Ratched pulls off a surprising quality turn-around; though is still hampered by several issues, as Sarah Paulson gives her best performance yet! Here’s Marley Eleven Bury’s Netflix Ratched Season 1, Episode 6 breakdown.
This show is honestly a rollercoaster. After last week’s disastrous showing, I was just about ready to throw in the towel; convinced the show had lost almost all of its creative edge.
The characterisation made little sense, the plot felt like it was being pulled towards its weakest directions and even the great Sarah Paulson felt like she was hampered by continually frustrating material.
Yet if this episode shows anything, it’s that even a deeply flawed structure and setup can sometimes yield great; though mixed results.
The episode opens with Dolly and Edmund fleeing the police, while Ratched watches her romantic interest; Gwendolyn Briggs, go through surgery on the other side of a tiny door window.
Immediately, this establishes the trend of the episode: Emotions, situations and people are close to completely slipping through Mildred’s fingers. After five episodes of largely successful manipulation, her plans have crashed down around her and Mildred is left more vulnerable than she’s ever been.
The episode’s title is a clever double entendre, referring both to the episode’s incredibly harrowing emotional reveals later to come and to Mildred’s collapsing control as a Puppetmaster of events: She’s got no strings left to pull.
Her vulnerability deepens as she nearly confesses to a comatose Gwendolyn; only for her to awaken, as Mildred and her share a silent moment of vulnerability.
The episode then continues post-title sequence, showing Dolly and Edmund finding an abandoned farmhouse, where the toxicity of their dynamic is clearly evident.
Though Edmund is a killer, he shows fear, concern and a firmer grasp of reality, empathy and compassion than Dolly does in every situation.
While she finds the house’s gun, he finds the food. When she breaks the neck of a chicken for them to eat in the morning, Edmund reflects on how the animal doesn’t deserve to die; something Dolly finds ridiculous.
The two can only bond through sexual intimacy; which in both their cases, is an expression of underlying mental issues that control them.
While Dolly is a nymphomaniac and delusional, Edmund is struggling with immense PTSD and this episode finally gives the context as to why.
Meanwhile, Ratched is caring for Briggs; yet it is clear that Mildred is trying to put her walls back up. She is immediately repulsed by a puppet TV show and flatly rejects the offer to attend one.
Unable to take this, Gwendolyn threatens to end their dynamic; forcing Mildred into a choice: Open up or be closed off to those she cares about forever.
No longer capable of hiding her feelings, she commits to going with Gwendolyn and the show features one of the most chilling sequences I’ve seen on television in 2020.
*TRIGGER WARNING*
(Sexual-Assault, Rape, Physical, Emotional and Sexual Violence towards minors is described, proceed at your own risk)
Mildred and Briggs arrive at the puppet show, yet as it begins; Ratched begins to experience a different version to everyone else.
The sequence depicts a puppet-version of Mildred and Edmund; intercut masterfully with their young actor counterparts, who suffer immensely through the foster-care system: Physically abused by multiple families.
The puppet narrator of this sequence then describes how the two met in one of these homes, a compassionate care worker manipulating their paperwork to make them legally brother and sister: Ensuring they will always have the other to look after them.
The cycle of physical abuse continues however and eventually; after one particularly nasty beating almost costing Edmund his life, their care worker manages to find them a wealthy family who appear to be treating them as they deserve: Lavishing gifts and showing what appears to be genuine kindness.
The sequence has a fundamentally twisted, malevolent energy and this is achieved through masterful use of editing: The audience of children and Gwendolyn are clearly reacting to the actual puppet show, yet Mildred hears them laughing as if mocking her own cruel upbringing.
This perfectly reflects not only how abused people can feel the world around them will treat them but also completely explains and makes you empathise with her mindset more than ever before: She is fundamentally manipulative and a surface-level narcissist as a defence mechanism, she has had no other choice to survive and if that wasn’t tragic enough, the final part of this nightmare-fuel sequence will make that abundantly clear.
