S01.E05: Pastitsio

[Guest]

Quote

Sam reaches out to a woman from his past; trials loom for Dr. Strauss, Sam and Elias.

Release Date: September 20, 2022

[SunnyBeBe]

OMG!  This is really sick stuff.  I doubt the doctor will ever be able to practice again, if he survives.  I think Sam’s mom is going to have to kill him.  

Edited September 20, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[gesundheit]

I have got to stop watching this show first thing in the morning!

Anyway, I did think this episode was somewhat predictable -- the second it was Elias (and not Alan) who pitched an escape plan, I assumed it would get him killed. I feel like the show wants to be careful with Alan's status and his having an idea that got someone killed would be too risky, so it was Elias's own idea that did it. 

I was surprised Candace actually did come down to intervene the first time Alan called for her. I suppose maybe Sam's never done it in her own home before?

[Maire]

I know it’s terrible but I hate his mother the most.

[chuckity]

So Sam and Mary adopted a kid from Bangladesh - and Mary doesn't tell him/her they're divorced?

Something is weird.

Actually a lot is weird and I'm sad to say this episode made me lose interest. 

[SoWindsor]

2 hours ago, chuckity said:

So Sam and Mary adopted a kid from Bangladesh - and Mary doesn't tell him/her they're divorced?

Something is weird.

Actually a lot is weird and I'm sad to say this episode made me lose interest. 

What made you lose interest?

[Soobs]

8 hours ago, gesundheit said:

I have got to stop watching this show first thing in the morning!

I watch it before bed and that's not good either! I might be done with this show. It's an interesting concept but it's also such an unrelenting bummer. It's not that I'm looking for comic relief but there's no light at all. Even if Steve Carrell lives (and I think he will) he's so damaged by this terrible experience. It's just sad all the way around.

I quit watching Severance after a few episodes for the same types of reasons.

I thought the "adopted" children was through one of those charities where you write letters and fund their educations and they stay in their country, not an actual adoption. Like the charity Sally Struthers advertised for in the 80's and 90's.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Soobs

[SunnyBeBe]

I think the adoption is that kind of things as well…you pay monthly and get reports on the child’s progress. They aren’t actually your children.  
 

The doctor must suffer from PTST. I can’t imagine he will ever be able to escape those memories.  I wonder if he will refuse further treatment and tell Sam he’s done….he won’t cooperate.  That will put Sam in a dilemma. He only kills people who have done something terrible. So, if the doctor hasn’t…he can’t kill him.  Just keep him.  
 

The mom is horrible, but I wonder f she will release the doctor or kill the son.  
 

Im still wondering if the doctor has been missed.  😔

[SHD]

This show would make a great stage play. 

That synagogue service flashback freaked me out - they de-aged Carell to where he was Michael Scott!

[HelloooKitty]

100% the “adoption” is sponsoring a child internationally. They did one together (whom Sam asked about) and then she sponsored a second after the divorce. 

[sadie]

I’m starting to think the flashbacks to his wife are finally going to clue him in that he needs to work on the Mom, NOT Sam. He will realize he should have addressed his wife’s behavior and stop being angry at his son. Trying to “fix” Sam is never goi g to work. But getting the mom to wake up and help him is the only way out. I don’t know how she can continue to protect her son knowing innocent people are dying at his hands. 

[monakane]

On 9/20/2022 at 12:43 PM, Maire said:

I know it’s terrible but I hate his mother the most.

Me too.  She was listening to Elias getting murdered and did nothing.  I suspect she has a large part to play in Sam's issues.

[BetyBee]

This episode was so disturbing! Feeling bad for Alan having to see that and probably feeling somewhat at fault. The ex-wife seems like a nice person who is clueless about Sam's true self. It made me think of Ann Rule's "The Stranger Beside Me". In fact, when the truth comes out, Sam's co-workers will be shocked and all "He seemed like such a nice, quiet guy." I do think Sam has made a mistake by bringing his extracurricular "work" home. 

[EdnasEdibles]

The ex-wife seems stunted and off somewhat? I know that's rude to say in the little bit that we met her but to refer a sponsored child charity as an "adoption" is bizarre and vastly overstating what your relationship is. You are sending like $50/month to a charity and that is hardly on par with adopting a child. I mean, sure she seems kind but I'm dying to know why that marriage ended and which one of them ended it? Did she want actual kids and he did not? What was the deal there?

