Tag: Medical Drama

Mature Women/Mature Dramas: “Fleishman is in Trouble” (Hulu), “Dead Ringers” (Amazon Prime), & “The Diplomat” (Netflix)

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Fleishman is in Trouble (2022) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan, & Adam Brody

“Fleishman Is in Trouble” follows recently-separated surgeon Toby Fleishman as he enters the world of app-based dating and finds more success than he ever had the last time he was single. When his ex-wife Rachel disappears, he’s left with their kids and no hint of where she is or whether she plans to return. Balancing parenting, friends, a long-awaited promotion at the hospital, and all the eligible women Manhattan has to offer, he realizes that he’ll never be able to figure out what happened to Rachel until he can more honestly examine what happened to their marriage. Libby is Toby’s long-time friend and the narrator. -Synopsis (The Hollywood Reporter)

During a JAN 2023 interview w/ Tonya Mosley on NPR’s Fresh Air, Taffy Brodesser-Akner (a 1st time showrunner/creator) confirmed that many of the main cast were chosen at least partly b/c they’d been well-known as teens and were now middle-aged: “It was so intentional. It was–you know, there was this idea that these actors were too young to play these roles. […] But most of all . . . if I don’t, as a 40-year-old, yet understand what is happening to me in my life, the idea that Jesse Eisenberg–yes, from The Squid And The Whale, yes, from The Social Network–that it’s happening to him, too, that it’s happening to Claire Danes from My So-Called Life, that it’s happening to–oh, my gosh–to Adam Brody [from The O.C.], to Lizzy Caplan [from Mean Girls], to Josh Radnor–all these people that we knew so well as very, very young people. It hits home for me so much to say, oh, my God, this is a force you cannot fight–if you’re lucky. If you’re lucky and you get to live, this is a force that you won’t be able to fight. We’re all going to get old.”

At first, you think this show (a limited series w/ 8 eps) is all about Toby: his (newly) single life, job as a doc, and parenting 2 (adorable) kids. However, after 3 eps, the show dives deep into th the lives of his old pals, Seth (Brody) and Libby (Caplan), then ex-wife Rachel (Danes). This is a show centered on mature, intelligent, successful, and thoughtful women (perhaps reminding us of a gal pal or fam IRL). Libby is happily married to a loving/supportive hubby; she recently became a SAHM (stay at home mom), BUT this role leaves her dissatisfied. Rachel is NOT the villain that Toby paints her as in the early eps; she’s a V complicated woman who has suffered trauma. Danes is known for her ability to access (V strong) emotions in her acting; she continues to impress here. As one viewer wrote: “It is thought provoking and rich on several levels. Its main achievement is to get the viewer to sympathize with then later become cold towards certain characters. The subjectivity of perception is examined. I was reminded how quick we are to judge.” Other viewers noted being surprised (in good ways). There are moments that are just cringe-y, emotional, and/or funny (often coming off as too real). Though these are upper middle-class/ Jewish ppl living in NYC (and nearby ‘burbs), most of their struggles are universal. If you’re single (over 35), you may relate to Seth; he’s in finance (like many in NYC), extroverted, and dates often; he’s still hoping for a deep connection w/ a woman.

Dead Ringers (2023) starring Rachel Weisz

The Mantle twins, identical from head to toe, are on a mission to change the way women give birth. -Synopsis

Warning: This show is NOT for more “sensitive” viewers who generally avoid “body horror” (incl. blood), dysfunctional relationships, and dark themes. Are you a fan of the 1988 David Cronenberg film Dead Ringers? Then, you may want to check out this show (6 eps; limited series). I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before; it was tough to watch sometimes! The Mantels are NYC-based OBGYNs on the cutting edge of their profession; their dream is to have a birthing clinic where pregnant women (of all incomes/backgrounds) can go to deliver their babies. Elliott and Beverly (Brits) are played by a woman (Weisz in a dual role); we know she can handle any type of role. Weisz explained that she’d shoot a scene as Elliot 1st, opposite scene partner/stand-in (Kitty Hawthorne- recently graduated from RADA), before heading back into hair/makeup to transform into Beverly. Then Weisz (who didn’t attend acting school) would act out the same scene w/ an earpiece in place (so she could hear her own lines). There are strong supporting performances; I was esp. impressed w/ Jennifer Ehle (who also played a key role in She Said) as a tough/uber-wealthy/businesswoman interested in investing in the clinic. The show is smart, atmospheric, and is centered on a (real-world issue)- maternal child mortality. However, there is a TOO much going; some scenes may be confusing (even if paying close attn) and a few characters aren’t well-developed. I wasn’t a fan of the (dark) lighting/filters used in certain scenes. Women (of diverse backgrounds) are prominent in front of and behind the camera. This is an ambitious endeavor, BUT certainly NOT for everyone!

