Sarah Paulson has once again joined forces with director/producer Ryan Murphy for a new Netflix psychological thriller. Ratched stars Paulson in the titular role with many of Murphy’s regular performers such as Finn Wittrock and Jon Jon Briones. The first eight episodes of the bone-chilling series premiered on Netflix on September 18, 2020, with a second season has been confirmed with no release date due to Murphy’s busy schedule and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Ratched tells the origin story of Nurse Mildred Ratched, the star of the 1962 novel and 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Louise Fletcher won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched, and the name remains in popular use today to describe a rather horrific healthcare worker.
The show is an excellent mixture of what Murphy delivers best: camp, horror, and drama while paying homage to the film styles of old Hollywood. Ratched fits in well with Murphy’s other notable works American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Netflix’s The Politician.
Ratched captivates the viewers and sets the tone of violence for the rest of the series within the first scene of the pilot episode. A church, depicted in typical horror fashion as rain pours in the dark of night, is the site of a brutal murder of four priests. The murderer, Edmund Tolleson (Wittrock) is apprehended and is to be sent for a psychological evaluation at the hospital where Nurse Ratched is employed.
Alongside Paulson and Wittrock, Ratched stars Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover, the lead physician of the hospital, and Judy Davis as Head Nurse Betsy Bucket. Vincent D’Onofrio plays Governor George Wilburn and Sex and the City alumnus Cynthia Nixon plays his press secretary. Despite no obvious evidence of a lesbian love story in the pilot, the casting of Paulson and Nixon, two openly out and queer actresses, gives viewers hope for the portrayal of a queer relationship further into the series.
Paulson’s portrayal of Nurse Ratched gives the air of old Hollywood as the classic femme fatale: a poised woman on the exterior but the master manipulator. From the moment she arrives on screen, Paulson’s character commands presence; the viewer is well aware that she controls those around her. She blackmails her way into a position at the hospital and quickly rises to the top as a respected nurse by creating a number of disastrous situations that she is able to solve. Her saviour complex gains her the trust of authority figures and allows her to promote herself.
As an homage to old Hollywood, there are a number of scenes filmed in the classic style. A montage of establishing shots as Nurse Ratched drives her mint green Ford Coupe along a windy road towards the town of Lucia. The colour green plays an important role in the episode as the entire screen shifts to green during moments where emotions of violence and envy are high.
Ultimately, Ratched’s opener provides a suspenseful and enjoyable viewing experience. It aims to provide context as to how the infamous Nurse Ratched came to be, prior to the moments of her film debut in 1975. Whether you’re familiar with the story of Nurse Ratched or if this is the first time the character will grace your screen, the pilot leaves viewers with questions that need answering and a thirst for more.
Ratched is available to stream on Netflix.