But the mom is insane. I'm sorry there's no way that she's normal. I brought this up in last week's post but on another page I saw someone point out that the weapon the mom brings to the basement the first time we meet her is a fireplace poker. What does a poker do? Fans the flames. Keeps the fire going. Sure it might be looking into it too much but why not a knife from the kitchen? Or a crowbar? 

But she now is aware that he has both a doctor (that she seems to have recommended?) and a potential victim in her basement and is still like "Yes, this is fine. It will end well" -- and didn't come downstairs for the screaming. I am a mom of two boys and I'm sorry but no, they'd be in jail or in an institution and I'd use my strong sense of maternal love to get them in a good institution or find a lawyer that could make sure they go to a decent jail?

Sam honestly doesn't seem like he wants to change. He will do the path of least resistance kind of things - like going to see the ex-wife but the whole time he cops an attitude like "I'm doing it! It won't help but I'm doing it!" and then comes back and is like "Yeah, that didn't help." There's no effort. He acts like therapy is a magic trick where Alan can go "Poof! You're cured" without having to do any work. 

[Faceplant]

4 hours ago, monakane said:

Me too.  She was listening to Elias getting murdered and did nothing.  I suspect she has a large part to play in Sam's issues.

She did let her son get abused and it doesn't sound like she did anything to help, so she's not exactly mother of the year material. Maybe she feels guilty that she allowed the abuse to occur and that's why she doesn't turn her son into the police or stop his serial killer thing.

I enjoyed the flashback of Ezra and his mom at synagogue. It showed how their relationship once was and why she was probably so bothered by his rejection of their faith. She definitely should have gotten over it or moved on to acceptance once he was married and had children, but it did provide some more backstory.

[Lone Wolf]

I think we all knew that when Elias was brought out of his room, he wasn't going to go back in alive.

Benjamin Franklin said, "Three people can keep a secret if two them are dead."  We have three people who know that Sam is a serial killer, and given that Sam's mom seems to be ineffective I think Alan's only chance of survival may be to take Ben's advice.

I really like Carell in this - he seems to hit it out of the park in everything I've seen him in, comedy or otherwise.  I remember when he was a "correspondent" on The Daily Show and it's interesting to see how far his star's risen.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Lone Wolf

[Cinnabon]

I also found the ex wife to be creepy. 

[BeckyThatcher]

I keep imagining Sam, in Chicago for a Chesney concert, heading over to “The Bear” for a sandwich. It does not go well.

[Milburn Stone]

19 hours ago, EdnasEdibles said:

Sam honestly doesn't seem like he wants to change. He will do the path of least resistance kind of things - like going to see the ex-wife but the whole time he cops an attitude like "I'm doing it! It won't help but I'm doing it!" and then comes back and is like "Yeah, that didn't help."

My take on his behavior with the ex-wife was a little different. He seemed totally locked up within himself the whole time, struggling to get out so as to relate to her in some way, but unable to. I don't think he went into it resolved that it wouldn't work. The scene showed him to be just as much a prisoner as Alan is.

[Lone Wolf]

13 hours ago, BeckyThatcher said:

I keep imagining Sam, in Chicago for a Chesney concert, heading over to “The Bear” for a sandwich. It does not go well.

Lip wouldn't put up with Sam's crap for a second.  Plus he has the rest of the crew to back him up.

Off topic, but I read that they have a Season 2 green lit.

[chaifan]

17 hours ago, Lone Wolf said:

Off topic, but I read that they have a Season 2 green lit.

While this is a really good show, the idea of a second season scares me.  Does that mean Alan will never get out of the basement?  Or does he survive & escape this ordeal, just to have another bat shit crazy patient kidnap him again in Season 2?  I want Alan to survive this somehow and get on a path to a normal, healthy life.  If there's a Season 2, there's no way that is happening.  🙁

[Lone Wolf]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

While this is a really good show, the idea of a second season scares me.  Does that mean Alan will never get out of the basement?  Or does he survive & escape this ordeal, just to have another bat shit crazy patient kidnap him again in Season 2?  I want Alan to survive this somehow and get on a path to a normal, healthy life.  If there's a Season 2, there's no way that is happening.  🙁

No, I meant "The Bear" has been greenlit.

Sorry for the ambiguity - that'll teach me to wander off topic.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Lone Wolf

[chaifan]

31 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

No, I meant "The Bear" has been greenlit.

Sorry for the ambiguity - that'll teach me to wander off topic.

