What I’m Watching: The Patient

The Patient: Season 1, Episode 9 “Auschwitz” (B)

I’m just not really sure what to make of this show’s tone, with the ending scene of this penultimate episode a perfect example. Joking about having sex with his father’s skull was very odd, and that newfound singular desire, modeled on Ed Kemper, memorably played by Emmy nominee Cameron Britton in “Mindhunter,” felt like it came out of nowhere. It’s also strange that his mother is so present in his life, to the point that she liked Mary but was not at all happy with the fact that she was coming over, likely because she thought Sam might do something. Alan’s whole plan to scream so that she would call the police was never going to work, and Mary doesn’t seem like the type to realize that things weren’t right and take the initiative to report him to the police on her own. Sam did manage to truly butcher the “old age” joke by skipping over all the important introductory parts of it, and then the conversation shifted into uncomfortable territory about his father beating him up a lot as a kid and that sending him into therapy. With just one episode left, I’m not sure how this can satisfactorily be resolved, with or without the possibility of a second season, although maybe him going after his father means that he’ll be linked to a victim and leave a trace to send a message like his new idol Ed. I’m hopeful for a finale that will make this peculiar and off-putting journey feel worth it.