S01E06: Got No Strings

**"Got No Strings"** is the sixth episode of Season One of *Ratched*, as well as the sixth episode of the series overall. It premiered on September 18, 2020.

## Synopsis

Lovers on the lam seek refuge at an abandoned farmhouse. When Ratched attends a marionette show, traumatic childhood memories come rushing back.

## Plot

Dolly and Edmund find themselves on the run from the authorities. Each becomes concerned when they begin hearing the barks of dogs in the distance being used by the Police. Dolly remarks that they need to ditch their clothing to throw the dogs off their scent, to which Edmund obliges hastily.

Meanwhile, Nurse Ratched watches as Briggs undergoes surgery. After the surgery, Nurse Ratched sits by Briggs’ bedside, saddened by the events that she took part in. With Briggs unresponsive, Nurse Ratched begins to explain that she hasn’t been honest with Briggd, but has been hiding who she really is from everyone; she now feels ready to tell Briggs who she is. Before she can reveal her true identity, Briggs awakens, and Nurse Ratched sends for the doctor.

Dolly and Edmund find themselves at an abandoned house off the highway. They search the place but find no edible food except a tin of tomatoes. The hunger causes issues between the two, and they begin fighting over the shooting of Briggs — Dolly finds it incomprehensible that Edmund killed the guard but has an issue with her shooting Briggs. Eventually, the two find a gun, but decide to sleep in the barn to avoid the infestation of rats in the house. Now closer than ever, the two have sex with eachother that night, owing to the attraction between the two. The morning after, tensions arise between the two when Dolly suggests that Edmund kill a rooster for the two to eat; Edmund explains that he is not fond of killing animals given they do not think harsh thoughts like humans. Dolly shows him how to murder the rooster, but Edmund has difficulties in watching and turns away, much to Dolly’s anger.

Nurse Ratched enters Briggs’ room and is happy to see that she is awake. Briggs explains that she is in quite a bit of pain, but is happy to have survived. Shortly after, Briggs asks if Mildred will accompany her to the governor’s meeting; she remarks that they could see a puppet show and grab dinner on the way. Nurse Ratched is initially skeptical of the idea and denies Briggs’ offer, but eventually accepts when she notices that the ordeal has upset Briggs.

Later that night at the puppet show, Nurse Ratched struggles with the idea once again, imagining that the puppet show is a re-enactment of her childhood with Edmund and their abusive parents. The puppet show she believes she is watching documents how their parents forced them to perform sexual activities on one another and how eventually, Edmund gouged out their eyeballs with a pair of scissors. With this, Nurse Ratched stands and exclaims her anger at the puppet master, falsely believing that he has been forcing the children to watch a gruesome play; Briggs chases Nurse Ratched as she leaves the room hastily.

In the car on the journey home, Briggs questions Nurse Ratched over her words in the hospital whilst she was asleep. Nurse Ratched explains her history to Briggs over dinner, much to Briggs’ surprise. Despite revealing her history, Briggs finds nothing more shocking than Nurse Ratched explicitly naming Edmund Tolleson as her brother.

The morning after their rendezvous, Edmund and Dolly wake, with Edmund in haste to get back onto the road before they’re captured by the Police. Just as they are about to leave, Edmund realises that they’re surrounded on all sides by the Police. Dolly asks where the shotgun is, but Edmund warns her that they do not have enough firepower to escape. Edmund bids farewell to Dolly and leaves the barn with his hands raised, citing that Dolly is innocent and was coerced by himself into shooting Briggs. Nonetheless, Dolly exits the barn in full swing and shoots two of the officers before being gunned down herself. Edmund is taken back to Lucia State Hospital moments later in handcuffs. Upon his arrival, Edmund encounters Nurse Ratched who signs for him to be taken into her custody; Ratched is unable to look at Edmund properly and remarks that she would’ve blown his head off had she been one of the officers.

In a meeting between Dr. Hanover, Nurse Ratched, Briggs, and Governor Wilburn, Dr. Hanover tries to convince him that his massive success with the multiple personalities presented by Charlotte Wells should be the face of the hospital, not the trial of Edmund Tolleson. Wilburn is unwilling to accept, however, and demands that Hanover sign the release form or he will pull the funding from the hospital; this forced Dr. Hanover to sign the release despite the staring glance from Nurse Ratched.

Afterwards, Briggs tries to convince Wilburn otherwise, but he remarks that he already pulled the funding for the hospital, which will more than likely be bankrupt in a month. With this, he apologises that Briggs was shot, but fires her as his assistant.

## Cast

### Main

* Sarah Paulson as Nurse Mildred Ratched
* Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson
* Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs
* Jon Jon Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover
* Charlie Carver as Huck Finnigan
* Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Bucket
* Sharon Stone as Lenore Osgood

### Special Guest Star

* Vincent D’Onofrio as Governor George Wilburn

### Guest Starring

* Alice Englert as Dolly
* Rosanna Arquette as Anna

### Co-Starring

* Fred Maske as Emcee
* Isabelle JoLynn Murphy as Young Mildred
* Wyatt De Britto as Young Edmund
* William Charlton as Sheriff
* Jeff Davis as Captain
* Daniel Hagen as Foster Daddy
* Zabeth Russell as Mother
* Joseph Winford Warren as Father
* Matt Miller as Infirmary Surgeon
* Kat Russell as 12 Year Old Girl #1
* Kiersten Kay as 12 Year Old Girl #2
* Lucas Barker as 12 Year Old Boy

## Trivia

* The title of the episode, *"[I've] Got No Strings"* is a lyric from Disney's 1940 hit movie, Pinocchio.