I am probably the last person on the planet to watch the Patient, but better late than never! I really knew nothing about the premise going in, only that 1) it was creepy and dark (according to my family text group), and 2) it was nominated for a bunch of awards, including a best supporting actor Golden Globe for Domhnall Gleeson (who I just discovered is actually Brendan Gleeson’s son, not brother!? 🤯)

The premise of the Patient (this is not spoiler-y, you learn this from the synopsis of the show displayed by Hulu before you even start watching) is that Steve Carrell, a psychotherapist, is kidnapped by one of his patients who turns out to be a serial killer who wants to force Steve Carell to fix his killer impulses while in captivity.

The show is an excellently written tense thriller while also an emotional journey, with plenty of flashbacks to Steve Carell’s own life and past, including the recent loss of his wife to cancer, issues with his son’s conversion to Orthodox Judaism, and his own life story. Steve Carell gives an incredible performance and I’m shocked he was not nominated for anything.

I honestly did not have much of an opinion Domhnall Gleeson prior to this, other than his role as a very nasty and unappealing supervillain in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He had a very brief appearance in the Harry Potter franchise as the eldest Weasley brother, Bill, who I think we see twice over the span of 9 movies. He has a very strong Irish accent IRL, which he does an impressive job of completely concealing for this role as Sam, the serial killer desperate to change his ways.

The bottom line is this show was great and I am not going to say much more because I don’t want to spoil anything, but watch it. It manages to be both exciting and tense while exploring deep issues of family, trauma, religion, and human nature. But not so deep that it pulls you out of the underlying thrill of the plot progression. You will binge this in one weekend because you will not be able to stop watching until the end.

Enjoy!

8/10

(Hulu)