It’s a Dead Man Walking in the 'Patience' Penultimate Episode

The dead walk in the penultimate episode of Season 1 of Patience, “My Brother’s Keeper.” The episode uses a flash forward framing device where we start with the most outrageous scene: a body disappearing from the morgue. The corpse seems to have walked off the table rather than being stolen. The alcoholic mortician, Frank (Andy Gathergood), later lies to the police about hearing a car peel away because he was drunk and thinks no one will believe him.

(It took me a hot second to recognize him from Professor T – what a difference hair and wardrobe can make!)

We jump back in time, precisely 9 hours and 14 minutes earlier, according to the onscreen title. The time reference doesn’t matter to the actual mystery, but it’s the sort of meticulous detail Patience would appreciate. Metcalf is anxious about Alfie’s ADHD testing, and though she reassures him there’s nothing wrong with him, she can’t bring herself to look at the eventual test results. Separately, Patience is excited but nervous about being invited to Metcalf’s birthday celebration.