#isiah friedlander

[gunsoffire]

[rabirayrana]

I love the third therapy appointment where Michael asks Dr. Friedlander if he believes in pure evil, referring to Trevor, and then rattles off some of the horrible stuff he’s been doing since Trevor re-entered his life to prove the point. Michael admits that violence feels good, that he’s a “hypocritical f*ck” and that doing these things is making him feel bad about himself… all for Friedlander to prevaricate to keep Michael talking, telling him that he needs to bulk-buy more sessions if he ever wants to fix himself, continuing to hurt people while putting money in this psychologist’s pocket. He outright encourages Michael to obsess over his inadequacies, actively making Michael’s mental state worse so he’ll keep coming back, right after hearing him admit that he’s been committing random acts of violence - and then he laughs about the fact that Michael’s crimes make it so he’ll be able to pay him in cash. He’s killing people! And his doctor thinks it’s funny!

Friedlander ends the session suggesting that Michael is “a weak pup who was weaned too soon by an angry mother,” reminding us of the language Mike used when he called Trevor a “sick puppy” - as well as of something much darker about Trevor, the most overtly Freudian character in the game. His incestuous relationship with his abusive mother gets brought up constantly, with special emphasis placed on the contrast between how frightened Trevor becomes once his mom reappears & how domineering he is with everyone else. He’s tough with everyone else; he’s weak and docile with her.

So naturally, the little boy/dog language gets reused when Michael’s own issues with intimacy come up in the therapy session, and he calls himself a “good boy” for abstaining from cheating on his wife. Later on in the story, Trevor mockingly says “daddy’s been a bad boy” when Michael calls his family to apologize in front of him; and that isn’t the only time Trevor invokes the “bad boy” label! He uses it on the “reprobates” he captures for Maude in the bail bonds missions, men he’s also in the habit of intimidating with the prospect of sexual abuse in prison, the same kind of abuse that would’ve taken place between him and his mother.

They were tough with everyone else; they’re weak and docile now that they’re going to jail. Michael’s tough with everyone else; he’s weak and docile with his family, at least in Trevor’s eyes. The familial bonds that are meant to be an escape from the criminal life become enmeshed with the life itself, one form of exploitation interchangeable for another.

And jesus, the little face-journey Michael goes on if he chooses to accept Friedlander’s advice. I don’t think for a second that Mike buys into this, that Friedlander has unlocked some grandiose epiphany by telling him he needs to get his temper under control/spend more money on therapy. You can see it sink in, that this person who occupies a trusted, intimate position of power within an epicenter of American culture is just as big of a crook as he is, taking advantage of Michael’s mental and moral weakness for his own gain like a parasite. (Or a dog picking on a puppy. Or a big man assaulting a smaller one. Or a parent exploiting their child.)

But in a perverse way, it’s still exactly what Michael wanted to hear. Michael does take Friedlander’s message to heart. He just accepts it as what it is, rather than what it’s advertised as. He takes to heart that everyone is like him, in some way or another, and that the only way to reach the upper echelons of society is by being like this, whether you’re willing to admit it or not: that if he didn’t take advantage of people himself, he’d still be sitting there getting taken advantage of, with no possibility for benefit or reward. He takes to heart that he’s not that bad. His behavior isn’t that unusual. He’s got no choice, when you think about.

If Michael’s doctor is like this, then it becomes that much easier for him to convince himself that the whole world must be like this, the privileged and the downtrodden, the sacred and the profane. And what are him and Trevor? They’re dogs, tossed in a sack at birth and left to gnaw their way out or drown. At least they’ve got an excuse.

[stealyourmeal]

inspired by @/relatableisaiah 's funny tiktok audio

[hellomissmedia]

Isiah: Do you have a principal that guides your life?

Trevor: Yes, always expect the worst in others. You'll rarely be disappointed.

Isiah: Do you think you could be a little more positive.

Trevor: Yes. Always expect the best in others.

Isiah: There you go-

Trevor: And watch as your hope is crushed like saltines in a man's bed. And the man is angry. And the man has a sledgehammer. And the man is yelling "DIE SALTINES DIE!"

Isiah: Never mind.

[brun00u11]

[brun00u11]

[dxtviiii]

What do you want Michael?

Dr Isiah Friedlander, GTA V

[monarch-boo]

i decided to rewatch a playthrough of gta v again, i wanna talk more about my favorite parts and write some commentary ?

i’m going to do this in chunks because i obviously can’t watch every single mission from the start to the end in one go.

right now i only have two things, one of which i really wanted to say.

- After you’ve already seen/played the prologue before, and especially the entire game, seeing the prologue again just hurts so much to see. You start paying attention to little details and hearing all those ominous lines from Michael, and you already know exactly what happens.

- Dr. Friedlander is enjoyable as a character, but as a person is... horrible. If you’re familiar with the game you should already know damn well why.

Isiah Friedlander terrifies me especially as a mentally ill person myself. I’m not in a situation where it’s possible to do so just yet, but I could definitely use a therapist the very second I’m able, though, obviously, not for the exact same reasons Michael does.

Just as there are good mental health professionals in real life, there are also mental health professionals out there that are just like him. Just in it for the money, probably feeds you bullshit and obviously gives no fucks whatsoever about your well being, publicly talking/posting about things you said that are obviously breaking your confidentiality with them, even if you aren’t explicitly mentioned by name.

Everything Isiah does, minus the fact that Isiah never seems to care enough to get authorities involved despite clearly very illegal things being discussed. IRL Dr. Friedlander types are negligent, but at least, thankfully, are not that negligent.

I really could use a mental health professional of some sort, but I'm terrified of the idea of being set up with a Dr. Friedlander, or worse. I just know that I’d know deep down that something’s bullshit, but I’d stay with them anyway because I have nobody else who will listen to me, even if they’re not actually listening. In Michael’s words, in the cutscene before the mission Franklin and Lamar, “And I’m stuck talking to you because no one else gives a shit!”.

What Isiah does is incredibly manipulative.