Sumith Prasad
The eighth episode of FX on Hulu’s thriller series ‘The Patient,’ titled ‘Ezra,’ follows Alan Strauss’ attempts to make sense of his intricate relationship with his son Ezra. He continues his imaginary therapy sessions with Charlie, which helps him understand the mistakes he had committed as a father. Sam Fortner’s homicidal urges make his life difficult despite his wish to change as a human being. His murderous impulses conquer him as he kills another person without any wait after murdering Elias. The enthralling episode ends with a significant decision Sam makes concerning the fate of Alan and here’s everything you need to know about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Patient Episode 8 Recap
‘Ezra’ begins with Sam talking to his superior Kyle about conducting reinspection of restaurants before the interval required. Kyle lets Sam know that he shouldn’t try to be the boss around the place, offending the latter. Alan continues his imaginary conversations with Charlie and expresses his anger towards his son Ezra, blaming him for “killing” his late wife Beth by not fulfilling her wish to see her grandchildren before her death. The therapist is also angry about how Ezra was offended when he complimented the latter’s wife for cooking one of the best “kosher” steaks he had ever eaten without realizing how problematic it is.
Conversations with Charlie make Alan realize that he cannot blame Ezra for his behavior. He understands that he has never been a good father since he always tried to blame his son rather than being compassionate enough to listen to him. The realization that he was more compassionate and understanding towards a serial killer than his own son distresses Alan. Ezra, meanwhile, staples “missing” posters of Alan everywhere in the city. Sam follows Kyle after work and confronts him about the reinspection upon suspecting that his supervisor had accepted bribes from restaurants. Sam ends up killing Kyle despite regretting his actions even before committing the murder.
The Patient Episode 8 Ending: Will Sam Kill Alan?
After killing Kyle, Sam realizes that Alan’s therapy sessions aren’t helping him to restrict his murderous impulses, which leads him to kill his superior barely days after killing Elias. Sam also realizes that abducting the therapist to his house, upon expecting the latter to perform miracles, isn’t the way therapy works. Since Mr. Buchella agrees to become Sam’s new therapist, he doesn’t need Alan and his failed project anymore. However, Sam cannot free Alan since the latter is expected to lead the police and other authorities to him if he permits the therapist to escape from his custody. With no other options in front of him, Sam decides to kill Alan.
However, killing Alan can be easier said than done for Sam. First of all, Sam is filled with immense guilt for killing not only Elias but also Kyle. The two murders he really wishes to avoid before committing the same have taught him how his homicidal urges are conquering him. Rather than giving him comfort, these murders have started to worsen his mental state. Sam is not experiencing any sort of relief after committing the murders like he used to experience, which makes him question his own actions. In such a state, killing Alan to commit a third murder within a short period may not be an easy affair for the serial killer.
In addition, Sam has never killed anyone without a strong sense of contempt. Whether it be Elias or Kyle, his victims usually offend him terribly and unintentionally ignite his homicidal urges before getting killed. In Alan’s case, Sam doesn’t have such a sense of contempt to cling to for moral support. Since the guilt of killing Elias and Kyle has already made him vulnerable, killing Alan without despising him may turn out to be an impossibility for the serial killer. Even when he expresses his wish to kill the therapist, Sam cannot help but express how much he likes Alan, which is an indication that feelings of admiration may overpower his homicidal urges, stopping him from killing Alan.
Still, Sam may need to kill Alan for his survival and to escape from authorities. But Sam may question such a survival which costs him the life of Alan. The serial killer may realize that the freedom he earns by killing Alan may turn out to be pointless if the murder increases the intensity of his guilt, making him a “prisoner” of the same. Furthermore, Alan may even try to save his life by killing Sam if his life depends upon the death of the serial killer. Alan’s attempts to sharpen the end of his ointment tube show that he will not hesitate to be a murderer if it becomes an absolute necessity for his survival and reconnection with Ezra.
Read More: Is The Patient Based on a True Story?
