The Knick: The Complete Second Season

The second season of this Cinemax-aired historical medical drama set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century picks up months after the end of the first, with the Knickerbocker Hospital preparing to move to a more upscale neighborhood and its superstar Chief of Surgery Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen) still in rehab for his cocaine addiction. Dr. Edwards (André Holland), an African-American surgeon trained in the more racially-tolerant Europe, is now acting head of surgery and he clashes with both the bigoted Dr. Gallinger (Eric Johnson)—Thackery's entitled colleague—and the board of directors, who want a white doctor in charge. Owen is intense and compelling as Thackery, a maverick drug-addicted doctor who is driven to find new treatments for disease and injury, and the show continues to tackle subjects including racism, sexism, class prejudice, rampant corruption in politics and big business, and the hypocrisy of the rich and powerful, while also exploring addiction and the birth of the eugenics movement. This season has more of a soap opera quality, building big, melodramatic storylines while also making Thackery more out of control than ever (right up to a finale in which his hubris has fatal consequences), but it also shows the stakes of experimentation when both Thackery and his protégé (Michael Angarano) lose someone dear to them using untried procedures. Compiling all 10 episodes from the 2015 second season—again directed by Steven Soderbergh—extras include cast and crew audio commentaries, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)