Patience

I was so angry to see the reviews in the Mail, GB News, Sun, Star, even the Guardian. The headline was the same in almost all of them and it seemed to be an organised attack on the show by the media. It makes one wonder who wrote the original article and who paid for it! I can forgive ignorance about autism but this front page headline:

Patience viewers 'switch off after just ten minutes' as they blast show for 'ripping off' rival drama and slate 'awful' Channel 4 scenes

The same headline and more or less the same text appeared in all these papers on the same day. All front page.

Now if you watched only the first ten minutes, you wouldn't have seen anything to make a judgement! All the episodes begin by setting up the scene of the crime and those involved. Perhaps these people thought that the DI was the main character and autistic, they cetainly didn't sit down with the intention of watching it.

There are so many series that 'copy' foreign series, and so many series with a similar theme: autistic detective is brilliant at solving crimes. Think Sherlock Holmes, Dr House and many many more, it is a bit of a cliche; however, this series goes further than most others in showing the characteristic behaviour of one kind of autism very well.

So was the show attacjìked in such a way???? Perhaps Patience can solve this mystery in the first episode of Season 2!

My son is autistic and I loved this show as it got nearly everything right for a single case of autism. Autism is a spectrum with so many characteristics and problems.

My son doesn't communicate directly but speaks endlessly on occasion, so anyone can see he is different, but many autistic people can fake normal behaviour and take part in society. However, the intensity of their senses can make it increasingly impossible to function, and they can freeze, become angry, or run. Patience showed this aspect very well.

.

This English version lacked poignant moments that could have been developed with the lead character, Patience.

The French / Belgian version; Astrid et Raphaëlle (Astrid on C4 UK) the lead character Astrid was played with more depth, and where you could feel her struggles.

All in all this is watchable and it was good to see the relationship develop between Patience and Detective Bea. This also showed how the main characters learned how to be understanding of Patience and tolerant towards Patience's difficulties, but also becoming more respectful of the skills that Patience could bring to the team.

Some really good casting in this version and I hope to see a second series, to see how all these characters evolve.

It's was great to see a location that was filmed outside of London.

This has to be one of the best detective shows I have seen in years , story line catches you and pulls you in. I have watched all 6 episodes and am now sitting praying for more . So prepare to be begging for more.

As the father of a son on the spectrum I found this show in most spot on. One or two peace's of it were a bit unbelievable of which were the flashbacks otherwise it was spot on. Where she obsessed over items and doesn't like being touched but yet hugs the DI B'a son is very plausible as someone on the spectrum can feel accepting of one person but not another. As for the premise of the show I can really see it with the obsessions that a person on the spectrum can have they don't give up until they have learned or finished what thier doing. My son learned 4 languages 2 of which he did in 7 months.and sat his final exams in secondary school (high school) and passed with honors.

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.

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.