30-minute episodes of the new thriller series THE PATIENT from FX are available on Hulu. In this brand-new FX on Hulu series, Domnhall Gleeson plays a serial murderer who is looking for treatment to help him stop killing. He coerces a therapist (Steve Carell) into working with him in order to be "cured."
The first two of the season's ten episodes, which total ten, are currently available on Hulu. The first two episodes of the series are excellent, and episode two finishes on an exciting cliffhanger, so viewers should tune in again the following week.
A serial killer seeking help to stop killing is commendable, of course. However, kidnapping a therapist is a very unorthodox way of going about seeking help. To put it mildly. On the other hand, any other way would mean turning yourself in and the serial killer in The Patient is not ready for this.
Instead, he just wants to stop killing. Again, a very commendable desire, but not one that makes for optimal working conditions. And yet, once the therapist hears just a bit more, he does seem intrigued enough to want to try. Of course, it’s not really like he has a choice, anyway. Also, he is clearly haunted by his own past demons and needs the distraction.
While a direct comparison is not – in any real way – applicable, The Patient on Hulu did give me a The Black Phone vibe. The whole “being trapped in a basement by someone who has serial killer inclinations” is certainly one thing the two stories have in common.
The two absolute stars of the FX on Hulu thriller series The Patient are Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson. While I have always enjoyed Steve Carell doing comedy, he absolutely shines when taking on these darker roles. In The Patient, he plays the therapist who is working with a patient in his office at first.
The patient is portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson (Black Mirror), who has done both the lighter comedic roles and the dark portrayals. In this series, he is definitely the dark character as a serial killer. And yet, you will probably relate to the things he feels and comments on. You just won’t want to kill people that irritate you. Or certainly not act on it. I hope!
In The Patient, the serial killer claims that he has indeed acted on it. And will again, unless he is helped. Since we only really see Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson in these scenes – apart from flashbacks that include other characters – their interaction and chemistry is paramount for the story. Fortunately, they work very well together.
The creators of The Patient are Joel Fields and Joseph Weisberg, who are also the only writers on the series. Both also wrote on The Americans which was created by Joseph Weisberg. The episodes are directed by Chris Long (The Americans, Amazing Stories), Kevin Bray (Succession), and Gwyneth Horder-Payton (The Walking Dead, American Horror Story).
Apart from Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson, we have several familiar faces in the supporting roles. These include Laura Niemi (This Is Us, Stranger Things), Andrew Leeds (Bones), Linda Emond (The Bite), and Alex Rich (True Detective season 1).
The series will be released with weekly episodes which means the finale will be released on October 25, 2022. Sure, you could wait until then and just binge-watch it. Personally, I don’t want to be spoiled, so I’ll be checking in weekly to see how this evolves.
The first two episodes of The Patient mini-series premiered on FX on Hulu on August 30, 2022.
