Ratched - General Discussion

[hatchetgirl]

On 10/12/2020 at 9:49 AM, iMonrey said:

He does seem to be a one-trick pony. All his shows have the same look, the same vibe, and mostly the same cast! 

That said, if there's another season of this I'll watch it. On the other hand, if there isn't, I won't care. That about sums up my level of interest.

I only got through 2 episodes of Hollywood. Since I was able to finish this season, I guess it's a success? I don't think I can watch another. For me, there is only so much visual pretty and no substance. 

 

Granted, I LOVED the charleston number at the dance. Reminded me of The Name Game in AHS Asylum.

[Chaos Theory]

Apparently (According to Netflix) is one of the most watched shows This season.  So it’s chances of getting renewed just jumped to 50/50.  

[MicheleinPhilly]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Apparently (According to Netflix) is one of the most watched shows This season.  So it’s chances of getting renewed just jumped to 50/50.  

My understanding is that Netflix bought it as a 2 season, 18 episode project. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

 I don't think I can watch another. For me, there is only so much visual pretty and no substance. 

I think there's substance, I mean there's a definite story here. It's just that it's so heavily stylized it doesn't feel genuine. The fact that it's so overdressed overwhelms the narrative. 

[Sandman]

On 10/11/2020 at 11:53 AM, iMonrey said:

The cotton candy equivalent of TV. 

More like Bertie Botts' Beans, if all the colours tasted of earwax, blood or stale marshmallow.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Sandman

[CrystalBlue]

On 9/23/2020 at 7:53 AM, monakane said:

I hated the lethal injection subplot.  LI was introduced until the 1970s.  That was too much of a leap for me.

Didn't make sense!  California's first lethal injection execution wasn't until 1996.  The electric chair was never used in California, so firing up Old Sparky wasn't an option to revive by any governor.  Hanging was the original method and the firing squad was used in the old days before California was tamed in the wild, wild west and became a State of the Union.  This whole subplot was like Alice In Wonderland to me, since I'm too old to not know my native California's real death penalty history.  If this was supposed to be Ryan Murphy's signature campiness, it was lost on me.

[CrystalBlue]

On 10/12/2020 at 9:49 AM, iMonrey said:

He does seem to be a one-trick pony. All his shows have the same look, the same vibe, and mostly the same cast! 

That said, if there's another season of this I'll watch it. On the other hand, if there isn't, I won't care. That about sums up my level of interest.

Unless I get a reminder from Primetimer, Netflix, or one of the TV show reminder sites, I'll have forgotten this (thankfully only eight episodes) season ever aired.  My favorite characters were Nurse Bucket and Sharon Stone's monkey.

[methodwriter85]

Silly me for being dumb enough to think this wouldn't end on a cliffhanger. Lol I'll follow Finn Wittrock anywhere so we'll see ya in season 2.

[eXiled]

Last week I watched the first two episodes and haven't decided whether or not to continue. I only watched AHS's first season (loved Murder House!) but by episode two of Asylum, I was pretty much out. Looked in again at the first episode of AHS: Hotel, but was instantly turned off by gold dildo rape/murder. Haven't been back to that series. Dunno what happened to me as I've grown older. I used to love slashers and gore. Now, I just find it unnecessary, especially when the plot surrounding it isn't strong enough to support all the bleeding.

I think if I do continue watching Ratched, I'll be hate-watching the way I did the last two seasons of Nip/Tuck (kinda how I'm currently watching The Mindy Project).

And I'm with everyone who said Judy Davis's Nurse Bucket is great. She's all I really recall from my viewing last week.

[CrystalBlue]

15 hours ago, eXiled said:

Last week I watched the first two episodes and haven't decided whether or not to continue. I only watched AHS's first season (loved Murder House!) but by episode two of Asylum, I was pretty much out. Looked in again at the first episode of AHS: Hotel, but was instantly turned off by gold dildo rape/murder. Haven't been back to that series. Dunno what happened to me as I've grown older. I used to love slashers and gore. Now, I just find it unnecessary, especially when the plot surrounding it isn't strong enough to support all the bleeding.

I think if I do continue watching Ratched, I'll be hate-watching the way I did the last two seasons of Nip/Tuck (kinda how I'm currently watching The Mindy Project).

And I'm with everyone who said Judy Davis's Nurse Bucket is great. She's all I really recall from my viewing last week.

I failed to mention before that I judged my viewing of Ratched without benefit of ever watching any of the American Horror Story shows.  I've never heard of Ryan Murphy either.  Now that I know what I've been missing, I'll keep looking elsewhere for my horror entertainment.  One Murphy style show was enough for me and I was always leery of AHS of being too slasher/gore for me.

[Lunula]

On 9/23/2020 at 10:53 AM, monakane said:

I hated the lethal injection subplot.  LI was introduced until the 1970s.  That was too much of a leap for me.

I was disappointed with this, as well. 