The Diplomat (2023) starring Keri Russell & Rufus Sewell

In the midst of an international crisis, Kate Wyler, a career diplomat, lands in a high-profile job for which she is not suited, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future. -Synopsis

Are you a fan of The West Wing, Veep and/or political shows? Then this is the series (9 eps) for you! The showrunner (Debora Cain) worked on The West Wing earlier in her career. We are in a time when both the man and the woman in a relationship are in high-status/high-paying careers. Kate (Keri Russell- worked w/ Adam Driver on Bdwy in 2019) and Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) are an attractive/smart/mature “power couple” in diplomacy. They met on the job many years ago, BUT are now serious re: divorce (though keeping it quiet). These actors have great chemistry and play both comedy and drama well. Sewell (who still looks handsome) can do an American accent nicely; he’s perhaps best known for British period dramas. Russell and David Gyasi (who plays British Foreign Sect. Austin Dennison) also have great chemistry; we wonder what could happen when they have to work closely together. I think Gyasi (who in his mannerisms reminded me of Sidney Poitier) has a bright future ahead! Rory Kinnear (who plays Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge) is also V interesting to watch; you never know what he’ll say. This show is intelligent, well-written, and easy to binge. I can’t wait for Season 2!

“Malice” (1992) starring Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, & Bill Pullman

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Deception. Betrayal. Murder. Some things you never see coming. -Tag line

This is one of several thrillers made during the early 1990s set around husband and wife characters. The films incl. Deceived (1991), Shattered (1991), Mortal Thoughts (1991), Consenting Adults (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), Presumed Innocent (1990), Guilty as Sin (1993), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), and A Kiss Before Dying (1991). So far, I’ve only seen Consenting Adults (starring Kevin Kline, Kevin Spacey, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Rebecca Miller- wife of Daniel Day Lewis) and Sleeping with the Enemy (one of Julia Roberts’ first movies; it spawned 14 remakes internationally). I saw Malice (first time) last week; I never knew it was co-written by Aaron Sorkin (who also wrote A Few Good Men and created one of my fave TV shows- The West Wing)! It was originally intended to be filmed at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA (not Smith College). After reviewing the script, the college president declined, due to the serial rapist subplot. The movie was moved to Smith in Northampton; they only agreed as long as the college name was changed. In the opening, the little house that the young student lives in is the former residence of Pres. Coolidge.

This is the type of film that you have to see twice to get all that’s going on. On the first watch, it’s a compelling psychological thriller w/ twists and turns; the plot contains rape, murder, life-and-death trauma, and a deadly fight (all w/ in the first 45 mins). On the re-watch, you find the things you might’ve missed; it’s a chance to enjoy the terrific performances from the three leads- Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, and Bill Pullman. There are brief appearances by Gwyneth Paltrow (a slacker student/one of her early roles) and Joshua Malina (a medical resident/old friend of Sorkin). Veteran actors George C. Scott and Anne Bancroft have small, yet pivotal, roles. Peter Gallagher plays the lawyer who holds some clues to Tracy’s (mysterious) past.

