The Patient Hulu is a psychological thriller series created by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg that premiered on Hulu on August 30, 2022.
The series stars Steve Carell as Alan Strauss, a therapist who is held captive by a patient, Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), who is a serial killer. Sam has a strange therapeutic demand for Alan – help him control his homicidal urges. To survive, Alan must unwind Sam’s disturbed mind and stop him from killing again.
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Quick Takeaways
- Rotten Tomato: 88%
- IMDB: 7/10
- Episodes: 10
- Directed by: Chris Long, Kevin Bray, & Gwyneth Horder-Payton
- Series Writers: Joel Fields & Joseph Weisberg
- Executive Producers: Steve Carell, Joel Fields, Victor Hsu & Chris Long
- Nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards & Golden Globe
Awards & Nominations
The series has been praised for its performances, particularly those of Carell and Gleeson.
Steve Carell has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, and Gleeson has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/Anthology or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Plot of The Patient Hulu
The series is told from Alan’s perspective, and it explores his own dark thoughts and motivations as he tries to understand Sam. Alan is a complex character, and he is both a victim and a perpetrator of violence.
He is also a father, a husband, and a therapist, and he must balance all of these roles as he tries to survive this ordeal.
Despite being chained, and limited with restricted mobility, Sam made sure he served Alan the best food and gave him the utmost comfort so he could fix his urges. The effort he made to make Alan comfortable is a true depiction of how much he cared to be fixed.
Alan has problems of his own. He had some unresolved issues with his son. They had a falling out on religious beliefs, and it was cemented later due to his wife’s death.
During his time in Sam’s basement, Alan had nothing to do hence his demons would get to him, and he had nothing to do but confront them. he discovered he was less empathic towards his son’s journey, and took his wife’s death and his absence too personally.
On the other hand, Sam was abused as a child, hence the behaviour. Alan deciphered the reason for Sam’s unusual behaviour and uncontrollable anger outbursts and talked to his mother so he had a clear understanding of the situation, who by the way knew about the new basement guest and did nothing about it.
He also had a motive to meet her, hoping she might help him out of there, but she wanted her son to be treated, with the cost of a doctor held hostage in the basement.
Since Alan was entangled in problems of his own, the state of distress being chained in a serial killer’s basement, he was not giving the treatment Sam deserved.
But Sam was extremely clear about his feelings and urges and he told Alan about his recent compulsion to kill someone. Sadly, Alan was in a fit state to give his 100%, Sam couldn’t control his urge and then killed the man.
Discovering about the murder, added more to Alan’s distress as he felt he could have helped Sam control his urges if he was not dwelling in his past. Alan was constantly working on a plan to escape while trying to keep things cordial so he could get out of there alive.
The Patient has also been praised for its suspenseful and unpredictable storyline. The series is full of twists and turns, and it keeps viewers guessing until the very end. The series has been compared to other psychological thrillers such as The Silence of the Lambs and The Mentalist.
If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, then you should check out The Patient Hulu’s best series. The series is full of suspense, twists, and turns, and it features two of the best performances of the year from Carell and Gleeson.
If you are into mind-bending and psychological thrillers, you must check out Christopher Nolan’s best movies.
Parting Thoughts
The Patient Hulu is a slow-burn show, so be patient. The first few episodes may not be as exciting as the later episodes, but it’s all worth it in the end.
The show deals with some dark subject matter, so it’s not for everyone. If you’re easily triggered by violence or disturbing content, then you may want to avoid this show.
The Patient Hulu is a character-driven show, so if you’re looking for a lot of action, then you may be disappointed. However, if you’re interested in the inner workings of the human mind, then you’ll find this show to be the best pick of 2023, and now continue to be best in 2024.
Overall, I think The Patient Hulu is a well-made and thought-provoking show. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, then I highly recommend checking it out.