The Knick: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Knick: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

"We're a hospital. We need cocaine to exist..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 8, 2015

Cinemax is developing quite the little programming portfolio. Not content to simply follow in the footsteps of parent company HBO, the once third-tier premium cable network has upped its game. Strike Back. Banshee. And most recently Steven Soderbergh's love-it-or-leave-it period drama The Knick. HBO revels in dramatic and comedic series that unfold like novels. Showtime loves its morality plays. But Cinemax? Cinemax deals in stylistic fever dreams; shows that have no business working yet, for better or worse, prove wildly entertaining and addicting. Is The Knick great television? Not really. Let's be honest. It's erratic, disjointed, uneven and, on occasion, irritating and exhausting. But it's hard to look away... hard not to immediately skip to the next episode, if only to find out if Soderbergh knows what he's doing or might just be making it all up as he goes along. Which, for me, still isn't entirely clear.

Modern medicine had to start somewhere. Brilliant surgeon John Thackery (Clive Owen in a Golden Globe-nominated performance) pushes the boundaries of medicine, morality and race relations in 1900 at a downtown NYC hospital known as The Knick. Unfortunately, in his search to solve a plethora of medical mysteries, Thackery develops an unhealthy addiction to cocaine, just as the fate of The Knickerbocker Hospital hangs in the balance. Thanks to the influence of rich patrons like Cornelia Robertson (Juliet Rylance), Thackery is paired against his will with a young black doctor, Algernon Edwards (André Holland), whose intelligence and at-all-costs methods rivals Thackery's, and who is hired over Thackery's protégé, Dr. Everett Gallinger (Eric Johnson).

Other supporters of Thackery at the hospital include Dr. "Bertie" Chickering Jr. (Michael Angarano), a young surgeon secretly in love with nurse Lucy Elkins (Eve Hewson), who is drawn to Thackery; Sister Harriet (Cara Seymour), who runs the foundling hospital and maternity ward; Herman Barrow (Jeremy Bobb), the Knick's crooked superintendent, awash in debt and willing to risk The Knick's future to pay it off; and Tom Cleary (Chris Sullivan), the ambulance driver who will stoop to the lowest depths to bring the right kind of patients to The Knick.

The challenge of defining "great television" is one of taste, timeliness and originality, sure. At its core, though, great television isn't definable. Dramatic resonance. Entertainment value. Replayability. Direction. Vision. Writing. Performances. Production design. Music. No single element makes or breaks a series, and no combination of elements guarantees success; ratings or otherwise. Hannibal is a terrific, blisteringly surreal, masterfully adapted thriller that... was recently cancelled in the middle of its third season. Yet Once Upon a Time, Scandal, The Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife march on. (Shaking your fist at the mention of one of your favorite series? My point exactly. One man's treasure and all that.) There's not much rhyme or reason. Some shows click, some don't. And The Knick is nothing if not divisive, and certainly difficult to love.

But there's method and magic to Soderbergh's madness, even when it seems like neither is particularly high on the auteur's priority list. Translating cinematic flair to small screen flourish, the filmmaker-turned-television director approaches The Knick as if it were one, long experimental movie. The series is undeniably eye-catching and visually stimulating, with an aesthetic that's as cocaine-addled as the good Dr. Thackery. In the creative haze of the first two-thirds of the season, I struggled to grasp what Soderbergh was aiming for. By the season finale, his target had become more obvious, but no less obtainable. Perhaps that's precisely what was intended, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Soderbergh was having as tough a time grasping the series' tone and intentions as I was. There are moments when the show seizes, falling to the floor in frightening fits. There are also moments of profound stillness and stability, though never enough to inspire unshakeable confidence in the series, its creators or its high profile director.

The cast is excellent, thankfully; even in scenes where Jack Amiel and Michael Begler's dialogue borders on silly, stilted, or both. Owen edges nearer and nearer to irresponsible overacting yet retains impressive command of his performance, creating a compelling character struggling with instability as vicious as it is unpredictable. Holland and his co-stars are just as impressive, despite having the at-times thankless job of reacting to the force of nature that is Thackery rather than developing their own crucial arcs. Again, though, it's the writing that fails the cast and, at its worst, threatens the show. Plotting and character development grow more and more convenient and contrived as the season progresses, and come dangerously close to unraveling throughout the season's ungainly middle. The Knick never comes completely undone, but it also doesn't live up to the talent on the screen and behind the camera. Therein lies the most damning disappointment: I expected much, much more.

And that's the bottom line. More than anything else, "great television" hinges on expectation. The Knick has a lot to prove with its second season before I consider letting down my guard and buy in wholeheartedly. But for you? It may be the most riveting series you watch all year. That's the beauty of television. I can simply turn the channel. You can stay right where you're at, and we'll both be perfectly happy with our decision. We're living in a grand era of big and small screen cinema, where the line between film and television is blurring in exciting new ways.

The Blu-ray release of The Complete First Season features ten episodes spread across four BD-50 discs:

