Is Ratched, Ryan Murphy’s latest crime/drama/mystery starring Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock and Sharon Stone good? I wouldn’t say no. Is it also well-acted, features some great dialogue and is visually pleasing because of the colour-rich cinematography and costume design? Yes. So, with all that said, why did I find it to be a tad taxing to watch this eight-episode mini-series through to the very end?

It certainly didn’t help that the show annoyed me almost immediately. All thanks to the overly dramatic music which persisted throughout episode one. I found no need for the music to be as loud and constant as it was. Luckily, the episodes that followed aren’t as overtaken by the music.

Ratched, the story of Mildred Ratched, a nurse at a mental institution who becomes jaded, bitter and monstrous to her patients opens quite well with some dark happenings. Besides Paulson’s performance and the great dialogue we get to enjoy as soon as we meet Ratched in episode one, I liked Finn Wittrock’s turn as the definitely disturbed Edmund Tolleson.

The whole cast performs very well but it’s Wittrock, Paulson and Sophie Okonedo’s performances that stood out most for me. The latter, particularly in the very last episode. Episodes two to eight contain some twists, turns and more monstrous happenings; some of which you may or may not see coming.

The main reason I’m not overly enthused by Ratched is because the series is the kind that features plenty of scheming, secrets and lies. The kind of scheming, secrets and lies that took me back to the likes of Desperate Housewives, a show I enjoyed mind you. Yet, with Ratched, even though the setting is different, I think I may have fully exhausted my enthusiasm for such stories. That is unless there’s something delightfully different and or the story doesn’t feel rushed which Ratched does, in parts.

In the end, The only reason I stuck with Ratched is to find out how it would end. I think the story will be a lot more impressive if you haven’t seen much out there like it before. As for the ending, I didn’t love it because I wanted a far cleaner conclusion; one with some finality to it. Still, I say give Ratched a chance if you’re curious. There are certainly some highlights to enjoy, even though most of the characters, especially Ratched are not so easily likeable.

Happy Film Loving

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