Taylor Swift brought her “Patient Zero” music video to the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night for its official world premiere, following up the release of the single at the beginning of the weekend with visuals that take the triangle in the song into more dramatic and even spookier realms than might have been anticipated. Dakota Johnson and Colin Ferrell amping up the tension, which ultimately has reverberations that go beyond just a bad breakup. Fans had only seen a 13-second teaser for the video prior to its premiere on the CBS/MTV/Paramount+ telecast, and they now know which character the headstone was for in the cemetery Swift and Johnson visit.
The video is, of course, Swift’s latest directorial effort, and the occasion of her attendance at the VMAs was receiving the inaugural Artist-Director Honor. The singer’s remarks were brief, after an introduction by Johnson. Eighteen of those, I wrote and directed, and I really love writing and directing music videos.
I’ve gotta tell you, though, that the main reason why I love writing and directing music videos so much is because you, the fans, make it so much fun. It’s so rewarding because you actually care about what we’re making. So, you know, I wanna say thank you to everyone who ever worked on a music video that I got to be a part of.
I learned something from every single person that ever worked alongside me on these projects. Mainly I want to say thank you to the fans… “And rather than say anything else, I think rather than than keep talking, I would love to, if it’s OK with you, show you my latest music video, stsarring my friend Dakota Johnson and Colin Ferrell. Cinematography by Chivo.” “Chivo” is a nickname for Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who often works with Steven Spielberg, and who was shooting a Swift video for the first time.
She seems especially enamored of that collaboration; Lubezki’s name came up as the first and only onscreen credit at the end of the premiere. The video has Johnson and Farrell portraying a couple whose relationship appears on the rocks, with Swift acting as a counselor to the woman, singing lyrics about how she is the man’s ex and can tell her exactly how things will go. Things are just a little less sinister in the song’s lyrics than in the way things play out on screen.
Johnson is seen getting angry with Johnson after a banquet at which he speaks, as the music drops out for a driving scene in which he seems to be gaslighting her with accusations about her drinking, after she has become upset at the sight of him flirting with female guests. The video cuts to flashback of similar experiences in which Swift, his then-companion, reacted more angrily to his infractions. There’s a headline that reads “Heiress dies of mystery illness — husband inherits billions” (with the additional explanation, “Spouse inherits estate amid unanswered questions”).
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