After Sam kidnaps Dr. Strauss and reveals the truth about his condition, both their fates hang in the balance. On one hand, we have a serial killer who wants to reform himself. On the other hand, we have a mourning psychotherapist who just wants to be free.
The patient focuses more on the first question while the second one takes a back seat. In fact, the most prominent question asked by the viewers is, ‘Will Dr. Alan Strauss be able to help Sam?’
Dr. Strauss will try to gain Sam’s trust before making any progress on his condition. So, nothing is confirmed yet, and whether Sam’s condition will be cured or treated remains unknown.
Here’s a quick recap of everything that took place in Episodes 1 and 2. When Sam goes to Dr. Alan Strauss, he first lies about everything right from his name. As you know, he calls himself Gene, talks about childhood trauma, and more.
However, Alan is a seasoned psychotherapist, and it doesn’t take him much time to figure out that Sam’s been lying about things. So he says that his problem won’t be solved unless Sam tells him the truth.
The next thing he knows, Alan is in a basement, tied to a bed, and Sam reveals everything. He begins to describe who he is and tells the doctor that he is the John Doe Killer the cops have been looking for.
However, he doesn’t want to give in to his urges to kill people and commit homicide. So, Alan has to treat Sam’s condition to get out of captivity.
The entire show surrounds this premise, and we see the usual character arcs. Sam at first begs to be freed and then tries to escape. Needless to say, the attempt fails, and to make matters worse, Sam finds out.
Although Sam has nowhere to go for help, he doesn’t trust the doctor anymore. From here on, the two would have to work their way through their relationship first and then on his condition.
So, will Alan be able to help Sam? There are numerous factors coming in the way. Alan needs to be in the soundest state to be able to help his patients and keep other things aside. However, here, he faces a conflict of interest because his patient could potentially kill him.
But besides this, there are more problems. More often than not, therapy doesn’t cure conditions but finds a way to alleviate and mitigate them to a point where the emotions and state of mind involved are in the typical spectrum of human behavior, whatever typical means.
These two factors act as barriers to Sam’s condition being treated. Although we don’t know if Alan will be able to help Sam fully or not, we sure do know that their relationship will get relatively healthier as we progress in the story.
In Episode 3, there’s a certain amount of trust rebuilt, but it also comes at a cost. So, I guess we just have to wait and find out what will happen between Sam and Dr. Strauss.
About The Patient
The Patient is an American psychological thriller limited series created by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for FX on Hulu. Premiering on August 30, 2022, the series consists of ten episodes.
Therapist Dr. Strauss is kidnapped and imprisoned by his patient Sam who needs him to find a therapeutical solution to help him stop his homicidal tendencies.
The mini-series stars Domhnall Gleeson, Steve Carell, Linda Emond, Andrew Leeds, Laura Niemi, and David Alan Grier. The thriller series streams on Hulu, with weekly episodes on Tuesday.
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