Keegs Recommends: Patriot (TV)
What I’m going to do:
Today I’m going to write about the show Patriot. I’ll tell you right up front, I liked it a lot. Loved it even. I’d rank it as one of my top shows of the year, and likely one of my favorite shows of all time. I want to get this out of the way because my goal here is not to review Patriot. I hate reviews. I hate having someone tell me whether a show or movie was good or bad, and letting that affect my experience. Rather than write a 1000 word critique of technique, style, and story- I’d rather give you 500 words on why I liked it. I’d like to think of it as if you and I were at a bar and you were asking me if I’d seen any good shows. I have seen a good show recently. It’s called Patriot. It’s streamable on Amazon if you haven’t boycotted Bezos yet. Here’s why I liked it.
The shortest possible summary:
The creators of the show once joked that if you were trying to make an elevator pitch for this show, you’d need to be in an elevator in a skyscraper. To put it as simply as I can, Patriot is, one the surface, a spy show. Terry O’Quinn plays the Director of US Intelligence who recruits his son, played by Michael Dorman, to move a bag of money from point A to point B in Luxembourg. Dorman’s cover is an industrial engineer, which he looks about as suited to imitate as you or I would. Long story put very, very short- things do not go according to plan. Think of this show as a mix between Burn After Reading and In Bruges.
Why I loved it:
I love this show because it is written well, it features an astounding cast, and, most of all, it has heart. Cliche I know, but what impresses me the most about Patriot is that while it features dumpster fire after dumpster fire of bureaucracy meets spy work, it never leaves a bad taste in your mouth. While the show may suck you in with its “can’t look away from the car crash” grabs and gaffes, it keeps you with its themes of love, connection, and chance. Patriot is full of the coincidences that make life both painful, and beautiful. As Dorman’s cover falls apart, we get to see more than a trained professional struggling to keep his world together; we see a man who seeks connection, and friendship more than anything. I think that’s my favorite thing about Patriot- it leaves you in a continual state of worry over the fate of its protagonist, but maintains the layer of profound optimism that we, as humans, can form beautiful relationships through what we have in common; which, as its two seasons show, is always more than we think.
While Patriot features an unbelievable cast who flesh out their characters, despicable or detrimental as they may be to Dorman’s cause, with remarkable humanity. On top of the supporting roles, Dorman’s folk singing, tortured John Tavner is reminiscent of Colin Farrell’s hitman in the aforementioned In Bruges- and his performance alone is worth the watch. I could write pages and pages on how each, and every role lifts this show higher and higher; but that’s not the point of this blog.
Final thoughts:
The moments I took from this show are too many to count- whether it’s painfully seeing through Dorman’s signature line, “Pretty good.” or joyously marveling in an onscreen friendship that has blossomed in front of my eyes. The show’s brief two seasons will hit you hard with its contrast of dark humor and hopeful outlook, leaving an impression far after the final credits roll.
I appreciated this show very much as a quarantine-watch. I’m a 28 year old man who misses my friends, is still looking for a place in the world today, and doesn’t know what’s next. This show gave me hope that despite the current pitfalls, the future will be ok, life’s beautiful moments are there if you look for them, and there are still spectacular connections to come.
That’s pretty cool.
