User Reviews

A cursory glance at my viewing habits would reveal that, the small number of shows I watch that aren't created by Greg Berlanti, are the ones created by Ryan Murphy. So I was "in the bag" for this show, staring his muse, the great Sarah Paulson as a younger version of the maniacal nurse from "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". Even so, though I can wholeheartedly say I liked this season, I can see the flaws that might turn off someone not quite so enamoured with the show's concept.

Edmund Tolleson (Finn Wittrock) brutally murders several Priests as part of a home invasion. He's soon caught and sent to a mental heath facility for judgement on whether he's sane to stand trial for the crime. Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson) manipulates her way into the sanatorium staff, blackmailing the chief Doctor Richard Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) and undermining head nurse Bucket (Judy Davis). In a position of power, she's able to influence the decision on Tolleson's culpability, but what is her motivation for infiltrating the hospital.

There's lots to like about the show. It's very "Hitchcock-ian" in it's look and tone. Set in 1947, it's very much a stylish effort, with cars and fashions of the time done well. There are homages in the shot selection and angles, as well as direct lifts from Hermann's scores for "Vertigo" and "North By Northwest". (Although it's the refrain from "Cape Fear" which is used the most, which would be fine, was it not for "The Simpsons" repurposing it as the Sideshow Bob theme). The colour palette is the most striking aspect - both naturally within shots, and then when a strong hue is added to display the emotion of the character. (I did actually feel this was a little heavy handed, but perhaps that's me).

The issues for me were with the story. I know this isn't the case from reading about it, but it feels like someone had the idea for "Young Ratched" and it was greenlit, and cast, and only then at the end did someone say "what's the story actually about?" This results in a plot that's reasonably entertaining, but also wildly unfocused. Characters are made to feel important and then disappear, certain plot lines don't really amount to much and the finale has shift in the characters that I don't think was really earned. I'm also not sure I ever buy into a connection with this Nurse Ratched and the one from the movie.

I don't want this to come across like I didn't enjoy the series, I did. I'm just not sure that it was necessary to elevate this as tying in with the Oscar winning film, when it feels more akin to another season of "American Horror Story".

This final episode was everything. A well developed storyline, genuine character development, wild and crazy scenes, and a great cliffhanger. Ratched is coming.

It was the first episode that was so predictable and I would call it pathetic. It wasn't bad but story line in this episode going in straight line and I didn't find plot twist which I didn't like. The worst episode so far.

Typical Ryan Murphy.

Beginning a season that looks stunning, has style and seems interesting. Then there are subplots and almost everybody gets killed. Soon you don't really care about the characters anymore.

Then the season finale comes. In American Horror Story, a Ryan Murphy season finale normally disappoints. Here, this is the case as well. I'm hoping for a better season 2.

Greetings.

Lobotomy, amnesia, alien hand syndrome, multiple personality disorder, mania, lustful desires, schizophrenia, PTSD... The perfect ingredients for a nice psychological thriller show... And giving it in the hands of Ryan Murphy for an AHS style backdrop, just perfect. Sarah Paulson was absolutely amazing as usual, but the supporting cast were gems too... Specially Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, Judy Davis and last but not the least, Sophie Okeonedo, who was mind blowing in the last episode.

Enjoyed it very much! So exticed for the season2 already. Mildred VS Edmund!

Sadly this finale was style over substance.

I have been a massive fan of this series, as my reviews will show, and I expected big things from this finale, an explosive affair, but sadly I found this a real let down.

We'll start with the positives, once again Sarah Paulson, and cast are excellent, there is no denying the awesome cast. The visuals, once again are glorious, a post production dream, it looks bright and vivid, it's immaculate.

Sadly, the story, it lacks any substance, it didn't really go anywhere, dare I say, it was a bit boring. As for that so called dramatic scene, that was just last writing, come on that's a cheap trick, and one that has been done to death. I think my expectations were too high.

I didn't enjoy it, but can't wait for more Ratched. 5/10.

For a well filmed series and well acted scenes, with intrincated stories it ends flats with out of nowhere twist that don't feel fulfilling and alliances that really don't make sense on one side.

I, for one, felt betrayed by this finale and wished it could have ended with out setting a direct sequel, despite it being a prequel.

This is an awfully beautiful and I mean awfully, since it's just too much, nonsensical mess. Over-the-top with little to no substance. No logic. What so ever. It's like everything is set in this fairytale land. It is like a fairytale. A rather gory one, granted, but still, in the worst way possible that is. All the twists you could see a mile away. Hundred miles to be more precise. See what I did there? Cause this elaboration of mine didn't make any sense. Just like this whole show. There is no sense to it. And the characters are all so dumb, it's painful. And why wouldn't they be? When their reality is so hypothetical, so untrue to any logic, historic accuracy and EVEN THE CHARACTER IT WAS BASED ON! Why "Ratched"? When you could've named it any other name: it still would be no relation to the iconic work of Ken Kesey. By that I mean "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" of course. However I'll probably watch the second season. I guess I'm like those delirious characters of this show. Not only the patients, but all of them.

