Domhnall Gleeson playing a serial killer? Well you can count me all the way in immediately! FX on Hulu, you’ve done it again with The Patient.
Yes, it’s no secret based on the trailer that Gleeson is playing a serial killer named Sam. It’s also no secret that Steve Carell is playing his therapist, Alan. And Sam has Alan chained to the floor in his basement because he needs help. Sam is so clearly a psychopath, but he also decides that he no longer wants to kill people. That’s why he’s taken Alan as his hostage in his basement: so he can fully dedicate himself to help stop Sam’s urges to kill. Sam doesn’t allude to having killed a lot of people to Alan, but a box full of wallets says otherwise. Right now though, Sam wants Alan to stop him from killing a kid who works at a restaurant he just had to re-inspect.
Sam wants to kill people when he feels they are being stupid or disrespectful, but isn’t that kind of subjective? Alan pretty early is able to link Sam’s actions to his childhood where he was beaten badly and often by his father. Even though he loves his mother, she’s also partly to blame since she never stopped this from happening. Oh yeah, did I mention that Sam’s mom knows all about his serial killer actions? Cool, because yeah, she does. I guess I’ve never been a parent, but I don’t know why this woman has never turned in her CONFIRMED SERIAL KILLER CHILD to the authorities, but here we are.
This series is kind of a slow burn, but I promise the end really ramps it up! With that being said, it might not necessarily be totally satisfying to everyone. I personally thought the makers of this show did a pretty darn good job of tying up all the loose ends out there while still giving an exciting and unexpected ending. Aside from Alan dealing with his capture, he also has a lot of time to think about where he went wrong in his life with his son, Ezra. They all appeared to be a part of the perfect Jewish family, but then their son decides to become an Orthodox Jew. This ostracizes Ezra from the rest of his family, though Alan never seems to think he’s the one to blame. It’s good to see Alan work through his faults over the course of the series.
Now, that’s all I’m willing to tell about this show so I don’t spoil any of the fun stuff. What this series does prove to me is that Domhnall Gleeson is one of the most talented and versatile actors out there! Everyone should watch what this guy does! Carell, too, actually plays demure quite well here. I personally hope this limited series stays put with one season, but if not, I’d like to maybe see it morph into more of anthology. No news yet on the future of this show, so in the meantime, go enjoy the season that’s already out there!