The Top 5 Reasons Ratched Should Be Your Next Netflix Binge Obsession

Introduction:

When my bestie Leeah sent me the trailer for Ratched, I had absolutely no idea who Nurse Ratched was. I had never read One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey, and I’m so glad that I rectified this before the Netflix original series Ratched launched on the 18th of September. I read through the novel in around three days and found the narrative structure as well as the setting highly compelling.

I also immediately realised why the conception of Ratched as a prequel to the novel was a stroke of genius. Mildred Ratched is an anomalous character, and in the same time-period approaching that of the smiling 1950’s housewife, we find a woman who not only takes no shit and isn’t afraid to lie, scheme, and manipulate to get what she feels is justice, but a woman who has been traumatised by the recent passing of the second world war, as well as a dark childhood.

I feel like this series has too many merits for words honestly, so instead of gushing on for paragraphs, I’m going to give you a short and sharp five-point list on why you should make this your next Netflix binge obsession!

1) It’s the perfect addition to the novel.

For me, upon reading One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Mildred Ratched was immediately a force to be reckoned with. In our very first glimpse of her through the eyes of Bromden, the novel’s main protagonist, we are presented with a cold and unfeeling description bordering on the mechanical, quite the opposite of what you would expect from someone who works in patient care.

“She’s carrying her woven wicker bag like the ones the Umpqua tribe sells out along the hot August highway, a bag shape of a tool-box with a hemp handle. She’s had it all the years I been here. It’s a loose weave and I can see inside it; there’s no compact or lipstick or woman stuff, she’s got that bag full of a thousand parts she aims to use in her duties today—wheels and gears, cogs polished to a hard glitter, tiny pills that gleam like porcelain, needles, forceps, watchmakers’ piers, rolls of copper wire[.]”

With this short description alone, I was far more intrigued by Nurse Ratched than any of the other characters in the novel. I found myself wondering how a female character in the position of being a caregiver had become so cold, so calculated to almost the point of roboticism. That is why the Netflix series, to me, was just so damn intriguing.

Also, the character of Nurse Ratched is explored in Ken Kesey’s novel from the point of view of one of her patients who isn’t the most reliable narrator. Ratched gives us a brand-new look into the past of the novel’s most notorious character and allows us to sympathise with Mildred as well as coming to understand how she develops into the woman we meet at the beginning of the novel.

Unlike many of the remakes and reboots that are being churned out these days, I feel like this has really come to life as a complementary prequel and welcome addition to the original story rather than attempting to remake the classic anew. In leaving the time and place of the novel relatively untouched in its storyline, the series becomes another pillar in strengthening my love of the original story, and means that on rereading it I’ve found myself looking at Nurse Ratched in an entirely new way.

Haven’t read One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest yet? Grab your copy here!

Official poster for ‘Ratched’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)

2) Sarah Paulson (Because… well Sarah Paulson)

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Sarah Paulson is one of the most versatile actresses I can think of. If she hasn’t already proved this to you via her numerous and varied roles in American Horror Story, then Ratched, in my opinion, is certainly enough to convince almost anyone. I don’t think I can imagine another actress who can so subtly interchange between utter desperation and detached disdain so quickly.

She is the perfect Mildred Ratched and watching her performance throughout the series is both extremely enjoyable and also a little uncomfortable in the absolute best way. I think watching Paulson play someone who is so clearly masking her feelings at almost every turn is quite the spectacle, not to mention that she’s got the art of subtle expression down pat. I can certainly see her fitting the descriptions of Ratched from the novel, and I find her delivery of speech to be perfect in regard to the novel with the cold annunciation, unfeeling tone, and highbrow language used as weaponry against Doctor Hanover who clearly underestimates her.

Paulson expertly moves from the cold mask of indifference to giving glimpses of the trauma and madness ailing Mildred both sexually and emotionally throughout the series. And honestly, it’s just awesome to watch an actress elicit sympathy from an audience who go into the show knowing full well that Nurse Ratched has been long depicted as a cold-hearted control freak in the novel.

3) Costumes and Décor

One thing that really struck me about Ratched was the way in which costume and décor are used to create a kind of tension for the audience. You have these incredibly pristine 1950’s style outfits in most of the scenes, paired with the sterile yet exquisite sets of the Asylum that create a kind of oxymoron.

We know that the characters are unraveling internally, we know that the location is a madhouse with Nurses fucking patients in bathrooms, lobotomies being performed like theatre, and men being boiled alive, and yet from the appearance of it all, you’d think all was perfectly serene.

This use of sharp creases, flawlessly painted faces, and spotlessly clean walls goes to make the instances of insanity, crime, and debauchery all the starker for the viewer and is used super effectively by the producers. I’d also like to take a sec to talk about the cinematography in this because it’s stunning. From the title credits (the theme song is STILL stuck in my head) to the wide pan shots of Mildred’s little mint green car sweeping around the coasts the artistry in how this show is shot is just beautiful.

Check out some of these shots from the set so you can see what I’m talking about!

4) Unpredictable and fast paced plot

Without giving away too many spoilers, what I will say is that I thought the plot for this series was genius! I super hope they make a season 2! The realisations about Mildred’s past, as well as the story of Edmund Tolleson keep you on the edge of your seat. The action progresses quickly, while being twisty enough to keep you guessing without being unbelievable. The writers for this did an excellent job of taking the original character written by Ken Kesey and dissecting what would form her personality.

I also loved that this series served as a coming out narrative, a choice which is seen as increasingly brave by viewers as we are privy to how Lesbianism and Homosexuality are treated by medical physicians of the time. I watched this entire series in two sittings, and honestly the only reason it wasn’t one was the fact that I had to sleep. The storylines are varied, while making the viewer question their beliefs about humanity, right and wrong, and our attitudes to mental health… leading me to my next point.

5) A necessary and startling commentary on mental health services in the 1950’s

This series is an uncomfortable watch, but in the best way. It made me question how I view humanity and sanity, and how the crimes of individuals must be considered in context for any kind of judgement to be made.

We see the patients struggling with the fact that they’re only acting in their nature- to them the most sane thing in the world, and the characters who are supposed to be sane, as well as being in positions of prestige, committing acts of violence, murder, blackmail, and making the viewer question why they aren’t the ones locked up.

This show is also about facades, a perfect reflection of themes from the novel, where the sane are miserable (and part of the machine), and the mentally ill closer to freedom and pure joy. We see this most clearly when the most morally wholesome character in the entire storyline turns out to be Huck, who is physically deformed and even referred to as a monster at one point simply because of how he appears on the outside.

The innocent blonde nurse turns out to be a nymphomaniac, and we see a hot and cold submersion treatment used as both physical prescription, and murder weapon. The doctor deciding whether or not a murderer is mentally well enough to stand trial is also a hunted killer on the run really does highlight the hypocrisy of the entire structure of the institution of Lucia State Hospital.

It also becomes increasingly obvious how mental health services are used as political chess pieces with little concern for the patients, with more worry over how the facilities appear and can therefore be used to gain votes by The Governor of California in his re-election campaign. The Governor even uses human suffering caused by the re-introduction of the electric chair rather than lethal injection as a kind of performance piece for the media.