Many television conventions have been undermined in recent years, one of which is the episode length standard. It used to be easy – a drama episode lasts between 40 minutes and an hour and comedies don’t exceed half an hour. Of course there are exceptions here and there, but that’s what they got used to. Well, it’s not quite like that anymore, partly because the line between drama and comedy is more blurred than ever. “The Patient”, a new mini-series from FX and Hulu (which will later also come to Disney Plus in Israel), completely throws this rule out the window. Even though it stars Steve Carell and each episode isn’t much longer than 22 minutes, you probably won’t find yourself laughing out loud watching it. It’s a dark drama that’s also a chilling and dark psychological thriller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpmMxXfBn-Y
The patient from the title is Sam, a confused and unhappy young man who is struggling with a small problem – he can’t stop murdering people. On the surface he is a normal looking guy with a steady job and a nice home, but in his spare time he struggles with dark urges and various past traumas that have turned him into a serial killer. His psychologist, Alan, discovers his secret during a session with less than ideal conditions. That is, when he is chained up after Sam has kidnapped him and locked him in the basement of his house.
It’s an exciting and dramatic basis for the story, certainly when you add to the matter the private life of Alan, a lonely widower who is also dealing with his son’s conversion. And yet, even without the definition “comedy” there is something a little funny in this story. The humor comes mainly from the character of Sam, who gives a certain psychotic twist to the therapeutic discourse – he didn’t kidnap Alan to take revenge on him or hurt him, he simply wants more effective treatment. He is unable to break free and truly reveal himself inside the clinic, so he created more favorable conditions for himself. And what is a small kidnapping between friends.
When you think of psychologists on television, one of the first names that comes to mind is that of Dr. Melfi, Tony Soprano’s therapist. “The Patient” continues the line started by “Let’s Talk About It” and “The Sopranos” and continued by “Mindhunter” and tons of true crime content. The idea is that if everyone is dealing with shit and needs help, criminals are supposed to be mentally scarred to a greater extent. This is not only the voyeuristic desire to understand how the mind of a “bad” person works – be it a psychopathic killer or a mobster – but also a question about the limits of psychological treatment in general. Is it possible “Repair” or at least help a person who crosses the ultimate social border? Is it even necessary? And what does such a “repair” even include, returning to the beneficiary? Or just clearing the conscience?
The first two episodes of “The Patient”, out of a planned ten, press hard on the element of tension. They are stressful, intriguing and even fun, probably because of the short structure that turns each chapter into a little piece of chizebet. Because the entire story takes place inside the basement of Sam’s house, the moments of drama are flashbacks and small extensions that help understand the situation and the moves Alan chooses to make. The drama bits are much heavier than the tense but playful atmosphere of Sam and Ellen’s shared scenes, so condensing them into a little story here and there helps keep the pace right and the tone not too zigzagging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL4ckaFyRaU
The real asset that makes the series work is the casting of the two main actors – Karl as the psychologist and Donnell Gleason as the patient. Carl has already proven in the past that he is more than just a comedian (“The Money Machine”, “Foxcatcher” and “The Morning Show” are a few examples), and here he fully commits to the role of the broken psychologist who helps others as he fails to help himself.
Gleason is a very active actor who, although he has not yet become a first-rate star, manages to upgrade every work he is given (yes, even in his small and forced role in “Star Wars”). As Sam the killer, he is simply brilliant and succeeds in the tough task that the series is based on – to be scary but also lovable, evoking pity and even empathy. His poverty does not contradict his danger, and the dissonance between the two sides only adds to his welcome creepiness.