# Anybody into "The Knick"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982 "2016-02-02T20:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/1 "2016-02-02T20:17:21Z")
Just finished binge-watching the three seasons thus far on CineMax – really, really liked it! Is/has anyone else watched? I’d love to hear your assessment! I have been really intrigued by the character development. No one is wholly good nor bad, which I find very human. For the most part the characters change and grow and have setbacks. I also didn’t realize medicine was so (relatively) advanced in the early 1900s. Or, are they being a bit anachronistic? WARNING! POSSIBLE/LIKELY SPOILERS BELOW (I’ve never learned how to insert spoiler boxes :dubious:) \*I think Harry and Cleary (sp?) should have their own series spin-off. Love these complex characters – Cleary is such an arsehole in many ways, but they really fleshed-out his character. The actor who plays Harry is darling (I cried when she showed Cleary she was wearing the wedding ring he bought for her). \*I’m grateful that Algie has not been used as The Magical Negro who sacrifices his own ambitions in service of teaching white folks all about tolerance and love. \*I also really like that Thack hasn’t had a happy-feely-wasn’t I bad redemption from addiction (OMG, he’s doing the 1906 version of speedballing, yes?) Plus, Clive Owen looked like shit toward the end of season three; very appropriate look (and it’s difficult to make Mr. Owen look bad!) \*Getting a bit tired of the eps that concentrated on Neely. I hope season four doesn’t follow her storyline in Australia. She’s kind of becoming the Lady Mary of Downton; shut up and enjoy your privilege. \*I hope Barlow gets murdered in a particularly heinous manner . . . as well as Gilligian (sp?) \*Bertie is so cute. I want to scoop him up and cuddle him like a living teddy bear 🙂 \*West Virginia nurse (can’t remember name at the moment) has had some very intriguing character turns. Lotus sex, anyone? \*They’re not gonna kill off Thack, are they? ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/2 "2016-02-02T21:52:22Z")
I watch it and enjoy it a lot. In some ways medicine was advancing rapidly back then, but you still see some very gross stuff like operating without gloves. I assume you actually only watched two season since a third season is still in question. There are articles confirming whether Thackery lives or dies. I’ll put it in a spoiler box if you want to get more information. [spoiler]Thackery died, just as they made it look. It seemed pretty clear, but audiences expect to get tricked so some won’t believe it. Clive Owen knew from the beginning that his character would die at the end of season two. Here is a quote from Soderbergh, the director. > [@](#): > > Soderbergh explained he had revealed the long-term plan to Cinemax from the beginning. “I told them that I’m going to do the first two years and then we are going to break out the story for seasons 3 and 4 and try and find a filmmaker or filmmakers to do this the way that I did. This is how we want to do this so that every two years, whoever comes on, has the freedom to create their universe.” [http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/steven-soderbergh-says-more-the-knick-is-coming-reveals-rough-plan-for-season-3-beyond-20151221[/spoiler]](http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/steven-soderbergh-says-more-the-knick-is-coming-reveals-rough-plan-for-season-3-beyond-20151221%5B/spoiler%5D) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/3 "2016-02-02T22:44:44Z")
I’ve been watching and enjoy it a lot. I’m not particularly enamored of any of the characters, but watch it mostly for the historical time period - so I hope the show is being as accurate (as possible) along those lines. Could someone refresh my memory on the last episode - I didn’t even remember anything happening to Clive Owen. BTW - did anyone know that West Virginia Nurse (Lucy?), Eve Hewson, is Bono’s daughter? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/4 "2016-02-02T23:34:32Z")
I watched the first season and I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I thought the subject matter and time period was very interesting, but on the other hand I felt like they had crammed about 3 seasons’ worth of crises and melodrama into a single season so it seemed sort of overstuffed to me. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/5 "2016-02-03T03:37:35Z")
> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#): > > I’ve been watching and enjoy it a lot. I’m not particularly enamored of any of the characters, but watch it mostly for the historical time period - so I hope the show is being as accurate (as possible) along those lines. > > Could someone refresh my memory on the last episode - I didn’t even remember anything happening to Clive Owen. > > BTW - did anyone know that West Virginia Nurse (Lucy?), Eve Hewson, is Bono’s daughter? Their on-set medical advisor, Dr. Stanley Burns, founded the Burns Archive which is the largest private collection of early medical photography in the world and has been widely used for documentaries, television shows, and films. They apparently use it for reference extensively to make sure the equipment and other things in the hospital are realistic for the years in which the show is set. Thackery performed a bowel surgery on himself using a mirror and a spinal block. He makes a mistake, starts bleeding out, and loses consciousness. I think they end the scene with Bertie trying to revive him. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/6 "2016-02-03T05:07:10Z")
> [@theR](#): > > Thackery performed a bowel surgery on himself using a mirror and a spinal block. He makes a mistake, starts bleeding out, and loses consciousness. I think they end the scene with Bertie trying to revive him. That’s not where the episode ends though. I forget the exact details since it’s been a while since it aired, but we see Algie a bit later and it’s pretty clear that Thackery died during the surgery. I think he says something about his funeral? I kinda assumed that was the series finale. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/7 "2016-02-03T13:52:54Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > That’s not where the episode ends though. I forget the exact details since it’s been a while since it aired, but we see Algie a bit later and it’s pretty clear that Thackery died during the surgery. I think he says something about his funeral? > > I kinda assumed that was the series finale. I think you’re right. Read what I put in the spoiler box and follow the link to the article. It will make a lot more sense why it felt like the series finale. Additionally, season three is still not confirmed so it very well could be the finale if they can’t get renewed. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/8 "2016-02-03T13:57:54Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > That’s not where the episode ends though. I forget the exact details since it’s been a while since it aired, but we see Algie a bit later and it’s pretty clear that Thackery died during the surgery. I think he says something about his funeral? > > I kinda assumed that was the series finale. There’s a slight bit of wiggle room in that when Algie says “I owed it to him”, he _might_ be referring to August Robertson (who’d died in the previous episode) but almost certainly not. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/9 "2016-02-03T16:05:46Z")
Thanks for the reminders. Of course I remember the surgery, it was just blocked out for some reason. Don’t recall the extra bit with Algie though. I may try to rewatch the end of the last episode On Demand. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/10 "2016-02-03T17:29:00Z")
Personally, I’m guessing the odds of Thack’s survival improve with the number of dump trucks full of money that get driven to Clive Owen’s house. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/11 "2016-02-03T17:39:48Z")
> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#): > > I’ve been watching and enjoy it a lot. I’m not particularly enamored of any of the characters, but watch it mostly for the historical time period - so I hope the show is being as accurate (as possible) along those lines. > > Could someone refresh my memory on the last episode - I didn’t even remember anything happening to Clive Owen. > > BTW - did anyone know that West Virginia Nurse (Lucy?), Eve Hewson, is Bono’s daughter? Yes. Do I get some points? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/12 "2016-02-03T22:31:28Z")
I watched the two seasons a couple of months ago, except I’d look away during the gorier surgery scenes. And the naked greed from Cleary about how much he should be paid for bringing in surgical patients reminded me of the fighting between fire companies in Gangs of New York. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/13 "2016-02-03T22:55:07Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Yes. Do I get some points? Sure … [Drew Carey/] A thousand points for vivalostwages! [/Drew Carey] ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-into-the-knick/744982/14 "2016-02-03T23:04:59Z")
I think a good sign that Thack is dead is that he isn’t wearing his signature style white shoes when he enters the operating theater at the end of the finale. And then when Bertie is racing for the adrenaline, we see that he is wearing that same style of white shoes, which I don’t recall him wearing before. That’s some nice circle of life shit. That, plus the fact that the only thematically honest way for Thack to snuff it is on the Knick operating table as he is operated on by himself. I mean, come on, was there really any other way? Either way, I hope it comes back for season 3. Hospital shows are pretty resilient to cast turnover.