By Nadia Ranaputri
Series Director: Edward Berger
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anna Madeley, Allison Williams.
Money, drugs, abuse. These are just a couple of the themes introduced in the five part series Patrick Melrose. Based on the novels by Edward St Aubyn, Patrick Melrose is a character study of its protagonist living the rich yet miserably hollow life. Harbored by the stunning performance by Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose begins with a doomed phone call that started it all.
The five part mini-series revolves around the life of drug-addict aristocrat Patrick (brilliantly portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch), whose life is turned upside down when he receives news of his father's passing, forcing him to face his traumatic past that he was never able to move on from. Even if draped in all the luxurious glory of the rich life, Patrick is nothing like the rest of them. Drowsed with drugs, abuse, and utter misery, the series explores Patrick's journey from a drug-addict loner to a family man whose life continuously spirals into ruin, and the traumatic childhood that would keep haunting him until adulthood.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns to the small screen as the drug-addict aristocrat Patrick Melrose, and he is spectacular in the role. Cumberbatch has cemented himself as one of the best actors of the generation, and his performance here hammers the nail even further. From his tantrums and comedic timing, Cumberbatch relishes himself in playing perhaps his most complex role yet, a drug addict with his heart buried under a locked coffin hundreds of feet beneath the ground; in other words, it's pretty hard to get him around showing that he actually has a heart (in the very first episode, at least). In the crowd, he's either drunk or really just trying to avoid other people altogether, save for some certain people in his life. Once he's behind closed doors, that's where his emotions are dialed up to eleven, with sudden bursts of anger and messy tantrum that brings the best out of Cumberbatch.
Patrick Melrose doesn't celebrate the lavishness of being a rich aristocrat, rather showing the hollowness of the life. Patrick, instead of indulging in social parties held in mansions, would either mock the rich socialites or pay close attention to the more sympathetic and darker side to them, like how he seems much more invested and sympathetic to a wife who had figured out her husband's affair rather than the party itself. Each episode is a character study of its protagonist, unraveling each and every one of his vital developments as well as his past. Patrick's life isn't all about money and drugs, there's something a lot deeper going on within him. You might think at first glance on the opening episode that Patrick was just a rich drug addict with sly humor, but then you see a scene where he visits his dead father in a morgue or the drug-inducing sequence in a multi-suite and you realize that there's an agonizing truth behind all the facade; complete with Melrose's childhood trauma that really hits the spot on an equally agonizing level (Hugo Weaving and Jennifer Jason Leigh are simply superb here).
Patrick Melrose is a catastrophically fascinating piece that explores the depths of addiction and trauma. There's more to Melrose that meets the eye, and the show is a character study of his struggle against addiction, which he finds as both his salvation and his doom. It is at times, so distraught to watch Melrose spiral into a mess, but yet you're enticed to his struggles and his way of overcoming grief. There's different tones that manages to tie together like a ribbon on each episode, such as its opening episode, Bad News being a comedic mess of drug-induced sequences that represent drugs as Patrick's salvation, his constant humor and tendency to mock being his way of overcoming grief, like how he mockingly retorts, "oh now you're going to make me sad too," directly at his dead father; then move to episodes that showcase Patrick's ruined family life, or its most wrecking episodes that displays Patrick's dark childhood. It has some great tone development in telling Patrick's story, showing how his drug addiction went from being his saving grace from his lavishly messed up life to the very thing that actually destroys him.
And the visuals are terrifically beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, drawing a fine line between the gorgeusness and the misery of living the rich life. The streets of New York are drawn in bright yet muted colors that highlight the city's lively bustle, while the multisuite that Patrick stays in remains bright even in the midst of his tantrum (a brilliant scene that captures Cumberbatch's ability to fully embrace Patrick's drug-induced madness). That was only the first episode, the rest continues this streak of brightly muted palette, showing that while the rest of the rich drown themselves in the high life, Patrick succumbs to the hollowness of it. Rather than embracing and fitting in to the world of the rich, he dismisses his place among it and is instead drawn to a much more hollow and miserable ground of it all.
While only having five episodes, Patrick Melrose knows how to narrow yet still flesh out Patrick's story as a well-rounded story without the rushed ending, which on the other hand, is a rather thought-provoking one. Each episode has its own complete story and finality whilst also enticing us to see what happens next. Nothing feels too rushed or too dragged. It feels rather like a complete show with an actual ending, which is more impressive when you consider that each episode is an adaptation of each of Edward St. Aubyn's Melrose novels. There's a sense of complete insight in Patrick's story, which is also harbored by Cumberbatch's stunning performance. It could take some time in unraveling Patrick's story altogether, but that is what keeps us tuned in for more, to see why Patrick is the way he is and his drug-filled life that is slowly spiralling into utter disaster. As catastrophic or overwhelming his situation could get, Patrick Melrose is an excellent show worthy of attention, and perhaps this is also Cumberbatch's best performance to date.
Overall verdict: Patrick Melrose brilliantly explores the depths of addiction and how addiction could be the ruin of a person's life. Patrick is a complex character with an agonizing childhood that transforms him into the drug-addicted aristrocrat that we are introduced to in the opening scene of the series. Cumberbatch is utterly superb in portraying the madness and emotional downpour of the protagonist, further cementing himself as one of the best actors of the generation. Weaving and Jason Leigh are also excellent in the series, though Weaving's character is an utter prick (even that is just an understatement of who he truly is). There might be a few loose ends that aren't tied together by the end of his story, but these are just minor problems, because for an adaptation of each of St Aubyn's novels, Patrick Melrose brilliantly weaves its story altogether and create a compelling journey of a man struggling with the very thing that becomes his doom: his addiction.
Stars: 4.2/5
Trailer
 |
| Image source: Digital Spy, Sky/Showtime |
Series Director: Edward Berger
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anna Madeley, Allison Williams.
Money, drugs, abuse. These are just a couple of the themes introduced in the five part series Patrick Melrose. Based on the novels by Edward St Aubyn, Patrick Melrose is a character study of its protagonist living the rich yet miserably hollow life. Harbored by the stunning performance by Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose begins with a doomed phone call that started it all.
The five part mini-series revolves around the life of drug-addict aristocrat Patrick (brilliantly portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch), whose life is turned upside down when he receives news of his father's passing, forcing him to face his traumatic past that he was never able to move on from. Even if draped in all the luxurious glory of the rich life, Patrick is nothing like the rest of them. Drowsed with drugs, abuse, and utter misery, the series explores Patrick's journey from a drug-addict loner to a family man whose life continuously spirals into ruin, and the traumatic childhood that would keep haunting him until adulthood.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns to the small screen as the drug-addict aristocrat Patrick Melrose, and he is spectacular in the role. Cumberbatch has cemented himself as one of the best actors of the generation, and his performance here hammers the nail even further. From his tantrums and comedic timing, Cumberbatch relishes himself in playing perhaps his most complex role yet, a drug addict with his heart buried under a locked coffin hundreds of feet beneath the ground; in other words, it's pretty hard to get him around showing that he actually has a heart (in the very first episode, at least). In the crowd, he's either drunk or really just trying to avoid other people altogether, save for some certain people in his life. Once he's behind closed doors, that's where his emotions are dialed up to eleven, with sudden bursts of anger and messy tantrum that brings the best out of Cumberbatch.
 |
| Image source: Express |
Patrick Melrose doesn't celebrate the lavishness of being a rich aristocrat, rather showing the hollowness of the life. Patrick, instead of indulging in social parties held in mansions, would either mock the rich socialites or pay close attention to the more sympathetic and darker side to them, like how he seems much more invested and sympathetic to a wife who had figured out her husband's affair rather than the party itself. Each episode is a character study of its protagonist, unraveling each and every one of his vital developments as well as his past. Patrick's life isn't all about money and drugs, there's something a lot deeper going on within him. You might think at first glance on the opening episode that Patrick was just a rich drug addict with sly humor, but then you see a scene where he visits his dead father in a morgue or the drug-inducing sequence in a multi-suite and you realize that there's an agonizing truth behind all the facade; complete with Melrose's childhood trauma that really hits the spot on an equally agonizing level (Hugo Weaving and Jennifer Jason Leigh are simply superb here).
Patrick Melrose is a catastrophically fascinating piece that explores the depths of addiction and trauma. There's more to Melrose that meets the eye, and the show is a character study of his struggle against addiction, which he finds as both his salvation and his doom. It is at times, so distraught to watch Melrose spiral into a mess, but yet you're enticed to his struggles and his way of overcoming grief. There's different tones that manages to tie together like a ribbon on each episode, such as its opening episode, Bad News being a comedic mess of drug-induced sequences that represent drugs as Patrick's salvation, his constant humor and tendency to mock being his way of overcoming grief, like how he mockingly retorts, "oh now you're going to make me sad too," directly at his dead father; then move to episodes that showcase Patrick's ruined family life, or its most wrecking episodes that displays Patrick's dark childhood. It has some great tone development in telling Patrick's story, showing how his drug addiction went from being his saving grace from his lavishly messed up life to the very thing that actually destroys him.
And the visuals are terrifically beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, drawing a fine line between the gorgeusness and the misery of living the rich life. The streets of New York are drawn in bright yet muted colors that highlight the city's lively bustle, while the multisuite that Patrick stays in remains bright even in the midst of his tantrum (a brilliant scene that captures Cumberbatch's ability to fully embrace Patrick's drug-induced madness). That was only the first episode, the rest continues this streak of brightly muted palette, showing that while the rest of the rich drown themselves in the high life, Patrick succumbs to the hollowness of it. Rather than embracing and fitting in to the world of the rich, he dismisses his place among it and is instead drawn to a much more hollow and miserable ground of it all.
While only having five episodes, Patrick Melrose knows how to narrow yet still flesh out Patrick's story as a well-rounded story without the rushed ending, which on the other hand, is a rather thought-provoking one. Each episode has its own complete story and finality whilst also enticing us to see what happens next. Nothing feels too rushed or too dragged. It feels rather like a complete show with an actual ending, which is more impressive when you consider that each episode is an adaptation of each of Edward St. Aubyn's Melrose novels. There's a sense of complete insight in Patrick's story, which is also harbored by Cumberbatch's stunning performance. It could take some time in unraveling Patrick's story altogether, but that is what keeps us tuned in for more, to see why Patrick is the way he is and his drug-filled life that is slowly spiralling into utter disaster. As catastrophic or overwhelming his situation could get, Patrick Melrose is an excellent show worthy of attention, and perhaps this is also Cumberbatch's best performance to date.
 |
| Image source: Radio Times |
Overall verdict: Patrick Melrose brilliantly explores the depths of addiction and how addiction could be the ruin of a person's life. Patrick is a complex character with an agonizing childhood that transforms him into the drug-addicted aristrocrat that we are introduced to in the opening scene of the series. Cumberbatch is utterly superb in portraying the madness and emotional downpour of the protagonist, further cementing himself as one of the best actors of the generation. Weaving and Jason Leigh are also excellent in the series, though Weaving's character is an utter prick (even that is just an understatement of who he truly is). There might be a few loose ends that aren't tied together by the end of his story, but these are just minor problems, because for an adaptation of each of St Aubyn's novels, Patrick Melrose brilliantly weaves its story altogether and create a compelling journey of a man struggling with the very thing that becomes his doom: his addiction.
Stars: 4.2/5
Trailer
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