Emmy Interviews: Sophie Okonedo

I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with Emmy nominees.

For Netflix’s “Ratched,” here’s actress Sophie Okonedo. Enjoy the full video of the conversation we had for AwardsWatch, embedded above!

Interviews with Abe: Ratched

As Emmy voting is underway, I’m delighted to share some of the interviews I’ve been able to conduct with contenders across all categories. 

For Netflix’s “Ratched,” here’s production designer Judy Becker, casting directors Courtney Bright and Nicole Daniels, and cinematographer Simon Dennis. Click through to read the conversations we had for Awards Radar.

Top 20 New Shows of 2020: #10

My annual TV Awards, the AFT Television Awards, are given out during the summer. It’s always nice to check in midway through the television season to reflect back on all the calendar year introduced us to. As 2020 closes out and 2021 begins, here’s a look back at the best new shows of the year.

#10: Ratched

I haven’t spent much time watching Ryan Murphy’s previous ventures into horror, but this show turned out to be a superb blend of insanely disturbing and immensely well-crafted. Sarah Paulson and the rest of the cast are fantastic, but the most impressive part is that it’s a prequel that feels so driven by its plot to follow events anywhere and not towards a set end. Season two is on the way – watch season one now on Netflix.

Best Episode: “Angel of Mercy”
Pilot Review | Episode Reviews

What I’m Watching: Ratched (Season Finale)

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 8 “Mildred and Edmund” (B+)

I’m not sure I’ve taken the time to properly praise the style and execution of this show, which elevates an already interesting premise and makes the experience of watching this show exquisite. I can imagine that those who don’t like Ryan Murphy probably don’t find it all that appealing, but I also don’t have too much experience with him given that I avoid his more blatant horror projects. What stood out to me most in this hour was the imagined experiences that Mildred discussed, first with how they would neutralize Edmond so that they could offer him a peaceful death and later with him showing up to locate them in Mexico. Opening with Louise as an overeager employee of the hospital was a disarmingly casual start, and the focus on the governor’s campaign for as much cruelty as possible to those convicted to receive the death penalty was dark and disturbing. I was surprised by Charlotte’s return but even more caught off-guard by her absorption of Dr. Hanover’s personality, which was executed formidably by actress Sophie Okonedo. Latching on to the more fervent and paranoid aspects of his character made for a deadly combination, one that cost a number of lives and got Edmund free when he realized what his sister was going to do to him. Bringing Louise along for the ride sets up an intriguing season two, especially now that Mildred’s attitude has changed and she’s set on putting down the monster that her brother has become after trying so hard to save him. I’m excited for season two and hopeful that many members of this ensemble receive their due recognition come awards time, including Judy Davis as Nurse Bucket and Alice Englert as Dolly.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Sarah Paulson

What I’m Watching: Ratched

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Bucket List” (B+)

This was a very eventful episode with numerous irreversible developments that set the stage for an extremely different setup going forward. Mildred is trying a new approach of honesty, telling Huck that she was a lesbian when he asked her out and not denying what Nurse Bucket surmised when she confronted her in the motel room. I was surprised to see that Bucket opted to be relatively cooperative with Mildred, forming an alliance that still involved Mildred withholding some important information from her so that she could present it straight to the funder for its full shock effect. They dismissed Dr. Hanover quickly and emphatically, and it’s possible that Mildred was fully aware of what could happen if he took Charlotte with her, which may have been what motivated her to allow them to leave together. Putting her in a closet was a bad idea, and Dr. Hanover paid for that mistake with his life. Mildred used that situation to her advantage to get paid by Lenore, who in turn ended up killed by her unforgiving son, whose own efforts to get his mother’s money failed when he found out he wasn’t in the will. I’m not sure if the remaining living characters will interact more in the season finale, but the notion of the nurses running the hospitals with no doctors is definitely intriguing, even if we know that it ultimately leads to the events of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Since the show was initially commissioned for two seasons, I’m sure the finale will set things in an interesting new direction.

What I’m Watching: Ratched

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 6 “Got No Strings” (B+)

This episode really transported us away from the reality we’ve previously been experiencing, and I was almost surprised to see a scene that took place with a number of the regular characters at the mental hospital. After she shot Gwendolyn as they were making their escape, Dolly seemed infinitely more comfortable with the idea of killing and being on the run than Edmond did, partly because he realized that they couldn’t evade authorities forever and this jailbreak was just a fleeting bit of fun. It’s sad to see Dolly gunned down since she was a formidable and unexpectedly interesting character, but she made a clear choice that didn’t support Edmond’s efforts to surrender and take all the blame for everything. Going with Gwendolyn to the puppet show was a creative way to fill in the gaps about Mildred and Edmond’s pasts, which led to Mildred’s outburst and her telling Gwendolyn the truth about her relationship with Edmond, who isn’t actually her birth brother. Mildred got the power she’s been able to exert over so many people over the course of the show taken away from her by the chauvinistic and horrible governor, who tricked Dr. Hanover into affirming that Edmond could stand trial by falsely promising to keep the hospital open and then firing Gwendolyn for daring to be more than just a pretty face. I’m very intrigued to see how Gwendolyn, feeling scorned and betrayed, might now team up with Mildred to help her achieve what she wants as a way to get back at the governor who doesn’t realize just how much he’d rather have both of them as allies.

