Ratched
2020
Original language: English
- mystery
- drama
- crime
The story
In 1947, Mildred Ratched begins working as a nurse at a leading psychiatric hospital. But beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growing darkness.
What it’s like
Saturated, storybook period colour carries this series: mint greens, hot reds and lacquered blacks set against 1940s Northern California, with ornate Gothic framing and lush, theatrical compositions that make even a sterile ward feel staged. Lighting leans toward warm sodium glow and candlelit interiors, while the coastal scenes wash out in cool fog and gloss. Scoring favours swelling strings and eerie period jazz, and the pacing is brisk and lurid, moving in heightened episodes that swing between camp and creeping dread. The vibe is glamorous unease, a stylish gothic thriller that plays its horror with a wink. Its intensity is high: frequent graphic violence, bloody surgical scenes, including lobotomy, torture and murder, with some sexual content and considerable cruelty. It suits viewers who want operatic, visually rich noir-tinged drama and can handle disturbing material, not anyone seeking something gentle or calm. The emotional register is melodramatic, following a deeply controlled woman whose polish hides a fracturing, compulsive character, and it appeals to fans of stylised period television who like their villains magnetic.
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