As a history buff and an amateur filmmaker, I really enjoy a good historical drama. I love watching movies and TV shows that can capture a specific moment in time, showing what life was like in that period of history. Some of the best include "The King's Speech," "Amadeus," and "Lincoln." While some might veer off course and embellish details, others are surprisingly accurate. Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" is one of the best examples, as it is an incredibly accurate portrayal of Abraham Lincoln as well as one of the most entertaining movies of recent years. But I would argue that there's an even better example of a period piece, one that I never usually hear people talk about. It's the superbly done TV series by Steven Soderberg titled "The Knick."
"The Knick" ran for two seasons on Cinemax from August 2014 to December 2015. It follows a team of doctors and nurses in a hospital located in 20th Century New York as they revolutionize surgery. The show starts in 1900, when surgery was still a relatively new medical practice. It started in the back rooms of barber shops, of all places, and eventually became a serious area of medicine through the hard work of doctors and nurses. The show highlights doctor John Thackery, the new head of surgery at the Knickerbocker Hospital, and his team of surgeons and nurses.
In my opinion, the show is so impactful because it doesn't hold anything back. It shows the dark underbelly of the medical field at the turn of the 20th Century. Racism is commonplace, with African American surgeon Algernon Edwards receiving the brunt of this as the only doctor who isn't white. The doctors use drugs such as cocaine and heroin to "cure" diseases, which are often abused when people become addicted to them. All of the blood, gore, and death that occurs during the surgeries is placed front and center, as the show gives an unflinching look at the crude techniques that were available to doctors at the time.
To me, all of this is the reason the show is so good. Some of the actions the characters take are quite terrible, but I would argue that ignoring these things and acting like they never existed would be even worse. A truly great historical drama is able to take the sore spots of history, and examine them in a thoughtful manner that is respectful to all the people who were involved. "The Knick" isn't encouraging any of these things to happen. It's simply trying to portray the time period as accurately as possible, while also providing thoughtful commentary on it.
This is why "The Knick" is so amazing. It shows every bump and blemish of the time period. It shows the harsh reality of what it meant to be a surgeon in the early 1900's. It reveals all the hurdles the doctors had to tackle in order to save lives. Each doctor at the hospital has dedicated their life to helping people, but they each have their own unique challenges that they must take on in order to do their job. The show also reveals all the warts of society. It shows all the racism, sexism, and sins of the people living in the city. The show opens up all the flaws of society, and examines them in a way that is respectful yet thought provoking. "The Knick" succeeds by showing audiences all facets of history, and does so in the best way possible.
