The Patient Episode 5 Review: Full Disclosures Are Never Helpful

The Patient Episode 5 is out now! Created by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for FX on Hulu, the executive producers for the series are Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg, Steve Carell, Caroline Moore, Victor Hsu and Chris Long. The production companies for the series include Joel Fields Productions, Flim Flam and FXP.

The main cast features Steve Carell as Alan Strauss, a therapist and Domhnall Gleeson as Sam Fortner, a serial killer and the new patient of our therapist in question. Actors Linda Emond plays Candace Fortner along with Laura Niemi as Beth Strauss, Andrew Leeds as Ezra Strauss and David Alan Grier as Charlie Addison. Alex Rich is also part of the cast. The fifth episode of The Patient has a runtime of 31 minutes and is by far the one episode with the longest runtime.

– FX’s The Patient Episode 5 Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –

The Patient Episode 5: Pastitsio

Is this the episode where Sam kills Eilas? I think this is the question that kept looming over everyone’s head when the episode started. But, unlike most episodes, this one began with Sam driving to meet his ex-wife, Mary. As seen in the last episode, Alan directs Sam to go meet Mary to help him divert his mind off killing Elias. Sam, by far, seems to have done a great job at taking Alan’s suggestions and it really kinda shows that he might just want to improve.

So, in The Patient Episode 5, we have Sam meeting Mary- an event that is full of disclosures and awkwardness. We don’t learn a lot of the kind of relationship the two shared but, it is evident that the spark is gone and somewhere the two have grown distant. In fact, it is hard to even contemplate that the two were married after hearing about their exchange.

Back at Sam’s place, we see Alan and Elias have a conversation. This might just be one of those first times when we hear Alan speak openly about his family and the conflicts that keep him awake at night. But, Elias can only be so much of an ear before Sam returns and what remains is Sam’s ultimate decision on what he will do with Elias.

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The Patient Episode 5 is a hard pill to swallow. We see Alan really giving Sam the reflection of content as well as a feeling of being the therapist and, even discloses to Sam what he thinks his issues stem from. Also, seeing Sam and Alan in their individual space did give the audience an insight into the codependent relationship the two might be embarking on.

However, the most significant part of the fifth episode of The Patient remains the uneasiness we see Sam go through as he deviates every time he attempts to hurt or kill Elias. It is almost similar to OCD behaviour to, say, clean one’s hands constantly. It really breaks him and he finds ways to look beyond but, everything seems suffocating for him until he fulfils his compulsion to kill. Alan’s helplessness, Elias’ confusion and fear as well as Candace’s impotence in the matter at hand is reflected well by the end of the episode.

The Patient Episode 5: Final Thoughts

Overall, The Patient Episode 5 really takes us through a series of self and other disclosures and really ends up conveying the fact that it might not just always be a helping hand. Sam and Alan’s turbulent relationship will definitely take a new angle given what boils down at the end of the episode. Yet there seems to be a sense of sympathy for the two characters. It is interesting how the narrative never makes us empathize with the protagonists at hand that might just turn us biased but, leads us through a sympathetic shoulder towards their trials and tribulations.

You can watch The Patient Episode 5 now streaming on Hulu. To read our review for the rest of the episodes, click here.

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