‘The Patient’: Fans Have a Disturbing Theory About Sam’s Interest in the Kaddish
In The Patient, Sam seems interested in the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer of remembrance. Dr. Alan Strauss tells him about the prayer, and Sam prints it out for his captive. Though Alan assumes Sam is trying to practice empathy, fans of the Hulu series have a darker theory about why Sam is interested in the Kaddish.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Patient Episode 7, “Kaddish.”]
Sam prints the Kaddish for Alan in ‘The Patient’ Episode 7
In The Patient, Alan tries to get Sam to have some empathy for Elias’ family. He tells him about the Kaddish, a prayer that Jewish people say after someone dies. Sam asks if he should say it, and Alan replies, “Let me think about it.”
Alan then convinces Sam that he should put Elias’ body somewhere it will be found so that his family can have closure. When Sam leaves the room, Alan stuffs a note identifying his kidnapper into Elias’s mouth so the coroner will find it.
Unfortunately, Sam gets spooked by another driver while dropping off Elias’ body. He changes his mind, deciding to leave the remains where no one will ever find them.
He then prints out the Kaddish to give to Alan, who wanted to recite it for his wife but struggled to remember the words. When Sam asks to hear Alan say it, he responds, “It’s private.” Sam then listens to Alan pray from the hallway.
Fans have a disturbing theory about Sam’s interest in the Kaddish
Alan seems to think Sam printing the Kaddish is a sign that he is attempting to practice empathy. However, some fans suspect a more sinister meaning behind Sam’s interest in the prayer.
“Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I think Sam wants to learn the mourning Kaddish because he plans on killing Alan and reciting the Kaddish for Alan,” one Reddit user wrote.
“Did anyone notice Sam was mouthing the words to the Kaddish from his bedroom? I missed it the first time, but I just saw that scene again,” another user stated. Some fans suggested that Sam was actually just speaking the word “Amen” or actually repeating Alan’s words slightly after him, perhaps trying to memorize it.
Alan may use the printer to help him escape
Alan placing the note in Elias’ mouth was the only attempt at escape he has made so far in the series. Now that there’s no chance it will be discovered, he’s in a very bad situation.
It’s becoming less and less likely that Sam will ever let Alan go alive. After all, Alan knows a lot about Sam now, and he’s been shopping around for a new therapist.
It’s pretty clear that if Alan wants to escape, he must take action. Alan keeps having visions of himself physically attacking Sam, but as he points out, physically overpowering Sam seems unlikely.
One fan had an idea about how Alan could potentially escape using the printer Sam bought to print the Kaddish. “I was thinking Alan is gonna somehow use the printer to get word out he’s being held captive. Are faxes still a thing?” they wrote. Whatever Alan’s next move is, he needs to act fast.
New episodes of The Patient every Tuesday exclusively on Hulu.
