FX's Show "You're the Worst" has successfully portrayed a modern war vet in a sitcom. The show is in its third season and has lightly touched on the character Edgar's PTSD. The episode "Twenty-Two" is fully focused on Edgar's view of the world and his daily dealings of PTSD. It was titled "Twenty-Two" based on the current statistic of the daily average of soliders & veterants that commit suicide. They simulate a veterans perspective by repeating some of the situations from the previous episode showing how he saw his friends and zoned out from certain happenings. This character though out the show, is a modern representation of the latest generation of vets in pop culture. It is important that they are not an after thought which has been proven to be the case with all the generations before us. With all the social media and global awareness, it should be on the forefront of discussion. As we strive to take the stigma out of mental illness we can hopefully start creating solutions and programs to allow people to process their trauma, to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
“You’re the Worst” is a very different kind of comedy. Unlike “Enlisted,” its humor is dark as night, and sometimes more painful than funny. The show’s great strength is that it is unafraid of messiness and complication — quite at odds with the cut-and-dry structure of procedurals and the pretty period fantasies that have featured combat trauma.
“Between you and me,” Edgar says, “civvies feel super guilty around us veterans, so they’ve trained themselves to ignore us.”
YOU'RE THE WORST -- Pictured: Desmin Borges as Edgar. CR: Autumn de Wilde/FX
There is an follow up interview, where the creator Stephen Falk & the actor who plays Edgar, Desmin Borges, discuss the importance, preparation and challenges of taking on such a serious issue with in the confines of a "comedy". They are very insightful and have done so thorough research to make sure they are not mis-representing or over idealizing a topic that seems to be almost missing from our main stream culture. This show mixes healthy doses of comedy with relevant truths about self reflection and trying to find you lot in life. It may not be your cup of tea but it certainly represents several points of view that are creativly strung together. Giving story lines to the unexplored depths of the current mental health of both "civvies" & vets.
https://www.mcnicholsmarketing.com/2016/09/desmin-borges-youre-the-worst-ptsd.html
https://www.mcnicholsmarketing.com/tvclub/youre-worst-ptsd-208437
https://www.mcnicholsmarketing.com/story/youre-the-worst-ptsd-episode