I’m the new guy around here and I want to make friends, so I’ll say this to you and we’ll start fresh. If you don’t like my jokes, don’t laugh. If you have a medical opinion, then please speak up and speak up loud. But if you ever again tell me or my surgical staff that we’re going to lose a patient, I’m gonna take out your lungs with a fuckin’ ice cream scoop. Do you understand me? -Jed explains to Dr. Robertson (after they operate on the college student/rape survivor)

Andy Safian (Pullman- looking youthful at 40) is an associate dean at a small college outside Boston that’s being terrorized by a serial rapist. Tracy (Kidman- looking gorgeous as usual) is his younger wife who volunteers as an art teacher in the Pediatrics ward of the local hospital, St. Agnes. They’re newlyweds renovating a Victorian house and need $14K to overhaul its plumbing. Dr. Jed Hill (Baldwin- looking gorgeous also) is the hotshot new surgeon at St. Agnes and a former HS classmate of Andy’s. Jed needs a place to stay; Andy and Tracy need the extra money. Soon, Jed is living on the 3rd floor; his noisy date w/ his surgical nurse, Tanya (Debrah Farentino), is grating on Tracy’s nerves. The rapes continue; Andy is even considered a suspect! Andy’s detective friend, Dana (Bebe Neuwirth), convinces him to come to the police station to eliminate himself as a suspect. Meanwhile, Tracy comes home and collapses from pains to her abdomen (a possible ovarian cyst)!

I have an M.D. from Harvard, I am board certified in cardio-thoracic medicine and trauma surgery. I have been awarded citations from seven different medical boards in New England, and I am never, ever sick at sea. So I ask you: when someone goes into that chapel and they fall on their knees and they pray to God that their wife doesn’t miscarry or that their daughter doesn’t bleed to death or that their mother doesn’t suffer acute neural trama from postoperative shock, who do you think they’re praying to? Now, go ahead and read your Bible, Dennis, and you go to your church, and, with any luck, you might win the annual raffle, but if you’re looking for God, he was in operating room number two on November 17th, and he doesn’t like to be second guessed. You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something: I am God. -Jed declares during the deposition

On my second watch, I saw that there were hints that Jed and Tracy knew each other from before. Jed and Tracy meet in the bathroom when Tracy drops her meds; she angrily asks: “What the hell are you doing here?” (in a tone that one doesn’t use w/ new acquaintances). Also, notice the looks of anger and jealousy when Tracy sees Tanya coming out of Jed’s room late at night. Fans of the noir genre will notice the noir-inspired choices made by the director (Harold Becker), esp. in the second half. This film is classified as a “neo-noir thriller,” according to Wikipedia. The sometimes haunting music (composed by Jerry Goldsmith) really sets the mood. This film harkens back- at times- to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

[1] …Baldwin’s mesmerizing performance is what stands out. Jed is charismatic, seductive, and as charming as a cobra as he weaves his spell over the Safians. Baldwin’s ability to jump from utterly charming to incredibly chilling in the blink of an eye is on full display here; it is truly the performance of a lifetime.

[2] It’s the uncertainties in the movie that make it one to remember. See it, you will not be disappointed! The background musical score is one of the most memorable that I have heard in any movie. Malice is a tale of arrogance, power, mystery, and deception, that must be seen and will be long remembered after the final credits roll.

[3] Alec Baldwin… is splendid as the doctor/villain [and what a smoothie he is]. His God “complex” speech is one of the highlights. Then there’s the delicious Nicole Kidman… What makes her performance stand out to me is that, as wild and evil as she can be, there’s also a vulnerability in her portrayal. You actually care what happens to her, even though you know she deserves to get caught. […] And Bill Pullman, being given a sort of wimpish character to play, brings it way up to the same level as the stronger characters with his performance. He does an outstanding job in this flick. 

[4] She’s [Anne Bancroft] like the spider with the fly with she’s talking with Kidman’s hubby who just doesn’t get the situation. Bancroft brings enormous power to this character.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

“Star Trek: DS9” – Season 1, Episode 4 (“Babel”)

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Those of you fed up w/ quarantine life, coronavirus updates, and related topics may want to skip this one- LOL! This is the first time that Ira Stephen Behr wrote a teleplay for the series. Naren Shankar (who has a science background and started out as an intern on TNG) contributed to the story. The title is based on the biblical story of the The Tower of Babel in Genesis. Man wanted to be closer to God, so built this high tower. God was angered, destroyed the tower, and punished the men by making them speak many different languages (babbling), thus beginning the various nations and cultures.

