The Patient: Alan Learns to Meditate - A Rocket Pocket - Personal Opinion

Each episode on this series is twenty three minutes long, I think that's a great approach compare to other TV shows because if you somehow manage to get 100% of someone's attention for that amount of time they you did a great job with the script and there is no reason why they wont keep watching the series, instead of spending more resource like time and money better just focus on that short amount of time, its like having a good expresso than a large cup mediocre coffee when all you want is to wake up. There is another factor that comes up on this episode, now that everyone knows what's what, Alan knows he is captive and Sam that he is control there is a sense of dark humor that comes up on both sides and I couldn't stop laughing at some one else pain, that's inevitable.

On episode two of The Patient Alan is still in disbelieve of the situation that he is in, he denies to start therapy with Sam while Sam just keeps almost begging with good deeds like bringing food everyday, stablish conversation, coming up with more revealing truth that he is a real serial killer and for what I can tell he is the author of more than one serial killer, I mean more than one serial killer because he is known for individual victims and victims under a patter like the John Doe killer. I mention there is dark humor on this episode as the cover of this post shows where Sam brings a box and put it on his lap while Alan is thinking GOOD LORD!!! who is on that box, but Sam answers back "Don't worry its not a head" I couldn't stop laughing to then Alan answer "Oh that's a relief", we will probably see more of this during the rest of the episodes.

But at a point in the episode Alan finally realize he has no other option, he is a well known therapist and now he is playing chess, he will have to figure out a way probably not to cure Alan from his twisted reality where he is God and can kill anyone that goes against his believes but figure out the way how either he can brake him or manipulate him so he can get out of his captivity alive. As Alan keeps having flashbacks of his wife, he remembers how he was trying to learn to meditate and in his current situation would help a lot.

Hunger is something that nobody can avoid, yes people can stay without eating for sometime against their will but if you have the choice at some point everyone brakes down, under captivity that's the first sign of either two things survival or acceptance of where you are and the situation, when I saw Alan eating I thought ok he is going to take some action, his first decision was to open a lock with a plastic fork, really?? so smart to think he could pull that off and then the fork brakes so immediately realize that if Sam finds out he would be in trouble, this is the first time we see Alan analyzing what would be Sam reaction because until this point Sam was in full denial that he would have to interact with Sam.

Eventually Sam comes home and finds out about the fork, I really thought he would react with violence but he didn't, calmly just explain Alan how foolish was that and that he wont be able to escape by using a plastic fork, Sam has experience killing people so he might have already kidnap a few so this is not his first rodeo.

After Sam asking many times Alan to help him with therapy he finally accepts and decides to move on, here comes some dark humor again, Alan explain him in short words that he cant be violent during therapy and that they both need to feel safe and then says "I dont know what to do about that..." meaning he doesnt feel safe, MF Sam only smiles at first, this is they guy that kidnap Alan I told him "I know this is not normal but its ok"

Sam doesnt look like a violent guy so far, mostly looks broken, if I could take a guess his father was a very strict person that wouldnt cut corners and hate people who did and thought the same to Sam as kid but then as Sam mention he use to beat him down every time he wanted specially if he has memories of that room where they are so there could attachment to the house, probably not the best place for therapy since it can bring flashbacks of how his father hurt him many times.

So they keep therapy sessions and so far Alan is just listening, I can tell Alan is a very calm and probably naïve guy because so far I don't see any moves trying to manipulate Sam. Sam keeps talking about his work and how he had this episode with a restaurant manager who had a few violations to an inspection and the guy basically manipulate the system, cut corners to get his way and Sam hate him for that, he cant stop thinking about it, essentially he wants to teach the guy a lesson, Sam has dis obsession that things are either white or black and in his book if you don't do things right he ends up killing you. Sam has been "trying" to stop and that's tormenting him from the inside, somehow this time he manage so far not to kill the guy from the restaurant and now decided to seek or professional help of a therapist to stop feeling that way and stop ending up killing people, to make it worst as any other human in life he wants results in a matter of two sessions and start feeling its not helping, Sam is going to kill someone very soon, hope its not Alan.

Alan constantly heard someone walking while Sam was away so he figure out someone has to be upstairs, he kept asking until that someone came down, I guess is an old person as they went down with one of those metal things to move carbon while its on fire and was also walking slowly like he/she is afraid, Alan politely smile.

On this episode we see how the mind games begin, we still see Alan weak, no plan, no intentions to escape but to help Sam, I guess at some point that will stop because when Sam becomes violent, feels therapy is not helping and Alan wants to escape, how long it will take I don't know but for sure this series is a rocket pocket, its short but kept you glued to the screen in those 20 minutes of suspense.