Must See TV. . . and Movies!

Counterfeit People/Narcissists on the small & big screen.

Ever watch a tv or movie and say to yourself, That person looks real familiar. Where have I seen him/her before? Oh yeah, that's just like . . . (insert the Counterfeit's name here)!

Narcissism is on a continuum. It doesn't matter if the person in your life is low level or high level. It all breaks down to one shared truth, you will never be valued, respected, validated, appreciated, cherished, treasured, and loved by this Counterfeit person.

Lower Level Narcissism:

Life Unexpected is not only a new tv show that I have been watching lately, but it can describe most of us who come from the Land of Narcissism, Abuse & Dysfunction and have decided to either go low contact or no contact with toxic people in our lives. Going NC is definitely a life unexpected, and a life that our Holy Father never had planned for us. You can find Life Unexpected Monday nights, 9:00 PM, on the CW channel, 5? This week's episode titled, Father Unfigured showed what it is like when the absent father's true identity is revealed. This would be an example of a lower level Narcissist.

Last Sunday night there was a good episode on Brothers & Sisters, on ABC, called Where There's Smoke. It was heart wrenching to watch Norma (one of the main characters) a grown intelligent woman, mother of grown children and now grandmother, seeks her elder mother's love & validation. It just goes to show you that one never out grows the need for his/her Parents, unconditional love & acceptance. It was so sad to watch their dysfunctional interaction. The lack of respect Nora's Counterfeit Mom has for her in addition to withholding love in my book qualifies for a low level Narcissist.

High Level Narcisssim

Criminals Minds, episode Parasites -- great example of the highest level of Narcissism. I believe at this level they turn into a Psycho! It is a very interesting episode to say the least. It shows the double life Counterfeits lead. It shows how persuasive, charismatic, and deceptive they are towards those they use & abuse. It definitely demonstrates the love vs. unhealthy admiration and life-threatening danger that comes when a Counterfeit/Narcassist is exposed.

The movie Informant played by Matt Damon has been recently recommended. It is described as a "dark comedy" based on a true story (which I also find interesting) about a covert narcissist. The covert N refers to the sneakiness, not obvious deception/abuse, and not the level of Narcissism. Mark Whitacre, the main character is a biochemist and a corporate executive. In real life he was diagnosed with Bipolar, a mood disorder, which by itself is not dangerous. It is the fact that this person is also a classic covert Narcissist. He even had the FBI fooled for awhile. It has been recommended as a comic relief and to explain what it is like dealing with a covert Narcissist. It is rated R, but according to this viewer "there is no violence or nudity, just a whole lotta white collar crime."

The 1981 movie Mommie Dearest based on the true life story (which I always find interesting) of Christina Crawford, Daughter of the famous actress Joan Crawford. Mommie Dearest is a memoir and expose' written by Christina and published in 1978. Didn't take Hollywood to long to make this real life nightmare into a movie! Both the book and movie depicts Christina's toxic abusive childhood and her relationship with her Counterfeit Mother. Some of Joan Crawfords children, the golden children, deny what Christina has said. Some of Joan's famous friends have also denied that Joan is an abusive person. However, there are other famous friends of Joan's, that have verified Christina's accounts of abuse. Crawford's best friend actress Eva Arden, sided with Christina about Crawford's lack of parenting abilities, saying that "Crawford suffered from Bipolar Disorder; a good woman in many ways but, as an alcoholic with a violent temper, simply unfit to be a mother." This is the movie with the famous line, No Wire Hangers! Remember, Narcissism is only now being talked about in the general public. Back then they didn't know about Narcissism and child abuse was not talked about as it is today.

Some more great movie classics about Narcissism are:

Citizen Kane

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1941 version

All About Eve

A Letter to Three Wives

V on ABC network, Tuesday nights, you can watch it here, http://abc.go.com/watch
This is a re-make of the the original 1983 two-part television miniseries. Vs = Ns and the leader of the Vs, Anna the leader of the V which stands for visitors, is a fantastic example of the covert N -- especially those who have had her for a Counterfeit Mother! One of Anna quotes is "Our species is designed for efficiency. We're not burdened by emotional imprints like humans.
Click here to see Anna and here some of her other quotes, http://abc.go.com/shows/v/bio/anna-/275793
The Fifth Column is the resistance group made up of both humans and Vs who know Anna's true evil agenda. Anna says, "The Fifth Column is immune to my bliss. They've begun to feel human emotion. Empathy. Love. If they find a way to unify, they could become a real threat."

If you have spotted any other Counterfeit People/Narcissists on the small or big screen let us know, we would like to add them to this ever growing list. Thank you.