Netflix Ratched

[Ome]

Has anyone started this, or planning to do it?

From Ryan Murphy and with a great cast.

 

[Willie Oleson]

From Ryan Murphy and with a great cast.

I'm torn, so very torn. It appears to be a typical Murphy show in a different setting, and that can be a very good or very bad thing.
I guess it won't hurt to check out one or two episodes, but based on his most recent stinkers I'll approach it with scepticism.

Incidentally, I had no idea he was the man behind NIP/TUCK, the most disturbing guilty pleasure I've ever seen.

 

[Ome]

I'm torn, so very torn.

I know what you mean and it's very AHS.

My thoughts are that he creates some fantastic drama that usually ends up hanging around the gutter after 4 or 5 seasons. So, if that's the case we're in for a few great early seasons.

 

[Willie Oleson]

it's very AHS.

Well that's not necessarily a bad thing. I agree with the complaints that most AHS stories start with a great premise and end up being all over the place.
But in a strange way it kind of works for me. It's so unapologetic gore-y and bollocks and over-the-top (like the classic "pulp" genre) that I don't feel I have to invest in the story itself. It's like fun ride and anything can happen (and usually does).
It doesn't hurt that most (if not all) performances are excellent, so despite the hilarious carnage there's also an element of true quality.
It's never really scary or anything, so maybe American Pulp Story would have been a better title.

I still want to watch the last 3 seasons but I'm waiting for the DVDs to get cheaper (Dutchflix doesn't do AHS anymore

)

But anyway, tonight it's Ratched on WillieTV. Maybe I'll come back to post my impressions…(if I'm not feeling too shy).

 

[Crimson]

I'm torn, so very torn. It appears to be a typical Murphy show in a different setting, and that can be a very good or very bad thing. I guess it won't hurt to check out one or two episodes, but based on his most recent stinkers I'll approach it with scepticism

This; definitely, this.

Putting aside the "why?" question about the show's premise -- and I think these back stories for great villains usually end up lessening them and removing their mystique -- I think Murphy's shows are more miss than hit. When they're good they're very good, but usually they're the opposite of that.

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, or at least a TV show by its trailer. If so, this one doesn't bode well and looks like typical Murphy: slick visuals; self-consciously quirky; meandering narrative; wildly inconsistent tone; and some great actors set loose to be self-indulgent and actor-y.

Someone let me know if I'm wrong and I'll check it out ...

 

[Willie Oleson]

and I think these back stories for great villains usually end up lessening them and removing their mystique

I agree, this trend doesn't appeal to me at all. And because they're originally just downright evil (and therefore so much fun to hate) they have to come up with all sorts of boohoo! and explanation stories to justify a movie. And that's when a great villain is being watered down to some half-baked anti hero.

I think we can expect a Blofeld movie in the foreseeable future (explanation: he was a misunderstood genius but now he strikes back as a sexy, kick-ass half-villain).

 

[Crimson]

And that's when a great villain is being watered down to some half-baked anti hero

Darth Vader; Hannibal Lechter; Maleficent; Dracula; Norman Bates -- I don't think any of their retro-fitted back stories added to the characters and in some cases, made them less interesting.

Here's a quote from RATCHED's producer: "Louise Fletcher's performance is such a stunner. Part of what's scary about it to me is that she's just tabula rasa. There's so little to go on. You don't know where this woman is coming from or where she came from. And that's why I think it's so ripe for a retelling, to find out what makes this woman tick. "

Translation: The villain was great because she was mysterious; so let's undo that.

 

[Rove]

slick visuals

This would be my only concern. The premise of this series is set in a mental institution and although I expect the facilities to be clean (or not) I'm finding the production values are set a little high.

But I do plan on watching the first full season.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I'm finding the production values are set a little high.

LOL it looks as if the rainbow has exploded inside the Carrington mansion.
The editing is very fluent but that also makes it feel like one big non-stop thing. Scenes are more like pictures, and the Batman score adds to the idea of a comic book version.
Ratched herself is more like the Hannibal in the Hannibal series, a famous name used as an angle for a new project.
Sarah Paulson is neither bad nor impressive, or maybe I got used to her because she's in every show these days.
Overall, it looks like AHS Asylum-lite. Pretty, fluffy, predictable - but there's nothing to hate (I think).

 

[Crimson]

I hate to dogpile on a show I haven't seen and which could prove me wrong, but the visuals do look oddly incongruous for the subject. The basic look here -- bold colors, odd angles, tracking shots -- seems to have become a kind of visual short hand for "quality, quirky" television that's used irregardless of whether it suits the subject.

So now someone just has to bite the bullet and report back.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It looks like Sharon Stone is playing the Jessica Lange role.
When I saw the extremely garnish decor of her house I realized that these guys aren't doing it for us, they're doing it for themselves.
Hey I can be a psychiatrist too!

