Review: Ratched

No one asked for a Nurse Ratched origin story, but we got one. And to its credit, excitement grew with every casting choice, picture released, and trailer. 

Created by Evan Romansky and Ryan Murphy, Ratched tells the backstory of asylum nurse Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson). She arrives in California seeking work at a psychiatric hospital where the doctor Richard Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) is conducting innovative and unsettling experiments on his patients. 

From the minute you hit play, it is evident this is another Ryan Murphy creation. The colors, the costumes, and the whimsical soundtrack are all apart of his signature style that fills every frame. And it’s easy to get swept up in the ambiance of it all.

The pilot episode sparks intrigue. It begins with Edmund Tolleson (Finn Wittrock), hell-bent on seeking revenge for his mother killing a group of priests that housed the man who abused her. In true Murphy fashion, the mood changes from dark and gruesome to a sweet technicolor world that looks like it’s out of a storybook. Mildred Ratched talks her way into a job at the mental institution where Edmund is being held. Unfortunately, the intrigue stops after the pilot and doesn’t return until episode 6. 

Throughout the series, we learn how Mildred and Edmond’s story intertwines. And along the way, there’s a glimpse of how the doctor sparks Mildreds interest in new and daring procedures at the psychiatric hospital. 

In all honestly, this felt like another chapter in American Horror Story instead of an origin story to the sinister nurse in One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest. To me, this is what season 2 Asylum should have been. 

The series is filled with a slew of characters. There are eight episodes, each a little under an hour long. The story is stretched out as much as possible, with multiple subplots. One of these includes Sharon Stone, seeking revenge against Dr. Hanover for mutilating her son.

Some of the subplots felt undeveloped and thrown in to add unneeded drama. One was the Bonnie and Clyde esque story with Edmond and Nurse Dolly (Alice Englert). In all honesty, the main story could have been told in a two-hour movie instead of an eight-episode arch. It felt like they were saving better conflict and development for a second season. 

That being said, every actor is outstanding in this series. Paulson’s performance was flawless as usual. She added just enough viciousness mixed with sweetness to hint at the monster Nurse Ratched would soon become. 

Judy Davis, as Nurse Betsy Bucket, was a true standout. She ate up every moment she was on screen. And at times, it was much needed for comic relief. Also, Sophie Okonedo gave a jaw-dropping performance; unfortunately, it was far too late in the series. I wish she would have been in it from episode one. 

I also have to give props to the lighting. Murphy used this as almost a hidden character. At times it felt a little campy, especially when mixed with the duel screen comic-book editing, but it brought action and meaning to the simplest moments.

In conclusion, fantastic acting and the whimsical direction couldn’t save Ratched from just being okay. The show sparks some intrigue in the beginning but loses its momentum. It picks back up in the final three episodes but ultimately leaves you feeling unsatisfied. The ending is the shows silver lining. Now that the story is set and you know who the main players are, a second season should be much more thrilling.