Much like cocaine in the early 20th century, The Knick is legal—and painfully addictive.
Set in the very early 1900s, the Cinemax drama—directed by Steven Soderbergh—is a blood-and-guts look at the beginnings of modern medicine. It’s a time before blood types or antibiotics had been discovered, and more than a few procedures were trial-and-error. A lot of people died—but a lot of innovative surgical techniques were discovered as well.
At the center of that age of darkness and discovery is Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen). He’s a brilliant surgeon at the Knickerbocker Hospital in New York—and a terrible cocaine addict. He's also surrounded by Herman Barrow (Jeremy Robb), the hospital manager; Lucy Elkins (Eve Hewson), a resourceful nurse with a weak spot for Thackery; Dr. Bertram "Bertie" Chickering, Jr. (Michael Angarano), a young surgeon trying to prove himself; Dr. Algernon Edwards (André Holland), a brilliant doctor who is relegated to the hospital's basement because he's black; and Cornelia Robertson (Juliet Rylance), a whip-smart member of New York society who sits on the hospital’s board and also happens to be having an affair with Dr. Edwards. There are others, of course, but those are your main players, and they have more than enough complexity to make yet another hospital drama totally worth obsessing over.
And obsess you will. There's something about the "this is how the real America was built" vibe of The Knick that makes it extremely hard to turn away from, even as it's grossing you out and/or making you sad.
So get ready to do some extreme science. Here’s how to binge-watch The Knick.
Number of Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Time Requirements: One weekend; it’s less than 10 hours of television and it flies right by.
Where to Get Your Fix: Google Play, Amazon Prime, Max Go
Best Character to Follow: Thackery is the easy answer, by virtue of being far and away the most interesting character. But keep an eye on Dr. Algernon Edwards. As a black man in a field almost entirely dominated by white (and often racist) doctors, his arc is incredibly compelling—and as much of a signpost of history as the procedures he performs.
Seasons/Episodes You Can Skip:
There are a few slow spots in the first season of The Knick, but watch the whole thing anyway. Little details become more relevant in later episodes, so it’s important you don’t miss any of them.
Seasons/Episodes You Can't Skip:
Season 1: Episode 1, "Method and Madness" This one gives you everything you need to know about Thackery, his prickly personality, and his objections to Edwards being a surgeon at the Knick. It's also your introduction to most of the things you need to know about the Knickerbocker, so it's a must-watch.
Season 1: Episode 3, "The Busy Flea" Thackery helps an ex-lover after she loses most of her nose to syphilis. (The procedure is a crazy process dating back to the Renaissance.) Edwards keeps treating less-fortunate patients in his basement quarters. Thackery and Elkins start, um, hanging out.
Season 1: Episode 7, "Get the Rope" Easily the most exciting episode of the first season. After a black man stabs a white cop while protecting his wife, a riot breaks out, and the Knick tries to keep everyone alive without being overrun in the process.
Season 1: Episode 9, "The Golden Lotus" Following the riot, and as the result of Barrow's crappy management, the Knick is struggling to stay open. Meanwhile, a cocaine shortage caused by the war in the Philippines has sent Thackery into a spiral. Like, a boil-down-the-remnants-of-Coke-bottles-for-a-buzz spiral. We also meet Dr. Levi Zinberg, a hot new inventor and surgeon whose “illuminating intrascope” gives Thackery’s recent medical findings a run for their money.
Season 1: Episode 10, "Crutchfield" Thackery finally gets treatment for his addiction, but it might actually be the worst cure possible. The wife of one of the doctors at the Knick gets treated for her mental illness with a very uncanny procedure: tooth removal. Both of these unwise treatments are, sadly, accurate to the period.
Why You Should Binge:
It didn’t get the greatest reviews when it started (and, to be fair, it did get off to a slow start), but in the span of a season The Knick developed into a smart, engaging drama about the inner workings of science—and what happens when you have both a god complex and access to cocaine. (Also, it's coming back for Season 2 in October, so it's best to catch up now.)
Best Scene—Race Riot
This scene from "The Golden Lotus," which synthesizes so many things—the hospital's financial woes, Thackery’s ability to actually care about people, the inherent racial tension in New York at the time, etc.—is the moment everything really started to click on this show.
The Takeaway:
Medicine is a messy business.
If You Liked The Knick You’ll Love
If you like surgical talk, watch any medical drama from Grey’s Anatomy to House. For a solid piece of beautifully-shot American history, give Deadwood a spin.