Second, was chemotherapy used for breast cancer in the 1940's? I did a little research and it seems chemo was "discovered" because of the mustard gas used on soldiers during WWII when researchers found it reduced white blood cell counts and began using it to treat lymphomas, and then later to treat leukemia. I couldn't find references to breast cancer until the 1950's - though it was a cursory search.  

I wasn't a fan of AHS at all, but I quite enjoyed Ratched. Not the best thing on TV and definitely not without flaws, but I'll watch S2. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by Lunula

[Joimiaroxeu]

I decided not to binge this because I'm not that big of a fan of Ryan Murphy. Am mainly watching for Sarah Paulson.

So, one episode in and I'm loving the clothes. Such vibrant colors. (Which apparently is Murphy's thing? A thing many now consider worn out by him?)

Vincent D'Onofrio has really packed on pounds. I hope it was for the role.

Ratched has moxie. She's also a tad crazypants herself apparently. Still liking her so far.

Oh, okay. She's just looking out for her psycho relative who might be her son?

Just finished the 2nd episode:
OMG, assembly line lobotomies. Why would anyone want to watch that if they didn't have to?

Ratched is diabolical, steering the only living witness to Edmund's crimes to be lobotomized so Edmund won't get executed.

Stealing a coworker's food out of the refrigerator? Oy, the revenge will likely be served cold as well.

I don't know about Gwen moving on Ratched so directly after they just watched someone get lobotomized for being a lesbian. She likes to live dangerously I guess because now Ratched has something she can hold over her.

Edmund was clearly putting on a performance for Dr. Hanover so he must not have known about the lobotomies due to his isolation? And was Hanover building a case to make Edmund his next test subject? Ratched will not be pleased.

You'd think the priest would've been better protected by the state given that he was a key witness. Why did Ratched even have access to him and be able to take him out of the rest home with no supervision? She's genius at social engineering. If only she could use her powers for good, hah hah.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Third episode.
For a second at first, I thought Sharon Stone was Jessica Lange. A Jessica who'd had some exceptional work done on her face. Then I realized that she's at least a decade older than Sharon so it probably wasn't her.

In the days before the internet it truly must've been like the wild west. Apparently as long as you kept your face out of the big newspapers or off TV,  and stayed out the sights of law enforcement, you could just move around the country and continue to commit all kinds of heinous stuff. Still, you'd think the governor would've had Hanover vetted better.

I was today years old when I learned that Leaves of Grass was considered sexually explicit.

Seems to me in the 1940s, even in CA, interracial marriage would be considered a bigger deal than gayness, especially between a White woman and Black man. Whatever, seeing who Gwen was married to was a bit of a curve ball.

What kind of empty, desperate, powerless life must you have to take pleasure in jerking off a mass murderer?

Assassins dressed well back then it seems. But maybe that was part of Wainright's cover, not looking like he was out to shoot somebody in broad daylight.

Scenarios. For fun. Heh, let your freak flag fly, Ratched! So is she bi or a deeply repressed lesbian?

Yeah, bet what Mrs. Cartwright mostly learned from those insane baths was to keep her sexual preferences on the down, down, down low.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Again? So Ratched had had sexual contact with her brother. Oy.

Gwen knew her husband couldn't out her without outing himself eventually.

Did motels really track guests' marital status so closely or was Louise the front desk clerk just being obnoxiously nosy?

Oh come on, a nymphomaniac? I think there's a lot of air between being having a mental illness and just being horny. But wow did Ratched work that nurse. She could get a side job as a pimp.

Powerful moment between Ingrid and Ratched. I was surprised by Ratched's subtle compassion.

Leeches. I almost gagged.

Foolish Gwen blew up her fake marriage on the chance of getting with Ratched, only to discover Ratched doesn't swing her way. Maybe.

Sorry, Gwen. You are no match for Ratched. She will not be cornered. But will Gwen ever put it together who that bloody body was and where she'd seen him before?

Angel of mercy? Sure, Jan. Whatever gets you through the night. Wonder if we'll ever know how many people Ratched has killed or been involved in their premature death somehow?

[MrPissyPuppy]

8 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Did motels really track guests' marital status so closely or was Louise the front desk clerk just being obnoxiously nosy?

When my parents were first married in the mid 1940s, they had a small laminated copy of their marriage certificate for traveling.   So, it was a thing but I'm sure there were no tell motels who didn't care. 

[Razzberry]

Murphy's hubris in co-opting a beloved classic like Cuckoo's Nest by calling it a "prequel"  is mind boggling. Since other than the name "Ratched" there's no similarity he should have made it a prequel to his own work, Asylum, which was likely inspired by Kesey.

That said, I'm enjoying it so far on its own merits. The budget, the California scenery and interior shots are all top notch, but agree with many others that Murphy needs to branch out of his comfort zone.

[Joimiaroxeu]

On episode five, still determined to get through this series.

Oh wow, DID, though back then it was probably called something less elegant. Sophie Okonedo killed it in that scene when Charlotte first revealed herselves to Hanover.