The ep starts off comedic, then gets serious, building tension from scene to scene. Chief O’Brien is very busy as systems (built by the Cardassians) all over DS9 are failing. He has to free people stuck in an airlock and Dax wants him to repair a malfunction in the science lab. O’Brien must also repair the navigational computer for Kira, but Sisko can’t get good coffee, so wants the Ops replicator fixed ASAP. All of a sudden, he becomes aphasic- the words coming out of his mouth don’t make sense. Bashir has no clue what happened, as nothing is physically wrong w/ O’Brien. The crew works to find a cure before the entire station is effected. Eventually, Dax also turns aphasic during a meeting in Ops. People all over the station start displaying the symptoms- it’s an epidemic!

[1] Pretty unnerving though how relevant this still is in 2020.

[2] The O’Brien scenes at the start are great. I love his sarcastic comments, and Colm Meaney is such a great actor (with an awesome accent)…

[3] Some unusual partnerships are forged. Never question the strength of the Ferengi immune system.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

The frenemy relationship between Odo and Quark is explored further; we get moments of humor. When Odo discovers Quark accessing crew quarters illegally to make use of a replicator, Quark says: “Never ask when you can take.” This is the first example of a collection of Ferengi sayings which will later be called The Rules of Acquisition. Quark takes on responsibility when the command officers have been affected by the virus. To add to the excitement, a ship tries to break quarantine which threatens to cause an explosion (since it’s clamped to the station when the engines power up).

Odo: I need to get to Docking Port V now. That ship’s gonna explode in five minutes!

Quark: I’ll beam you over.

Odo: You?

Quark: Relax. I served on a Ferengi freighter for eight years.

Odo: All right.

[He rushes onto the transporter pad.]

Quark: I must have witnessed the procedure hundreds of times!

Odo: Witnessed? You mean to say you never handled the controls yourself?

Quark: Energizing!

[Waves Odo goodbye as he beams him away.]

Film Noir re: Pandemics: "Panic in the Streets" & "The Killer Who Stalked New York"

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Panic in the Streets (1950) starring Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jack Palance & Zero Mostel

This is a lesser-known movie from director Elia Kazan; it was made before his masterpieces: A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and East of Eden. In New Orleans, an illegal immigrant feels sick and leaves a poker game while defeating the small time criminal Blackie (a young Jack Palance). He is chased by Raymond Fitch (Zero Mostel- best known for Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway) and Poldi (Guy Thomajan), then shot by Blackie. His body is dumped in the sea and recovered the next morning by some beat cops.

A police surgeon notices something unusual when he cuts into the body. Lt. Cmdr. Clint Reed (Richard Widmark), a family man and doctor w/ the U.S. Public Health Service, is called in to examine the body. He diagnoses a highly contagious disease- pneumonic plague- and declares that everyone who may have had contact w/ the dead man be found ASAP. The mayor supports his efforts, though some other civic leaders are doubtful. Reed estimates there are 48 hours before the disease begins to spread. He joins a gruff policeman- Capt. Tom Warren (Paul Douglas)- to find the killers.

In the scene where Palance hits Widmark on the head w/ a gun, the actors rehearsed it with a rubber gun, but when the cameras rolled, Palance substituted a real gun. Widmark, who wasn’t expecting it, was out for 20 mins! Widmark commeted: “Why did he switch? Who knows?” In an interview, Widmark recalled how Palance got into the mood of his character by beating on Zero Mostel (off-screen). Mostel had to go to the hospital after his first week on the movie!

…a simple story, but it is still effective and with a great villain. The engaging plot has not become dated… Jack Palance performs a despicable scum in his debut, and the camera work while he tries to escape with Zero Mostel is still very impressive.

You can feel, see and smell the New Orleans of 1950, thanks to Kazan, his cast and script.

The great thing about this movie is the Oscar winning script. The dialog in this movie is also absolutely magnificent and gives the movie a feel of reality and credibility.

