The Knick (2014–2015): Season 1, Episode 7 - Get the Rope - full transcript

Ripped By mstoll

Pardon the intrusion, gentlemen.

William, good to see you.

What brings you up from Baltimore?

The board at Columbia
asked for a consultation

on how best to teach surgery
to their medical students.

Aha. We're all the rage these days.

Uh, William, let me introduce my apprentice,
Dr. John Thackery.

Thack, this is Dr. William Halsted.

- Pleasure.
- Pleasure's all mine.

I had the good fortune
of working with your colleague



Dr. Osler in Philadelphia a few years back.

I know you're doing extraordinary things.

Well, you're in good hands yourself.

J.M. was always a step ahead of me
in school, in sport,

and with the women.

Well, Dr. Thackery might best the both of us.

In short order, he's proven
himself indispensable to The Knick.

High praise from someone
notoriously stingy with it.

After what you witness today,
you'll be praising this man

in the hallways of your hospital
for years to come.

Then let me take my seat
and let the games begin.

Good luck, gentlemen.

You didn't have to do that.

I meant every word of it.



You're a comet in the sky, young Thack.

Embrace it.

I just feel that the surgery
could very well fail.

You've rehearsed it over and over
in the pathological lab.

It will succeed brilliantly.

We've got a full theater out there.

Colleagues you've invited with the promise
of a great breakthrough today.

A man whose life hangs in the balance.

It could be the biggest finding of my career,

or an absolute disaster.

You're just nervous.

I am. Aren't you?

I won't be in a moment.

I wonder what Halsted would say
if he knew about this.

Who do you think told me about it?

The appendix is a
rudimentary, functionless organ.

A relic, really, and yet it still has the
power to fell a man in the prime of health

and has proven a difficult adversary.

The patient on the table is 25. An attorney.

No history of alcoholism or syphilis.

He was perfectly fit until yesterday,

when he was struck down
with acute abdominal pain.

Then Dr. Thackery quickly
deduced appendicitis.

The pain has worsened, the fever risen.

Vomiting began this morning.

We could take the usual course
with therapeutics,

but we know these yield poor results
and most often death.

It is my belief that there is a way
to almost guarantee

full recovery in all appendicitis cases,
and that is the complete removal of the organ.

They're ready.

Let's give 'em a show.

Dr. Thackery will make the first incision.

In countless trials,
Dr. Thackery has devised a way

in which to accurately determine
the location of the appendix,

thus eliminating the estimation
of where to make the initial incision.

Dr. Thackery.

Surgical knife.

By drawing a line
and divining the midway point

between the anterior-superior iliac spine
and the umbilicus,

parallel to the fibers
of the external oblique,

no matter what the size
or sex of the patient,

you will always find the appendix.

And there it is.

The Thackery Point never misses.

Please, Johnny. Johnny, please.

Please, Johnny.

Hold his arms and legs.

Get some towels.

You should load up his bowl.

He's gonna need something for the pain.

And...

Could you, uh,

load up a fresh one for me, please?

Late night.

Been watching you
for a while from over there,

and I'm thinking
you might just be a clergyman's daughter

out here on the street like you are.

Pardon me?

I got an offer for you.

Could be good for both of us.

I happen to be acquainted with a Mr. Collier
who takes very good care of girls like you.

To have another dark one in his stable
might be good for business, so I suppose...

I ain't what you think I am.

Sure. Sure.

But might you be interested
in a little proposal?

Make you some good money
for what you're doing out here already.

What I'm doing out here
is waiting for someone.

Well, maybe I'm that someone.

That someone is my man,
and I ain't no streetwalker.

You got that?

The hell you think you're doing?

He thinks I'm a street whore.

- Hold on.
- Tried making me an offer.

Trying to fuck my girl, is that it, Paddy?

Back off, spooky.
You don't want to start nothing with me.

The hell I don't!

Stop him!

Come on.

Hey, where you going?
Hey, somebody find that nigger!

A doctor!