Nurse Bucket is nutty enough to be admitted to that sanitarium herself. She was utterly delusional about Hanover.

Trying to make a serial killer your boyfriend is generally not a great idea. Nurse Dolly will likely learn that the hard way.

OMG, poor Charlotte. Hanover had "cured" her and then she suffered that horrific moment at the party and all the personalities came back.

Well, seems Edmund met his perfect match in Dolly. She might be even more insane than him.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Episode 6 done.

A brush with death opened Gwen's eyes about what's important to her but I  wonder why the puppet show was such a big deal to her? It's almost like she was deliberately trying to get under Ratched's skin but of course she had no idea the horror it represented.

Oh, so Edmund isn't Ratched's biological brother. No incest then, technically.

It's a wonder Ratched and Edmund can function sexually at all given the horrific abuse they endured as children.

I'm surprised Ratched confessed everything to Gwen. Now Gwen has a lot of power over her. Or she's completely enthralled by Ratched now.

Apparently Nurse Dolly didn't understand what "surrounded" meant. Or she just decided to let the cops kill her.

I see an assassination in the governor's future, either political or actual. Ratched will not be deterred in her plans to keep Edmund from being executed.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Episode 7

Ratched really trusted her life to Huck by telling him she was attracted to women. Somehow she recognized that he was a truly good person.

I'm amazed Ratched kept that tape of herself performing the DIY lobotomy. Why would she keep something so incriminating? Maybe she wanted to get caught.

Ratched coming out cold with the insane truth about Hanover. Nurse Bucket was stunned. That wasn't on the list!

Good riddance with Hanover but how awful for Charlotte. She should never have been released with him. Wonder if Ratched had a feeling Charlotte would eventually end him via one of her alters? Sophie Okonedo better get an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Charlotte. She gave a powerhouse performance, IMO.

Hanover's head in a hatbox. Dang, Ratched! But good on that nutbag rich woman for keeping her word about payment. (Wonder what happened to the rest of Hanover's body?)

Gwen and her husband had a nice house. Not nice enough to stay in a mutual bearding situation for the rest of your life, apparently.

Meh, you always have a choice not to do evil, Ratched. And a million dollars is hardly "all the money in the world," though back then it went pretty far.

Rich mommy getting revenge from the grave! Hah, hah! Lucky monkey.

[Joimiaroxeu]

S1E8

Looked like Nurse Bucket turned the sanitarium into a day spa. That innovation probably covered the costs of the resident patients.

An execution as entertainment. Ugh. I can't believe Ratched stood there and listened to the radio broadcast knowing that was what was in store for Edmund.

It wasn't until this episode that I realized who the governor was supposed to represent.

Charlotte, oh no. You shouldn't have come back, and certainly not as Hanover. But she had his voice inflections and mannerisms down pat.

So no one bothered to clear out Hanover's desk and dispose of the gun. Poor Huck.

Wow, Ratched's optimism about Gwen's health condition paid off. And is the mistletoe treatment actually a thing?

No good deed goes unpunished. Ratched should've let the chips fall where they may with Edmund. She knew he was homicidal and vindictive, she just didn't imagine he'd ever turn on her.

Looks like they're set up for season two. Ratched versus Edmund. Even though he's got those two crazypants acolytes with him, I'd put my money on Ratched.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Joimiaroxeu

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Golden Globe nominations!

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

BEST ACTRESS TV SERIES – DRAMA - Sarah Paulson

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SERIES, MINISERIES OR TELEVISION FILM - Cynthia Nixon

[Chaos Theory]

Needing something to watch while I worked from home i rewatched this again and even though I enjoyed it the first time I really liked it on second viewing.    If anything the romance between Mildred Ratched and Gwendolyn Briggs is worth the price of admission alone.  I would watch a show about the two of them.  The rest of it is the best kind of Ryan Murphy if you like Ryan Murphy which I do.  He is one of my favorite showrunners.   So bumping this up from page 4 which was a sin.    

[SunnyBeBe]

On 5/7/2021 at 7:59 PM, Chaos Theory said:

Needing something to watch while I worked from home i rewatched this again and even though I enjoyed it the first time I really liked it on second viewing.    If anything the romance between Mildred Ratched and Gwendolyn Briggs is worth the price of admission alone.  I would watch a show about the two of them.  The rest of it is the best kind of Ryan Murphy if you like Ryan Murphy which I do.  He is one of my favorite showrunners.   So bumping this up from page 4 which was a sin.    

I just saw Paulson on Kimmell and about this show.  I like her a lot, but not much by Murphy in a while.  I’m considering watching, though I don’t currently get Netflix. 

[WildFlower87]

Cancelled

https://deadline.com/2024/02/ratched-canceled-netflix-sarah-paulson-confirms-no-season-2-1235814876/

[Mr. Sparkle]

I will classify myself as "not shocked." 

[CrystalBlue]

I had forgotten this show was waiting for a S2.  Just as well it's been cancelled, as I don't watch Netflix anymore and probably won't any time soon, or ever again.