Kazan’s work offers a contrast between the confusion, sickness and immorality of the streets with the modest, calm home life of the Reeds. Despite all the danger, ultimately he returns back to the bosom of his family justified and satisfied. The implication being that social balance has been restored, at least for the moment by his professionalism and curative skills.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

The Killer Who Stalked New York (1950) starring Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, William Bishop, & Dorothy Malone

Columbia Pictures paid director/producer Allen H. Miner $40,000 for the rights to this story (based on a smallpox outbreak in NYC in 1947). Millions of New Yorkers were vaccinated against the disease. Robert Osborne (TCM) said that Columbia had to sit on the movie for about 6 months in order to let the similarly-plotted Panic in the Streets to leave the theaters. Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Keyes) returns to NYC from Cuba carrying $40,000 worth of smuggled diamonds – and smallpox, which could start a devastating epidemic. A treasury agent loses her, but keeps on the trail, while Public Health doctor Dr. Ben Wood searches for the unknown person spreading the deadly disease. Sheila is concerned only with her husband Matt, who plans to run off w/ the diamonds… and maybe also Shelia’s younger sister!

Keyes (a prolific actress best known as Scarlett’s younger sister- Suellen- in Gone with the Wind) thought that studio head (Harry Cohn) cast her in this (un-glamorous) role as payback for rejecting his advances. She sued Cohn and the studio, settled out of court, and was released from her contract. Keyes’ hair was bleached blond and she had on unflattering makeup (making her look older than her 34 yrs.)

With the country presently in the mist of a viral outbreak that has the entire state under quarantine and the country on full alert, The Killer that Stalked New York is as pertinent today as it was when it was released in 1950.

What we have then is a gritty, somewhat newsreel sounding (and looking) film whose narrator walks us through all the ironies of modern urban epidemiology.

The anthrax attacks of 2001, the fears of weaponized smallpox being used by terrorists, the concerns about vaccinations and the amount and safety of vaccines, the inability of governmental agencies to work together and share information effectively all come to mind when one watches this film.

The biggest problem is the direction, which is also all over the place. With a story like this you’d expect some sort of tension or suspense but none never happens. Keyes is pretty good in her role but the screenplay really doesn’t do her any justice as our feelings for her character are never really made clear.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

The Knick: Season 1 (Episodes 6-10)

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SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the Cinemax series The Knick.  

Episode 6

Whoa, the health inspector says they are looking for “Typhoid Mary!”  She is a cook that has (unfortunately) come into contact w/ many people in the city.   After that scene, Cornelia and Algernon have a nice chat (they were tight- growing up in the same household.)  Hmmm… I wonder if this is just a brother-sister vibe?  I doubt it, seeing a few of the S2 promos.

Awww, Lilian died!  Dr. G tried to save her, but couldn’t. How will this affect him and his wife?

Bertie and Elkins are out on a date, strolling arm in arm, and chatting. They are having a good time.  Both express their admiration for Dr. T.  Elkins says that being close to such work as “intoxicating.” 

Barrow is amazed by the x-ray machine; he says the x-ray is “like looking into his soul” (LOL- bet it’s a pretty dirty one)!

Dr. G’s wife won’t accept that their baby is dead.  Harriet offers a solution- maybe she can take care of the baby girl that was recently left at the doorstep of her orphanage. It could ease some “melancholia” (depression). 

Dr. T and Bertie perform (successfully, this time) the surgery that Dr. Christensen had tried so many times.  Dr. T gives part of the credit to Bertie; the young man is VERY happy/proud. 

Later that night, Dr. T discovers the secret clinic that Dr. E has created.  He is pissed off, but then he sees the advancement that Dr. E came up w/ re: hernias.  (The “colored folks” hold jobs that cause hernias a LOT, Dr. E adds.)  “This is good… This is more than good,” Dr. T comments w/ admiration.

Typhoid Mary was found and captured, thanks in part to Cornelia.  She is congratulated by her father, fiance, and even his father.  Ewww, what was up w/ that (super-creepy) scene w/ Cornelia and her soon-to-be father-in-law!?  Is she going to be in danger if she joins that family?  She better break off that engagement!  I thought that something horrible was going to happen!

Episode 7

A mob attacks the hospital after the death of a policeman who was trying to break up a street fight between a black man and a white man (he had insulted the black man’s lady by assuming she was a pro).  A few of the staff has to move out the Negro patients- fast.  While they’re downstairs, they (of course) pass through Dr. E’s clinic.  Cornelia is VERY impressed; Barrow is astonished/angry.  Dr. E says he purchased most of the equipment- didn’t steal.  Dr. T says he stole the obstetric equipment (we know he and Bertie experimented on the Chinese pros in the previous ep). 