There were beautiful colorful exciting moments throughout the whole season and what do we get at the final episode? 'Beige' blob of nothing. The whole time I was waiting for the drama, for the big twist, for the massacre, for something. I was waiting for Edmund to pop out of bush, I was asking what is going to happen with Charlotte, I was waiting for the final psycho fight, I was curious who will die. And finally, at the end it was like a bad sex. You wait wait wait and then its over. It left absolutely no satisfaction.

This first season of Ratched is one of the oddest TV viewing experiences I've ever had. The show is essentially two distinct narratives: one insanely over the top, the other a decent character drama. Either approach, if utilized fully, could have worked just fine. The combination or interweaving of the two? Utterly bizarre in almost every way.

For a very basic overview, this first season focuses on Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson), a nurse at a 1940's California psychiatric institute. Along with harboring some deep secrets in her past, Nurse Ratched has a strange connection to inmate Edmund Tolleson (Finn Whitrock), who is about to be put to death for his heinous crimes.

Ostensibly, the idea for this show springs from the iconically evil character from the all-time classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. But since that character--despite achieving a sort of cult status--only spends minutes on-screen, her backstory and characterization are very much open for interpretation. Here, show creator Ryan Murphy essentially takes a dual-pronged approach:

On one hand, he uses his American Horror noir-style approach. Everything is over-the-top, from the visuals to the dialogue to the music. There is almost no subtlety to be found. Characters say and do ridiculous, almost fantasy-like things that are supposed to be taken as reality.

On the other hand, though, lurking beneath the surface are some surprisingly interesting character interactions. The titular head nurse enters into a somewhat scandalous relationship with another woman (played by Cynthia Nixon), fellow nurse Dolly (Alice Englert) has a dalliance with an inmate, and Doctor Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) struggles to find ways to help his patients.

In a strange way, both of those approaches worked for me if taken separately. I became invested in some of the storylines and I chuckled at some of the ridiculous situations/humor. The problem? The juxtaposition of it all. For example, viewers may be given one very dramatic, compelling scene followed by one straight out of a grind house flick or a black comedy. Those jarring transitions made it very difficult for me to settle into knowing what kind of show I was watching.

Overall, I really don't know what else to do besides rate this as a "right down the middle" 5 stars. To be honest, a better finale (I felt the last episode of the season was a substantial letdown) would have easily propped up the whole experience an entire star. But as it stands, I equally was enjoyed and flummoxed by the material here.

Show was interesting but this is stupid and deranged. Gov totally useless. Terrible plot and most acting. Childish writing. No way I'll bother with any second season. Criminal writing and production.

A nurse who is planning a plot in each scene, enjoying parties rather than working as nurse, she never do her duty only make plan after plan to free his murderer brother from hospital's jail. I wonder what I did see in such stupid series. Story starts in ep01 and ends ep07 but still unanswerable question that what is about her brother ? Doctor get killed but police never investigated, why ? Lenore sgood ( Sharon Stone) is a foolish character. Actresses are totally looking weird. Likewise men too. One can't believe on nurse ratherd from her lie afer lie. Her every move is suspectable. At least I do not trust her even one sentence.

Thought this horrible show would get better, but it got more confusing and mean spirited than ever. A total disaster of a show and the last episode is certainly the worse. The characters are ill written and played. No reason except for thrills and gore. Not at all realistic. That Charlotte character allowed to even sit in the office behind the desk is the most unbelievable aspect to this utterly horrific show. The writers mustn't have conferred on any of the episodes as its a complete miss mash. Nothing is said about the nurse Dolly who was a complete idiot. After committing yet another crime the guy gets put back in the Sanitarium.?? He would be put in a real prison. Nothing, but nothing makes sense in this disaster of a show. What a waste of time and money spent on pretty good production values. Too bad the money wasn't spent on a good piece of material instead of this crap!!!! FORGET IT.

This show is just gone bonkers. Last episode had so many melodramatic twists that meant nothing more than to get rid of characters that led nowhere and didn't do much for the title character.

Now Ratched is a wonderfully sweet lesbian in an affair with a middle-aged woman; meanwhile they're the same age, and look the same age... Too old for provocative love scenes... So then, The L Word this show ISN'T...

Nor is it Cuckoo's Nest or American Horror Story. It's just a Soap. Perhaps that's Jennifer Salt's input being that she...

Well, anyhow... RATCHED throws too many wrenches into the gears, and cannot fix its own broken down engine at this point. And the actor who plays Edmond the brother is horrible, horrible, horrible...