Analyze Scripts

Episode 36 - "Jury Duty"


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Welcome back to Analyze Scripts, where a psychiatrist and a therapist analyze what Hollywood gets right and wrong about mental health. Today, we're diving in to analzye the Amazon Freevee breakout hit comedy "Jury Duty." We sincerely enjoyed how funny this show was and how much planning went into it. AND YET, IS RONALD GLADDEN OKAY?!? As mental health professionals, we couldn't help but think about the ethical considerations of throwing someone into a real life "Truman Show" situation. We can see how something like this could totally backfire if there were a history of trauma or genetic predisposition to psychosis. It seems like Ronald is doing okay from what we can find online, but we're quite concerned about him! RONALD IF YOU'RE READING THIS - PLEASE SEND AN SOS IF YOU NEED HELP! ALSO WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU ON THE PODCAST! We hope you enjoy!

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[00:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: Hi, I'm Dr. Katrina Furey, a psychiatrist.

[00:12] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I'm Portia Pendleton, a licensed clinical social worker.

[00:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: And this is Analyze Scripts, a podcast where two shrinks analyze the depiction of mental health in movies and TV shows.

[00:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Our hope is that you learn some legit info about mental health while feeling like you're chatting with your girlfriends.

[00:28] Dr. Katrina Furey: There is so much misinformation out there, and it drives us nuts.

[00:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And if someday we pay off our student loans or land a sponsorship, like.

[00:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: With a lay flat airline or a major beauty brand, even better.

[00:39] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn.

[00:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: And your DSM Five and enjoy. Welcome back to another episode of Analyze Scripts. Today we are throwing a curveball at you, and we are talking about a funny little show on Amazon's freebie called Jury Duty. Have you heard of it? Have you heard of it? I hope the answer is yes, because it's hilarious.

[01:10] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Wild show that I obviously was very I missed a couple things when I was watching it. I had a very different experience.

[01:20] Dr. Katrina Furey: So, Portia, please share with the class.

[01:22] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So I must have missed the scene, the word, the moment, and maybe it was minutes, but I don't know what I was doing where at the beginning of every episode that Ronald was the one who was real. So I had no idea. I thought that I didn't find out until he was literally called up and the judge told him.

[01:44] Dr. Katrina Furey: So you found out along with him.

[01:45] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: In a way.

[01:46] Dr. Katrina Furey: You were watching it along for the ride.

[01:48] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It was wild. I knew it was a documentary. I thought it was like you were.

[01:55] Dr. Katrina Furey: Watching it like a murder mystery, like trying to figure out which one's the real person. But everyone else was watching it and caught the big message in black and white at the beginning of the first episode and at the beginning of every.

[02:08] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Other episode, because I was fast forwarding, like, maybe preview and maybe like, yeah, I've seen that already.

[02:15] Dr. Katrina Furey: Yeah, that says, like, everyone's an actor except Ronald.

[02:17] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I saw every view, the bold letters, and then except one person.

[02:23] Dr. Katrina Furey: See, ronald.

[02:24] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: The word ronald. So I had a wonderful time watching.

[02:27] Dr. Katrina Furey: This show, trying to figure out who was the real person.

[02:31] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I really want to rewatch it because now that I know that, which is.

[02:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: The last episode when they're so funny.

[02:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Showing him all the things, I was like, how on earth did this person think this was all real when this was so ridiculous? And he said, right, a lot of times, said, this is like a reality TV show. Like, this is insane.

[02:56] Dr. Katrina Furey: Oh, my God. So before you figured out it was Ronald, did you think someone else was the real person?

[03:02] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: No. Maybe I knew it wasn't the plaintiff or the defendant, but I don't know what I was thinking.

[03:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: I think I was just, like, watching.

[03:10] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I was trying to watch it fast. It was very reminding me of The Office with the cuts and how it was a documentary, almost, which was right. I laughed out loud. My husband does not like The Office at all. Or like Parks and Rec. He doesn't like that vibe at all. And I think he would. I'm always like, you have to watch season one. You have to get into it and get to the characters. Because I get the first episode of.

