The Knick is a television show anyone interested in very relevant topics of our day should not miss. On the exterior, The Knick is a historical look at early 1900's New York City and the plot is based around a newly promoted head surgeon, Dr. Thackery (Clive Owen), of The Knickerbocker Hospital. The medical aspect of the show is truly fascinating, intense and shocking. The surgeries shown on the show are not for the faint of heart and have the look of a butcher shop rather then what we currently expect in an operating room.
The sets are beautiful and well done to portray a century year old time period. I have heard complaints about the music and blurry vision of some of the cameras and shots that Director Steven Soderbergh incorporates throughout the show. If you want a clean cut narrative with perfectly clean shots and no unique sound, then feel free to go watch network television. I find the electronic music very interesting and almost a sort of heart beat to the show. The blurry shots are absolutely justified as this world is dimly lit and fuzzy on its own accord. The music and cinematography do it great justice.
The acting on the show is also top notch as Clive Owen leads a team that is in sync throughout. Andre Holland is a revelation as Dr. Algernon Edwards, a African American doctor literally fighting for respect in an extremely racist medical world. These two characters and their relationship form the essence of much of the show's themes which are very relevant even today. Beneath each character there lies more depth then you will receive in most television. Dr Thackery is burdened by his past and his temptations, yet is dedicated to saving the lives of his patients and not selling out. It is a gray world at The Knick and one in which lies death, drugs, sex, racism and deceit, and at the same time brings us heroics, ethics, humanity and discovery.