What I’m Watching: Ratched

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 5 “The Dance” (B+)

This episode was a bit dizzying because of the focus on Charlotte, played by the always terrific Sophie Okonedo, and her multiple personalities. The stories she told about her harrowing experiences were extremely disturbing, continuing this show’s trend of featuring such gruesome content in every episode. Dr. Hanover was clearly losing whatever cool he had left before he came in to the restaurant to meet Mildred, and he reached a boiling point when he had to attend the dance with Nurse Bucket, something he truly couldn’t stand. It took a lot for Mildred to feel sympathy for her sworn enemy – who mirrored the same hateful feelings right back at her – but Dr. Hanover managed to accomplish that with his outburst. It was good to see the friendship between Bucket and Louise, who may not have it out for Mildred quite as much anymore after what happened, though I suspect that Mildred will be seeing red following the shooting of Gwendolyn, who she was just starting to see as more than a friend. Every part of the dance seemed like a bad idea, and it’s not easy to see what Mildred’s endgame was supposed to be since she is likely aware of how dangerous her brother is, even if she doesn’t want him to die. Dolly pulling out a gun changed the dynamic in a real way, and her eagerness to shoot Gwendolyn, which was hardly necessary, seemed to shake even Edmond. I’m not sure what happens next, but I don’t think it’s going to be good for anyone.

What I’m Watching: Ratched

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 4 “Angel of Mercy: Part Two” (B+)

I was wondering how quickly things were going to progress with Mildred being very aware of who Charles was hunting and the hired hitman being close to his target. It didn’t seem clear whose side Mildred was really on, as she told Charles exactly where Dr. Hanover was but also made it so that he would be ready to defend himself. Her moral code is complex and confusing, since she was upset enough about the hot-cold water torture to have Huck spirit two patients out of the hospital but had no problem turning the temperature way up to burn Charles’ skin off in an effort to kill him. The fact that it didn’t work and he instead had to walk through the hall as his skin was melting off was even more brutal, meeting what may have counted as a merciful end from the security guard’s gun. Gwendolyn coming to check in to the motel made things interesting, and she wasted no time in listening in to Charles’ conversation and showing up to the hospital at the worst possible time. Though Mildred resisted her advances when they were very close to each other in the doorframe, she’s obviously warming to the idea of a romance. She’s now complicit in a sort of way and might soon understand more of Mildred’s mindset and goals. Mildred was also surprisingly supportive of Dolly’s sexual relationship with her brother, and we learned that, while she likes to classify certain behavior as untoward and unacceptable, she’s done things she’s not proud of in the past too.

Take Three: Ratched

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 3 “Angel of Mercy” (B+)

This show is undeniably and unapologetically dark, and I can understand its classification as horror since the events it depicts are indeed horrific. I was intrigued at the start of this hour when Corey Stoll’s Charles went to go see Sharon Stone’s Lenore Osgood, who wants the man we know as Dr. Hanover dead because of what he did to her son. She describes him as a barbarian, and when he eventually came clean to Mildred about what had actually transpired, it was even more unsettling since Henry had deliberately drugged the doctor and then killed someone else so that he could amputate his own limbs. Mildred seems intent on protecting Dr. Hanover at any cost because she does appear to believe in the work that he’s doing just as strongly as she wants to save her brother. Charles tried to be into her role play but was pretty blunt about how he felt about the experience, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Gwendolyn during their entire tryst, feelings we know have also been plaguing the press secretary. I like that there are so many facets to the relationships here, which also involve Nurse Backet and her desire for approval that allowed her to enthusiastically carry out the horrific water treatment, and Nurse Dolly’s willingness to do more than just flirt with Edmund. I’m sure the more we learn about Mildred and what’s really going on here, the more disturbing it will all be, but this story is presented in such a riveting and watchable manner.

Round Two: Ratched

Ratched: Season 1, Episode 2 “Ice Pick” (B+)

This show is certainly fascinating, even if it’s more than a little disturbing. Mildred did confirm to Father Andrews that Edmund is her brother, and she seems to have this passion for helping others achieve what she believes to be serenity, the elimination of suffering even if what it results in is absolutely not what people would want. Dr. Hanover was excited to share his lobotomy procedure with the press, but even his nurses couldn’t handle the sight of drilling into someone’s head. His next option – driving an ice pick into his patient’s eye – was almost worse, but it didn’t rattle Mildred at all. She’s more than comfortable with the procedure, using it on Father Andrews after she convinced him that he should say all he knew allegedly under the guise of keeping Edmund from hurting anyone else. Dr. Hanover is very impressed with her, and he’ll likely be blinded to her true intentions, especially as he loses confidence in the rest of his staff. Nurse Bucket is not being particularly welcoming, and I think Sarah Paulson may just have won another Emmy with her delivery of “Oh look, my peach” when Nurse Bucket vomited in the operating theater. Gwendolyn was rather forward in bringing Mildred to a lesbian bar, something that she probably shouldn’t have done given that lesbianism was one of the ailments that Dr. Hanover was trying to cure, and she did not respond well at all. I’m intrigued to see how her endgame will play into what she does at the hospital and how loyal she truly is to her brother.

Pilot Review: Ratched

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.