(Aug. 8, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
The new Cinemax show “The Knick” isn’t your typical medical
drama series. For starters, it’s not shy about showing very graphic and
disconcerting hospital procedures. Among the things that viewers won’t be able
to unsee are shots of bloody body parts being cut, poked and prodded on the
operating table.
Directed by versatile Steven Soderbergh, whose filmmaking
credits include “Erin Brockovich,” “Traffic” and “Magic Mike,” the series is
set in New York in 1900. Drama
unfolds in the Knick, or Knickerbocker
Hospital
Dr. Thackery takes over the surgery staff after his mentor
(Matt Frewer) commits suicide. He struggles with the nigh-countless demands of
the job while quietly proving himself a worthy successor.
His time off hospital chores, however, involves getting high
in a drug den-brothel, and injecting himself with cocaine at home or wherever
it’s convenient (sometimes inside a horse-drawn carriage en route to work).
But
at the workplace, he is an esteemed physician who speaks his mind and genuinely
cares for his patients.
Much is tackled in the confines of the Knick, with staffers’
lives consistently focused on; their problems, quirks and shady dealings are
helpful in defining them during work hours. Yes, it’s “E.R.” meets “Boardwalk
Empire,” with a dash of gore for good measure.
Soderbergh, as with his other endeavors, capably handles the
shift in genre; there’s solid storytelling coupled with strong
characterization. What’s different this time is the lingering attention to
gore. It’s hard to look at the bloody scenes without feeling queasy. Oddly
enough, such scenes have morbid, trainwreck-like appeal—while squinting and
cringing, you watch just the same. (The special effects used in surgery
sequences are convincing and effective, so that’s a plus.)
As someone with debilitating demons, the protagonist
is an interesting, complex character. But Dr. Thackery has a confounding
bias—he has trouble embracing change in the form of an African-American doctor
(Andre Holland), who is accomplished enough to join the roster. Owen does
well, predictably powerful as the intermittently-impulsive and reckless doctor,
who manages to keep his secrets from most of the hospital staff.
There is an almost-humorless tone, an encompassing solemn
atmosphere established in its first two episodes that’s complemented by the
visually lavish and transporting world. The era is depicted as beset with
crippling challenges and, while it’s not conceptually groundbreaking, “The
Knick” nonetheless firmly and astutely presents a reflection of relatable feats
and failures.
(“The Knick” premieres tomorrow, 9 p.m. on Cinemax.)
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