In 2020, over fifty-five million people worldwide were said to be affected by and living with dementia. The statistics for dementia, and an aging population, offer a grim outlook for the future. They predict the number of individuals with dementia is projected to double every twenty years. In countries with high levels of income and wealth, a prevalent problem is that most cases of dementia go unrecognized by doctors, whether it be through a lack of income to see a doctor or a failure to identify and recognize the signs of cognitive decline.
At the center of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is dementia: the main character is affected by the syndrome, and while he is healthy and alive, he cannot still remember things properly. The show is an adaptation of a novel with the same name written by Walter Mosley. Mosley is best known for his crime fiction and romance novels, especially his stories featuring a prominent Black detective, but this novel pivoted away from his usual approach and into the territory of literary drama. The television adaptation was originally announced for Apple TV+ in December 2020 and was slated to have six episodes. Mosley is an executive producer and wrote the screenplays for the series.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
A Tale of Dementia and Trying to Remember
Apple TV+
Samuel L. Jackson stars in the titular role of Ptolemy Grey, and he also served as one of the show’s executive producers. Other key cast members include Dominique Fishback, who recently appeared in Judas and the Black Messiah with Daniel Kaluuya, Walton Goggins, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Damon Gupton. But this story is not Samuel Jackson as we are used to seeing him. His character is broken down because of life and, at the beginning of the show, trapped within his mind.
Ptolemy Grey is ninety-one years old—his actor, Jackson, is only seventy-one as of March 2022—and suffers from dementia. In the opening scene, wearing a crisp red suit, he loads a pistol and confesses into a tape recorder what he is about to do while someone bangs on the door. It then cuts to the past, where his reality is a stark opposite. His apartment looks like it is preparing for an episode of Hoarders, while a television program narrates the dire conditions present in Afghanistan. Grey himself looks disheveled, sitting alone and looking unkempt as sirens blare outside.
Many senior citizens tragically live by themselves in countries like the United States, and isolation and loneliness are factors that can worsen dementia symptoms. Grey’s dementia has put in him a system where he can and will be exploited by the surrounding people. One of his only caretakers is his nephew, who unfortunately is murdered early on in the series, and Grey implies he has often been attacked by a drug addict neighbor who wants his money. There is an ugly, brutal thread in this plot point, as many elders, especially those with mental and physical conditions, can be put in abusive or exploitative situations without the presence of family members to protect them.
And perhaps it is the deep internal desperation of wanting to remember who he is that leads Grey to the selling of his body. What did he sell himself for? A drug that will make him remember everything, but only briefly. It will wear off after a couple of weeks, so the time he wants to spend with his memories is fleeting, almost like making a wish on a shooting star. But as the story delves deeper into what Grey experienced during his lifetime, this decision in itself is a jarring one.
A Legacy of Pain and Racism
It is revealed in Grey’s flashbacks that he grew up in 1930s Mississippi, which did not have a stellar track record for racism. At the very beginning of the show, before he even takes the experimental drug, he is haunted by apparitions of what he experienced as a child. A man is lit on fire, while another man makes Grey promise something initially left unknown. These images are not explained at first, but after the drug is administered they slowly begin to make sense.
The fact that Grey was selected to be a part of this experimental drug’s trial in itself may not be a coincidence. The flashbacks establish the power and socioeconomic dynamics between Black and white bodies in the deep South and how he even witnessed a lynching of a relative as a child. Scenes like these are emotionally harrowing, but add so much depth to his character. Even many years later, he loses the love of his life—although he did not know that at the time—and he continues to survive and troop on.
Because Grey has been chosen to be in this trial by his white doctor, it evokes a particular sense of exploitation that can be seen historically. Throughout history, whether it is the story of Henrietta Lacks, the Tuskegee Experiment, or everyday instances of medical discrimination and racism, it has become evident Black individuals have received inferior treatment when it comes to health issues, and they also have been subject to unethical experimentation without consent. This context adds a more sinister undertone to the show, as it plays on these overarching power dynamics in a way that makes one question what is going on.
Blending the Past and Present
A common tool in narrative storytelling is employed through The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, the flashback, and it fails to offer any new conversations about its usage. As memory (and a lack of it) plays a pivotal role, it becomes almost necessary for the plot to constantly be switching back and forth between past and present. Even in the opening scenes, wherever Grey looks in his apartment, it cuts sporadically back and forth between what may be a memory and the present moment. As Grey does not remember exactly what is seen on the screen himself originally, the lack of context slowly becomes clearer as the show continues.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is a slow burn because it refuses to speed through the puzzle pieces connecting the past. As a ninety-one-year-old man seeks out the proper justice for his murdered nephew—which is an unfortunate nod to the state of American society where young Black men can be shot for merely existing in space—his past defines him as a survivor, a product, of the racism and trauma he grew up with.
It is through consistent flashbacks Grey’s tragic past weaves with the present moment, creating a fairy tale of sorts. Grey would immediately be seen as someone mentally ill or unstable a first glance, but learning his story, creates an avenue of empathy that viewers hopefully would extend to similar circumstances in their own lives. Grey was once a man with an extensive history and backstory, just like any other human, and the show allows his character the chance to tell his story.
While the element of being capable of remembering everything in his past seems more of science fiction territory, it splits the narrative in a way that slightly confuses the two. On one hand, he expects to achieve the promise that his uncle had him make all those years ago, but at the same time, he feels a need to help figure out who murdered his nephew Reggie. As the plot dives deeper into the past, it complicates itself in a way that is too grand for six episodes. A family fortune comes to light, then there are family members fighting over a man’s wealth while he is still alive.
These split motivations are grounded by the existence of Robyn, an orphaned teenage girl who comes to live with Ptolemy, and the Platonic bond they build with each other. This storyline, the one tethered to the present moment and not the past, plays off more natural. These tender scenes between the two are some key highlights in the series. They are offering hope for humanity and the future, even though the world has not been kind to them so far.
The main stars, and truly the anchors, of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey are Samuel Jackson and Dominique Fishback. Samuel Jackson has had a prolific career throughout his lifetime, while Fishback’s acting career is just getting started and looks quite promising. The show is a powerful one, offering hints of Mosley’s signature mystery elements throughout it, but perhaps it tries to accomplish too much in its short runtime. The first two episodes are currently available to stream on Apple TV+, while the remaining episodes will gradually be released.