[03:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: The Office I watched.

[03:37] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I didn't like, but this was so funny right away.

[03:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: But I laughed out loud when you told me you missed that it was Ronald. The whole I'm also kind of jealous. I wish I had watched it. Trying to figure out who was the mole, like, who was the real person who's on The Truman Show, right? It's so funny to me for.

[04:01] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I really don't know how that happened.

[04:03] Dr. Katrina Furey: I really find myself wondering if he thought Todd was the real person, the.

[04:08] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Inventor, I think, just because I was.

[04:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like, there's no way.

[04:12] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, but maybe like I don't know. I really wasn't thinking about it a lot. I was just, like, laughing at how absurd everything was.

[04:24] Dr. Katrina Furey: Absurd is a great word. So, again, if you haven't watched this yet, please do. It's so funny. And it's a quick watch. It's funny, it's enjoyable, it's lighthearted, it'll make you laugh at the end of a long day. It got nominated for four Emmys, which I think surprised everyone, maybe, especially James Marston, who got nominated for an Emmy. He cracked me up, right? Like, just such a perfect portrayal of what we think ****** actors would be. Even when they're know at the beginning trying to select the jury, and they're asking him, have you ever served on a jury? He's like, yeah, I can.

[05:03] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Judge is like, what?

[05:06] Dr. Katrina Furey: Oh, no. He thinks everyone knows him. And they kind of do, but they don't. I forgot he was in the notebook. I didn't remember that.

[05:13] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right?

[05:14] Dr. Katrina Furey: You just think of Ryan Gosling. It's so funny. And I loved how Sonic the Hedgehog kept coming up. You probably haven't seen that movie Portia, but I have. It's like the worst movie ever. And it's so long. It's like 3 hours long. But he's in it. Jim Carrey's in it. So it I was like, Love promise.

[05:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, right?

[05:33] Dr. Katrina Furey: Kids love it. But for like, it's like nails out chocolate. It's so long and it's just not that good. But kids love it's. A blockbuster hit. But it was so funny how they were talking about Sonic.

[05:48] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And Ronald. It was so funny, him playing. He's so nice.

[05:56] Dr. Katrina Furey: So nice.

[05:57] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: That's what everyone just kept saying. They thought that he would be mad. I liked how they referred to him as hero on the script. And so when James was mad at him know, from the early on, and then he brings the cake in and it was like it was really important that Ronald and him repair yeah, just.

[06:15] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like at the birthday party for Ross when James, I don't want this party. And everyone's like, It's not for you. Oh. I loved, I guess, in the final episode, seeing all the behind the scenes stuff and how it was almost like a choose your own adventure, like, okay, if he reacts this way, we're going to do this, and blah, blah, blah.

[06:33] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And then high fiving, like when he would do something or I loved the fact that they could not believe that he took the bait from Noah first episode asking, how do I get out of this? And that he said, which is like, a ha ha, funny known thing, like, to say something horrible, right, to get off jury duty. I'm a racist. I'm a like, it's like, you have to see this. Unbelievable does. And they're all, like, dying in the.

[07:03] Dr. Katrina Furey: Back because he says and then Noah.

[07:06] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Obviously is acting, but then says it to try to get out of it. And you see Ronald looking around.

[07:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: When they all have to be sequestered. And then James Marsden's like, oh, you know, I got this cop I'm going to pay to stay with me so I don't have to go with you guys. And it's like, his fault. Oh, my God. I just can't. I just can't. I mean, I think all along the way, the whole thing is like, how did he not figure it out? But it seems like it was really well done. And maybe Ronald, I mean, he does just seem like a really nice person. So then it's like, did anyone feel bad that we were doing this to thought? I felt kind of weird at the end. In the final episode, when they're revealing it to him that Ronald looks shocked and his whole world has been turned upside down, which it has been, but then everyone around him is, like, smiling and high fiving and like, ha. Wasn't that funny? And we did it, guys, and just a lot of camaraderie. But then that was weird to me.

