Wow, what a dark and disturbing series, and it's excellent. The racism portrayed on The Knick is worse than that in 12 Years a Slave, but it takes place in NYC around the turn of the 20th Century. Even the "heroes," the smart ones, are racists, although they gradually overcome prejudice when presented with a Model Negro, the brilliant surgeon and inventor portrayed by Andre Holland. But every black person in the city is one wrong move away from lynching by the Irish cops and the Irish populace. And that's just one theme: the hospital portrayed in The Knick is in the forefront of surgical innovation, mostly advances in stanching bleeding while sewing up internal injuries. There are lots of shots of internal organs and blood oozing out of human bodies, more gruesome than anything I've ever seen. (The show strives for accuracy in its portrayal of medical history.) The lead surgeon, portrayed by Clive Owen, performs miracles while addicted to every drug available in the hospital and in Chinatown, where he spends all his off-duty time. It's a powerful show, and the only reason why I continue to subscribe to Cinemax. The show is created and often directed by genius Steven Soderburgh. And it's filmed in New York, which gives it greater authenticity. And an electronic music score mesmerizes.
