The Patient Episode 4, Recap & Ending, Explained: The Patient is at an extremely crucial juncture. Billed as a psychological thriller with a sociopathic twist, the show is yet to live up to it. It has progressed chiefly as a drama and character study with almost no sense of anticipation. Frequent buildups at the start of the episodes haven’t resulted in anything tangible in terms of story development. It is almost as if the creators and those directing the episodes are delaying any violence until the very last episodes. This shelving of the very reason many tuned in to watch the show might not bode too well for The Patient in the future. Here is the recap for episode 4, “Company,” and the explanation of its ending.
The Patient Episode 4 Recap
Alan tries to move beyond the horror of seeing the captive man last night. He tremors with anticipation of what might happen to Elias Petraki. In between his panic, he also recollects his conversations with Sam. What stands out in those flashbacks is how calm, collected, and idyllic the serial killer looked. They talked about how he and his ex-wife used to go to Kenny Chesney concerts. Those were the best moments they spent together. “No Shoes Nation,” what they called their fanbase community. Sam has frequented almost 27 of those, paling in comparison to his friend Shane’s 70 visits. He casually calls the community “a peaceful lifestyle and makes you feel loved.”
Sam looks distressed as he walks up to Alan later that day. He still cannot shrug off his intense feelings to kill Elias and has come to the therapist on his insistence to talk to him whenever Sam has violent feelings. He also reveals he has never stopped before in the middle of doing it, which Alan commends. To make him feel better, he says this shows Sam’s ability to restrain himself and better control his emotions. Alan smartly asks Sam to focus his energies on something else by creating a diversion; work. Although Sam resists as he says the colleagues there like him and won’t like seeing him in this state, Alan convinces him. In an extremely deft manner, he reasons that Sam not showing up at work just when a person has gone missing will not look nice to him. For the time being, Elias is safe, and Sam leaves for work. Only time will tell if it works.
Elias starts talking to Alan, who reveals his own condition. He calls Sam a “lunatic,” clearly showing that all he wants to do is get out of this situation. Alan is feigning interest in helping Sam out. It is not unprofessional in the least bit; just his instincts are telling him to survive. Seeing Sam at work does prove him right; colleagues very well like him, who call him “Mr. Efficient.” Gertrude, who owns a Burrito Hut, is revealed to have written an extremely endearing letter to Kyle, Sam’s supervisor, about his swift and commendable work on getting him his permit. Kyle even read it out, bringing a smile to Sam’s face. It looks like coming to work and listening to his colleagues has worked well for him.
Related Article:
The 15 Best Hulu Original Films, Ranked
Alan and Elias keep talking through the door. The latter reveals he is scared and cries inconsolably, thinking about his parents. Because of being blindfolded, Elias cannot see anything, and Alan describes the surroundings to him. Alan says he cannot knock Sam down but comforts Elias by saying the police must be looking for them by now. The therapist believes that at least his daughter, Shoshana, will call the police, if not his son, Ezra. Alan’s flashbacks and some more confessions reveal that Alan’s wife, Ezra, and Beth didn’t get along well when Ezra converted to Orthodox. Elias reveals his mother also had cancer when Alan mentions Beth. Candace interrupts them, saying Sam is on the phone.
“This is not helping,” quips the food inspector. Alan’s plan once again fails. It beckons a question: can Sam get better? How does anyone help him when he himself cannot act on expert advice? What needs to be done here? Maybe Alan realizes that and hence has somewhat given up on him, especially after Elias, and tries to keep him at bay. Sam will return home after completing the work day, and Alan has no idea how he will react. Elias reveals how he made one of the dishes Alan liked from the last episode, Pastitsio, after coming back from Asia. He asks Alan to deliver a message to his parents if indeed he is killed. As he dictates the message, Alan, too, breaks down.
The Patient Episode 4 Ending Explained:
He has a flashback of a family lunch, including Ezra’s kids, where Beth served pastries to Shoshana’s kids but plain food to Ezra’s, because of the orthodoxy. Things like that drove them apart. It is evening, and Sam is back. Alan asks Elias to keep quiet. Sam brings a noise machine and places it inside the door room where Elias is kept. He does it to keep them from talking, perhaps. Sam again sings the same song; this is not working. Alan again tries to make him believe that he is getting better. As another form of distraction, Alan asks Sam to go to his ex-wife’s house. This sudden emotional shock might shift him into another state where he can forget about Elias for a bit. In a tense moment, Alan asks Sam to turn off the noise machine, and just when it looks like Sam would murder Elias in front of Alan, he complies.
After Sam leaves, Alan sings John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and Elias joins in. It is a moment of comfort for both of them as they keep other company. They both exchange names before the screen cuts to black. We hadn’t seen Alan too emotional up to this episode, but after bringing Elias to the house, Alan has changed. This is normal that he feels closer to and is habitual of. It is for the first time that the therapist reveals how he might have given up on his patient, as the patient has on himself. The ending rewarded the human spirit for enduring the most ardent of situations and uphill battles. There is always a glimmer of hope that we manage to find in each other in times like these.
