Angel Of Mercy: Part Two
Edmund has quite the surprise when Mildred shows up with food in episode 4 of Ratched. She berates his stupidity for getting involved with Dolly and promises he’ll be free soon. As they talk, it seems clear that Mildred has been sexually involved with Edmund in the past. She promises never to do that again though and implores him to be patient. Next, she confronts Dolly about what happened and calls her a nymphomaniac. Despite calling him disgusting, she promises to let her continue the sexual relations with her brother. This time though she’s going to organize it properly without bars between them. When Mrs Bucket heads off for lunch, Mildred tells her it’s a perfect time to get them together. Instead of sex though, he just wants to kiss her. Gwendolyn follows through with her promise and leaves Trevor. Out of all the places she ends up, she heads to the motel Mildred is currently staying in. After settling in, she heads off to see the Governor who confirms that Edmund alone has raised the cries from the public to install the death penalty. Gwendolyn promises to get Dr Hanover onboard with this change and hurries away. Back at Lucia State, Ingrid gives an impassioned plea to Mildred. She wants to boil so there’s nothing left after hearing the monstrous conditions Cartwright had to deal with. As Ingrid prepares for the worst, it turns out there’s something wrong with the hydrotherapy. The wire has been “chewed through” but Mrs Bucket is wise to what’s happening. Wainwright phones Osgood and gives her an update. After telling her things are taking longer than expected, Gwendolyn overhears part of this and follows the man around the motel into Mildred’s room. While waiting in the wings (later telling Mildred that Edmund must stand trial) Mildred convinces Wainwright to work with her. As they head back to Lucia State, it turns out this is all a big ploy to make Wainwright suffer the same hydrotherapy the girls experienced. Furthermore, Mildred intends to break Ingrid out of the Institute. As he vows Osgood will still come looking, Mildred works with Hanover to break the girls out. With Huck in the driving seat, he takes Cartwright and Ingrid to the train station. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn arrives at Lucia State and starts sniffing around, finding a blood patch on the floor. Even worse, Wainwright breaks free from his scolding bath. Only, Harold shoots him dead as he approaches Peter who’s unable to sleep. On the back of this, Mildred tries to quieten Gwendolyn down, determined to make sure she doesn’t talk. She sits and flatters the woman, telling her she’s inspiring and convincing Gwendolyn that they should go out together. On the back of Wainwright’s death, Mildred phones Osgood and confirms that her hitman is dead. She mentions the Sealight Inn and encourages her to show up. Slamming the phone down, Mildred’s plan continues to take shape. Back at Lucia State, Huck calls Mildred an Angel of Mercy and as we soon see from a flashback, this is definitely a fitting name.
The Episode Review
Mildred’s motivations seem pretty confusing which sums up her character this season. As we cross the halfway point of this show, it’s tough to work out exactly what she wants. This morally grey area is in complete contrast with the bright vivid design of her outfits and this juxtaposition actually works really well. At least on an artistic level. When it comes to the core foundations of the show, it makes for a difficult character to get behind – especially given we know what she ends up as in the film. On top of that, the show adds some layers with the supporting cast who all have their own quips and ideas but not enough to really keep this one afloat for a long period of time. The best part of this episode though comes from the nod toward old monster movies in the form of Wainwright’s burnt body. This really felt like something out of The Mummy and the show is all the stronger for it. Quite where the second half of this show will go however, remains to be seen.
