Patience

Patience is an extremely poor remake of Astrid and Raphael, a long running French / Belgian production that has just ended its fifth series. Unlike its far superior portrayal of Astrid and her neurotypical difficulties, which are explored in much greater detail and far more sympathetically, Patience falls short of the mark in so many areas. As a person who has raised foster children who were on the autistic spectrum, Patience simply doesn't do justice to their trials and tribulations. Those wishing to watch a far more intelligent and extremely empathetic portrayal of the autistic spectrum, should search for Astrid and Raphael, as it is readily available for download or streaming, and is a sumptuous feast by comparison.

In a world where the superb Franco-Belgian series "Astrid et Raphaelle" (2019; IMDb ID tt11950864) wouldn't exist, Patience would be a decent effort, meriting perhaps 6/10 or 7/10. However, we live in a world where (thankfully) the original series "Astrid et Raphaelle" does exist. I would strongly recommend anyone who plans to watch Patience to watch "Astrid et Raphaelle" instead.

In "Astrid et Raphaelle", Astrid is the main character and her autism and journey to interacting more easily with "normies" is the red thread through the (40+ so far) episodes. This is a slow process for which we get a first-row seat. Also, the actress playing Astrid is absolutely outstanding and you really feel empathy towards her, you root for her and are occasionally left with a lump in your throat.

By contrast, in Patience everything feels hurried. In only six episodes Patience/Astrid starts to smile, hugs a kid and kisses a man, more or less "just like that". No slow, shared journey with insights into Astrid's inner being. Patience/Astrid is barely the main character, which is odd since the series is named after her. It feels that the rush causes Patience/Astrid to be used as a deus ex machina more than a character - the bringer of missing links just in time to catch the culprit. On top of that, the story lines are recycled from the original series as well. All in all, Patience feels like a rushed and lazy series.

PS: One of the episodes of Patience features a character called Peter Venkman. Surely, this must be a conscious reference to Bill Murray's character in Ghostbusters... :-)

Whilst investigating a case, DI Metcalf encounters Patience, a young employee who works at records, an autistic young woman, with a razor sharp brain and a skill for spotting patterns, Metcalf persuades Patience to join her team.

I haven't seen the original series, so I can't compare, so my words are based purely on Channel 4's series.

I was honestly blown away by the quality of this series, I genuinely wasn't expecting it to be as good as this, what a tremendous first run, my only hope is that more follow.

The best thing Channel Four have done for quite some time, it truly is a cut above.

Every single episode is beautifully crafted, clever and intriguing, what a totally refreshing series, unlike anything else on the box right now.

I've always been a fan of Laura Fraser, and she is excellent, but this series is stolen by the sublime performance of Ella Maisy Purvis, who is genuinely sensational as Patience, acting of the highest order.

I love seeing Patience developing, and seeing an increase in her confidence as the series develops, if you have anyone close to you, who is autistic, you'll see some indicators, I certainly do.

Please Channel four, we need more.

9/10.

I am told by a friend that the French/Belgian series on which this is based is a superior watch. However, as I have yet to see that original I cannot compare, and can only judge Patience on it's own merits. So, I enjoyed it. It was a little different from the run of the mill detective series, and the better for it in my humble opinion. I thought the two leads were very good indeed, and were backed by a decent supporting cast. I thought that Patience's autism was handled with sensitivity although one or two elements of her condition seemed to be magically resolved by single incidents. That didn't, for me, take anything away from my overall enjoyment. I'll watch Astrid soon so I can make the comparison.

As a person with autism, I enjoyed this show very much. The way Patience is portrayed as someone on the spectrum is so well done. It made me shed some tears, which is rare for me. Her emotions and reactions are very recognizable for me, but of course not all. Every person with ASD is different.

Laura Fraser shines as well, making me feel as if I could seek comfort with her character. Great casting, all of them.

The music is fantastic as well, the intro theme keeps lingering in my head. The melodies are so bittersweet, complementary to the story and the main character's arc. I can't wait for the next season!