The Patient

Clever concept; interesting characters; well acted and the story moves in a very steady (if often plodding) pace.

Unfortunately it ultimately takes you nowhere and when it ends it leaves you in that empty space. The series is not unlike a train ride to a vacant lot. All the promise that travel brings and a terminus of less than no interest.

What may have been intended as clever or to give a sense of openness to speculate on the "what next" it reflect on lessons learned, or not learned; really just ends in unsatisfactory creative conceit. Too bad really as it could have been quite memorable. Oh well.

The patient is about a killer who wants to get rid of his urges, by kidnapping a therapist and locking him in his basement, for private therapy. Which results in a unique relationship.

Not only is Gleeson incredibly convincing as a troubled serial killer, but his chemistry with Carrell as his therapist is palpable. The story itself is not particularly impressive, new or surprising, but the character building and the continuous tension keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Some people may complain about the ending, but I respectfully disagree. The fact that the ending is not cliche, and very un-Hollywood is enough for me to enjoy it more than the current average series.

The Patient 1st and 2nd episode review:

Positives: Steve Carell's show - It's always fun to watch him.

Domhnall's performance is awesome. He played a really cool foodie serial killer. 20 minutes episodes - short episodes.

Negatives: Episodes are kinda slow (1st and 2nd) - feels like a documentary. It would have been better if all 10 episodes were released on the same day.

Overall it's a good time pass show and the concept is really interesting.

I would give this show 3 stars out of 5 for now. I watched this show because of Steve but Domhnall's performance is even better. Will watch the remaining episodes.

I saw all the low star ratings, and was confused why this brilliant, thought provoking, cerebral, well-acted, well-executed, thrilling psychodrama was receiving such low ratings. The reason is rather ridiculous.

If your main problem with this show is with the length of episodes and/or the fact that you can't watch the entire thing at once, then you don't have a problem with the show, you have a problem with Hulu or FX's distribution of it. How about we review the actual content of the show, and not act like anything that requires even the most minimal amount of patience is unacceptable.

I personally like the distribution and length of episodes You know that hour after dinner and after work when it's real easy to fall asleep even during snows you like? This is a show that keeps me wide awake every week and I really look forward to it.

This started out interesting enough, and tense enough, to pull us in. Luckily, the episodes were short. But Episode 10 . . . Not going to post a spoiler here, but we went through a lot only to land on an unsatisfying ending. The show is not without merit, but falls flat relying on undefined characters to bring the conclusion. Steve Carnell has shown himself to be a very versatile actor, equally good in both comedy and drama. If you like his work, you will appreciate what he does here. If you are not a fan, you should pass on this. There's not much else that's worthwhile. Serial killers can be such a drag.