Somebody run and get the doctor!

One of youse call the surgeons.

It's the cop Sears.

He's been cut bad.
Stabbed by a dirty coon in the street.

Come on.

And up. All right.

Now come back at me, you gobdaw,

I'll bust you to your knees
and make you lick the back of 'em.

Back! Make way, we got real
working folk coming through.

- What's all this about?
- Not a clue.

They're boiling up about something.

Interesting way
to start your first day back.

It certainly is. Here, allow me.
Come on.

My apologies for my lateness.

I was taking Eleanor to see her parents.

There's no need to explain.
It's good to have you back.

So we'll repair the hole and re-inflate
the lung once the bleeding has stopped.

He'll have to make do
with the other one for now.

Nurse Elkins, forehead, please.

Me as well, Nurse.

Suction.

Tied off the hepatic artery,

but the renal is going to
require significant repair.

Well, let's do it.

He'll need that blood flow,
or he's likely to become ischemic.

You say you know him?

Officer Sears. Good man.

Used to go on calls with Speight for the HD.

And he's got a fine crowd outside
rooting him on to health.

Never mind who they're rooting against.

You know, when this surgery is through,
I will write a love poem to this machine.

Bertie, step aside. I'll do that.

So he's missed the aorta,
but hit the liver square.

Took a good slice out of it.

He should already be dead.

What is that?

This, Everett, is the miraculous
Edwards suction machine.

I'm building a second one.

For my birthday, I presume.

There you go, lad. All right.

Here we go.

- Whoa, whoa.
- Where's my boy?

Where are they keeping him? The butchers.

We're gonna take you to him, Mrs. Sears.

Phinny's a strong boy.

- Aye, strong.
- He'll show 'em.

Ain't that right, Jenny?

He'll be home bouncing Charlie and Ailish
on his knee again in no time.

Part the way.

Let the boy's family through.

- Let's go.
- Get your arses to the side!

The family is here.

We've done everything we can,
but the lung is still a problem.

We'll go back and repair that
if he gets stronger.

We've just got to hope
he makes it through the next few hours.

I knew Phinny. He's a good man.

You mean you know him.

Don't go digging any graves, missy.

Of course.
If there's anything you need, just ask.

You want to help us, do you?

Then find the devious nigger
that done this to our boy

and string him up in City Hall Park.

Oh, we'll find him and do
just that, Mrs. Sears.

I'm not sure that's helpful right now.

We should be concentrating on the family
and praying for Phinny to get well.

You know what? Cut your shit spittin'.

- He's gonna make it just fine.
- Yeah.

Our Phinny's got more pluck
in his little finger

than all you got in all your sorry souls.

To Phinny!

Aye, to Phinny!

That's the spirit.

Bertie.

I'll be back to finish the chart, Nurse.

Has everyone gone completely mad today?

What do you mean?

First I had to push my way past
an angry mob to get into the building,

and then I had to push my way
past Edwards in the theater.

Ah. Well, you weren't in yet,
so Thackery needed an extra pair of hands.

It's more than that. He was treating him
like some old school chum.

And that contraption...

It's ingenious, I know.

No more nights of nursing my sore, tired arms
from all that cranking.

All right.

Do you remember when you were...
Must have been about three or four...

Excuse me.

...and you got your hand
stung by a bumblebee?

Do you remember?
It swelled up to the size of your head.

Who the hell are you?

I'm the deputy chief of surgery.

Nice to meet you. I'm the Queen of England.

Is he here to finish the job?

Ma'am, ma'am, I assisted in this operation.

What kind of hospital is this?

- All right.
- Nurse Elkins.

Yes, Doctor?

I'd like to change the dressing
on the lower wound, please.

1% acetate of aluminum.

Yes, Doctor.

You really got to take orders from him?

I take my orders from all the doctors here.

The day I let a nigger tell me what to do

is the day I dig my grave.

Okay. All right.

All right.

Officers.

All right.

The operation's over. They sewed him up.

He's breathing, but that's about all.

