The Patient

Steve Carell. Let's talk about Steve Carell for a minute. Full confession, I never watched "The Office." Well, I watched the first season of the original Ricky Gervais one but never went further. I did catch a few episodes of Carell in his version of "The Office" - a role from which I thought he would never really escape from or grow beyond (he did this from 2005-2013). Thankful I was wrong. 2014, the year after his stint at "The Office" ended, Carell did "Foxcatcher;" a memorizing film with Carell delivering a performance to match. "Foxcatcher" was a film, not just goofy comedy but something of art and Carell's performance was something for everyone to stand up and take notice of. Steve has kept making smart choices: "The Big Short," "Last Flag Flying," the heart retching "Beautiful Boy," "Vice," and Apple+'s TV show, "The Morning Show" (I loved this). So, this brings us to "The Patient," the new series streaming on Disney+. What's it all about? A serial killer, Sam (Domhnall Gleeson) wants to stop killing so he has chained his therapist, Dr. Alan Strauss (Steve Carell) to the floor in his basement to work through his issues. I was riveted.

The show dives deep into the Jewish psyche. I was raised in a secular household with Christian grandparents, so Christmas and everything that goes along with that has been on my religious field. Judaism, not so much. But I know enough to believe this show would be even more profound for my Jewish friends. There is a meditation here on death and guilt and there is powerful imagery of the Holocaust in dream sequences. It's also about family, Sam's relationship with his parents and ex-wife, and Alan's broken relationship with his son Ezra. Steve Carell has given one of his best performances on top all the smart ones he has given since leaving "The Office." Check into therapy and catch this new show on Disney+.