The Girl From Plainville Review: Talking Is Healing (Season 1 Episode 6)
One thing The Girl From Plainville does very well is present both sides of the argument.
The Girl From Plainville Season 1 Episode 6, “Talking Is Healing,” strongly showcases this element. It gives a complete picture of the events and actions that could have contributed to this tragedy.
Through flashbacks, this episode paints a portrait of Michelle (Elle Fanning) as this girl trying to heal herself, but it also shows that it’s a facade. Coco (Colton Ryan) even calls out Michelle for behaving and saying things she believes are the right things to do and say but may not carry much substance. So her healing is a mirage.
On the other hand, Coco continues to rage on as his life moves forward, but his healing stops. In the past, The Girl From Plainville presents Michelle as someone who deeply cares and worries about Coco. She even stays up one night, completely worried that he hurt himself.
“Talking is Healing” contrasts these scenes with courtroom scenes where Michelle’s texts messages are read aloud.
These scenes show a self-involved girl so desperate for attention that she encourages her boyfriend to kill himself. This move showcases Michelle as both the villain and victim of her mental health problems. It also highlights Coco’s anger, pain, and complicated home life.
It offers a realistic depiction of the complex nuances of mental illness. A person could seem fine, but underneath everything, they suffer.
This episode presents Fanning’s final transformation into Michelle Carter. She looks exactly like the infamous images of Michelle in courtroom photos.
It’s hard to imagine The Girl From Plainville not being nominated in the best miniseries categories at this year’s Emmy Awards, especially for its performances. Fanning deserves her praise.
One moment that stands out from this episode is when Michelle is talking to her eating disorder group about looking toward the future; it’s like Fanning channels the spirit of Rachel Berry (Lea Michele).
She imitates her because that’s something Michelle would do to seem like she has solved her problems. The cringe nature of the scene helps demonstrate Michelle’s obsession with being seen a certain way.
Colton Ryan also deserves praise because his performance as Coco is just as admirable and tricky.
Throughout the series, viewers have seen all sides of Coco. On “Talking Is Healing” alone, he has to demonstrate 100 different shades of Coco. From an angry teen to looking hopeful, Ryan gives Coco all these layers and does it very well.
Chloe Sevigny and Norbert Leo Butz are also giving stellar performances.
Conrad Jr. could quickly become a one-note character, but Butz gives him just as many layers as his son, but with fewer scenes and words. Likewise, Sevigny gives Lynn strength and character with subtle expressions and actions. Hopefully, the entire principal and supporting cast will enter the Emmy conversation this year.
The Girl From Plainville only has two episodes left, so we’re in for more great acting but lots of emotional despair as we see Coco’s final days and Michelle’s trial conclude.
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New episodes of The Girl From Plainville stream Tuesdays on Hulu.
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Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.