It'll be a while before we're
tipping pints back with him again,

so you might just go on home.

Could be days, lads.

Shaw's over. Go home.

We're not going anywhere!

Christ, you'd think
the heat would drive 'em back.

To where, the tenements?

Open the door!

His pain seems worse,
his fever has gone up,

and his breathing has become more shallow.

I know. I know.

What are you doing?
You can't give him that.

He needs something for the pain.
The hell I can't.

- Oh, in the name of the devil!
- Hematemesis.

- That ain't English!
- Internal bleeding. Something's not holding.

Should I get the theater ready?

No, there's no time. Bring me
a surgical knife, carbolic, clamps, silk.

Quickly!

Here you are, Doctor.

We, uh...

We won't be needing them.

Move back, lads.
Give her some air.

Off to the side.
You've seen enough.

Okay, let's go.

- Off to the side.
- A little respect here, gentlemen.

Okay, we're gonna
take care of that cotton-picker.

Right over here. That's it, right here.

Okay, it's over. It's over.

Mrs. Sears,
we're all saying prayers for your boy.

My boy is dead.

He's dead at the hand
of one of them black bastards.

Take down every one of them fucking darkies.

Rip their throats

and grind their eyes down to jelly.

Make 'em pay for
what they done to my Phinny!

Over there!

- Get 'em!
- Make 'em pay! Make 'em pay!

- Get the darkie!
- Kill that nigger!

Thack.

Thack!

What are you doing? Help him!

Stop it. Stop it. Leave him. Leave him!

You're just standing there.
Help him, God damn it.

Tell the nurses to lock
all the windows and doors.

What happened?

We need to get this man to the clinic.

You need to stay out of sight.

Harry, I got one for you.

Been slashed to ribbons.

Get me silk, two clamps,
and a Steinhart's needle.

Can't see. Can you see anything?

No.

- Oh, watch yourself!
- Shit!

No, stop.

- You can't be in here.
- We need help.

No, no, no. You need to get out.

- Hey, get them out of here.
- Back up.

- No niggers allowed.
- You can't be here.

I said get out of here!
No niggers allowed!

- Hey, hey!
- Hey, get off!

Edwards!

My apologies.

We're gonna have to separate the room.

Let's get all the Negro patients
over to this side.

You're letting them stay?

- Thack, this isn't a Negro...
- Not the time, Everett.

You got something to say
to his killer?

I got something to say.

Excuse me.

What I got to say
you can't print in your paper.

- Excuse me. Sorry. Sorry, ma'am.
- But I'll say it anyway.

- Excuse me.
- What is it, lad?

Them fucking darkies are...

- Help me up, lad. Help me up.
- Whoa. Whoa.

The one who killed our Phinny
is in the hospital.

Wait, what are you saying?

Them kids saw with their own eyes.
He snuck in the back.

And they're treating
that murdering Quashee right now.

Get the rope.

The cotton-picker
that got Phinny's inside.

Shit, they got ropes.

- Really?
- Yeah.

They get in, hit 'em with this.

All right.

I can't get away.
I'm having a bit of a situation here,

but nothing to worry yourself about, dear.
All is well.

It's fucking mayhem out there.

They're gonna have the doors open
in about 10 seconds.

I just wouldn't come
south of 50th Street today.

All right?

I love you, too.

Maybe the police should break up the crowd.

The coppers are the ones
fucking spurring them on.

God damn it!

Heave! Heave!

Shit.

The mob is in the building.
They are destroying this hospital.

Okay, listen, everybody.
We need to get the Negro patients out of here.

You, help me.

Okay? Patch up the wounds
as best you can.

We're gonna have to
treat them someplace else.

Let's take the south stairs
through the basement.

Let's go. Quickly.

There's a bunch of darkies in here!

Hey!

Come on!

Those are our fucking horses!

Whose side are you on?

This isn't a good idea.

Drastic times.

Where the hell are we going?

What in God's name is this?

Is this an operating room?

