The Unfortunate Oversight of Patriot

Hello, and thanks for checking out what will be the first episode of a mini-series highlighting one of my favorite shows, Patriot. My original intent when making this was a “why you should watch” video essay, but as I thought about the why, I came to realize that it comes secondary to how you should watch Patriot. I’d like to go into how it was overlooked and how viewers may not have been prepared for this show on its release.

In 2015, Amazon would feature a pilot of this original dark comedy series written and directed by Steve Conrad. We follow a NOC operative by the name of John Tavner as he transports a bag containing 11 million euros to influence the upcoming Iranian election to prevent a nuclear strike against Israel. After its premiere on Prime Video in early November 2015, it would be followed by a 15-month hiatus until the remainder of Season 1 would be released on February 23, 2017.

It was at this time it would compete with flagship shows like The Walking Dead, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, Empire, The Big Bang Theory, and even Game of Thrones. Every network had their own viewership loyalties to shows from which they could not peel their own eyes. These are the shows that would be talked about throughout the week among families, friends, co-workers, and online communities. Airing a show like Patriot was a gamble in and of itself, and I could not be more grateful that a show like this saw the light of day in such a time period.

In an age where shows already had their established fans or aired pilots adapted from books or graphic novels that were guaranteed a consumer base, this is one that had a niche tone, a steady pace, and an accompanying topic in a world that would lose some viewers in a variety of ways, whether it was inattentiveness or impatience with the pacing. Patriot rewards their viewers for their patience, which can be a lot to ask for from an audience.

Consider the X-Men franchise for this comparison. Those of us who followed the movies from its inception in 2000 had to have felt that reward 17 years later when we sat down in theaters or at home to watch Logan. Where the franchise was shot with fast-paced cuts, edits, visual effects, sound effects, and music to sell their scenes, Logan would pace every cut so you could take in the details, scale, and grandiose of each sequence as the story progressed. The R rating for Logan was a necessity, not just for violence, but for the freedom to make the film that Wolverine fans wanted. We earned the right to see Wolverine, to see Logan raw with emotion, passion, and themes that we could identify with 17 years later.

It’s through this same lens that Patriot makes its approach. Without the backing of over 17 years of fandom, without an established storyline or lore, and on a streaming platform that was still working to get off the ground, Patriot offers an experience that is untethered and unbound by a PG-13 rating. It looks in the faces of reboots, remakes, and adaptations and insists on holding its hand out to offer an original story with creatively written characters, a unique tone, and a pace you could sit back with, take your time, and enjoy.

The majority of shows are easily bottled and pitched when the content writers or even creators have a cult following. Not to take anything away from mainstream media, but when we’re given a simple premise to follow such as; survive a zombie invasion, protect the president from a conspiracy, or add drama to an already existing workplace, the reactions we’re programmed for are limited by the worlds before us. It’s because of this routine expectation as consumers we come to anticipate a product for our eyes, only to binge it in a voracious manner.

As a viewer, we feel what our favorite characters feel; embarrassment, joy, despair, and success. These simple emotions are what spark conversation among viewers. But what happens when you don’t know how to feel about a character? What happens when you can’t process what you’ve watched? What is the payoff, and why even continue?

This is where Patriot can deliver, when you approach it in the same manner you would a film. One wherein your protagonist may not be someone you understand at first, but you keep watching because you know the pieces will fit. The payoff comes from watching each scene play out, those little details and moments carefully constructed and beautifully shot that you wouldn’t find on your average show.

As for how to feel about the characters, it’s spelled out in every scene. It’s just in a language not everyone is equipped to translate. But Patriot wants you to learn its language, and the syllabus is laid flat out in the first episode. Directing, writing, cinematography, and acting. These serve as the basis for the language that Patriot speaks fluently. You just have to look, listen, and most importantly, be patient.