Why you should watch Patrick Melrose

By Lucy Brooks on 13/6/2018

Sky Atlantic's adaptation of Patrick Melrose might just be the best TV show this year. Catch up with our reviews of all five episodes

Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose, Sky Atlantic

Episode 1: Bad News review ★★★★★

As a bereaved Patrick Melrose, bombing around New York, Benedict Cumberbatch gives a dazzling portrait of drugged up delirium. Ludicrous highs and agonising lows come to life in a tartly funny inner monologue that hints at this priveldged young man's traumatic past.

Episode 2: Never Mind review ★★★★★

Never Mind slips into a languid Provençal summer 20 years earlier. It's a total tonal shift, a study of slow rot and sudden shocks seeping from one generation to the next – and a taste of the abuse that infects Patrick's adulthood.

Benedict Cumberbatch: Patrick Melrose episode 3 review

Episode 3: Some Hope review ★★★★★

Preparation is in full swing as a rousing camera sequence alternates between a posh party and a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Extravagant excess and personal repression collide as a newly-sober Patrick Melrose navigates the snobbery and scandal of a society party.

Benedict Cumberbatch: Patrick Melrose episode 4 review

Episode 4: Mother's Milk review ★★★★★

The penultimate episode revolved around cycles. Mothers become grannies, sons become fathers, and parenting ideals shift from benign neglect to a child-centric desire to nurture – but the same decay and depression drips down.

Benedict Cumberbatch: Patrick Melrose episode 5 review

Episode 5: At Last review ★★★★★

Episode five is an exquisite conclusion to the abuse, addiction and attempts at recovery. In David Nicholl's subtly re-ordered screenplay, the series is book-ended by the cremation of a parent. By the time his mother dies in At Last, Patrick remains the enraged addict that mourned a father 20 years earlier, but he's also a man consumed by his own duties, pity and culpability.

WHEN

10 Jun 2018 – 31 Aug 2019, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Sky Atlantic