Review of Patriot

Patriot (2015–2018)
10/10
Masterpiece
8 June 2017
This is hands down one of the finest crafted stories I've watched in my 40+ years on this planet in any medium.

I really don't want to give spoilers as the plot is a journey that I hope you take in from start to finish with minimal knowledge of what it is to come. I'll only mention things in vague fashion and with information that you would find out from the intro/trailers.

At a glance this may appear to be just another spy thriller. But what lies beneath is a dark comedy wrapped in a drama/mystery/thriller. And the writers treat the audience with a level of respect rarely seen these days. They expect you to pay attention and follow along so they don't just spoon feed you every detail up front.

But they also don't leave you hanging too far out there either. The narrative has a back and forth ebb and flow around when the main events take place but isn't afraid to jump to the future and past on a whim to give you more depth and background.

Rarely do you see characters this well crafted, stories this deep and philosophical boundaries questioned with casual deference while juggling political commentary and still managing to toss in some laughs even in the darkest of moments.

Beyond the story being great there is also a solid cast. I don't think there was a single bad performance in this show. Every actor with even the smallest part was a brilliant casting choice that fit precisely into their role. And the leads shoulder burdens that would make Shakespeare proud.

Even from a technical standpoint this was a beautifully shot work of art. Despite the obviously minimal budget there are some simple gorgeous shots in a variety of interesting locations. From old world cities to industrial junk yards, to simple forest scenes. This was a director and cinematographer duo that know how to make the visual story just as interesting as the word play in the script.

I will caution you only that it does start out a bit slow. But the roller coaster you are about to embark on will pick you up and drop you soon enough, so please stay seated and pay attention.

If you have a brain you will laugh, you will cry, and you will wonder why TV and movies don't attempt to be this good more often.

Please let there be more seasons of this. The world really needs it.
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