An exam room, lavatory,
a postoperative ward,

and whatever else I need it to be.

You did this?

You can't do this.

I think he did.

And you knew?

How else could I have helped him
as much as I did?

It's only a matter of time
till they find us here.

Why? I never found it.

They're obviously looking
harder than you did.

Aren't you a laundress?

Down here I am a surgical nurse.

God help me.

And did you steal all of this equipment?

Most of it I bought.

Other items I rescued and repaired.

But not the obstetric equipment.

I stole that.

You delivered babies down here?

- Two.
- Algie.

I want every Negro
out of this building right now.

Mr. Barrow is right,
but not for the reasons he believes.

Everyone here who can walk on their own
will have to find shelter elsewhere.

But no one is safe out on the street.

- Especially them.
- I'll take them.

Our Lady of Sorrows has a friary
a few blocks down where they'll be safe.

Even hooligans won't riot in a church.

They may leave, but I will not allow you...

Are you volunteering, then?

- No.
- Then I'll thank you not to interfere.

I'll have one of the other sisters
come with me.

Thanks, Harry.
Everett, would you go with them?

Yes, Thack.

Your recoveries, can they get on their feet?

Certainly not well enough to
run through the streets in a riot.

Then we'll have to transfer them
by ambulance to another facility.

Any ideas for a destination?

The closest hospitals are
Presbyterian and Bellevue.

Too far.

The Jewish hospital will take them,

but that would mean crossing through
two Irish and one Italian ghetto.

They belong in a Negro infirmary.

There's one in Little Africa on Minetta.

How do we get outside
without being killed by that mob up there?

Take the back stairs to the ambulance bay.

Where are the horses?

Ask the fuckers who stole 'em.

What do we do now?

- We take them ourselves.
- On foot?

Bertie, I need a surgeon to
stay here on call until we've returned.

- Can you brave it?
- Of course.

Dr. Edwards,
you can't be seen out there in plain sight.

I know, but I'm not leaving my patients.

We won't have enough of us
to transfer all the patients.

Load the gurneys.

I'll take the rest.

How?

How are you doing, Mr. Cleland?

The bumps make it hurt.

Hypodermic. Squibb's liquor of opium.

Arm or abdomen?

Arm is fine.

You want me to stop moving?

Not unless you need to.

Everyone stay under your wraps.

And where are you all going?

We're heading downtown.

I meant more specific like.

What you got under there?

Just let us pass
and you won't have any trouble.

You'll have trouble if I say you do.

We're headed to the city morgue.

- What for?
- Leprosy outbreak.

Can't keep them at The Knick.
Need to burn the bodies down there

before anyone else gets it.

You can look, but about a week from now,
you're gonna be down on your knees

trying to find
where your testicles rolled off to.

Away! Back away, I tell you!

You'll all be damned to hell

if you touch one hair
on these people's heads!

Keep walking.

You'll all face the fires of hell
if I have anything to say about it.

And you know I do.

One of them could be
the fella that killed Phinny Sears!

Hump off! You didn't even know the man.

I think they've finally given up.

I suppose they have.

Probably off to go destroy
someone else's place.

Wherever that may be.

As long as it isn't here,
I don't give a damn.

Let's finish cleaning up this glass,

and we need inventories on
all medicines and equipment.

And patients.

I want all patients accounted for.

Don't put any weight on it.

Just go home and get some rest.

Fuck home. I'm going uptown.

They got all the whores
turned out in the street.

Fellas are running trains on them.

Cops are too busy to do anything about it.

Nobody leaves
until this place is back the way it was.

Who's in charge here?

Dr. Williams. Over there.

Dr. Williams?

I'm Dr. John Thackery,
Chief of Surgery over at The Knick.

This is my assistant chief,
Dr. Algernon Edwards.

- Algie.
- Moses Williams.

- You know each other?
- We were at Harvard together.

Moses was the one in his year
and I was the one in mine.

- I'd shake hands, but...
- Of course.

We know you're overrun here,
but we brought you seven more.