[08:13] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It was. I think the $100,000 needed to make it sweet, right? If they were just like, ha ha, jokes on you. Bye. See you. But I think it's like you're being paid not off you're being paid off to have tolerated this. But then it's experiment, a social experiment.

[08:33] Dr. Katrina Furey: That's what it is. And that's where I was like, how could they do this legally? When we do scientific experiments, you need informed consent. And I would imagine when you're agreeing to be in a documentary, you sign paperwork.

[08:49] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And maybe it wasn't in there, as in, like, it explicitly said, but I'm sure there was language in probably vague enough.

[08:57] Dr. Katrina Furey: Yeah, but then it's so clear that you're tricking him. That's the whole point. So they also had to make sure he didn't get really mad at them because it's also like, what, two weeks of your life away from your family and your job and everything, and I don't know. How does it sit with you? The psychological side to me is like, how did they get away with this?

[09:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I don't know. Which is so important? I mean, they said right, out of 2500 people who applied, they picked him. And I'm wondering if there was any psychological evaluation or person kind of helping that, because I think A, you needed to pick someone who would be good on a show.

[09:45] Dr. Katrina Furey: Right. But B, I feel like you also.

[09:47] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Had to pick someone who could take it.

[09:49] Dr. Katrina Furey: Right.

[09:49] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And how do you know? I just think that's interesting, like, how they landed on him specifically, and they picked right? I know. So all of the actors were just shocked at how kind he was at times and how helpful and nice and stepping up and doing things he didn't want to do. He didn't want to be the four person he knew that no one else. So he did. It was just, I think, really interesting and maybe what you're alluding to in a messed up way, but how Ronald was put in this environment and then manipulated and rose to the occasion as this amazing person and could it also have gone a different way?

[10:30] Dr. Katrina Furey: Totally. And they still would have aired it, right? Like, if it had come out that he was, like, a major *******, they still would have aired it. Right. And then it's like, Whoa, I don't know. It's a real life Truman Show. And I'm just like, Good call.

[10:44] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah.

[10:45] Dr. Katrina Furey: Real life Truman Show. And also potentially psychologically damaging. It totally messes with your view of reality and your safety. And I was reading somewhere, I heard on some podcast or something that he was kind of paranoid afterwards and kept calling the producer someone to be like, are you sure it's still seriously, is he okay? Ronald, if you're out there listening, send an SOS. Send me a Morse code signal. Like, Are you okay? Do you need some help? I hope he's processing this. I'm really worried for him. I know. What if he had some trauma history or something that this reactivated? Did they screen for that and rule that out? Or was it just a random Craigslist ad they picked for?

[11:37] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I, you know, certainly didn't think about it to this degree. And I'm glad that we are now talking about it because yeah, of course you're paranoid after everyone was lying to you. Literally everyone.

[11:53] Dr. Katrina Furey: Yeah. I feel like they tried to wrap it up by showing pictures of them hanging out after the fact, but then it's like, does he trust that they're friends or is it still going on? I feel like in the wrong hands, he could have had a psychotic break or something.

[12:11] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.

[12:11] Dr. Katrina Furey: Because your version of reality is not what's actually happening to you. That's, like, super messed up. Or he could have gotten really angry, or he might sue them. Maybe he will still I don't know.

[12:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I don't know. These are excellent questions.

[12:28] Dr. Katrina Furey: Yeah, I'm just ronald, if you're listening, we'd love to have you on the show and ask you all these questions. And also, I hope you're okay.

[12:34] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. And now that I'm thinking about sorry.

[12:38] Dr. Katrina Furey: To be such a dark cloud.

[12:40] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I'm just, like, really worried about yeah, that interestingly. Did not cross my mind.

[12:45] Dr. Katrina Furey: Maybe because you didn't know it was him the whole time. Yeah, that's a good point. Some distance. Whereas I'm watching, like, oh, my God. He's really forming what he thinks are, like, genuine connections. He is, like, a really nice person. He's really trying to figure out the case.

[13:02] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: He's really trying to figure out that they said in that last episode, because they said that they had to come up with so many things so quickly based on his questions and being an interest in being like, well, this doesn't make sense.

