Patrick Melrose: In praise of Sky Atlantic's absorbing new series

Patrick Melrose is currently two episodes in to its five episode run on Sky Atlantic, and if you haven’t yet got round to giving it a watch, I strongly urge you to rectify this soon.

The series follows the eventful life of wealthy drug-addict Patrick Melrose (Benedict Cumberbatch) and is based on the semi-autobiographical book series by author Edward St Aubyn. Each outing will adapt a different book in the series which in turn represent different periods in Patrick’s life.

The story so far

The show’s first episode is set in 1982 and opens with a drug-addled Patrick receiving a phone call confirming his father’s death. Rather than causing upset however, the news tellingly leads to Patrick slumping into a heroin-induced haze with a big smile on his face.

What then plays out is Patrick’s journey to New York to retrieve his father ashes and the increasingly desperate bender he embarks upon to make it all bearable. It’s soon clear that while he can often be erudite and witty, Patrick is crippled by addiction and suffering from some fairly severe childhood trauma.

While episode 1 deals with Patrick’s Withnail-esque drug intake and hints at the demons lurking just beneath his surface, episode 2 plunges into his childhood and tackles them head on.

Contrasts

The show’s starkly contrasting tone, a mix of searing drama and cynical humour, is undoubtedly a huge part of its appeal. The drama can be intense and doesn’t glamorise Patrick’s addiction at all. We see him shooting up in assorted grim surroundings and slumped in several dank bathrooms. Yet despite it all, there’s also a tremendous playfulness running through his misadventures in New York.

There’s something strangely fun about seeing a permanently-sozzled toff going on a self-destructive binge and snarking at everyone he meets. Scenes such as Patrick accidentally crashing the wrong wake and him embarking upon an exceptionally awkward first date are hugely entertaining comedy scenarios. It’s this juxtaposition between light and dark that makes the show so intriguing.

Primarily though the show is still a psychological drama, a depiction of one-man’s downward spiral and the impact of his past demons. By the second episode, set in Patrick’s 1960s childhood in the South of France, the humour is noticeably far more fleeting and the tone far darker. When we witness the root cause of his adult psychosis, it makes for gripping but equally horrific viewing,

Benedict Cumberbatch

As the show’s titular character, Benedict Cumberbatch is simply superb. The actor perfectly captures the extremes of Melrose’s personality and gives an affecting and raw performance. While he does the entertaining, rude and selfish rich guy schtick brilliantly, it’s the darker moments where he depicts a man haunted by his past in which he really shines.

The scenes where Patrick sits for a fancy dinner with his own inner monologue for company is extremely impressive, as are the moments where we see him coming down from a drug high, desperately struggling to stay sane. Part detestable yuppie, part loveable rogue, Cumberbatch delivers a complex character who you both root for and pity at the same time.

Hugo Weaving

While Cumberbatch is the show’s centre, there are also a number of strong supporting turns. Jennifer Jason Leigh is on great form as his spaced out and distracted mother, but its Hugo Weaving who truly stands out thanks to his terrifying performance as Patrick’s monstrous father.

While his foreboding presence merely looms large over episode 1, a brief flashback is the only real glimpse we get of him. In episode 2 however, he returns to fully dominate proceedings. An evil, sadistic bully, he revels in plunging everyone around him into fear. His family, his friends and even his maid are mercilessly toyed with for his own pleasure. Weaving gives us a character who is full of menace and arrogance, the actor delivering a performance that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

Thanks to the unique structure of the series as a whole, it’s going to be fascinating to see Patrick at other stages in his life and witness how these events helped form the broken man we glimpse in episode 1. Expect more decadence, more cynicism, and plenty more inner demons coming to the fore.

Patrick Melrose airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK on Sundays at 9pm.

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