Having previously established that the house she grew up in had a puppet-theatre, the horrifying truth of this is revealed: It was a mock-stage for a group of wealthy paedophiles; contacted through secret newspaper code, to watch Edmund and Mildred be forced to perform sexual acts on one another.
To depict this, they show the puppets of Mildred and Edmund; with the latter slightly pulling down the shirt off the shoulder of Ratched, yet it is enough to make you feel sick to your stomach.
This eventually culminates in Edmund stabbing these two scumbag adopters; they are NOT PARENTS, while Mildred flees, promising to reunite and save her ‘brother’ one day.
Sarah Paulson’s breakdown during and in response to this torment is astounding, she has easily been awards-worthy this entire season, yet this episode makes her an undeniable shoe-in for the Best Actress category.
Watching her breakdown at the demons of her past adds so much depth to the entire season and addresses several long-running issues I’ve had with the show: The implied incest, Edmund and Mildred’s bizarre sexual-romantic behaviour, core aspects to their motivation: All feel thoroughly and skin-crawlingly well-explained now, retrospectively justifying their previous behaviour.
*TRIGGER WARNING – SECTION END*
Exceptional as this sequence and episode largely is however, I do still feel it is indicative of the show’s wider issues: Ratched has some truly fantastic story elements. Sarah Paulson is phenomenal, the cast around her additionally terrific.
However, had the show’s narrative been more focussed in fleshing out these motivations sooner; as well as dropping/condensing certain arcs that added very little, the show would be an exceptional masterpiece of modern television.
Instead, it feels incredibly frustrating as a show often on the verge of greatness; yet held back from its true potential.
Rather than give unnecessary screen-time to Sharon Stone’s insufferable revenge plot and everything related to it, I would have had the main revelations of this episode happen in episode 4.
Introduce Sophie Okonedo in episode 3 using the saved screen-time, while fleshing out Mildred’s romance with Briggs and have Dr. Hanover fight to make breakthroughs with both her and Edmund; building off their excellent confrontation in episode 2.
Use this additional screen-time between them to hint at the reveal in this episode, so that when Edmund flees with Dolly; it feels less contrived and cringy.
Then, let episode 4 play out in more or less the same way as what the current episode 6 is now.
Regardless: ‘Got No Strings’ does the best with what it has and speaking of plot-saving decisions, Dolly is shot dead.
While her character story feels more justified in context, there is still a rushed pacing to it that is extremely frustrating.
Though clearly a commentary on toxic whirlwind romance and the nature of sexual-abuse on men; an extremely positive step forwards for the representation of both issues, this storyline still feels under-cooked from a lack of screen-time.
Once Ratched has confessed her origins to Briggs; a largely expository yet brilliant display of both actresses’ talent, the episode concludes the Dolly-Edmund storyline and returns Tolleson to the hospital; where Ratched treats his return with venomous contempt.
The episode then concludes with Governor Wilburn chewing up and spitting out half the core-cast: Silencing Ratched’s attempts to manipulate him, insulting Dr. Hanover as crazy and firing Mrs. Briggs after scorning her advice; with a healthy dose of sexism to boot.
While only a minor presence in the show, Vincent D’Onofrio owns this scene and leaves you feeling disgusted and hopeless; as the hospital doors slam shut in Mrs. Briggs face, ending the episode.
This episode caught me completely off-guard. After hitting a low-point with episode 5, I thought this show was doomed to be a write-off; yet it has come back with unexpected energy.
Will this be a last gasp of glory or is this the start of Ratched’s comeback, going into the grand finale?
At this point, I have no idea.
Let’s find out.
Ratched Season 1, Episode 6 review by Marley Eleven Bury
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Our Rating
Summary
An out-of-nowhere return (mostly) to form that shows Sarah Paulson at her absolute best, while Mildred Ratched is at her most vulnerable. Though hampered by the show’s structure, this episode reinvigorates the series with harrowing storytelling and exceptional acting from its lead.