 

[Willie Oleson]

Just started with episode 4 and I'm really beginning to like this.
The slutty nurse and the hunky killer, the lesbian and the horny hitman, bitch-nurse Bucket and the scarred hunk nurse, rich bitch diva Stone and her sexy psychopath son.
It's kind of stupid, but who cares? At least it's much, much better than that awful The Politician.

 

[Sarah]

I just watched a clip of someone stealing Nurse Ratched's peach. Oh dear.

I'm intrigued, but I'm not a fan of things set way back in time. I know that's silly.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Just started with episode 4 and I'm really beginning to like this.

Episode 4 perfectly illustrates what so good and bad about Ratched (and all the AHS stories, for that matter).
At some point in the episode, there are several exciting events about to intertwine. But because it's so perfectly staged and so obviously hungry for that film noir effect it inadvertently takes all the confusion and spontaneity out of it, It looks as if the characters know exactly where they "accidentally" are supposed to be, and the whole thing falls flat.

There's some very interesting performances and character drama going on, but the black comedy rules dictate that we should never forget about the nasty and egotistical side of these characters, which compromises the genuine drama with a last-minute funny/cynical twist.
Sure, it is funny, but it also makes it harder to sink one's teeth into it.
And then suddenly they decide to show a more humane side to the Ratched character and eventhough the scene itself looks rather nice, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
It's also one of those things they do because they can.

The diva bitchery is a typical gay-crowd pleaser, but when there's no real substance to it it doesn't feel as juicy as it should be.
Mr Murphy knows what we want to see, and there's certainly no lack of talent here. However, when all that beauty and goodness is being rammed down my throat in one sitting I just can't help but gag, and it doesn't leave a pleasant aftertaste.
It's sort of like having really bad sex with the perfect babe or hunk, but you'll try it again because you're a sucker and there's nothing you can do about it.

It's only when a Murphy show starts to kiss its own *ss is when I decide to stop watching, but this is not the case (yet) with RATCHED.

 

[Rove]

2 episodes in and I'm struggling. The visuals are overwhelming and their clever camera angles reminds me of comic book story-telling or that other Ryan Murphy production; Hollywood, another series I was looking forward to but stopped watching. I'd say stop emphasizing your willingness with production design and your blatant attempt at scoring an Emmy or Golden Globe and concentrate on a character screaming out for attention; Nurse Ratched.

On closer inspection during the opening credits I noted Sarah Paulson as Executive Producer. What is it with actors fulfilling these roles? I'm all for actors wishing to fatten out their resume - on other projects - but I'd prefer if actors did just that, act.

I'll keep pushing with it and report back after completing the first season.

 

[TJames03]

I’m finished the first two episodes. Love it!

 

[Willie Oleson]

Another good thing is that it doesn't feel like they're trying to explain or re-tell the iconic villain. At this point (episode 6) she could be anybody who just happened to be connected to the psychopath killer.

Besides, nurse Betsy Bucket rules (Judy Davis reminds me of someone else....Polly Bergen?)

Sharon Stone with her pet monkey looks like a Disney villainess!

 

[Brian Kinney]

The slutty nurse and the hunky killer, the lesbian and the horny hitman, bitch-nurse Bucket and the scarred hunk nurse, rich bitch diva Stone and her sexy psychopath son.
It's kind of stupid, but who cares?

A lesbian thriller soap. I enjoyed it with each episode more. Episode 8 is a masterpiece. Sarah Paulson, Judy Davis and Cynthia Nixon are really outstanding - they know the meaning of subtext in language. An interesting enactment of the 1950's domestic nightmare.

 

[Willie Oleson]

For the most part I've enjoyed it, sometimes very much, but mostly because of the characters - and nurse Betsy Bucket in particular.
Murphy also wants us to love his most dastardly creatures and in the last episodes there's all kinds of sappy melodrama for no other reason than create sympathy.
But these two extremes cancel eachother out, and at the end of the series I realized I had no feelings for Mildred and Edmund at all.
They want to have their cake and eat it, and yes sometimes it works e.g. Elsa Mars in AHS season 4. But not in Ratched.
All the individual parts are very watchable, but as a whole it looks rather schizophrenic, as if it was made up as they went along.

If there's going to be a follow-up series I'd consider watching it.

 

[Crimson]

ll the individual parts are very watchable, but as a whole it looks rather schizophrenic, as if it was made up as they went along.

That's how I feel about an awful lot of shows these days, not just Ryan Murphy's. They often seem a bit under-baked; Netflix shows, in particular, tend to be just "good enough" but without quite being great. I suspect there's such a relentless need for new material, these shows are fast tracked through the creative process.

The reviews here are about what I expected from the series, if a bit more positive. I'll probably watch it eventually, but can't say I have any urgency to get to it.