S01E03: Angel of Mercy

**"Angel of Mercy"** is the third episode of Season One of *Ratched*, as well as the third episode of the series overall. It premiered on September 18, 2020.

## Synopsis

When a woman from his past puts a price on his head, Hanover reveals a dark secret to Ratched. Nurse Bucket administers a brutal treatment.

## Plot

Charles meets with Lenore Osgood at her estate. He’s come with photos of Dr. Hanover. However, Richard Hanover isn’t his real name. Manuel Bañaga is the name he was given at birth, and Lenore wants him dead for having crossed her in the past. She’s willing to pay him $250,000 in exchange for Hanover’s head. She wants to give his head to her son as a gift for his 21st birthday.

Lenore joins Henry in his room. He is an amputee; neither arms nor legs. He demands to know what’s for dessert, and Lenore replies Boston cream pie. She then proceeds to feed Henry.

Nurse Bucket brings Dr. Hanover lilies from the valley. However, he hates the smell and tells her to dispose of them. He then reveals that Mrs. Cartwright and Ms. Blix were caught engaging in an act of lesbian fornication. This would mean that the lobotomy failed. So he’s installed a new contraption in the shower room in the basement. It’s from Switzerland, where they had tremendous results in hydrotherapy.

Mildred finds Lily reading *Leaves of Grass.* Which is sexually explicit. She takes the book and explains that it’s time for her treatment. Mildred and Huck escort Lily to the shower room, where Nurse Bucket awaits. She tells them to get Lily inside the hot tub and secure the lids, locking Lily inside. Nurse Bucket brings the temperature up to 119 degrees. Lily begins to show discomfort but Bucket forbids them from releasing her. Nurse Bucket claims that the hydrotherapy will soothe her nervous impulses. Huck questions how much longer Lily has to suffer. Nurse Bucket warns Huck to value his job as with a face like his, it will be difficult for him to find another. After 20 minutes, Nurse Bucket orders Mildred and Huck to remove her from the hot water bath and to put her in the cold water bath filled with ice.

After her treatment, Mildred and Huck take Lily back to her room and comfort her. Huck refuses to allow another patient to go through hydrotherapy. However, as cruel as it is, Mildred admits that what Nurse Bucket said about Huck not being able to find another job is true. Still, Huck refuses to standby and watch as people get tortured.

Gwendolyn awakens at 7:30 am to find that she’s overslept. Her husband, Trevor, reveals that he turned off her alarm so that she could get some sleep.

Gwendolyn informs Governor Wilburn that the press event at the hospital was a masterstroke. He suddenly finds a clipping of him and Nurse Ratched, taking the time to admire her figure. In hopes of becoming more favorable, Wilburn wants to execute Edmund Tolleson, and he needs Hanover to declare him fit for trial. He doesn’t want to be seen as soft on crime.

Dolly goes into the cellar to deliver Edmund’s meal. Edmund is pleased. He hasn’t had the pleasure of a beautiful woman's company in a while. She tells him to let her know if there’s anything else she can do. He asks if she means that. He reveals that one of the vitamins have a side effect; he’s had an erection for the last three days. He claims that he can’t get it to go away. Dolly seems enticed. She approaches the cell, reaches through the bars, and gives Edmund and hand job before leaving.

Huck reports to Mildred that the guard on duty told him that he saw Dolly pleasuring Edmund.

Dr. Hanover pulls into a gas station. While filling up his tank, Charles pulls up behind him and opens fire. Hanover ducks down and drives away in his car.

Louise informs Mildred that someone left her a note. The note reads “Wanna try again?” Louise asks if she’s up to a little hanky-panky. Mildred replies that the Sealight Inn is a roadside motel that traffics in hanky-panky.

Charles knocks on Mildred’s door. She invites him inside and asks him to take off his shirt and tie. She wants to role play again. This time, Charles is a handsome young marine who just stormed the Philippine beaches. She pushes Charles onto the bed and climbs on top of him. She has sex with him while also telling the scenario of a nurse and injured marine. Afterward, he gets ready to leave, telling her how he spent the day chasing a “dirty Pinoy” all over town. She asks if he wants to come back next Wednesday, but Charles reveals that she was the worst lay of his entire life.

Trevor tells Gwen that they’ve been invited for a weekend of wine tasting in Napa with his boss and his wife. However, Gwendolyn can no longer live a lie. She wants a divorce. While it was her idea to get married three years ago, the arrangement no longer works in her favor. Gwendolyn has met someone and can’t stop thinking about her. Trevor warns Gwendolyn that she risks everything in doing this and suggests that she take a few days to think this through.

Nurse Bucket noticed that Hanover’s window had been busted out. He claims that it was the result of kids playing with slingshots. Nurse Bucket has come to give him an update on the lesbians. Ms. Blix is scheduled for hydrotherapy later and Mrs. Cartwright claims that her fantasies and urges have stopped. The matter of Dario’s disappearance is still a mystery however. His niece called to speak with him but no one had seen him in days. Mildred interrupts, claiming that she and Dr. Hanover have a dinner scheduled, but it was just an excuse to get rid of Bucket. Mildred reveals that Nurse Bucket is in love with him, which he is already aware of. Mildred then asks if he would be interested in dinner.

Mildred takes Hanover to a diner. She asks why he is being hunted. Hanover explains that a few years ago, he met Lenore Osgood, who asked him to treat her deranged son. Henry liked to prick people with needles. It’s a sexual disorder called piquerism. But he was becoming more violent. He sharpened a leather punch and stabbed the gardener. So Hanover took Henry in as a patient. He asked for a full day alone with Henry, and Hanover introduced him to LSD. A standard dose. While Hanover was distracted, Henry poured the whole bottle into his glass of water. The drug began to take effect almost instantly, resulting in both of them feeling its effects, Hanover more so. Then Henry just started talking about a deity and how it came into his room, stole his arms, and sewed someone else’s arms into his body. He wanted Hanover to remove them. Henry left but later returned with the gardener’s arms. Hanover watched as Henry sawed his left arm off. And when he finished, he wedged his other arm behind a heavy bureau and cracked it at the humerus. Hanover panicked. So he sewed the gardener’s arms onto Henry, who sat there laughing. When Hanover finished, he ran. From what information he could gather, Henry’s system went septic. He recovered, but only after the infect spread to his legs, which also had to be removed. For this, Lenore Osgood wants him dead. She’s never going to rest until she finds him. Mildred says that she’s willing to help keep him safe.

## 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

### Guest Starring

* Vincent D’Onofrio as Governor George Wilburn
* Alice Englert as Dolly
* Annie Starke as Lily Cartwright
* Brandon Flynn as Henry Osgood
* Michael Benjamin Washington as Trevor Briggs
* Amanda Plummer as Louise

### Co-Starring

* Casey James Knight as Young Soldier
* Harper Cullen as Nurse
* Jessica Erin Martin as Other Nurse
* Diana Tanaka as Doris
* Alfred Rubin Thompson as Albert Alton
* Orestes Arcuni as Maître d'
* Grinnell Morris as Field Doctor
* Carie Kawa as Secretary
* Clay Acker as Attendant
* Frank Merino as Gardener

## Trivia

* The episode title, *Angel of Mercy*, refers to Mildred Ratched.

## Gallery

*For full episode high quality screencaps, see:* **S01E03: Angel of Mercy/Gallery**

## References

1. ↑ https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/ratched-season-1-release-date-news-everything-we-know-so-far-05-2020/