The Knick: Knick Season 1 Rewatch
January 13, 2025 3:34 AM - Season 1 (Full Season) - Subscribe
A look at the professional and personal lives of the staff at New York's Knickerbocker Hospital during the early part of the twentieth century, directed by Steven Soderbergh, with cinematography by Peter Andrews (aka Soderbergh) and edited by Mary Ann Bernard (aka Soderbergh). Staring Clive Owen, André Holland, Eve Hewson, and many, many others. [justwatch, wiki]
This is a fantastic series that I loved when it was released. The period details, the way it lays out the class, race, and gender disparities (both the consequences and how people lived with/worked around them), and of course the horrific state of medical treatments that were still being discovered and tested. All with the foundation of a terrific cast and solid writing/direction. I just rewatched S1 (S2 is also good but the plot loses some of its focus) about a year ago, and it's still well worth the watch.
posted by Pedantzilla at 9:03 AM on January 13 [3 favorites]
posted by Pedantzilla at 9:03 AM on January 13 [3 favorites]
Im in agreement with the folks in the per episode threads who complained that "brilliant yet misguided doctor is tormented by drug addiction" trope is overdone.
It feels a bit like "Halt and Catch Fire" in that the stories have historical roots, but somehow the protagonists are the ones inventing every new technology or involved in many high profile events. New surgeries! Typhoid Mary! Integration! Vacuum pumps!
The Heroin(TM) at the end was funny. Bayer had the worldwide trademark up until WW1, when it was stripped by the US along with the trademark on Asprin (which is why generic aspirin is available there, but elsewhere "salicylic acid" is the generic).
posted by autopilot at 2:55 PM on January 13
It feels a bit like "Halt and Catch Fire" in that the stories have historical roots, but somehow the protagonists are the ones inventing every new technology or involved in many high profile events. New surgeries! Typhoid Mary! Integration! Vacuum pumps!
The Heroin(TM) at the end was funny. Bayer had the worldwide trademark up until WW1, when it was stripped by the US along with the trademark on Asprin (which is why generic aspirin is available there, but elsewhere "salicylic acid" is the generic).
posted by autopilot at 2:55 PM on January 13
I'm usually the opposite of squeamish and will watch anything medical, but I passed out on a cross-country flight from watching that surgery scene. There was enough time for me to tell the guy in the aisle seat, "Hey, just want to let you know I'm going to faint," but the last thing I remember before I did was him really freaking out. I didn't watch episode 2. May take it up again and make myself comfy on the floor.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:04 PM on January 14 [3 favorites]
posted by cocoagirl at 7:04 PM on January 14 [3 favorites]
This is an excellently made show, but I stopped watching after 1 or 2 episodes of season 2 because it wasn't bringing anything good into my life. This is great for someone who wants TV to hurt.
posted by obfuscation at 11:15 AM on January 15
posted by obfuscation at 11:15 AM on January 15
It is frustrating when there would be yet another injustice and you think, It’ll be nice to see this one get his comeuppance, and then the next second you realize that no such comeuppance would happened because no such comeuppance happened in real life and a lot of the injustices continued for decades. And with things as they are these days I’d prefer entertainment to be an escape, not more of the same.
But the sets and cinematography did an excellent job of planting you in history, I loved the immersion of it.
SPOILERS
I thought it was a fine end for Thackery. I think he was suicidal at the end having lost the only human connection that gave him hope enough to stop using. And therapy isn’t going to be invented soon enough for him. And he proved his point anyway since it wasn’t the epidural that killed him.
It’s pretty clear what’s going to happen to Barrows. He betrays everyone who places trust in him, so it’ll be cosmic justice.
I guess Edwards will maybe invent therapy? I have too many swirling thoughts about his character to make a neat summary. I want him to work out his demons, but the real demons are the people around him, so, I don’t see how that happens, unless he finds fulfillment helping people on the addiction ward, or maybe solidarity with their suffering.
posted by antinomia at 3:20 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
But the sets and cinematography did an excellent job of planting you in history, I loved the immersion of it.
SPOILERS
I thought it was a fine end for Thackery. I think he was suicidal at the end having lost the only human connection that gave him hope enough to stop using. And therapy isn’t going to be invented soon enough for him. And he proved his point anyway since it wasn’t the epidural that killed him.
It’s pretty clear what’s going to happen to Barrows. He betrays everyone who places trust in him, so it’ll be cosmic justice.
I guess Edwards will maybe invent therapy? I have too many swirling thoughts about his character to make a neat summary. I want him to work out his demons, but the real demons are the people around him, so, I don’t see how that happens, unless he finds fulfillment helping people on the addiction ward, or maybe solidarity with their suffering.
posted by antinomia at 3:20 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]
Also picked it up finally because of CinemaStix and oh god, it’s incredible. Just top to bottom I feel like I live in this world. Will return once we finish season 1.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:52 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 7:52 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]
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posted by autopilot at 3:40 AM on January 13 [2 favorites]