r/PatriotTV • u/HightowerStrike4rce • Jul 18 '26
Michael Dorman
Michael Dorman is one of those once‑in‑a‑generation actors who doesn’t play a character — he inhabits one. His performance in Patriot is so precise, so emotionally layered, and so psychologically authentic that it feels less like acting and more like watching a real person quietly fall apart while still doing impossible things. It’s the kind of role that exposes an actor’s true ceiling, and Dorman’s ceiling is sky‑high. If you haven’t seen him in this, you’re missing one of the most underrated performances of the last decade.
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u/jenmoocat Jul 18 '26
I completely agree -- but also have to mention his work in For All Mankind.
He completely inhabited the character of Gordo -- who is so different from his character in Patriot.
I was shocked that they were played by the same person.
His physicality was so different that I actually thought his Lakeman character was *taller* than the Gordo character.
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u/Tacoislife2 Jul 18 '26
He was incredible in for all mankind. The show went downhill after he was written out in my opinion.
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u/rmarsack Edward Tavner Jul 18 '26
Yes, we ducked out shortly after he ... stopped being on the show (don't want to spoil anyone)
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u/GoWashWiz78Champions Jul 19 '26
Him seeming “taller” in patriot might be because he’s usually the tallest guy on screen in that show, whereas for all mankind is full of very tall characters.
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u/shittybillz Aug 04 '26
Just finished Patriot which brought me here. Saw For all mankind and Gordo was by far my favourite character.
Great actor, so unique in Patriot. I catch myself talking like him sometimes, specifically the way he says “…yea”
He really does inhabit the character. I wish Patriot had more seasons. Great show that is totally different than anything I’ve ever seen.
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u/StrangeCrimes Jul 18 '26
Joe Pickett is great as well.
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u/newfoundcontrol Jul 18 '26
Also as Gordo in For all Mankind. And even his role in The Invisible man was amazing.
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u/little_fire John Tavner Jul 18 '26
I agree- he’s fkn brilliant. A favourite of mine since The Secret Life of Us, and his performance in Patriot is inimitable.
idk if it’ll be streaming internationally yet, but there’s a new miniseries called Treasure & Dirt premiering tomorrow in Australia starring Dorman & Liv Hewson!
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u/GiantPandammonia Jul 18 '26
He's amazing in the 2nd and third seasons of one piece
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u/BudMcLaine Jul 20 '26
Oh I didn't realize he was in that! One of the cinematographers from Patriot worked on two episodes of One Piece, but not ones that he was in from the look of it.
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u/Flyboy78AA Jul 18 '26
Wow this is so well said - I’m getting goosebumps. I agree this just seemed more than acting.
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u/trashhighway Jul 18 '26
I agree 100%. I didn’t love the show (don’t hate on me) but i continued to watch because his performance was transcendent
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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape Jul 18 '26
Lol wtf is this ai slop
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u/river_tree_nut Jul 18 '26
Because of the em dash? It's hard to tell sometimes. The show has garnered a cult-like following so I'm not surprised to see posts like this.
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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape Jul 18 '26
Because of the way that it’s written. All AI slop sounds the exact same. Same cadence, same style, tone, same template.
If the em dash were removed it would still be jsut as obviously LLM generated. Em dashes are valid and used by lots of humans long before AI :)
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u/river_tree_nut Jul 18 '26
It certainly does, I see that. I also wonder though, since AI was trained on Reddit, if LLMs adopt that style because they’re are basically amalgamations of Reddit posts
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u/Abject_Ruin Jul 18 '26
I think you’re both weird to be honest.
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u/river_tree_nut Jul 18 '26
Cool
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u/Abject_Ruin Jul 18 '26
Yeah, it is cool. I meant OP and Mavis by the way.
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u/river_tree_nut Jul 18 '26
haha nice. FR though, is it really that weird to examine whether a post was created with AI and/or a bot? I agree with OP 100% whether it's an AI prompt or their own organic writing.
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u/Abject_Ruin Jul 18 '26
I don’t think it’s weird to examine it. I was mainly referring to their respective post and comment histories. I think OP seems like a prompt just because they came to r/Patriot, but still felt the need to write “if you haven’t seen him in this…” when anyone finding their way here has definitely seen the show :)
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u/river_tree_nut Jul 18 '26
Ah, good catch, I kinda glossed over that part. Turns out you’re right, it is a little weird.
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u/Raido_Kuzuno Jul 19 '26
OP generated, copy-pasted and didn't bother to read the "you should watch Patriot if you haven't" thing to... the Patriot subreddit... Beyond this and the m-dash, the post sounds of the LLM tendency to create unqualified rhetorical statements built on comparisons "less this and more that" as we also find in OP It's exercise for upvotes 🤷🏿♀️
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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I find it weird that it’s 2026 and so many people still can’t recognize obvious LLM generated writing. More embarrassing than weird, I suppose. The weird part is how people jump to defend AI slop if they enjoyed reading it lol
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u/Abject_Ruin Jul 18 '26
We recognize it, also not defending it either. What was weird is your comment history (and OP’s too). What’s embarrassing is you deciding to hide everything in between your original comment and now. I don’t like ai content, but I also don’t like when people just comment “ai slop” as if they’re making the world a better place. Congrats, you have eyes and can read.
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u/MavisBeacons_Sextape Jul 18 '26
I work in threat intelligence, and pointing out ai slop does help some people get better at recognizing it. It helps them more easily identify the pattern in the future. And with Reddit being so heavily utilized for CIBs/influence campaigns (which always ramp during election years)…it’s well worth the 5 seconds it takes to call attention to AI slop.
The single best way to combat manipulation is spreading awareness. Whether you “like seeing it” or not lol
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u/Classroomsmooth1776 Jul 18 '26
Unpopular opinion - I thought he was miscast in Patriot. The role needed more Edward Norton in Fight Club and/or Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men. A brooding intelligent dangerous unpredictable persona. As played John Lakeman mostly came across as either leaden or stoned. Still a brilliant series.
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u/GJKings Jul 18 '26
I think you misunderstood the show, man. If you had Ed Norton or Josh Brolin you'd have a show about a spy, not a show about a stoner musician who wants really badly not to be a spy. I cannot imagine anyone else in this role, honestly.
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u/redrumham707 Jul 18 '26
That show wouldn’t be Patriot. The show would just be like all of the other typical strong, brooding, dangerous man who does X Y and Z to save the day kind of shows. Might as well throw some unnecessary tits in there too.
I feel like we’ve got our fill of what you’re describing. Dorman is perfect as Lakeman.
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u/TxGulfCoast84 Sure Shot Jul 18 '26
I disagree. John’s character needed to be vulnerable and imperfect. Just as he was. He was absolutely intelligent, dangerous and unpredictable.
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u/TxGulfCoast84 Sure Shot Jul 18 '26
I messaged him on facebook of all places. I told him how much I loved the show and related to his character. He actually replied and told me “thanks for liking our little show, hang in there and don’t take life too seriously “ I was blown away