Patrick Melrose

A great TV series from the world of the young, promising and rich who are on top of that under the influence of drugs, booze and a despotic father who takes whatever he wants. A harsh reflection of a certain sort of people and a certain period, ruled by Benedict Cumberbatch and his almost demonic way of acting. It’s a pity it was bit too long for the 5-star rating. The story could be easily reduced to a length of a normal movie. It is still a very good dramatic piece with a strong storyline, but it is a bit lacking in the finale. (22/06/2018)

Each episode is different, interesting and inspiring in its own way. The first mainly stylistically, the second for its disturbing concentration of hopelessness and disjointed innocence, the rest as a blackly humorous and ironic portrait of a narcissistic social elite where the important values of life are blurred in a whirlwind of stiff parties and self-centred family attitudes. All this accompanied by a psychologically refined portrait of the title character, who’s an asshole and knows it, but how else to survive in this world, how else to maintain one’s own hated identity? I almost regret that it was so short and time-skipping, because the material for knowingly immoral smirks and the deepening of Patrick's relationship with his repulsive world was more than solidly set up. On the other hand, it’s better to stop when you’re on top, and I wish Edward Berger some proper feature-length flicks, because his great direction clearly pushes Patrick Melrose into the company of the most interesting TV series of the last few years – alongside, of course, the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, who downright entertains with every line, and Hugo Weaving, who confirms his innate mastery of the bad guy even in a small space. Great. (26/06/2018)

The whole miniseries is permeated by the relentless idea of the terrifying impact a messed-up childhood can have on a person's life when parents are unable to give their offspring much-needed love. Benedict Cumberbatch hasn't really impressed me in the film world yet, but after his tasteful turn as Patrick Melrose, I have to admit that I finally acquired a taste for him. To tell you the truth, I can't imagine who could play such a psychologically traumatized individual better. I would also like to highlight the excellent camera work, the fantastic soundtrack enhancing the atmosphere, and the amazing makeup for the aging actors, which adds even more to the gloomy mood of the already quite melancholic story. All of this is spiced up with biting sarcasm. I'd like to have at least a double helping of this depressing serial treat. (22/07/2020)

I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I was baffled a little by the first episode because I laughed unexpectedly often, which I wouldn’t expect of a drama, but the following episodes did the genre justice. The show is an excellent drama with a suffocating atmosphere, snobbish manners and great acting performances (Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, J.J. Leigh, Holliday Grainger) that I really enjoyed. I wish there were more shows like this one. (08/08/2018)

With each passing episode, it becomes more and more palpable how Patrick Melrose is waiting for a cliché to set him free, but it either doesn't come at all or is so briskly deflected by his cynicism that it can never come back. The entire series is essentially a last-minute dodge from whatever cliché the subject matter offers, and it becomes increasingly frustrating as it does so. It eventually becomes ever clearer that Patrick's life will never land anywhere with a simple plot twist and realization, but will require of him a long, arduous journey of humility and self-reflection without ever losing himself – an arrogant bourgeois punk who has all the answers and the world revolves around him. "Of course, the other danger is that without bitterness, spite, sarcasm, snobbery, and self-loathing, there might be nothing left." Along with a lot of ruthless and apt commentary on the decay of the bourgeoisie, this is one of the best articulated works dealing with individual disconnection and the desperate attempt to find substitutes for all that is lacking, offering almost no redemption in the realization of one's own selfishness. All of this wouldn't work on its own without truly first-rate source material (to be published in English by Argo), which is converted into an episode of the series a book at a time. The fact that this compression is not obvious in the script at all is a really respectable calling card for screenwriter David Nicholls. Last but not least (I'd like to salute the audience in the last row!! hahahaha!!!!), it's worth mentioning that none of this would have worked so well if the cast of the entire troubled Melrose family hadn't given the performances of a lifetime. In other words, that Cumberbatch and Weaving are on another level entirely is no surprise, but Jennifer Jason Leigh's recent second wave (Good Time, The Hateful Eight) is truly spectacular. (02/07/2019)