The patient shows the intimacy of a therapy and a very interesting aspect of Steve Carell

As a New Year’s gift, Netflix has decided to upload the full nine seasons of The Office, the sitcom to which it is dedicated Steve Carell as a great comedian, beyond other film or television successes. And, thanks to the endless supply of streameven these days you can see the other side of this actor who knows how to immerse himself in compositions.

From 21 December Star + has available all ten episodes of The patienta psychological drama in which he is seen at the antipodes of the indisputable manager Michael Scott. Dr. Alan Strauss is the opposite: and allows Carell to use other types of tools.

See him as an analyst facing his most dangerous patient It is a delight for the beholder. But it’s not enough for the series created by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg to achieve the label of excellent. The story lacks, at times, an excessive theatrical climate placed on the small screen (and even smaller, if you decide to see it on a tablet or mobile phone), framed in the darkness of confessions.

And in those individual encounters worthy of a patient/therapist discourse, which in this case delves into extremely delicate issues and in inhumane conditionsThis time a lot of patience is required on the part of the viewer, as if to do some honor to the title. from time to time, well-created tension becomes a somewhat oppressive density.

The storyline introduces the prestigious Dr. Alan Strauss, who He has just become a widower and tries to resist the pain by throwing himself completely into his work. One day she receives a message from someone asking for a session. So far, nothing new for your practice.

Only one day, shortly after treating him to help with his trauma, he wakes up in someone else’s bed, in an isolated house, tied to a chain from which he won’t be able to free himself. That’s how your patient set it up. And, as soon as the new mode is started, the “kidnapper” not only whitens his real name (Sam Fortner), but also he is also assumed to be a serial killer.

From there, and with comings and goings through time to understand each person’s past, The patient builds a strange hostage relationship, both literally and conceptually. Sam wants Strauss to control his homicidal instincts, while the doctor begins to warn of the risk of becoming a victim.

throughout all episodes it seems that the therapist’s experience is sufficient to handle this situation, and more when a third person enters the picture. But the narrative swing, which leads them to experience a role-playing game between victim and perpetrator, it is underpinned by good suspense management.

Another of the pillars of this production that arrived in Argentina on December 21st is the acting duel between Steve Carell and the Irishman Domhnall Gleesonas a sober, subtle and busy analyst on the one hand, and a deranged soul on the other.

Although the episodes are short (ranging between 21 and 24 minutes, except for the last one, which exceeds 40), what ends up slowing down the development is stage stillnesswith both in the same room, facing their own ghosts, and with the restraint of Alan’s chain, which allows him to move but not go.

This limitation also represents Dr. Strauss’ inability to advance in the mental maze that the series poses.

File

Qualification: Good

Drama protagonists: Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson Creation: Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg Direction: Chris Long and Kevin Bray Problem: Ten episodes on Star+.