Get ready for the lowdown on the British upper class. This five-part limited series based on the acclaimed novels by Edward St. Aubyn tracks Patrick from a privileged but deeply traumatic childhood in the South of France through severe substance abuse in his twenties in New York and, ultimately, toward recovery back home in Britain. At once harrowing and hilarious, Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the troubled titular character.
"You mean the voices aren’t just in my head? Fuck!"
Patrick Melrose is the story of (yes, you guessed it) Patrick Melrose, a very posh drug addict dealing with the loss of his father, with all the conflicting feelings that entails, and trying to get his life back on track, what’s that track you ask? I don’t think he himself knows. There’s actually a lot of him fighting with his internal monologue and even trying to hypnotize himself at one point which was frankly hilarious. Benedict Cumberbatch shines here, which is a good thing since the whole thing is on his shoulders.
To tell you the truth there’s little enjoyment to be had in the first episode, there are some fun ridiculous moments and some great lines, as well as an amazing performance by Benedict Cumberbatch, but that can’t really be a surprise to anyone by now. There’s also a stellar cast, you can see Jennifer Jason Leigh (Atypical, The Hateful Eight), Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Rome), and Holliday Grainger (Bonnie & Clyde, The Borgias), among others.
But the whole first hour is mainly the titular character on a bender, and it’s honestly hard to watch, of course, this takes nothing away from the quality of the show, this is precisely why it is so hard to watch. But the hope is that this is rock bottom, and it is absolutely necessary for us to understand the deepness of his trauma, the complexity of “getting his life back on track” once again, for us to fully root for him to get better.
I’m sure this will not be a show for everyone, there’s nothing rewarding about watching the first episode and some people are not looking to give something a shot without enjoying it from the beginning, but if you’re like me and you love good writing and acting, and you are in love with Benedict Cumberbatch (okay, you only have to like him), you will give Patrick Melrose a chance to win you over and take you with him on his journey to recovery.
"What’s the point of a fucking window if you can’t jump out of it?"
Patrick Melrose premieres Saturday, May 12th on Showtime at 9 PM ET/PT Are you excited about this one? Let me know in the comments.
