What I’m Watching: The Patient

The Patient: Season 1, Episode 5 “Pastitsio” (B)

So much time has been spent on Alan reflecting back on his fractured relationship with his family, and now we got to see a bit of Sam out in the world with a woman who used to be a close part of his life. Showing up and sharing that he was in therapy was a good way to start, though it is true that he didn’t know what had to happen after that. Leaving with his beloved chair felt like a symbolic parting, and it definitely felt like a familiar space for him to inhabit when he was relaxing in it during his session. Alan and Elias exchanged messages for each other’s families that recognized the gravity of their situation, but unfortunately Alan wasn’t able to keep Elias alive long enough for there to be a chance that he could deliver the message to his family for him. Shouting for Candace to come down and stop him the first time that he nearly killed Elias worked, but just giving Elias the chance to tell his life story and seem more sympathetic had the opposite effect, resulting in Sam killing him right on the spot despite Alan’s horrified protests. Knowing that he’s capable of that and that his therapy hasn’t had much of an effect is only going to cause Alan to despair more, and it means that Sam isn’t listening to him enough to try to change. We’re only halfway through the season, and so it’s unlikely that Alan is going to die anytime soon, but I also don’t things will look up either.