“Paco’s Revenge” Plants Seeds of 'Patience's Growth

We’re over the hump of manufactured drama in Patience Season 2, starting with the sixth episode, “Paco’s Revenge.” Patience’s distraction from her breakup with Elliot is affecting her work, bringing to a head her underlying conflict with Monroe, which centers on professionalism and respect. When Monroe won’t follow Patience’s prescribed order of investigation at this week’s crime scene and is met with protests, she asks Patience to be more professional on the job. She’s not wrong to call Patience out on it, but it’s an opening for Patience to confront Monroe on her own displays of unprofessional behavior since joining the team – 55 instances, to be exact.

This is partly why last week was so unnecessary. Patience doesn’t need to add drama – the situation with Monroe was plenty. The row gets a bit heated as Patience advocates for herself, demanding Monroe stop calling her “Headphones.” Monroe can’t help but retort that she’s not her mother. Patience stands firm: “No, my mother is dead. My name is Patience.”

The case that finally successfully integrates the team starts with a dead botanist. Professor Alina Barbieri is found at the botanical gardens beneath a “death apple” tree, her face burned from its acidic sap. Patience quickly susses out the cause of death: poisoning, indicated by bloating, dark fingertips, and vomit near the body. Due to the professor’s extensive knowledge of the plants, Dr. Parsons rules out accidental ingestion of any poisonous plant life at the greenhouse.