Modern Medicine had to start somewhere, is the tag line for the first season. And it starts with a drug addicted and brilliant doctor getting out of a nefarious joint and heading to the hospital-The Knick. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and a terrific cast lead by Clive Owen, season 1 grabs you from the word go. As a concept the series just blows off your mind…as it unravels the various discoveries and inventions in medicine and set them against the burning topics of early 20th century like racism, abortion, feminism, immigration, contagious diseases etc.
Humanity is hard to cure, is the tag line for the second season, as the series takes more and more of a noir genre. It starts of with Dr.Thackeray in a sanatorium and far from treatment from his cocaine addiction, he now finds himself in peace with a new drug-heroin. Luckily for him, Dr.Gallinger brings him back to ‘The Knick’ and the field of medicine advances once again.
Blu Ray for the second season has a few interesting bonus features, like inside the body shop, under construction, inside the costume shop and invitation to the ball. Production designer gives an excellent brief about how the set evolved, simple color palette (almost black and white, should Steven Soderbergh decide to shoot sans color) and the space design facilitating the various interactions of the characters. The invitation to the ball reveals the long shots employed by the director. A nice little package that gives good information about the making and would have been even better if there were a few interviews with the director also.
One of the key features for me is characterization and the various pull and push factors employed in portrayal. Every character has a nagging weakness, a thrusting strength, a higher/lower calling, a haunting past and a future aspiration. All of these then are nicely woven into the period of that time, and some very strange and interesting themes. For instance, Mr.Barrow’s love for a young prostitute and Dr.Gallinger’s affection towards his mentally sicke wife.The structure is just too good to ignore and each character is a beauty!
Overall a must watch for anyone interested in a period drama, and do no mind the proceedings going a bit dark…a la noir!
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