• Method and Madness: With the death of Dr. J.M. Christiansen, Dr. Thackery ascends to the role of chief surgeon. Cornelia Robertson, daughter of the hospital's benefactor, insists that Thackery hire a black assistant chief, Dr. Algernon Edwards. The addition of Dr. Edwards stirs up the hospital staff where he encounters enmity and resentment. His addition the question as to whether the other doctors will accept an African American doctor and if patients will allow him to operate on them, but in the end, the concern is setting breakthroughs in the world of surgery.
• Mr. Paris Shoes: Incensed over the problems with the hospital's new electrical system, Thackery instructs hospital superintendent Barrow to get him more cadavers to enable his team to investigate new surgical procedures. As the rate of patient deaths increase, Edwards proffers a technique he learned in France. A typhoid fever epidemic is tackled by Robertson while Thackery confides in Elkins. Edwards figures out another way to carry out his job.
• The Busy Flea: As Thackery directs Gallinger and Chickering to conduct experiments on pigs, he ponders whether to operate on a former flame. Barrow goes to great lengths to repay an obligation and get back a missing tooth. Edwards takes out his frustrations at a local bar. Robertson's request for administering treatment to a typhoid fever patient are considered at long last.
• Where's the Dignity?: During surgery, Thackery's hand is forced by Algernon, which angers Eleanor; a recovering Abigail regrets her involvement with Thackery; and Sister Harriet and Cleary make a couple of deals. Meanwhile, Bertie receives a scolding from his physician father who is unhappy with his son's career path; and Lucy becomes privy to Thackery's secrets.
• They Capture the Heat: Barrow can alleviate a debt if he treats one of Collier's wounded men and also urges Capt. Robertson to buy one of Thomas Edison's new inventions. Meanwhile, Algernon tries a new approach to hernia surgery; the health of Everett and Eleanor's baby worsens; and Sister Harriet and Cleary head to Chinatown.
• Start Calling Me Dad: Thackery and Bertie test a new operating-room procedure; Cornelia is second-guessing her impending nuptials; and Thackery considers a salesman's intriguing pitch. Meanwhile, Everett contemplates how to help Eleanor overcome her grief; and Barrow wheels and deals over some used merchandise.
• Get the Rope: Racial tensions ramp up on the street and at the Knick when a black man stabs a cop defending his wife; Everett finds a changed operating room on his return to work; and Barrow has concerns about Junia's safety. Meanwhile, Edwards' ingenuity and skills impress Cornelia.
• Working Late a Lot: A drug-deprived Thackery fears that a prominent inventor-surgeon will overshadow his accomplishments at the upcoming New York Surgical Society event. Meanwhile, Bertie courts Lucy as he fends off his father's demands that he leave the Knick; and staff members go to court to keep Typhoid Mary in quarantine.
• The Golden Lotus: Robertson must come up with hush money to cover up a late-night crime at the Knick; a desperate Thackery looks to Lucy to obtain his drugs; and Eleanor's erratic behavior concerns Gallinger.
• Crutchfield: In the Season Finale, Thackery becomes increasingly more paranoid and pushes himself to the limit while continuing the blood-transfusion research; and Edwards and Cornelia reach a crossroads. Meanwhile, Barrow gets in deeper with creditors; Lucy seeks help from Bertie; and, with the hospital in the middle of a crisis, Robertson orders a vote.

The Knick: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shot by Soderbergh with Red Epic Dragon high definition cameras, The Knick's 1080p/AVC-encoded first season is crisp and clean, with very little in the way of distractions. Noise creeps into darker scenes as well as shots bathed in deep, red light, but there aren't any other anomalies of note. Edges are often razor sharp, fine textures are precisely resolved, and the only softness that appears is optical. Soderbergh's palette, meanwhile, is either largely stripped of color or steeped in it; with sequences that are as stark and sterile as they are clinical and cold, and others that are as lush and rich as they are striking. Contrast and saturation are faithful to the director's cinematography, though, black levels are deep (occasionally too deep, leading to some inherent, source-born crush), whites and other select primaries pop, and delineation is as revealing as it's meant to be.

The Knick: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of The Knick: The Complete First Season features a strong, absorbing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track free from any significant issues. Dialogue is intelligible and thoughtfully prioritized at all times, while every incision, suture, crack of bone and tear of flesh is nauseatingly clear and convincing. It only helps that LFE output is assertive and commanding, dynamics are excellent, and rear speaker activity is aggressive and engaging, creating a number of immersive, fully enveloping interiors. Longtime Soderbergh collaborator Cliff Martinez also delivers a counter-period score that surges and relents evocatively and effectively throughout each episode, enhancing not only the tone of the series but the remarkability of the show's lossless audio mix. All told, The Knick may broadcast on Cinemax, but the Blu-ray edition's AV presentation is yet another first rate HBO product.

The Knick: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: Three audio commentaries are included: "Method and Madness" with co-creator/co-executive producer/co-writers Jack Amiel & Michael Begler and actors Jeremy Bobb (Herman Barrow), Eve Hewson (Lucy Elkins), Michael Angarano (Dr. "Bertie" Chickering Jr.), Chris Sullivan (Tom Cleary), Cara Seymour (Sister Harriet) and Eric Johnson (Dr. Everett Gallinger); "Get the Rope" with Amiel, Begler, Bobb, Hewson, Angarano, Sullivan, Seymour and Johnson; and "Crutchfield" with Amiel, Begler, Bobb, Hewson, Angarano, Sullivan, Seymour and Johnson.
• Episode Post-Op (HD, 18 minutes): A series of brief, two-minute behind the scenes featurettes with even briefer cast and crew interviews. Post-Op dissections are available for "Mr. Paris Shoes," "The Busy Flea," "Where's the Dignity?," "They Capture the Heat," "Start Calling Me Dad," "Get the Rope," "Working Late a Lot," "The Golden Lotus" and "Crutchfield."

The Knick: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Knick isn't for everyone. But then, what Soderbergh production ever is? Challenging material is met by a challenging approach. If nothing else, Soderbergh delivers something unlike anything else on television. Some will declare it brilliant and misunderstood. Others will call it uneven and erratic. Few will regret watching, though. Love it or hate it, Amiel, Begler and Soderbergh at least forge a vision wholly their own, assembling an excellent cast willing to sink their teeth into anything the showrunners hand them. HBO's Blu-ray release of The Complete First Season is far less divisive, fortunately, thanks to a terrific AV presentation. Additional commentaries and longer production featurettes would have injected more value into the 4-disc set, sure, but don't let that stop you from giving the series a fair shot.