The Patient

The idea of a series focusing on a serial killer in therapy was intriguing to me and the show was very well done. Don’t expect a action packed show though; this series is very dialogue driven. Steve Carell gives a phenomenal performance as Dr. Alan Strauss. I love when a comedic actor shows off their dramatic acting chops, and he really knocked it out of the park with this one. His counterpart, Domhnall Gleeson, also hit the nail on the head with his performance as a serial killer struggling to curb his addiction to murder. He was stoic and awkward, which worked perfectly. The writing was pretty good too. There was a lot of Jewish culture and traditions mentioned which really added depth to Carell’s character. One writing choice I particularly enjoyed was visual comparison of Dr. Strauss’ fate to Auschwitz. Anytime it was becoming clear that the good doctor’s time was running out, he imagined himself in a camp, with the gas being turned on. It was haunting imagery, but it had the desired effect. My only critique of the series is that the ending was not satisfying and I’ll admit I was disappointed, but that might have been the point. I believe the message it was trying to get across is even when you try to be a good person, life just isn’t fair. Solid watch.