[13:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: Right? He's taking the job of juror super seriously. Which it's like, you hope people do, but then you're kind of surprised people do, especially with a case like this.

[13:26] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Now that you're saying this, I have a good example of also feeling icky about the manipulation. So when in the last episode, they're showing him even the day one room when they're all sitting there and they go say, we left four seats open, so we had four opportunities and rehearsed four scenarios of where you would go first. And that's weird. That makes weird.

[13:49] Dr. Katrina Furey: It all makes you feel weird. Exactly. It was so thoughtful.

[13:55] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And they were getting calculated at Margaritaville, right? If he drank, they could all have one. And then it was all fake and.

[14:04] Dr. Katrina Furey: They all wanted know you're the four person. You gotta get it first. Yeah. It's just weird power of I mean.

[14:11] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: This is like think, right?

[14:13] Dr. Katrina Furey: It's great.

[14:14] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Think.

[14:14] Dr. Katrina Furey: It reminds me this is so different. But do you remember learning about this Stanford Prison Experiment? So if you haven't heard about this awful experiment, this is one reason we have institutional review boards and stuff like that, to make sure scientific experiments are ethical, that people don't get hurt psychologically or physically, all of it. So, like, in the Stanford Prison Experiment, I think it was like, college kids or medical students or someone who needed a $100 or something to participate in this experiment where half of the people were prisoners and the other half were guards. And then they just sort of put them in this environment that looked like a prison and watched what happened. And it was atrocious the things that people ended up doing with the guards being in positions of power. There was awful. Look up the details if you want, but it reminded me of that. Again, not like, luckily no one was getting hurt, I guess, physically in the same way, but really displayed the power of psychology. And I'm just worried for Ronald. I don't know.

[15:23] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I was not expecting this episode to go in this direction. It should it's a necessary again, it's.

[15:32] Dr. Katrina Furey: Probably legal, but was it the right thing to do ethically? I mean, like, everyone's thrilled. Again, it's funny. It's funny to watch. They got Emmy nominations. I feel like Ronald should have gotten one.

[15:43] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think so. I think that would have sweetened the deal. Right. And I think they should all be still his friend, but to help heal him, almost.

[15:52] Dr. Katrina Furey: But now he has to get to know them for who they really are, not who they're pretending to be.

[15:58] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Nikki called Vanessa her real name, right? It was like Catherine or Cassandra or something like that. And then they had to do this whole thing where she then later said it called the stenographer or something like that, or the other. Right.

[16:09] Dr. Katrina Furey: They had to fix it.

[16:10] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.

[16:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: Because there was some who's cassandra. Yeah. So, again and the fact that then they take it to that level to keep up the charade, like, okay, but what's the cost to this poor guy? And why did he want to do it in the first place? Was he in a vulnerable position for some reason? Were they offering some sort of monetary compensation to be in this documentary or not? I have so many questions.

[16:43] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And no outright like zero contact with any outside I mean, which I get why? But from A, a jury in real life standpoint, b, the show him needing to be isolated, and then C, though I know no reality.

[17:01] Dr. Katrina Furey: Exactly. So it's like, I feel like they couldn't have picked someone who had children. Maybe they could have. Were they considering people with children or partners?

[17:14] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I would have to say no.

[17:15] Dr. Katrina Furey: Right. How deep does this go? How nefarious is this? But yeah, when you think about it, it's like he was kidnapped. Yes. Or held hostage against his will.

[17:30] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And someone came up with a number. Right. It wasn't $50,000. It wasn't $200,000. How did you land on 100? And is that, like, illegal? Right. Was there some back room meetings about.

[17:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like, this is does he get residual?

[17:45] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.

[17:46] Dr. Katrina Furey: He should. How did you decide that taking him away from his life for that long was worth that much versus something else?

[17:52] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.

[17:53] Dr. Katrina Furey: Does he agree? Again, it was just like that final episode where they're like, ha, we're all high fiving. Like, we did it. And he's just sitting there, like, totally shocked. It's like, what has he spoken out at all? I think all that I've seen is when he was saying or someone was saying that he said that he was messed up for at least a little bit of time and calling and asking, is this over? You have to tell me it's over.

