The Knick
Episode 13 (season 2, episode 3): Andre Holland, Clive Owen. photo: Mary Cybulski
If you’re not watching “The Knick,” you’re missing an incredibly vivid vision of history — New York 1901 — and a beautifully acted television drama that never fails to further develop its richly drawn characters.
, Season 2 of “The Knick” on Cinemax is getting better and better as the doctors, nurses, patients and bureaucrats of the Knickerbocker hospital plunge into new dilemmas.
The topic of addiction is in the forefront, as Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen) tests his theory that addiction is not a character flaw but a disease. (He survived testing a new wonder drug from Bayer that was supposed to help kick his cocaine addiction. It was called heroin.)
Immigration is a hot-button issue. The is taking root and certain clubby men advocate sterilization of immigrant populations to solve what they see as an over-breeding problem.
Race relations are key, expressed through the trials of Dr. Algernon Edwards (Andre Holland), a brilliant black surgeon recognized in Europe but treated as a second-class citizen in the States. Holland continues to perfect the controlled rage over calculated compromises his character endures.
Episode 11 (season 2, episode 1): Michael Angarano, Andre Holland, Eve Hewson, Zuzanna Szadkowski. photo: Mary Cybulski
Abortion and religion, class consciousness, political corruption and emerging feminism feel like active, urgent questions, not peeks into the dusty past. Location shots of giant stone mansions, buggies and early electric automobiles lend authenticity to the drama. Beyond a costume drama, this is smart, personal history with a vibe in the electronic music http://filmmusicreporter.com/2015/10/26/the-knick-season-2-soundtrack-announced/ by Cliff Martinez.
Credit creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler with digging into unpretty history — the medical trials and errors can be gruesome but enlightening — to find the human heart of an earlier time. Director Steven Soderbergh continues to mesmerize with his exploration of the Gilded Age as the 10-episode second season continues.
