The Patient

I saw all the low star ratings, and was confused why this brilliant, thought provoking, cerebral, well-acted, well-executed, thrilling psychodrama was receiving such low ratings. The reason is rather ridiculous.

If your main problem with this show is with the length of episodes and/or the fact that you can't watch the entire thing at once, then you don't have a problem with the show, you have a problem with Hulu or FX's distribution of it. How about we review the actual content of the show, and not act like anything that requires even the most minimal amount of patience is unacceptable.

I personally like the distribution and length of episodes You know that hour after dinner and after work when it's real easy to fall asleep even during snows you like? This is a show that keeps me wide awake every week and I really look forward to it.

The patient is about a killer who wants to get rid of his urges, by kidnapping a therapist and locking him in his basement, for private therapy. Which results in a unique relationship.

Not only is Gleeson incredibly convincing as a troubled serial killer, but his chemistry with Carrell as his therapist is palpable. The story itself is not particularly impressive, new or surprising, but the character building and the continuous tension keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Some people may complain about the ending, but I respectfully disagree. The fact that the ending is not cliche, and very un-Hollywood is enough for me to enjoy it more than the current average series.

If you look through the offerings that most streaming services have to choose from, it is ... disappointing ... to say the least. Boring. Repetitive, almost. By the third row of these 'pickings', every one of the shows being pushed, look and read the same. IN FACT (true story), I held off from suggesting this as a watch to my husband because I thought it was the doctor/patient series 'The Shrink Next Door' (title which I just now had to look up by remembering that Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell were in it), and which did not interest me. In any case, we passed this up a few times until hubby mentioned Steve Carell was in it, after which we looked it up and began watching. We're now 5 episodes in, and we are both surprised and pleased.

The Patient is not perfect. Then again, very few - if any - TV shows are. It has LESS imperfections, however, than do others. The reason, I think, is because the premise is very simple. Patient abducts psychiatrist (in Synopsis and NOT a spoiler). It is the nuanced performances from everyone involved (yes, including Carell), which elevates it to not only watchable, but interesting.

Also worth mentioning AND DESPITE HOW OTHERS VIEW IT, one of the POSITIVES for me, is that the episodes are very short (30 minutes long) and so, what is a story that could become easily bogged down with filler in order to fulfill certain time or advertising constrictions, moves along fairly well and quickly, with mostly "meat" and few potatoes. Now, that meat is not necessarily the best cut each and every bite, but it IS a satisfying dish - if you give it the patience that a MERE 30 minutes entail.

This started out interesting enough, and tense enough, to pull us in. Luckily, the episodes were short. But Episode 10 . . . Not going to post a spoiler here, but we went through a lot only to land on an unsatisfying ending. The show is not without merit, but falls flat relying on undefined characters to bring the conclusion. Steve Carnell has shown himself to be a very versatile actor, equally good in both comedy and drama. If you like his work, you will appreciate what he does here. If you are not a fan, you should pass on this. There's not much else that's worthwhile. Serial killers can be such a drag.

The Patient offers an intriguing plot line. We follow the protagonist (Steve Carell), a therapist, who has been kidnapped by one of his patients with the intent of truly opening up about his thoughts, struggles, and feelings to someone like he has never before. However, we see glimpses into the protagonist's past that reveal potential character flaws, and events that he has seemingly not dealt with himself. It makes you wonder moving forward who is the true Patient, the patient or the therapist.

From a TV perspective, I believe this could've been a two part mini series, 1.5 hour for each episode or something like that. There are so many shows as of late that they are going back to the old format of 23 minutes. Ultimately, it leaves the viewer unsatisfied by not being able to immerse themselves in the story. This short format is a quick way to maximize the ad revenue. I just hope that the writers have an end in mind, I believe that this will make or break this show. With what has been seen so far, this is not meant to be a show lasting longer than a season.

I encourage a watch now if you can spare the time, or if not wait until all episodes are released.