It was too dangerous
to keep them at The Knick.

We'll help out in any way we can.

Then pick a patient, get started.

You're welcome to any of our supplies.

Thank you.
We're out of just about everything.

Thread, carbolic, clean bandages,
alum, cocaine.

We'll make do.

You see anything that way?

Keep moving, buddy. It's closed.

But, Officer, I'm family.

Of a worker in a whore shop?

For the love of Christ,
the whole town's going crazy

and you want to get your fucking log dunked?

No one's going in the establishment
till this fracas is over.

I understand, but this is urgent.

Do I look like one of these hooligans
tearing the streets apart?

I don't give a good goddamn
if you're the second coming.

You're not going in.
Now take it on the arches.

- Excuse me.
- Go on, get! Get!

- All right! God damn it!
- Get out!

Hurry up! They're coming here!

Junia.

I just wanted to make sure you were...

I'm fine, Hermie, but you need to go.

I'm nearly done if you're next.

You can put it down.

You need a break?

I can have someone else
step in to help me finish.

No, I'm fine.

And there are so many more.

Towel.

For you.

Jamison.

- Who is Jamison?
- That's me. I am.

What do we have?

Gashed upper thigh and buttocks.

Dr. Williams, have a look at this.

He's cut through to the bone.

We'll have to sew it up in layers.

We have no more anesthetic.

No morphine, no cocaine.

We'll just have to hold him down.

- He's gonna thrash.
- We will make do.

Edwards.

You don't have to stay with me
if this is too offensive for you.

I've seen a buttock before.

- A black one?
- Yes, yours.

When we'd play in the garden
with the water pails

and you'd run around without pants.

- We were three.
- And he saw mine.

For God's sake, Neely.

Suction.

That's enough.

What's next?

"Pass the needles through the intestinal wall

"one half-inch below
and, drawing the threads,

"invaginate the end of the upper portion
into the lower through the slit."

Okay, but this is intraperitoneal.
So what do I do then?

I don't know.

Okay, well, show me the photograph.

So I can see it.

Got it.

Sorry.

Who's next?

This is the last patient.

Then it looks as though
our work here is done.

It would be nice to catch up
in quieter circumstances.

Find out how you landed at The Knick
with the great John Thackery.

I'd like that.

Take care, Moses.

Thank you.

The rain seems to have calmed things a bit.

It may seem quiet,
but we have no idea how safe the streets are.

Well, we can load the gurneys
in the ambulance,

but I ain't got the strength
to pull 'em back alone.

So you got to keep pushing.

- I'll help you.
- I'll come, too.

I want to check on the condition of things.

I'm sure my office is a shambles.

Then I'll see Nurse Elkins gets home safely
and I'll meet you there.

What about my bike?

Well, if it hasn't
already become a victim of the riot,

it certainly won't at this point.

You can get it in the morning.

All right.

Unbelievable.

I thought for certain
all this would be destroyed.

They didn't even come down here.

I guess I pushed you across town
under a gurney for nothing.

Not for nothing.

What sex?

What?

The babies you delivered.

Oh.

Um, two girls.

You've become someone I didn't expect.

What, a sneak with a scalpel,

plying his trade in dark corners?

No, though that was a surprise.

Then what have I become?

You did something remarkable here.

And to watch you today...

I suppose I still thought of you
as that little boy I grew up with.

The one without the pants?

The very same one.

I was terrified for you today.

The whole city wanting to hurt you.

And with only you to protect me.

I would have.

I have no doubt.

I doubt I'm allowed much further.

It's all right.

I'm sure the housemother is still asleep
and she's practically deaf.

I guess it was a good thing
things were happening so fast,

'cause I didn't have any time to think.

Well, you did brilliantly.

Okay, good night, Nurse Elkins.

Really well done today.

My roommate's already gone to work.

You can come in if you like.

I need help taking this off.

Will it hurt?

I can make it painless

and perfect.

Hi.

What?

What?

What?

Ripped By mstoll