I came to the Amazon series Patriot late but fell hard for the genre-busting series. What I assumed would be an action/spy/thriller ended up being more like an existentialist comedy with genuine warmth and pathos in equal measure. Plus folk songs. It's a doozy.
Although the series stopped at two seasons, rabid fans are always wanting more. So writer/director Steven Conrad has obliged with this podcast disguised as a the audiobook version of The Integral Principles of the Structural Dynamics of Flow, narrated by Kurtwood Smith, who portrayed the book's author, L.G. Claret, in Patriot.
The character Leslie Claret is, as they say, a piece of work. Smith imbues him with pathos and not charm, exactly, but an enviable passion for pipes and their fittings. The podcast serves as a kind of backstory of the seriously flawed structural engineer, punctuated with music from Conrad's band, The Jones Sisters– also prominently featured in his Epix series Perpetual Grace LTD, which is another must-watch.
This clip of Patriot protagonist John Lakeman, undercover CIA operative undercover who likes to do open mics, pondering L.G. Claret is a micro-overview of this brilliant show.
Listen to the first episode now and subscribe for podcast updates:
