Top 10 Most Disturbing Moments from ‘Ratched’ Season 1

Ryan Murphy’s work has returned to fan’s screens with Ratched, a Netflix series that includes powerhouse, fan-favorite actress, Sarah Paulson. Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, and Judy Davis are among the star-studded cast that makes up Ratched.

The series follows nurse Mildred Ratched as she sleazes her way into gaining employment at a local mental health hospital with her own plan at hand. Nothing is what it seems from a first glance.

It’s known from Ratched Season 1 Episode 1 that there will be no limits when it comes to the fear factor, which is not surprising coming from Ryan Murphy, and throughout the season, it continues to get even more twisted.

Here are my Top 10 Most Disturbing Moments from Ratched Season 1 in chronological order:

1. Whatever It Takes (Season 1 Episode 1)

Mildred slips Father Murphy blood pressure medication during rounds so that he’ll get sick and she can save him in front of the governor. Doing this just to make herself look good is a disturbing act showcasing who she really is.

It’s disturbing because, from the jump, Mildred Ratched makes it known that she will do whatever and whenever if it means that she gets what she wants. She has an objective, and right now, that’s all that she’s focused on; there’s nothing else.

Also, switching the authority roles around on the spot towards Nurse Bucket showcases that she doesn’t care for authority unless it’s from the highest position. Although it may be a horrible way to climb your way to the top, I still love how Mildred snaps on Nurse Bucket because that woman has no right to put her hands on anyone.

2. Lobotomized Priest (Season 1 Episode 2)

Mildred’s determination to get what she wants is unbreakable, and with her newfound position, she has more tools at her disposal that allow her to act under the radar. The father is the only survivor of Edmund’s murder spree and the only one who can identify him as the killer, but Mildred knows he can’t testify if he can’t remember who he is.

If it hadn’t of been for Dr. Hanover demonstrating the lobotomy a few days prior, she probably would’ve killed him by poisoning, but this allows her to try something new. The sound of the wet crack as the hammer cracks through the brain is bone-chilling.

3. Hallucinogenic Trip (Season 1 Episode 3)

This moment is horrifically graphic and incredibly sad at the same time because Dr. Hanover’s life is ruined when he was only trying to help cure Henry. Instead, he’s put in a situation straight out of a horror movie. Granted, his methods are almost always unorthodox and lead him into getting into those situations, but he almost always has good intentions, no matter how vicious.

While sober, the doctor would never go to those extremes of cutting off Henry’s limbs and sewing others on, but he saw his perfect opportunity to put the theory to test on his acid trip.

Throughout the season, Dr. Hanover proves that he is not good at making rash decisions, and most of the time, they end up with him in horrible situations.

No matter how disgusting it is, I applaud Brandon Flynn’s (Henry) acting skills as a psychotic patient with no limit. His laughter is genuinely maniacal.

4. Boiling Mrs. Cartwright (Season 1 Episode 3)

I understand that the series is set in the early 1940s, so the depictions of this particular scene’s actions are factual, but it doesn’t make it any less disturbing to watch.

Mrs. Cartwright is boiled at 125 degrees before the temperature is eventually turned down to the sensible 117 degrees *insert eye roll* that the instructions strictly state. As if that’s not bad enough, immediately afterward, she’s dumped into a bathtub full of ice, sending her entire body into shock.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s always hard to sit through hate crime scenes of any kind, let alone torture scenes such as this one.

5. Weird Fetish (Season 1 Episode 3)

Mildred’s weird fetish is downright disgusting and is arguably one of the most bizarre things in the entire season. I am not trying to kink shame, and if that’s how it comes across, I apologize, but her getting off on the thought of having sex with someone while they’re on the operating table is unorthodox and made me want to fast forward every time.

It’s beneficial to the story because it shows how she has her mental issues and introduces Wainwright to the overall equation, but other than that, I see no need for the sex scenes. It barely moves the storyline further.

6. The Death of Charles Wainwright (Season 1 Episode 4)

Charles Wainwright may have been working for Henry’s mother to deliver Dr. Hanover’s head on a silver platter, but he doesn’t deserve to die in the manner he does, primarily not due to Mildred’s help. The thought of sitting in a big boiling pot of water makes shivers run throughout my body and watching it happen on screen almost had me look away.

The most disturbing thing about Mr. Wainwright’s death is the shot of him on the floor, with his eyes missing from the bullet holes. It is most definitely not a shot I was expecting, but I do like the shot’s accuracy.

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7. The Puppet Show (Season 1 Episode 6)

This particular moment is an important one in Mildred’s personal growth story as she’s forced to endure the puppet show, reliving her childhood in the process.

It’s a disturbing moment to have the whole room laugh as she hallucinates her childhood torture, but I also think it’s a creative way to show her background and reveal her character story.

I love how the episode switches back and forth between scenes with Mildred’s past and her present time horror-struck self in the audience. It’s the final straw before Mildred reveals her true intentions to Gwendolyn about why she’s in the area.

8. Hanover’s Death (Season 1 Episode 7)

 

Dr. Hanover kidnapping Charlotte, putting her in some weird motel, and planning on taking her across the country is all grounds for his murder being justifiable because, at that point, he was only doing it for recognition.

 

His failure to have a real plan caused his death and forced Charlotte to do something that will forever haunt her. As the doctor who has been treating someone who had a mental snap because they were locked up and beaten, you’d think you’d know better not to lock them in a closet, but I guess not.

Charlotte’s mental psyche is forever changed from this point on, no matter what. There is no coming back from this because her mental stability was already incredibly low, and now there’s no one who can take the time to help her get through it because she’s on a killing spree with Edmund.

9. The Setup By Mildred (Season 1 Episode 7)

At this point in the series, it’s known that there’s nothing off the table, and that’s including allowing Dr. Hanover to leave with a mentally unstable patient, knowing she’d end up killing him. His death serves her well, and she takes her opportunity.

You can’t convince me otherwise that Mildred didn’t know what she was doing. She could’ve stopped Dr. Hanover from leaving the premises with Charlotte, but in the end, she needed his head on a platter, and this was an easy way for her not to get her hands dirty.

10. Henry Offs Mommy (Season 1 Episode 8)

Henry has serious mental issues, that’s no question, but his complete 180 turnaround on his mother is one that I didn’t see coming. He caused himself to live in the condition that he is, but his mother forever blamed Dr. Hanover for what occurred on that unfortunate night.

I don’t think that Henry ever regretted what happened because he seems to be the type of person who thrives off of pain or torture of some sort.

It seems only fitting that the mother would leave half of everything she owns following her death to the care of her monkey for the rest of her life because she isn’t dumb. She’s a smart, wealthy woman who knows how to run things, so I do not doubt in my mind that she purposely kept Henry out of the will due to the thought that he might be the one to kill her.

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Ratched kept me suitably entertained thought the season. Still, the one thing I couldn’t get over throughout the season is how it feels like it could be another storyline for American Horror Story. There were no supernatural elements, but it still felt like it wasn’t a standalone TV show to me. Maybe that’s what makes it great?

What did you think of this Season of Ratched? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Ratched Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Cade Taylor

Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.