When they come to the Negro hospital in “Little Africa,” there is a doctor there, Moses, attended Harvard (like Dr. E)  Cornelia helps out- she’s no shrinking violet (and she even brings up a funny childhood moment she shared w/ Dr. E.) 

Later that night, Cornelia and Algernon go back to check on the damage at The Knick.  They’re surprised to find that the secret clinic is intact.  Cornelia compliments him on ALL he’s accomplished.  Then she admits that she was SO scared for him.  They share a long, passionate kiss (whoa, BIT of a surprise there)!  Then he bends her over one of the examining tables.  I’m going to say that those two have been IN LOVE for a LONG time! 

Dr. T walks Nurse Elkins home, she invites him in, then even into her room.  Her roommate is not home this night.  She asks for help to take off her uniform (was NOT surprised by her boldness there).  They spend the night together.

Episode 8

We see John’s bedroom- he and Lucy Elkins lying in bed; she feels guilty about sleeping w/ him (w/o marriage).  He tells her that here and now is all there is.  We learn that his father was devout, but also a drunk and mean.  If she wants to be w/ him, then that’s all that matters.

“We need cocaine to exist!”  Dr. T tells Bertie while he’s trying to ask Elkins out on another date (LOL- that young’un doesn’t realize that she’s NOT interested anymore!)  Cocaine is not available- the VERY little out there has already been claimed. 

We learn that Drs. T and E have published a paper together which will be presented at the Metropolitan Surgical Society.  (Of course, Dr. E can’t go.)  Dr. T notices that there is something different about Dr. E (that’s love, we know). 

Before the presentation, Dr. T injects himself w/ cocaine.  A Jewish doctor presents after Dr. T- he is impressed w/ this man’s work. (We know that the Jews have a separate hospital.)  Bertie’s father is at this event (ugh, what a jerk)!  He says that his son “worships” Dr. T, but he wants a different life for Bertie.  Dr. T says he has invested a LOT into Bertie, and that he has “talent.”  (That’s good to hear!)

Dr. G’s wife is freaked out when he and Harriet bring the new baby girl over, understandably.  Dr. G eventually calms her, explaining that this child needs them.  (Awww, he cares so much already!)

Cornelia heads off to the hotel where Dr. G lives; she insists that Jesse go home (b/c she’ll be working late).  At the hotel, they joke a bit, then Algernon seriously: “Aren’t you scared about what we’re doing?”  She’s only scared that “I won’t be able to stop.”  (Yowza, it’s gotten hot!  But I’m kinda scared for them.)

During a consultation, Dr. T gets mad when asked if he’s OK by Dr. E.  Seems like MANY people have been asking him that lately. 

Barrow continues asking around for money, going to a bigwig, then to the head of an Orthodox church. 

Poor Bertie-  he tells his father he’s in love w/ a nurse at his job!  His father, who suggests he work w/ that talented Jewish doctor from the seminar, seems happy about that.  (Isn’t that how it goes sometimes though?  The guy that is seen as suitable to marry isn’t the one that a gal wants in her heart!)

We see Typhoid Mary being questioned in court in 2 separate scenes.  She may not have symptoms, but still have the disease; Bertie tries to explain this to the judge, but he lets Mary out of prison.  The inspector, Cornelia, and Bertie are greatly disappointed. 

Dr. T has to leave the operating room- he doesn’t look well.  (Uh oh, that’s NOT a good sign!)  Elkins tries to go after him, but is needed to bring supplies.  (I think that gal is going to get her heart broken, sooner or later.) 

At Woo’s, Dr. T asks for 3 bowls of opium (that’s a LOT apparently).  Woo is also indebted to him, we learn.  In his sleep, Dr. T dreams of the moment when he discovered Jules dead.  But the weird thing- he sees himself through Jules’ eyes!  (Is HE getting close to death?  Yikes!)

Episode 9

Dr. T breaks into a pharmacy… and gets caught!  Barrow and Capt. Robertson come to talk to the police, then give bribes to get the tall, dark, and destructive man out. Whoa, the financier knew about Dr. T’s addiction all along!  Barrow suspected it, but didn’t want to believe such a thing. 

