Ryan Murphy's Ratched has quickly climbed Netflix's Top 10 list and has become one of the most talked-about shows this fall. Starring Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, and Jon Jon Briones, Ratched details the backstory of Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
After Mildred's adopted brother gets caught murdering four priests, he's sent to Lucia State Hospital to be evaluated. To save her brother from the death penalty, Mildred becomes a nurse at Lucia State Hospital and trouble ensues. But through the dark storylines and gore, there are still plenty of romantic and iconic quotes said from the show's characters. Majors spoilers ahead if you haven't finished season one of the show yet.
"We Wouldn't Have A Past. Only The Future Stretching Out Ahead Of Us As Far As We Can See."
The relationship between Dolly and Edmund is tricky. She's a nurse in training and he's a mass murderer who's being evaluated at the hospital. A little mad in the mind herself, Dolly finds herself attracted to Edmund and the two begin an unconventional relationship.
As the two fall deeper for each other, Dolly envisions a life for them. "I wish we could get out of here and run through a moonlit field, laughing," she tells Edmund. "Nobody telling us how we gotta live. We could be free from whatever you and I did in our past. We wouldn't have a past. Only the future stretching out ahead of us as far as we can see."
"You Are Not Sorry, But You Will Be."
Nurse Bucket and Mildred Ratched didn't like each other from the start. Nurse Bucket was the head nurse in charge of Lucia and didn't appreciate Mildred's confidence. She was shocked when Dr. Hanover began to trust Mildred over her and the two went to war during the workday.
In one episode, Ratched walks into the breakroom to find Nurse Bucket eating her peach. The two get into an argument over the owner of said peach. Bucket coldly says she's sorry but Mildred doesn't buy it. "You are not sorry, but you will be," she said coldly.
"I Believe There Are Some Things That Are Worse To Feel Than Simply Feeling Nothing."
Gwendolyn Briggs is the governor's press secretary who seemed very interested in Lucia State Hospital. After visiting, she finds herself attracted to Mildred and felt like the feeling may have been mutual. Gwendolyn takes Mildred to lunch at an oyster bar where the two get to know each other.
During a deep conversation about life, Mildred calmly says, "I believe there are some things that are worse to feel than simply feeling nothing." This is obviously in reference to her childhood and the pain she secretly lived with at that moment. Sarah Paulson did a lovely job during this intimate scene.
"Honestly, Who Needs 'Em?"
Nurse Bucket may not be the best nurse of all time but she did her job to the best of her ability. She secretly loved Dr. Hanover and would do anything he asked her to do because she trusted him and his abilities. But by the end of the series, Dr. Hanover is dead, Huck is the new head nurse, and Nurse Bucket is running the hospital.
In one scene, Bucket is giving a speech to all the new workers about what she expects for the hospital. When a nurse asks, "Excuse me, what about the doctors? Do we have any?" Bucket confidently says, "Honestly, who needs 'em?" She's not wrong— the nurses did everything at Lucia State.
"I Know How You Feel Right Now...Told That You're Mad...When That's What's Driving You Mad."
With Mildred Ratched based on a book character, Sarah Paulson brought her to life and fleshed her out. It's obvious Mildred wants to help people but she sometimes goes about it in the darkest of ways. She has no qualms with letting people out of their misery due to her time in the war.
In one particular case, she meets a man named Mr. Salvatore who believes he'll be let out of Lucia State. She, instead, gives him the facts and says this deeply unsettling quote that hits home.
"I Might Be That Kind Of Person. The Kind Of Woman...Who Enjoys The Company Of Other Women."
Ratched isn't really a romantic tale, but there are key romantic parts sprinkled throughout the show that proves love is behind so many peoples' gestures. Mildred does what she does because she loves Edmund. Dolly dies because she too adores Edmund. Nurse Bucket does everything for Dr. Hanover because she admires him. Love is in everything these characters do.
At the start, it's not known what Mildred's sexual preference is— but after getting to know Gwendolyn, she realizes that she does enjoy the company of other women. After Huck asks Mildred out on a date, she lets him down easy by being honest with him and her orientation.
“Governor, In Some Cases, The Way To Show Strength Is Actually To Show Mercy.”
As the press secretary to the governor, Gwendolyn really is the brains behind the operation and tries to lead the governor in the right direction. Sadly, the two are far too different to work in politics together and they end up going their separate ways.
In one scene, Gwendolyn tells the governor that, "the way to show strength is actually to show mercy." Sadly, the governor didn't end up agreeing with her and opted for torture for those on Death Row.
“I Sent A Man To Do What Was Clearly A Woman’s Job.”
After Lenore Osgood hires Charles to kill Dr. Hanover on her behalf, Charles ends up getting killed on the job. With Charles dead, Mildred flees to his motel room to grab anything he may have on Dr. Hanover. It's then that she realizes he's being paid by a Mrs. Lenore Osgood and sets up a meeting with her.
Played by Sharon Stone, Lenore sets up a new deal with Mildred and says, "I sent a man to do what was clearly a woman's job." It was an empowering line for Mildred and made her more focused knowing she could get $1 million for Hanover's head.
"All My Life I've Been Fighting This Thing Inside Of Me."
Ingrid is a patient at Lucia State who is being treated for mania. She too finds herself attracted to women and creates an intimate relationship with Mrs. Cartwright, who was also being treated for "lesbianism." Although Paulson's Mildred Ratched has had some iconic lines throughout the show, it was Ingrid's plea for change that left a lasting impression on viewers.
Before her treatment— which consisted of hot and cold water— Ingrid tells Mildred that the real her never leaves. "I have pushed the true Ingrid down, but all the time I could feel her digging her claws into my skin, begging to be let out," she said with tears in her eyes.
"And When The Time Comes, We'll Be Sitting On A Balcony... A Hacienda On The Beach, Margaritas In Hand. And I Could Just Slip Away, While The Sun Sets Over The Ocean"
In the final episode of season one, Cynthia Nixon's Gwendolyn and Sarah Paulson's Mildred have admitted their feelings for one another and they discuss their hopes and dreams for their future. They both dream of driving down the coast to Mexico and spending their lasting days together.
Gwendolyn, at the time, is going through chemotherapy for her breast cancer and she envisions her last hours with "margaritas in hand" as they watch the sun setting over the ocean. It was poetic and beautiful, a positive note to a very dark time in their lives.