[18:19] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right?

[18:20] Dr. Katrina Furey: And I'm just like, did no one anticipate that this would be psychologically troubling.

[18:26] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: To say the it's he currently still.

[18:30] Dr. Katrina Furey: Works at his regular job.

[18:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: He's a project manager at Home Depot. Per his LinkedIn profile and said, even to this day, I haven't really changed my life, because I didn't know, quote, jury duty was even going to be anything. So I've kept my day.

[18:45] Dr. Katrina Furey: Oh, I really want to reach out to him. We'll see if we can get him on the podcast. Yeah, that'd be really cool.

[18:51] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: He's still friends with James Per. His social media account, New Famous Friends, including it's it's it's interesting to think about like, of course there's two sides of the coin and of course there were some absolute clear benefits to this. But did he want any of Ryan Reynolds?

[19:12] Dr. Katrina Furey: Is that enough that he's his friend?

[19:14] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Does that compensate for what happened?

[19:17] Dr. Katrina Furey: And Ryan Reynolds isn't his friend for who Ronald really is he's his friend because he was on this show and it was funny. But it's like, does he feel like we're all laughing at him and not with him? I just have so many questions.

[19:33] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I think though, if I was Ronald, I think there's been a lot of commentary, which I just literally said as well, of like, how could you not know, right? It's like, so some of the stuff that happened was so ridiculous, but so.

[19:49] Dr. Katrina Furey: Is life, of course. That's my question.

[19:53] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Is any of that feedback getting to him? Does he feel stupid? We're laughing at him or with him? I don't know. That's a good question.

[20:03] Dr. Katrina Furey: Or and even how were there points along the way where he had a gut feeling something was up and then he didn't listen to it and now that really messes with your sense of your intuition or it can really have really long lasting effects that I don't think the creators and all these people really thought about. I think we're probably thinking about it because we're in mental health field. I'm just a little concerned for him.

[20:28] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I mean, there's all these extreme characters, right? So we have Todd who's like, socially awkward.

[20:34] Dr. Katrina Furey: The chair piano brings all of these.

[20:37] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Absurd inventions to court. I mean, the scene where he is trying to sit down in the jury box and first of all, how do they not break face? It is wild. I cannot imagine being in the control room because I'd be like, don't break free. This is like the most amazing scene.

[20:55] Dr. Katrina Furey: I know. But then also, it was so nice because he's like, there's never enough chairs for anyone, so I brought my own. That's really nice. And Ronald was so encouraging of his weird invention.

[21:02] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And he was like, we sometimes take a risk and it doesn't go well. He's so nice, such a good guy. There's Tod, then there's Ken, who had to talk really slow, had to talk with an accent, who manages two gumball machines. I mean, like, again, so ridiculous.

[21:23] Dr. Katrina Furey: And he clearly has a gambling know, which is really interesting to see. And he's like making up the rules of this weird. Then but then Ronald's like, no, no, man, you don't have to pay me. It's totally fine. He's just, like, so nice, and then I'm like, Is he in on it? Is Ronald really not?

[21:44] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: He maybe that's the big twist, and.

[21:47] Dr. Katrina Furey: I don't maybe, like, we're all falling for it, right? When you're thinking of groupthink, or, like, are we all falling for, like, is he in on it in some way? Unclear.

[21:58] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So if you don't know, groupthink is this phenomenon that happens when you are in a group of people and you kind of end up thinking or believing something that you probably wouldn't have without being in the group. So it's just like the impact of others on what we do, what we say, what we think. And we see that in the Stanford Prison Experiment. We see that in even in groups.

[22:23] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like a therapy group or, like, Taylor Swift fans, maybe. Yep, yep.

[22:28] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So it's just this phenomenon when a group of people get together, like, what can happen with the power of just.

[22:35] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like, I think we see that just like, normal development with teenage peer pressure, stuff like that, and it really can mess with you when it's taken to the extreme, like something like this.

[22:48] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So what I thought was interesting too, is that the judge, the Judge Rosen and Trevor's lawyer are real lawyers.

