[TV] Ratched (2020) Review
Published on HivePostify by @mmam · Mon Sep 07 2026
I finally sat down to watch Ratched last night, the Netflix series that reimagines the icy nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest long before she became the villain we all know. And I have to say, it left me a little shaken, in the best way. Set in 1947, the story followed Mildred Ratched, (Sarah Paulson), as she arrived at a psychiatric hospital in California with a calm smile, perfect manners, and a mysterious agenda.
At first, Mildred appeared to be nothing more than an ambitious nurse trying to secure a position at the hospital. But it quickly became clear that she was hiding much more than she was willing to reveal. She manipulated people with remarkable ease, carefully studying their weaknesses and using them whenever it suited her plans.
What made the series particularly captivating was the way it blurred the line between good and evil. Mildred could be compassionate one moment and frighteningly calculating the next. Even when she did something terrible, the story often gave glimpses into the experiences that had shaped her, making it difficult to completely hate her.
Finn Wittrock, (Edmund Tolleson), also brought a strong and unpredictable performance to the story. His character's connection to Mildred added another layer of tension, especially as their complicated past slowly came to light.
The psychiatric hospital itself felt almost like another character. The beautiful surroundings, colourful costumes and elegant 1940s setting contrasted sharply with the disturbing treatments taking place inside. Behind the polished walls were manipulation, violence, fear and experiments that made some scenes genuinely uncomfortable to watch. One of the strongest aspects of Ratched was its visual style. Almost every scene looked carefully designed, from the costumes to the hospital interiors. Yet beneath all that beauty was a dark psychological story about trauma, obsession, power and survival.
The series wasn't simply about a woman becoming a villain. It tried to show how someone could be shaped by pain, betrayal and circumstances until morality became complicated.
The pacing dragged for me in a few episodes. Some subplots felt like they existed just to stretch the runtime rather than to build the story. And a few characters felt more like symbols than real people, there to represent an idea rather than to live and breathe.
Overall, Ratched was dark, stylish and psychologically unsettling. It wasn't a series that gave easy answers, and that was part of what made it interesting. Sarah Paulson carried the story with a performance that was both elegant and disturbing, leaving viewers constantly wondering what Mildred would do next.
Rating: 90/100
Images are from [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7423538/?ref\=ext\shr](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7423538/?ref=extshr)
Originally posted through [scrobble.life/tv](https://scrobble.life/review/mmam/ratched-2020-review-mtro2fuw).
Tags: #hive-110713#scrobblelife#tvshow#2020#drama#ocd#review#thriller