Season One of The Knick left the surgeons of the Knickerbocker hospital in disarray. Torrid affairs were being conducted, secret abortions were being performed, racial tensions were high, and people were dying on and off the operating table. Things became so bad for Clive Owen’s Dr. Thackery that he was checked into one of those cutting-edge early 20th century clinics that cured cocaine habits with heroin treatments. Given everything that happened, getting the hell out of Dodge might not be such a bad idea as the series moves forward.
Are their reputations unsalvageable, or do the good doctors simply need a change of scenery? It’s not entirely clear from the teaser, but footage suggests that at least some of season two will be spent in San Francisco. Conveniently, turn-of-the-century San Francisco not only found itself stricken by a bubonic plague outbreak, but was also home to a bustling opium industry. If his bloodshot eyes are any indication, Thack should have no problem practicing his work-hard, play-hard philosophy during his stay in the Golden City.
The Knick returns to Cinemax on October 16.