Lucy comes to Dr. T’s house, worried and wanting to help. He’s going through withdrawal- acting paranoid and feeling that there are bedbugs on his skin.  And we already know re: his energy and hallucinations.

Dr. T is in the papers- even Collier knows what’s going on!  He offers to get some coke (or any other drug); Barrow can’t believe his ears. 

Back at the hospital, some of the staff are talking re: Dr. T’s arrest and addiction.  Dr. E says that he showed ALL the signs.

Whoa, Cornelia is pregnant! Algernon kisses her and says that he wants to keep the child.  She says that she would, too (but he’s a colored man, he finishes). We can tell that he’s VERY disappointed/upset. She asks if there is any other way, but he tells her that surgery is the only option. 

Lucy goes to see Woo and asks about getting cocaine.  (This gal is in deep now!)  He propositions her after complimenting her “dainty” foot.  Eww!

Harriet is upset b/c Grace is now also dead, like Lilian.  She wonders how Everett will cope.  Cornelia mentions faith, but the nun says “faith isn’t always a comfort.”  (Yes, religious folk can have doubts, too!)  

Lucy lies to John, saying that she got coke by selling her bike (she didn’t).  She also sneaked into the Jewish hospital (called “German Hospital”) and stole more coke. (She’s in VERY deep!)

Eleanor is taken away (in a straightjacket) to the insane asylum.  Dr. G helps by providing the cloth doused w/ chloroform.

Episode 10

Awww, such a tough ep, esp. the scene where Algernon tells Cornelia: “I can’t kill my own child.”  She gets a ride from Cleary (MANY of her class have needed his help); she is surprised when she sees Harriet. They are friends, but never revealed these things to each other.  Algernon broke up w/ Cornelia (saying “our affair was a mistake”) before her bridal shower/luncheon.  She is in tears; she meant that having the abortion was a mistake.

Poor Eleanor has had her teeth removed, Dr. G is shocked to see.  The doctor at the asylum says it’s common practice.  (Ouch!) 

Dr. Zindberg comes to observe at The Knick- this makes Dr. T mad (and also jealous).  Later, Dr. T says he’ll devote himself to research; Dr. E will take the lead in surgeries.  Dr. T asks Bertie to spy on Zindberg for him. 

Barrow wants to get introduced to Woo; he wants to kills Collier b/c he owes the man $10,000.  Dr. T says that Woo is not the type of man one wants to get involved w/ (thinks he can’t die).

It turns out that the generous Dr. Z DOES want to collaborate w/ Dr. T, he tells Bertie in his office.  He’s getting close to finding a way to do blood transfusions, he reveals. 

Barrow goes (alone) to see Woo, saying that Dr. T wants Collier dead. (Whoa, this guy has SOME nerve!) 

“I don’t care what you like.  I need to work,” Dr. T tells Nurse Elkins when she comments on the effects of his drug use.  Dr. E tells her not to give the coke to him, but she says the alternative is worse. 

The night before the wedding, Cornelia’s brother (Philip) reveals that their father has NOT been making good business decisions lately.  Philip has been living/working in San Francisco; he has also traveled the world and hunted.  He’s NOT keen on this marriage.

Cornelia has a sleepless night.  Algernon gets ready for her wedding, but we can see that he’s upset. While Cornelia gets married in the church, Algernon boxes w/ a big man out on the street.  He eventually gets knocked out!

After the ceremony, a frantic Lucy finds Bertie, then begs him to help John.  The young doc gets angry, shouting: “I don’t have to do anything!” 

We see Dr. T and he nurse next in another doctor’s office.  He has seen many such coke addicts recently, esp. wealthy women. 

The board decides to move The Knick uptown (in that time, this meant any area above 14th St).  We know that Dr. G has fallen out w/ Dr. T, who himself is no good now.  And the only one w/ skills (Dr. E) is a black man. 

Dr. T has killed a young girl (transfusion gone wrong)- OMG, what can happen next!?  He’s taken by Elkins and Bertie to a private hospital that specializes in the treatment of cocaine addiction.  “Time to start getting better,” a doctor calmly tells him as he gets into a bed.  The camera closes up on a bottle marked “heroine.”