Mildred and Edmund
- Episode aired Sep 18, 2020
- TV-MA
- 59m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
One month later, Ratched fights to save Edmund from the electric chair while dreaming of a new life with Gwendolyn.One month later, Ratched fights to save Edmund from the electric chair while dreaming of a new life with Gwendolyn.One month later, Ratched fights to save Edmund from the electric chair while dreaming of a new life with Gwendolyn.
Photos
Jon Jon Briones
- Dr. Richard Hanover
- (credit only)
Sharon Stone
- Lenore Osgood
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe murder of the 7 nurses said at the end of the episode is a reference to Richard Speck; a mass murderer who tortured 8 nurses and killed 7 nurses in 1966.
- GoofsThis series is supposed to take place during the post World War II era. The use of lethal injection did not take place in the United States until 1977. California never implemented the use of the electric chair. The method of execution used in California was the gas chamber until lethal injection was authorized for use in 1993.
Featured review
Season 1: Dueling Tones Make For A Bizarre Viewing Experience
This first season of Ratched is one of the oddest TV viewing experiences I've ever had. The show is essentially two distinct narratives: one insanely over the top, the other a decent character drama. Either approach, if utilized fully, could have worked just fine. The combination or interweaving of the two? Utterly bizarre in almost every way.
For a very basic overview, this first season focuses on Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson), a nurse at a 1940's California psychiatric institute. Along with harboring some deep secrets in her past, Nurse Ratched has a strange connection to inmate Edmund Tolleson (Finn Whitrock), who is about to be put to death for his heinous crimes.
Ostensibly, the idea for this show springs from the iconically evil character from the all-time classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. But since that character--despite achieving a sort of cult status--only spends minutes on-screen, her backstory and characterization are very much open for interpretation. Here, show creator Ryan Murphy essentially takes a dual-pronged approach:
On one hand, he uses his American Horror noir-style approach. Everything is over-the-top, from the visuals to the dialogue to the music. There is almost no subtlety to be found. Characters say and do ridiculous, almost fantasy-like things that are supposed to be taken as reality.
On the other hand, though, lurking beneath the surface are some surprisingly interesting character interactions. The titular head nurse enters into a somewhat scandalous relationship with another woman (played by Cynthia Nixon), fellow nurse Dolly (Alice Englert) has a dalliance with an inmate, and Doctor Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) struggles to find ways to help his patients.
In a strange way, both of those approaches worked for me if taken separately. I became invested in some of the storylines and I chuckled at some of the ridiculous situations/humor. The problem? The juxtaposition of it all. For example, viewers may be given one very dramatic, compelling scene followed by one straight out of a grind house flick or a black comedy. Those jarring transitions made it very difficult for me to settle into knowing what kind of show I was watching.
Overall, I really don't know what else to do besides rate this as a "right down the middle" 5 stars. To be honest, a better finale (I felt the last episode of the season was a substantial letdown) would have easily propped up the whole experience an entire star. But as it stands, I equally was enjoyed and flummoxed by the material here.
For a very basic overview, this first season focuses on Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson), a nurse at a 1940's California psychiatric institute. Along with harboring some deep secrets in her past, Nurse Ratched has a strange connection to inmate Edmund Tolleson (Finn Whitrock), who is about to be put to death for his heinous crimes.
Ostensibly, the idea for this show springs from the iconically evil character from the all-time classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. But since that character--despite achieving a sort of cult status--only spends minutes on-screen, her backstory and characterization are very much open for interpretation. Here, show creator Ryan Murphy essentially takes a dual-pronged approach:
On one hand, he uses his American Horror noir-style approach. Everything is over-the-top, from the visuals to the dialogue to the music. There is almost no subtlety to be found. Characters say and do ridiculous, almost fantasy-like things that are supposed to be taken as reality.
On the other hand, though, lurking beneath the surface are some surprisingly interesting character interactions. The titular head nurse enters into a somewhat scandalous relationship with another woman (played by Cynthia Nixon), fellow nurse Dolly (Alice Englert) has a dalliance with an inmate, and Doctor Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) struggles to find ways to help his patients.
In a strange way, both of those approaches worked for me if taken separately. I became invested in some of the storylines and I chuckled at some of the ridiculous situations/humor. The problem? The juxtaposition of it all. For example, viewers may be given one very dramatic, compelling scene followed by one straight out of a grind house flick or a black comedy. Those jarring transitions made it very difficult for me to settle into knowing what kind of show I was watching.
Overall, I really don't know what else to do besides rate this as a "right down the middle" 5 stars. To be honest, a better finale (I felt the last episode of the season was a substantial letdown) would have easily propped up the whole experience an entire star. But as it stands, I equally was enjoyed and flummoxed by the material here.
helpful•31
- zkonedog
- Oct 17, 2020
Details
- Runtime59 minutes
- Color
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