The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey - Miniseries

My attention to this series was drawn to Samuel L. Jackson. He would play the leading role in The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray. So it's time to watch and discuss this Apple TV+ miniseries.

When we meet Ptolemy Grey, he is almost completely demented and lives in a very dirty and crowded apartment with no shower or sanitary facilities. Pitypapa, as Papa Gray is also known, lives on cans of beans and a small pension. His second cousin Reggie (Omar Benson Miller, Ballers) takes care of the old man as best he can. But when Reggie doesn't show up for days, it seems like the beginning of the end for Grey (Jackson, Secret Invasion).

But as a stroke of luck, seventeen-year-old orphan Robyn (Dominique Fishback, The Deuce) is kicked out of the house and ends up with the desperate Grey who no longer understands the world around him. Robyn, who is mentally quite mature, takes the old man under her wing and what happens then is nothing more than a small miracle. I'm not going to say more about it, you better see for yourself on Apple TV +.

You got to let the river take its course. We all in that river. And the river know right where it's going. - Ptolemy Grey

Moving, terrifyingly close, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is, I think, a hidden gem in the land of series. The acting is sublime. The connection between Grey and Bird, as he calls Robyn, is extremely believable and can almost be felt in the living room. I had been a fan of Jackson for several years and that has certainly not changed, this man can act. The transformation is believable and beautifully portrayed.

Well, you got to remember. All a man is, is what he remembers. - Coy dog

Grey's flashbacks are excellently integrated into the story but are a bit too long-winded. They do make it very clear where Grey comes from. The characters are given enough time, despite there only being six episodes, to develop and introduce themselves. You get to know them enough to empathize with them. The casting is great and the direction is very good. The drama unfolding before your eyes is impressive, with Gray's apartment clearly reflecting what's going on in his brain.

There is also no false sentiment in the entire series, or a raised finger pointing at a guilty person. The story is what it is without falling into clichés or too much drama that makes you forget all about the story. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is a beautiful love story about friendship, loyalty, and what dementia does to people who have it or are affected by it.

The sad image of Grey and his polluted living environment, his confusion, and his daily grind is sad, but it comes awfully close to the reality that people have to deal with and/or get. The series is not out for sensation, there is no over-the-top acting and the tranquility in which it is told, including the camera images, is in stark contrast to what goes on in Grey's head. Could there be a happy ending for Grey and his 'first bird of spring'? Go check it out for yourself.

The series gets a solid 9 from me and I would say if you haven't seen it yet, go do it. You don't come across such gems very often.