Oh, thank goodness!  Again, I love The Patient, but really want this to be a "limited series", just one season, and then done. 

I have no idea what The Bear is, so that probably contributed to my confusion. 

[pasdetrois]

Playing in the back of my mind as I watch - the doctor is wearing the same clothes (including underwear) day after day. Elias could only sit in one place as he awaited his fate, hands tied, not even the freedom to use the "facilities" that were provided to the doc.

Also, has Sam brought all of the wallets' owners back to his mother's home, murdered, and disposed of them? Assuming she has been aware of this violence, perhaps she crazily thought that the doc's presence would hold off further violence. Well, the ball's back in her court to do something.

The performances are good, but I'm not completely engaged. I think it's the weekly episode pacing vs. a movie.

[SassyCat]

1 hour ago, pasdetrois said:

Playing in the back of my mind as I watch - the doctor is wearing the same clothes (including underwear) day after day. Elias could only sit in one place as he awaited his fate, hands tied, not even the freedom to use the "facilities" that were provided to the doc.

Yes, that is something I constantly think about too. Also the fact that this Health inspector who does not wash his hands after using the bathroom is himself a huge hypocrite while giving demerits to others for not following cleanliness rules of society. Maybe Alan should bring up this little fact to Sam. Sam seems to think hypocrisy is a death warrant when he encounters it in others. 
I think Sams never ending flow stream of urine when he gets home is because he has some kind of aversion to using bathrooms that are outside of his home base.

[SassyCat]

On 9/22/2022 at 6:30 AM, BeckyThatcher said:

I keep imagining Sam, in Chicago for a Chesney concert, heading over to “The Bear” for a sandwich. It does not go well.

Great show! I am glad to near there will be a second season.

[Ss55]

The only possible way mom can redeem herself is to kill her son and free Alan. 

[Lone Wolf]

On 9/26/2022 at 1:54 PM, Ss55 said:

The only possible way mom can redeem herself is to kill her son and free Alan. 

Morally yes, but she'd still be an Accessory.  And I think she'd have a long way to go to get to that point - in the most recent episode she was nagging him about killing Elias like it was nothing more than tracking mud through the house.

Just in case we're Spoilering,

Spoiler

Alan putting the note down Elias's throat was a stroke of genius and looked like it was spur-of-the-moment.

  I think I caught Alan's name, but I couldn't tell what else it said, however.

Edited September 28, 2022 by Lone Wolf

[Cinnabon]

On 9/26/2022 at 4:54 PM, Ss55 said:

The only possible way mom can redeem herself is to kill her son and free Alan. 

Or turn both her son and herself in . . . More death isn’t the answer imo.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 9/24/2022 at 1:36 PM, SassyCat said:

Yes, that is something I constantly think about too. Also the fact that this Health inspector who does not wash his hands after using the bathroom is himself a huge hypocrite while giving demerits to others for not following cleanliness rules of society. Maybe Alan should bring up this little fact to Sam. Sam seems to think hypocrisy is a death warrant when he encounters it in others. 
I think Sams never ending flow stream of urine when he gets home is because he has some kind of aversion to using bathrooms that are outside of his home base.

Or, maybe he has Diabetes.  (Type I.) With this condition, you drink a lot and urinate a lot too. If so, he could get very sick (diabetic ketoacidosis) and end up in the hospital.  That would keep him away several days….in that period maybe the mom could release Alan.  Wishful thinking I guess.  

[Roxie]

On 9/24/2022 at 11:33 AM, pasdetrois said:

Playing in the back of my mind as I watch - the doctor is wearing the same clothes (including underwear) day after day. Elias could only sit in one place as he awaited his fate, hands tied, not even the freedom to use the "facilities" that were provided to the doc.

I’m with you - and I’m also wondering why Alan’s hair and beard are the same length as when he was kidnapped. Or has he been there only a few days?

[SunnyBeBe]

I was gauging time by how much smaller the foot cream tube was getting.  App,ied once a day…..maybe a month.  

[raven]

On 9/21/2022 at 6:10 PM, Faceplant said:

I enjoyed the flashback of Ezra and his mom at synagogue. It showed how their relationship once was and why she was probably so bothered by his rejection of their faith. She definitely should have gotten over it or moved on to acceptance once he was married and had children, but it did provide some more backstory.

That was super cute but I can't help but dislike her.  Even Alan says she "couldn't accept differences" or some such.  Singing at Ezra's wedding - when he was so clearly horrified but didn't want to make a scene - throwing the cake against the wall (anger much?) and serving ice cream in front of children you know can't have it (mean).  I've watched the first 5 episodes and am trying to connect these memories with Alan's current situation.   It could be that Alan is remembering when he should have stepped in and didn't.   He is clearly getting desperate (who wouldn't) and I think he knew that bringing Elias out was a bad idea.  Let's face it, we knew Elias was doomed either way.    

Sam will say anything to justify his actions and we have to look at him as an unreliable narrator.  Maybe his father abused him, maybe he didn't.  Maybe his mother did or he is abusing her.   I was very surprised that the ex-wife, who did seem odd, is alive; I was assuming he either made her up or killed her.   Maybe the oddness was the actress playing her as not wanting to really be around Sam.   I laughed at them getting the recliner in the truck, though.  Sam married her, probably looking for normality but he's not capable of that and realized if he murdered her it would all come crashing down.   

The acting is really good - Carrell of course but the actor playing Sam *shudder*.  He looks so cold when he talks about bashing in the little kids' heads.  He went totally dead in the eyes.  It was interesting to see him at work in a normal situation.  

I also wonder about how much time - Elias could only have been a day or two.   I don't think Alan has been there much more than a week, maybe 10 days?  I assume people are looking for him and that there were obvious signs of abduction at his home.  

On 9/24/2022 at 1:36 PM, SassyCat said:

I think Sams never ending flow stream of urine when he gets home is because he has some kind of aversion to using bathrooms that are outside of his home base.

I thought of this as well plus he's always finishing a huge cup of coffee.   I also thought it was possibly another form of dominance over Alan.  Sam brings what he (Sam) wants to eat and they eat when Sam wants to; Sam can use the bathroom; Alan has to pee into plastic.  Etc.  Just another way to dehumanize Alan; Alan isn't a person, he's there for Sam's use.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 9/20/2022 at 2:57 PM, chuckity said:

So Sam and Mary adopted a kid from Bangladesh - and Mary doesn't tell him/her they're divorced?

It seems more like they are sponsoring a kid in Bangladesh whom neither of them have ever seen in person.  And now she is sponsoring a 2nd child.

On 9/20/2022 at 6:30 PM, Soobs said:

I thought the "adopted" children was through one of those charities where you write letters and fund their educations and they stay in their country, not an actual adoption. Like the charity Sally Struthers advertised for in the 80's and 90's.

On 9/20/2022 at 6:47 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I think the adoption is that kind of things as well…you pay monthly and get reports on the child’s progress. They aren’t actually your children.  

On 9/21/2022 at 3:19 AM, HelloooKitty said:

100% the “adoption” is sponsoring a child internationally. They did one together (whom Sam asked about) and then she sponsored a second after the divorce. 

On 9/21/2022 at 4:24 PM, EdnasEdibles said:

The ex-wife seems stunted and off somewhat? I know that's rude to say in the little bit that we met her but to refer a sponsored child charity as an "adoption" is bizarre and vastly overstating what your relationship is. You are sending like $50/month to a charity and that is hardly on par with adopting a child.

Yes.  I think it's meant to be pathetic that she talks about them as though she's actually raising them. She apparently doesn't have much of a life.

On 9/21/2022 at 6:10 PM, Faceplant said:

I enjoyed the flashback of Ezra and his mom at synagogue. It showed how their relationship once was and why she was probably so bothered by his rejection of their faith.

I don't see it as a rejection of their faith.  She made him love Judaism.  He just wanted a version that would encompass his daily life, not just once a week on (probably) Friday night.  But she can't see that.

On 9/24/2022 at 11:33 AM, pasdetrois said:

Playing in the back of my mind as I watch - the doctor is wearing the same clothes (including underwear) day after day. Elias could only sit in one place as he awaited his fate, hands tied, not even the freedom to use the "facilities" that were provided to the doc.

I have the same exact thoughts.  And the anti-fungal cream that Alan is putting on his feet every night isn't going to do much for him when he is wearing the same socks, and even his shoes! all the time, even when he sleeps.  He must smell really ripe by now.

On 10/15/2022 at 5:48 PM, Roxie said:

I’m with you - and I’m also wondering why Alan’s hair and beard are the same length as when he was kidnapped. Or has he been there only a few days?

His beard seemed longer, but not his hair.

[Anela]

Damn, I wasn't expecting him to actually do it. At least like that. I was enjoying this, up until now.