[22:57] Dr. Katrina Furey: But I think the judge was an actor and then became a lawyer later.

[23:01] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: In The Other Guy. But they both were real attorneys who had histories so great, and they just did it so well. And I know that the defendant's lawyer was laughing because they were, like, begging him to do it. Because they were like there's literally, like, no one you are the only person.

[23:17] Dr. Katrina Furey: With this unique experience who could straddle the fence. I loved that lawyer so much, and when he tried to show that video, that was like, that would be like if I had to make a video. But it was just like I died every time I watched it. It was so funny.

[23:35] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: But again and I think if there was one other singular person on the jury who was questioning things too, I think Ronald would have been like, this is ridiculous. Yeah. But I think because no one else was kind of swept up and because, again, the whole thing was so absurd, so ridiculous, such a sham, such, like, the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life. But it was so normal for everyone else.

[24:05] Dr. Katrina Furey: Hundreds.

[24:06] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So it had to be normal for Ronald.

[24:08] Dr. Katrina Furey: Right? Exactly. And that's where I think I hope Ronald's okay. Because when you're in an environment like that and you start to not listen to your own inner voice, that's dangerous. That's how people get sucked into colds.

[24:25] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I'd like to follow up with Ronald in, like, ten years and hopes and prayers for him. I don't know, I feel like this could change the trajectory of your life.

[24:35] Dr. Katrina Furey: Not a good way. Yeah, I feel like everyone's like, oh, this is great. Here's $100,000, by the way. They're going to take out a bunch of taxes from that. And then now you're friends with these famous people. Okay. Like, Ryan Reynolds isn't, like, inviting him over for Thanksgiving, okay?

[24:48] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.

[24:48] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like, James Marsden, maybe they text here and there, but I'm not sure that James and him are like vacationing or I'm not sure Ronald's going to break into Hollywood or what is his real life like?

[25:03] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And the fact I and we watch a lot of TV, right, and movies.

[25:07] Dr. Katrina Furey: Well, because we are like podcasts.

[25:10] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: But I was laughing because just thinking about all of these actors now, having read this article where it says what else they've been in, I'm like, oh, I recognize a lot of them. So I really the woman who played inez she's in Teen Wolf, she's in a lot of shows. The guy who played who was Up Ross, he was in Parks, and, like.

[25:35] Dr. Katrina Furey: He was in a ton of stuff. And I think didn't they say Ronald was a Parks and Rec fan or there was something where Ronald was a fan of something that I think one of the producers or writers had done. So they got nervous that he was going to pick up on it. I thought they purposely picked people you wouldn't be able to recognize was in.

[25:53] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: A bunch of stuff. So he's the guy who tried to get off having his C four and C three in his lower back instead of where it really is, which I just thought was hilarious. And he's in a lot in the article. He's, like, the most recognizable under James Marsden.

[26:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: That's so interesting. But yeah, I mean, all it would have taken was for Ronald to have been able to pick any of them. I'm I'm fascinated by the casting. How did they pick like, they must have done at least some preliminary, hopefully background checks, psychological assessment to guarantee he was okay to do this.

[26:31] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I mean, Ronald took one for the team for James with the ****.

[26:37] Dr. Katrina Furey: I know.

[26:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And then they showed them how it was all fake, and it was just wild. And so Jeannie and thought, you know, were an interesting character. Just know, Noah seems really he's he's clearly being manipulated. Obviously it's acting, but he's being manipulated by Jeannie about questioning his girlfriend. It seems they never said it, but it appears that Noah is a part of the Church of Latter day Saints based on his section when he said, we've never been able to be alone. That's why this vacation was really important. And then the soaking, which is something that people do to kind of get around the fact that you're not allowed to have sex, so they'll have someone else, like, kind of moving the bed. Right. Jumping on the bed.

[27:26] Dr. Katrina Furey: I didn't realize that was a real thing.

[27:28] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It is.

[27:29] Dr. Katrina Furey: How did you know that?

[27:32] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I feel like I've known that forever, but from online, like, it's a thing.

