The Knick

Disappointing, I was waiting for more. Nice casting, but the story is too boring

Did you know that Washington Irving—the creator of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane and that headless dude on that horse—was half Dutch? And did you know that in 1809 he wrote a booklet entitled A History Of New York and that it featured a Dutch character named Diedrich Knickerbocker? Oh no? Didn't you all know. Knickerbocker told the story of the first Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam and because he did, these settlers were soon popularly called Knickerbockers. Nice, huh? Almost as nice as the fact that New York is making a splash in the NBA under the name New York Knicks, which is again short for… Exactly. Knickerbockers. And why are those Knicks playing in blue, white, orange? Because those were the colors of the Dutch Prince flag. As a basketball-loving Dutchman, there is actually only one team that you have to shout out loud when you're watching the play-offs again in the middle of the night while you actually have to get up at 07:00 for an important meeting. You all didn't know, did you? By the way, not only the local basketball team was named after Diedrich, but also capri pants, a bar & grill, a neighborhood on the Lower East Side and even a hospital were named. And let this hospital be the stage for Cinemax's masterful new series called… The Knick. The Knick was in Harlem in the early 20th century. Where 131st street and Convent Avenue met. In the Knick, you had your appendix removed if you were white. If you had more pigment, you could go to the hospital a few blocks away. This "balance" comes to an abrupt end when Dr. Edwards appears. Appointed by the new head of human resources, he struggles with his new position as a dark-skinned doctor in an all-white hospital and all the short-sighted ridiculousness that comes with it. Add to that the fact that his immediate supervisor – played by Clive Owen – runs just about everything God has forbidden through his nose and veins just before he starts surgery and you've got enough misery to last a first season of ten episodes. to fill. The Knick is a series you have to feel. There are few ninjas and exploding monster trucks in it, so you watch it mainly because so much attention has been paid to the production and the way of filming. Steven Soderbergh does that filming and that is the same Steven who was also involved in the entire Ocean's 11/12/13 series and the wonderfully miserable Traffic. We also want a second season, Steven! At least I do.