Patience Season 2 Episode 1 Review: A New DI Takes Empathy Back to Square One
The biggest change on Patience Season 2 Episode 1 “Vampire,” hits straight out of the gate. DI Metcalfe has departed for Glasgow, never even appearing on screen.
It’s enough of a shock for Patience even before she catches attitude from Bea’s replacement, Francesca (Frankie) Monroe. Frankie has little understanding of autism and, unlike Patience’s previous mentor, makes no effort to learn.
The good news is that several of the detectives, especially Jake, now actively stick up for Patience as a person and an asset. She also has a potential romance with Elliot in the wings, even if she can’t quite wrap her head around flirting.
Still, it’s a frustrating first case of the season. Everything Patience tries to bring to Monroe is quickly dismissed, and when she accidentally mishandles evidence in an effort to provide proof, she’s chastised to the point of distress.
Of course, that information is valuable when it shows how a man found dead with a “stake” through his chest was actually pushed by the woman he’d spurned, who herself finds herself threatened by another man briefly accused of the crime.
It bothers me that I’m struggling to find anything to like about Frankie so far. I’m sure my views are skewed by losing Bea, and I know the writers want her to be someone we’ll come to care for, but in this hour she’s almost set up as an antagonist.
It’s not only Patience that she looks down on. She “ruffles feathers” with everyone in the department, both acting coy when she breaks standards and being condescending when her apparently strict standards of police work aren’t met.
She isn’t wrong to call out missteps, especially when they could keep evidence from being unusable in court, but at multiple points she’s dismissive to the point of ignoring helpful advice and partially driving Patience to desperate measures.
I also don’t love how we’re depicting a woman who, like Metcalfe, is going to the second most important character on the show. As much as I love Patience being supported by other (mostly male) colleagues, we’re approaching some troubling tropes.
Still, every other element of this episode keeps the strength that was present in the first season, so I have faith this is only a hiccup and that we’ll shortly see Frankie learning to listen to others as readily as she’s able to dish out criticism.
While there are no real or fake vampires involved, from the method of death to a man being drained of his apparently life-saving “golden blood” , there are plenty of gruesome details here, as well as a killer who may be more sympathetic than her victim.
To her credit, while Monroe does get a confession out of a mistreated woman who lashes out in pain and rage, neither she nor anyone else is happy about it. It may be the first building block from which growth can be constructed.
Finally, I’m also happy that that the mysterious number in the box didn’t leave with Bea. That Patience recognizes it as a “vampire number” may be a little on the noise, but I’m definitely intrigued—and I’d love for Elliot to be a part of figuring it out.
What did you think of this episode of Patience? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Patience airs Sunday at 8/7c on PBS
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.