[27:36] Dr. Katrina Furey: So, Portia, let me get this straight. You knew about soaking being a real thing forever, but you missed that Ronald was the real person in this show? I just want to get that straight. That's why we're a good team. Yeah. We each bring something.

[27:58] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah.

[29:04] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Which is so strange in my opinion, to me, based on my upbringing. I don't know, I think it feels like, weirder because you're bringing this third person in that makes it feel less to me like, I don't know, religious, spiritual, whatever.

[29:24] Dr. Katrina Furey: Just between you and your partner. Exactly. So that feels like that's why I'm just fascinating to me too. Can you imagine these actors, like, reading this and James Mars and being like, oh, my God, I got to go jump on this bed. And then they said they filmed it because they were like, such a kick out of one point in the last episode when they said they had to pretend there was a COVID scare so they could all rehearse, but so he.

[29:46] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Would be kept in his room just.

[29:48] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like this poor guy. I think we have to talk a little bit about inez because I loved her, and I just loved how much she wanted to be the four person and ordering lunch and getting those menus and then getting it wrong. And it seemed like there was so many logistics that went into their lunch, ordering even like, behind the scenes, they.

[30:07] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Eat like, twice sometimes.

[30:09] Dr. Katrina Furey: I was so confused by that. But I wouldn't mind eating twice for work. But also, I think I'll make that sacrifice.

[30:16] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Such fun at jury duty. And we're constantly breaking you like you're eating more than you're listening to. And I think that's the people laugh about that. Like, jury duty are just like going for there's constantly breaks, and it's just.

[30:28] Dr. Katrina Furey: Like, let's get this over with. The last time I went for jury duty, Portia, I had just had my first child. Well, actually, I got summoned for jury duty when I was like, eight months pregnant. It was my. First child, and I was so terrified that I was supposed to, I don't know, go, like, two months postpartum or something. I was so terrified that I was going to forget to tell them I couldn't go, or I was really nervous I was going to get arrested if I didn't show up for jury duty. So I remember it caused me a lot of angst. Okay. And then they eventually let me postpone it, like, six months. So then I go and I have.

[30:59] Dr. Katrina Furey: A newborn baby at home.

[31:01] Dr. Katrina Furey: And it was like, the greatest day ever because I was all by myself. It was quiet, they had free coffee. It wasn't good, but I had a break, I had space. No one was touching me. I remember feeling so fondly about jury duty that day that I didn't get picked was probably good, but I just had this lovely day all by myself in the quiet. I got to read a book, had free coffee. It was like, what did they ask you? I didn't even get asked.

[31:29] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: You didn't get asked?

[31:29] Dr. Katrina Furey: No, I got dismissed. Like, I just spent a day there and it was like I was like.

[31:34] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think I've been summoned six times.

[31:38] Dr. Katrina Furey: Wow.

[31:39] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It's like a joke in my friend. They really want you get summoned all the time. And I've never actually had to go, so I got summoned a bunch where I used to live, like, in that county, and then I moved to a new county where there's another court, and I've gotten summoned twice here, and once I was summoned and I delayed it because I was away. And then if you delay it, you automatically you're in a different pool where.

[32:10] Dr. Katrina Furey: You'Re like, you have to come now.

[32:11] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. And so then I was really summoned, and I was freaking out because I'm in private practice. I think you can get out of it. But I was freaking out. So I called, and this woman was lovely on the phone and was like, okay, don't ever delay it again because you automatically will get called. And you oftentimes have to come in. But because of what you do, that's.

[32:34] Dr. Katrina Furey: What happened to me when I delayed it, because I was eight months pregnant. Then I had to go, yes.

[32:39] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And so she was like, just call this number or whatever every time you get summoned and you'll get out of it. Just so that it's not like a waste of time for you or for them, because you're not. Going to get I feel like they.

[32:51] Dr. Katrina Furey: Don'T like to pick therapists or psychiatrists exactly for that reason.

[32:56] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And then I think they're not going to make you do that. If you're like the primary, if there's.

