The Patient’: Hulu Drops Episode 7 on Yom Kippur
On Tuesday, Oct 4, Hulu dropped The Patient Episode 7, titled “Kaddish.” The new episode follows Sam as he searches for answers about himself. Meanwhile, Alan tries to remember the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer of mourning, for his wife. The episode drops at the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. Yet the Hulu series has faced backlash for casting a non-Jewish lead.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Patient Episode 7, “Kaddish.”]
Dr. Alan Strauss recites the Kaddish in ‘The Patient’ Episode 7
While The Patient focuses on the psychologically thrilling story of a serial killer kidnapping his therapist and chaining him to the floor of his basement, the series’ B plot is equally compelling. Dr. Alan Strauss reflects on his son Ezra’s conversion from Reform to Orthodox Judaism, leading to a rift in the family.
Alan’s wife eventually died of cancer, having never repaired her relationship with Ezra. In The Patient Episode 7, Alan attempts to say the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer recited in memory of the dead, for his wife. However, he can’t fully remember the words.
Meanwhile, Sam visits his old high school counselor and gives his ex-wife, Mary, a call. In his conversations with both of these individuals, Sam wonders if they knew something was wrong with him the whole time. Strangely, Alan’s therapy might be working, or at least causing Sam to reflect on himself.
Perhaps that’s why at the end of the episode, Sam prints out the Kaddish to give to Alan. When Sam asks to hear Alan recite it, he responds, “It’s private.” The episode ends with Sam listening to Alan pray from the hallway.
Hulu dropped ‘The Patient’ episode ‘Kaddish’ at the start of Yom Kippur
Interestingly, Hulu released this episode, titled “Kaddish,” on October 4, 2022, at the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement.
According to history.com, Jews are encouraged to “make amends and ask forgiveness for sins committed during the past year” during Yom Kippur. The holiday lasts from the evening of Oct. 4 to the evening of Oct. 5 and consists of fasting and intensive prayer.
With all the show’s references to Judaism, it almost seems like there’s some hidden meaning behind the episode “Kaddish” dropping on Yom Kippur. However, it’s worth noting that The Patient has also received some backlash.
‘The Patient’ has received backlash for casting a non-Jewish lead to play Alan
Though The Patient discusses Judaism more than most new shows at the moment, some viewers have taken issue with the series. Notably, Steve Carell, who plays Alan Strauss, is not Jewish himself.
The series’ co-creator Joe Weisberg explained this casting choice during a virtual panel for The Patient at the Television Critics Association. According to Variety, Weisberg stated, “Casting Steve, who is not Jewish, I think our feeling has always been, as television writers, that we’re kind of in an area where people are pretending to be other people.”
“That’s what everyone does all the time. And that’s just our main outlook on it,” he continued. “But we understand some people feel differently about it and that is also fine, too. But that’s where we were coming from.”
New episodes of The Patient every Tuesday exclusively on Hulu.
