much explaining for all who know what's up with Andre's bipolar, I hope that the show continues to dip into Andre's day-to-day management. Not that we have to know every time he takes his meds, but the thing with Andre suspecting Rhonda of cheating, followed by his apology and reassurance that his meds are taken and working.

 

I also like that the writers allowed Rhonda to express how draining it must be to be in her position, not only the usual Lyon family disfunction, but her beloved husband's condition, which she has to actively monitor.

 

I still can't get over the scene where Andre is told about the loss of the baby. He's going to be upset, but he's also allowed to grieve with Rhonda. At the point where everyone was piling on Andre, I thought it wasn't needed.  Unless I missed something where Rhonda was supposed to be asleep or something. I get that they want to keep Dre from being hospitalized, but he wasn't behaving erratically, to me. Then, of course, when you have two or three family members hanging on you, you are going to look/ sound out-of-control.