Showtime’s now-concluded comedic drama stars Toni Collette as suburban mom Tara. And retro, perfectionist housewife Alice. And rowdy teenager T. And male truck driver Buck. In all, Colette’s character takes on at least seven alters throughout the show’s three-season run, splitting her time between the divided fragments of her personality. “United States of Tara” certainly plays up the more dramatic aspects of dissociative identity disorder (DID), but as conceived by “Juno” screenwriter Diablo Cody, it also tackles the illness with thoughtfulness and wry humor.
“United States of Tara” is unlike “Moon Knight” and most other representations of DID in that the diagnosis isn’t used as a plot twist. Tara knows she has it from the series’ outset, and her family — husband Max (John Corbett), daughter Kate (Brie Larson), and son Marshall (Keir Gilchrist) — all have distinct relationships with each of her alters.
This series certainly isn’t as high-octane as “Moon Knight,” but it’s one of the more in-depth looks at the often-misrepresented disorder available, and an unglamorous one at that. It even focuses extensively on Tara’s long-term treatment plan, something most shows that use the disorder as a gimmick fail to do. The series also manages to tackle plenty of the same unnerving themes as “Moon Knight,” as Tara eventually develops manipulative alters that make her feel scared and out of control.
