Margaux and I joyously welcome the return of The Knick. (PS, look for our coverage of this show to run on Mondays, just like last season.)
Trevor: When I was writing my best shows of 2014 list, I said of The Knick, which I put at #5, “It’s great that the show was renewed, but one wonders where it can go from here.” Well, I’m happy to say I was wrong and should never doubt the talent behind this show. Somehow The Knick, like Fargo, found a way to capitalize on a perfect debut season, and not only does it appear to be holding itself to the same level of quality, it seems to have actually gotten better.
Margaux: Honestly don’t know why I bother watching anything else besides The Knick (and obviously Fargo) because it really is a masterclass in storytelling. It somehow is current despite it taking place in 1901, the same issues still prevail and yet never gets all preachy on you cough AMERICAN HORROR STORY cough. I mean, this is either gonna be the shortest review we’ve ever written or just blatant praise for 1500 words.
Trevor: I’d be fine with either, quite frankly. The two shows we’ve mentioned have come back so confidently and triumphantly (and this is obvious from just one episode) that it makes me think, If you’re making TV that ISN’T Fargo or The Knick, just go home and think about what you’re doing with your life. The Knick might be the best case for auteurism on TV; every episode is written and directed by the same three men.
And can we talk about how lucky we are to have Steven fucking Soderbergh, the only man to ever compete against himself for a Best Director Oscar, doing weekly television? He edits and shoots every film he makes, which would be self-indulgent if he weren’t so goddamn good at it. That wordless sequence in the underground fighting ring was a thing of beauty, filmmaking 101 in two short minutes.
Margaux: The cut between Barrows shot in red, corrupt light while speaking to Ping set in contrast to the kidnapped Thackery shot against a vast blue (sea), it’s the small details that you could write an entire 33 ⅓ essay on. Put for all intents and purposes, “Ten Knots” picks up not too long after the fallout of “Crutchfield”. Edwards is Chief of Surgery in Thackery’s rehab absence, Cornelia is in San Francisco with her husband, Bertie is still bitter towards Nurse Elkins for having a drug fueled affair with Thack, and poor Sister Harriet is in prison for simply trying to help women.
Trevor: When Harriet told her Mother Superior, “I am what they say I am,” my heart broke. She’s now been forsaken by the church as well – forsaken by everyone except for Cleary, who brings her food (and, tellingly, asks if his name has come up at all; Cleary gon’ Clear). Cleary and Harriet had one of my favorite relationships on TV last year, so it’s good that the show hasn’t forgotten that. What I noticed about “Ten Knots” is that with Thackery not out of the picture but certainly in the background, The Knick really gets to stretch as an ensemble drama. The change isn’t as drastic as, say, Fargo’s season-two reinvention, but you can sense the scope broadening.
And it’s just as gruesome as ever! We got Eleanor Gallinger picking out new teeth, Bertie draining pus from a softball-sized abscess, and one scene that cause me to write simply “Well, olde tyme nose jobs are horrifying.” Never change, The Knick, never change.
Margaux: Olde tyme nose job that requires the use of your EARRING as the the bridge. Though I’m likely to dry heave and hide behind a pillow during these scenes, really glad they’ve gone head (or nose) first back into the gruesome surgerys, it’s oddly part of the charm of this show. And to a certain extent, Thack’s drug addiction is part of his charm, but seeing him pace and bargain and generally act like a heroin addict was truly heartbreaking, even though Clive Owen plays one very very well, right now to twitching and scratching. No matter how selfish Gallinger’s dickish motives were to help Thackery, I couldn’t help but feel like Gallinger couldn’t stand to see his friend and colleague become such a shell of a man. He’s already had to deal with that with his Wife, whose sister coming to her aid this season will undoubtedly be interesting, he wouldn’t stand by and let it happen to Thackery. Especially with Edwards in a position of power, much to his chagrin.
Trevor: Gallinger did a lot to redeem himself by taking Thack on the S.S. Rehab. It was a good move on the show’s part, too, because those boat shots were gorgeous. The whole episode looked great, as a matter of fact, and hearing Cliff Martinez’s score was, as always, a pleasure.
You’re right about Thackery, though. He really is a shell of himself, paranoid as hell and very unsettling to be around. Checking the time over and over was a nice touch, and Clive Owen can play the hell out of any incarnation of Thackery.
Margaux: One The Knick’s best qualities (besides everything) is how lived in everything feels, from the sets to the characters, you get the distinct vibe that they’re there in that exact moment in time. I will say though, the only face that was not a welcome surprise was Mr. Showalter, poor Cornelia – he just barges in while she’s changing and you taste the uncomfortableness in the air. She puts as much distance between herself and creeptastic Father-in-law, the beautiful details of her wiping away a single tear when she’s all but told they’ll be moving back to New York was a total gut punch.
Trevor: The show absolutely feels very lived-in, and the characters are all remarkable fully-formed. The Knick could have rested on its period production values and shock factor, but it chose instead to make an engrossing, moving portrait of addiction, insecurity, and the march of time. It’s a singularly wonderful show, and it hasn’t skipped a beat since wrapping up its first season.
Margaux: Reminds of something Neely’s brother says to Edwards after a somewhat embarrassing meeting with the board of trustees of the hospital, who all but deny Edwards the job he very rightly deserves, “the world may not be moving fast enough for us, but it’s likely moving too quickly for them.” It’s almost like the shows motto at this point. But whether Robertson inviting Edwards to take the extra shovel in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Knick hospital (due to open in 1902) will help or hurt his case, that is if Edwards doesn’t come undone by his health. What an insult to injury, Edwards finally has gotten everything he’s ever worked for, only to have his retina detached because of his love of fighting dudes in bar brawls.
Trevor: I don’t know what else to say about “Ten Knots.” I’m just so goddamn glad this show is back on the air. It’s been way too long, but The Knick is so confident in its storytelling that it feels as though it never left. Brilliant television. I’d go 4.5 stars, unless you have an objection.
Margaux: Zero objections, even down to the title of this episode, it’s just perfect. Go home everyone, The Knick is about to have the best season ever.
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