[33:03] Dr. Katrina Furey: All the that's what? I don't want to say this out loud because I don't want the jury duty powers of me to hear and be like, you have to serve Dr. Fury or else. But another time I know of a friend who got summoned and said that they were, like, the sole private practice person, and they treat X number of patients every week. And there's risk if you have to serve that these people are going to go without their mental health care, and then they got dismissed. I heard this about a friend. I'm just reporting someone not related to.

[33:34] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I just don't think that they would want a therapist.

[33:37] Dr. Katrina Furey: I don't think so. To analyze.

[33:40] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And also, I think specifically for being a psychiatrist, I would say without intention. I feel like you're powerful, right. You're like a dear doctor. You have influence on people, and I think that that's something that they would be aware of with you deliberating with this group of your peers, so to speak. I feel like in some ways, there is a power dynamic there of people's perceptions of doctors and then mental health. I don't know. I think that feels specific to being a doctor. Of course they're not going to have a lawyer on the jury duty, but it's interesting.

[34:16] Dr. Katrina Furey: But so it is interesting. And I thought this show also made me think about the jury selection process.

[34:22] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Available for jury duty and who the.

[34:27] Dr. Katrina Furey: People who are picking the jury are doing it intentionally.

[34:30] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.

[34:30] Dr. Katrina Furey: It's not random, and it isn't always like they cut people out for reasons, and then you're like, well, so is that fair?

[34:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, because it's really not of your peers. It's of, like, a specific group of people that the defense and the prosecution believes will benefit them 100%.

[34:46] Dr. Katrina Furey: Right. And it's like, is that really what the spirit of jury duty was unclear?

[34:52] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It is.

[34:52] Dr. Katrina Furey: So, I mean, as we start wrapping up, this show really makes you think about who would have thought about some really major topics. I think a lot of ethical questions come from know, like, the ethics of poor Ronald and the ethics of jury selection and the whole shebang.

[35:15] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. And I think that's our know, if we didn't title our episodes with just the name, I think it would be like or maybe we should with this one, the Ethics of Jury Duty. Like the show, because the show versus the real thing. And I'm sure, of course, there's something out there already, but I think this is just also, like, a unique perspective besides just all the ha ha's or, like, the love people love know, and good for him.

[35:37] Dr. Katrina Furey: He deserves.

[35:38] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: But, like, I just think it's is.

[35:41] Dr. Katrina Furey: He ronald, please, please reach out. You can find us on Instagram at Analyze, scripts or TikTok. Analyze scripts. Podcast. Ronald, like, please reach out. Let us know you're okay.

[35:50] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah.

[35:50] Dr. Katrina Furey: We'd also just love to talk to you.

[35:52] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. What was your experience like? Space. And we are real, and we are not.

[35:56] Dr. Katrina Furey: Oh, my God. No.

[35:58] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah.

[35:59] Dr. Katrina Furey: Poor Ronald. I hope he's okay.

[36:01] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Well, thank you for listening to this really interesting, I think, episode of I almost said of jury duty of our podcast analyze scripts. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe, please. We appreciate all the streams and of course, the subscribers, and please interact with us. We'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think? Do you think after listening to this episode there's some ethical considerations wrong?

[36:24] Dr. Katrina Furey: How would you feel? If you like, if you were Ronald.

[36:27] Portia Pendleton, LCSW: How would you feel? We'd love to hear from you. So thanks and we'll see you next Monday.

[36:33] Dr. Katrina Furey: Bye.

[36:42] Dr. Katrina Furey: This podcast and its contents are a copyright of analyzed scripts. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited. Unless you want to share it with.

[36:55] Dr. Katrina Furey: Your friends and rate, review and subscribe, that's fine.

[36:57] Dr. Katrina Furey: All stories and characters discussed are fictional in nature. No identification with actual persons, living or deceased places, buildings, or products is intended or should be inferred. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. The podcast and its contents do not constitute professional mental health or medical advice. Listeners might consider consulting a mental health provider if they need assistance with any mental health problems or concerns. As always, please call 911 or go directly to your nearest emergency room for any psychiatric emergencies. Thanks for listening and see you next time.


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