My overall rating of "The Knick"'s Season 2: 4/10
I've been a big fan of the Gallangers' story - it legitimately worked its way into my daydreams as I've been pondering this or that aspect, and trying to think of better, happier outcomes. Dr. Gallanger is a fantastic and charismatic character, and his wife has been charming from her first appearance, her innate immediately-seen anxieties, loyalty to her husband and dark, troubling fate just pulling at these heartstrings of wishing to protect her. This plotline is very logical and consistent, so it evokes "what can you do, that's life, awful, atrocious stuff happens sometimes to good people" feelings. The only thing that I'd questioned before would be Dr. Gallanger's insistence on the baby's adoption, but even that made sense at the time. The previous episode was brutal and best course of action unclear, but putting Eleonore in the asylum made the most sense, terrible as it was, because the alternative for her would sure be prison or a much worse, involuntary asylum - the only thing Everett could've done better, in my opinion, would be to promise to visit Eleonore (and mean it). With the marriage broken by her institutionalisation, his relationship (and marriage) with her sister is the best path for him mentally, but he would still probably owe it to Eleonore to visit her.
Except in this episode we learn that the police is off the right trail. So, if I was Everett I'd seriously consider returning Eleonore from the asylum - she'd done a terrible thing, but what's done is done, and he owes his loyalty to her. Now, it might be that he believes that the police's position is irrelevant - if she admits the murder and admits that she won't be well, then she should be institutionalised for the others' safety, in spite of his feelings or vows - but we've seen that he's not a particular stickler for the rules (he behaved quite dishonourably in the final confrontation with Dr. Edwards there, by the way, he should've just walked away, and only fought him if attacked), so what gives? I just feel that regardless of the happiness he might have recovered with the sister, marital vows should be stronger, even if legally voided.
Now on to the 2nd part - the Robertson patriarch absolutely killed himself by stupidity. There were so many ladders there, they could've easily tied a few together with some of Cornelia's clothing and made it down (or attempted to). And the father should be a bit of a survivalist from his Nicaragua days. Although it's clear that the Robertsons just suck at that, as Cornelia doesn't seem to have taken off her shoes before the jump - when she fell, surely she'd have broken something this way, if she had any kind of heels? And the contrivance of the son's plan working out that way is just too large (and if he set fire to the building, why was it a carriage that was heard arriving during the father-daughter conversation? Doesn't he drive a car instead? And we know that he arrived to the scene eventually, so unless he paid somebody else to commit arson after hopping out of a carriage...) Just a very weak, pathetic conclusion.
I've been a big fan of the Gallangers' story - it legitimately worked its way into my daydreams as I've been pondering this or that aspect, and trying to think of better, happier outcomes. Dr. Gallanger is a fantastic and charismatic character, and his wife has been charming from her first appearance, her innate immediately-seen anxieties, loyalty to her husband and dark, troubling fate just pulling at these heartstrings of wishing to protect her. This plotline is very logical and consistent, so it evokes "what can you do, that's life, awful, atrocious stuff happens sometimes to good people" feelings. The only thing that I'd questioned before would be Dr. Gallanger's insistence on the baby's adoption, but even that made sense at the time. The previous episode was brutal and best course of action unclear, but putting Eleonore in the asylum made the most sense, terrible as it was, because the alternative for her would sure be prison or a much worse, involuntary asylum - the only thing Everett could've done better, in my opinion, would be to promise to visit Eleonore (and mean it). With the marriage broken by her institutionalisation, his relationship (and marriage) with her sister is the best path for him mentally, but he would still probably owe it to Eleonore to visit her.
Except in this episode we learn that the police is off the right trail. So, if I was Everett I'd seriously consider returning Eleonore from the asylum - she'd done a terrible thing, but what's done is done, and he owes his loyalty to her. Now, it might be that he believes that the police's position is irrelevant - if she admits the murder and admits that she won't be well, then she should be institutionalised for the others' safety, in spite of his feelings or vows - but we've seen that he's not a particular stickler for the rules (he behaved quite dishonourably in the final confrontation with Dr. Edwards there, by the way, he should've just walked away, and only fought him if attacked), so what gives? I just feel that regardless of the happiness he might have recovered with the sister, marital vows should be stronger, even if legally voided.
Now on to the 2nd part - the Robertson patriarch absolutely killed himself by stupidity. There were so many ladders there, they could've easily tied a few together with some of Cornelia's clothing and made it down (or attempted to). And the father should be a bit of a survivalist from his Nicaragua days. Although it's clear that the Robertsons just suck at that, as Cornelia doesn't seem to have taken off her shoes before the jump - when she fell, surely she'd have broken something this way, if she had any kind of heels? And the contrivance of the son's plan working out that way is just too large (and if he set fire to the building, why was it a carriage that was heard arriving during the father-daughter conversation? Doesn't he drive a car instead? And we know that he arrived to the scene eventually, so unless he paid somebody else to commit arson after hopping out of a carriage...) Just a very weak, pathetic conclusion.
