Who is Regus Patoff in The Consultant?

Who is Regus Patoff in The Consultant? In this article, we discuss the villainous lead character in the Prime Video series The Consultant. 

Prime Video’s dark thriller series The Consultant has steadily gathered a cult following since its quiet initial release in February 2023. The twisted series from Servant creator Tony Basgallop teases plenty of outlandish mysteries throughout its eight-episode run, ending its first season with many ambiguous conclusions. Just like the creator’s Apple TV+ original Servant, The Consultant has seemingly piqued viewers’ interests, leading to many fan theories and open-ended debates. One of the central mysteries of the series is the identity of the leading antagonist Regus Patoff, played stunningly by Christoph Waltz. So, who exactly is Regus Patoff in The Consultant?

Who is Regus Patoff?

Regus Patoff is the consultant of the title, a man hired to save dying businesses, employing ruthless tactics to succeed by any means necessary. Of course, later down the line, we discover that Regus hires himself, forcing his way into a meeting with the owners, where he manipulates them into signing a contract with him. In the opening episode, Regus makes one of these devilish deals with CompWare owner Sang Woo. The company is close to bankruptcy; only Regus thinks he can save it.

After the founder Sang Woo’s death, Regus moves into the building, where he quickly gets to work trimming the fat and reorganizing the mobile gaming business into a more streamlined, efficient company. However, creative liaison Elaine and coder Craig are instantly wary of this inhumane and manipulative man. They do their research and soon uncover many more mysteries and surprises about the elusive consultant. Wherever Regus goes, he leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake.

What is Regus Patoff’s real name?

Elaine and Craig’s research unveils a history of corruption and sinister goings-on, all linked back to Regus, but they can’t find the man’s real name or identity. It is revealed early on that Regus Patoff is just a clever play on the name ‘Registered U.S. Patent Office,’ as seen on the side of a crate in its shortened form: ‘Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.’ – Regus Patoff.

Further digging reveals that Regus hired a jeweler called Frank Florez to construct bones out of gold, eventually creating an entire skeleton in the process. The requests started small but soon grew in size and frequency. Frank slowly began to realize just what he was making. These requests were made through intermediaries, but Regus always paid the bills using his fake name.

This bizarre revelation leads to another shocking twist witnessed in the season finale. Craig attacks Regus and falls from a great height, falling through a glass platform. The process causes his big toe to be amputated. Craig cooks the toe and finds a golden bone underneath. It would appear that Regus’ entire body is made up of this golden skeleton.

Why couldn’t Regus Patoff climb the stairs?

It would appear that Regus couldn’t climb the stairs because of this heavy skeleton frame. Either the weight of the skeleton made moving about very difficult, or Regus was afraid of injuring himself and revealing his darkest secret. If he was to fall down the stairs, he could be admitted to a hospital, where his secret could be revealed. Or the accident itself could reveal the golden bones underneath, ironically, what happens in the end with his big toe.

This rather bizarre twist has led many fans to conclude that Regus is either an AI robot or a metaphor for capitalism and corporate greed. The robot angle, however outlandish, makes the most sense. Regus is cold and calculated, with no social skills or social etiquette. He easily makes tough decisions, appearing to have no human empathy or emotions. Regus is tailor-made for his job and highly successful at it, while the finale hints at a move toward AI technology. Regus seems to be gathering information on a whole community of people, possibly leading toward plans of world domination. On the other hand, the metaphor explores the idea that Regus embodies corporate greed, with companies being more interested in success and wealth than anything else.

What are your theories about Regus Patoff? Comment below!