I’m not really big on spy movies and TV shows. They usually fall short and get utterly ridiculous while trying to be completely realistic. Even Homeland I’m pretty much still watching out of intertia.
I’m not really sure what intrigued me to make Patriot the first of the Amazon pilots I’d watch, but whatever it was, I’m glad it was there. After getting a definition of “N.O.C.” – non-official cover, a civilian job a spy gets when doing stuff that’s really undercover so he can’t even be traced back to the government, we’re thrust into a job interview that our hero is late for.
He botches the interview, and manages to get the job anyway – despite a much better candidate who was on time and knocked it out of the park. I wasn’t expecting what happened next, and if you want to be unspoiled for what is now one of my favorite cold opens ever, don’t read the next paragraph.
John Tavner, the title patriot, shoves his competition in front of an oncoming truck. Then turns around and walks back into the building.
The pilot takes us back in time a little bit, to when John (I’m not going to call him Tavner for reasons that will soon make sense) is spending his days in Amsterdam, getting high and riding mechanical bulls for money. He’s suffering a bit from PTSD. OK, more than a bit. His coping mechanism, besides smoking weed, is to write and sing folk songs under an assumed name. I guarantee you this is the first and only time any folk song has ever used the name Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (yes, the president of Iran) as a lyric.
His folks songs are autobiographical – a surprisingly fantastic way to give us the backstory with humor. A later scene at an open mic night in a Luxembourg cafe used the folks songwriting again and if the show is picked up, I would totally buy the soundtrack.
Anyway, Daddy is Locke from Lost (Terry O’Quinn, also of Millennium and Alias and Earth 2 and lots of other good stuff), and he’s a CIA bigwig of some sort (his exact title is never given, but he seems to be the guy in charge). He’s the one who has chosen his son to go back into danger. His brother has been by his side his entire life, now as a Congressman and an “attache”.
There’s a moment that delves into the family dynamics, involving an incident with dad’s video camera 20 years earlier, that says more about the brothers’ relationship than anything else could.
And as messed up as it is that dad’s sending him into danger, this is a solid family. Dad even gets along well with Peter’s wife, who doesn’t appear to be mad at him, even, for sending her husband away again (before he’s even come back home). This isn’t going to be a family drama where perceived slights from 15 years ago are whined about. There’s too much else going on, including a co-worker who knows about Peter’s real job, and a boss who doesn’t much like him. In fairness, he does keep parking in his boss’ spot at the office.
As the episode ended, I wanted more, saddened when I realized this was pilot season and I’d have to wait to find out if it would even get picked up, nevermind how long I’d then have to wait to see new episodes.
My recommendation: STREAM IT.
Vote early and often!