logline: In 1947, Mildred Ratched begins working as a nurse at a leading psychiatric hospital. But beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growing darkness.

Source: IMDb

Ryan Murphy has struck again with a Sarah Paulson-starring period piece. This spiritual installment of American Horror Story is set in 1947. In this prequel to the fantastic movie, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, comes the mediocre origin story of one of the most chilling villains in movie history: cold, calculating Nurse Mildred Ratched. The set design is vibrant and stylish; there are no muted colors. The gorgeous production value and the committed performances are almost enough to save this grisly show. The excessive amounts of blood might dissuade any viewer who wasn’t hell-bent on watching the whole thing, the eight-hour exhibition. Humanizing villains is not a new concept, throw in a depressing backstory and now they’re a fully formed character. Nurse Ratched was not a character I necessarily thought needed to be humanized, for she was ruthless and I liked that about her. In this version, Ratched is still as manipulative and cunning as she was in the movie but somehow it rubbed me the wrong way here. Her backstory is depressing, and Sarah Paulson acts it well, but I still don’t get the feeling of her being a fully formed person. This show seems to be a hodgepodge of Murphy staples, a splashy period piece, spitfire dialogue, and strong women taking no sh*t from anyone. In addition to the tropes, outdated medical procedures abound which caused physical discomfort for me. An example includes when Dr. Hanover (the head doctor at the asylum where the show is set) debuts a new cutting-edge procedure. Me, temporarily forgetting the plot of Cuckoo’s Nest, anxiously awaited the reveal of what the procedure was. When Ratched said: “there may be some dried blood at the site on the incision,” it all came flooding back. The severely damaging and archaic medical procedures of the 1940s were enough to make me feel like hurling. Why, oh why, did they ever think that cutting out the prefrontal cortex of the brain or performing electroconvulsive therapy were valid medical practices? All of the performances are wonderful, it’s hard to pick out a couple of my favorites. But lobotomies are not the only antique treatment that is housed in the walls of this mental institution, burning hot water baths and other torturous activities seek to make the audience’s skin crawl. Though this show is aesthetically pleasing, the unnecessary sex and gore coupled with the boring plot make Ratched a good one to skip.

My Favorite Characters:

Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson: he’s hot and mentally unstable, which seems to be character traits shared by every character in this show. But he has a moral compass where he can murder two humans but not a chicken to feed him and his psychotic girlfriend. Later, he gives a different chicken a pep talk. That adds to his charm, I guess. I’m not 100% sure why I chose this specific character over all the other ones, but I can probably attribute it to his murderous ways but has an oddly specific moral compass. But he shared an underlying trauma with Ratched which may make him more sympathetic, this trauma was described during a macabre and grotesque marionette show. Finn Wittrock is a great actor and it is very well showcased in this show.
Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte Wells: this one is pretty self-explanatory. First, Sophie Okenodo is a great actress. Second, her name is Charlotte. Her character has dissociative identity disorder and that could be easily overacted, but it’s not. Each switch between the identities is subtle. She is probably the smartest character on the show, though that is a low bar to clear. But she is the best character and actor.

This show is rated TV-MA. Here’s why:

Moderate Nudity and Sexual Content
Severe Violence and Gore
Frightening and Intense Scenes

Favorite Part: When Ratched goes on a “date” with Cynthia Nixon’s character, Gwendolyn Briggs to an oyster restaurant. Not only is it a nice lesbian quasi-relationship, but oysters are also delicious. There’s also some electric, sexually charged, prolonged glances at each other. In this scene, Briggs teaches Ratched how to eat an oyster which is a cute moment. They later delve into the morals of the lobotomies whilst eating the oysters. Briggs asked the moral question that was presented in the trailer “But then aren’t we playing God?” Then they later go for a “nightcap” and attend what can only be described as a gay bar. But Ratched was offended at the assumption of her sexuality and leaves. But she seemingly accepts her sexuality the next episode, call that character growth.

Where to Watch:

IMDb:

Ratched

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