Start Calling Me Dad

Lore & Background

In the episode, Dr. John Thackery works on a new method for placenta praevia and performs a successful surgery that saves a woman and baby. He names the method to credit himself, Chickering, and the late Christiansen, intending to write a paper. Thackery also discovers the clinic that Dr. Edwards was hiding in the basement; after initially shutting it down, he is impressed by Edwards' new hernia operation method and accepts Edwards' requests to co-author a paper and become deputy chief of surgery.

Meanwhile, tragedy strikes Dr. Gallinger and his wife Eleanor when their baby dies from meningitis. Sister Harriet suggests they could adopt. Health department inspector Jacob Speight works with Cornelia to trace a typhoid outbreak among socialites to an Irish immigrant cook named Mary Mallon, whom they force into checking into the Knick. Barrow is introduced to an X-ray machine and convinces the owner to sell it at a lower price. The episode ends with Cornelia being approached by her father-in-law Hobart, who makes sexually suggestive comments at her.

Reader's Guide

The episode serves as a turning point in the first season of The Knick, resolving several story arcs while introducing new conflicts. Thackery's acceptance of Edwards into the surgical staff marks a significant shift in the hospital's racial dynamics, though the episode's title and final scene suggest darker themes of paternalism and exploitation. Critics praised the episode's writing and performances, with the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reporting an 80% approval rating based on 10 reviews. The episode's handling of medical ethics, including Thackery's experimental surgery on non-pregnant prostitutes and the forced quarantine of Mary Mallon, reflects the series' exploration of early 20th-century medical practices and their moral ambiguities.

Did You Know?

• Thackery's new method for placenta praevia surgery proves successful and saves the woman and baby's life.
• Dr. Edwards agrees to allow his hernia operation method to be used in exchange for co-authoring a paper and being named deputy chief of surgery.
• The episode ends with Cornelia's father-in-law Hobart making sexually suggestive comments at her.

Medical Storylines: Innovation, Rivalry, and Discovery

In "Start Calling Me Dad," the Knick's surgical ward becomes a stage for competing ambitions. Dr. John Thackery, balancing his cocaine and opium addictions against his drive for medical discovery, devises a new surgical method for placenta praevia. He tests it on two non-pregnant prostitutes under the watchful eye of Chickering, and the procedure ultimately succeeds, saving both mother and baby. Thackery names the technique after himself, Chickering, and the late Christiansen, planning a paper to cement his legacy. Meanwhile, the episode's most charged confrontation arrives when Thackery uncovers a secret clinic Edwards has been running in the hospital basement. Furious at the protocol violations, he shuts it down—yet is struck by Edwards' novel hernia technique. A negotiation follows: Edwards secures co-authorship on a paper and the deputy chief of surgery title, and Thackery, riding a wave of confidence, accepts. The X-ray machine, bargained for by the thrifty Barrow from a seller named Luff, adds another layer of medical modernization to the episode's narrative.

The Typhoid Outbreak and Social Injustice

Beneath the surgical triumphs, "Start Calling Me Dad" threads a darker investigation. Health department inspector Jacob Speight and Cornelia work together to identify the source of a typhoid outbreak sweeping through New York's socialite circles. Their trail leads them to Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant cook, whom they force to check into the Knick—a decision that carries the weight of early-twentieth-century prejudice against immigrant workers. The subplot underscores the series' broader struggle against the limitations of medical understanding and practice in the era. The episode's final scene deepens this sense of injustice: after returning home to inform Phillip and his family of her actions, Cornelia is cornered in a bedroom by Phillip's father, Hobart, who makes sexually suggestive comments toward her. Critics seized on this moment as the episode's most disturbing beat, with one reviewer noting the scene leaves the audience with intense revulsion and reframes the entire hour. The juxtaposition of medical progress against human cruelty gives the episode its title its bitter resonance.

Critical Reception: Praise and Division

Critics responded to "Start Calling Me Dad" with largely enthusiastic reviews. Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 80 percent approval rating across ten reviews, with the consensus describing it as a dark and twisty but ultimately engaging episode that ties up story arcs while exploring distressing themes. Matt Fowler of IGN awarded it 8.5 out of 10, praising how it closed the C-section and typhoid threads while opening new ones, and noting that Thackery and Edwards' partnership might carry the narrative through the season's finale. Brandon Nowalk of The A.V. Club gave it an A-minus, calling it the most emotionally resonant hour since the premiere, though he flagged the final scene's jarring tone. Debbie Day of Entertainment Weekly celebrated Edwards' official welcome to the Knick. Not all reactions were warm: Keith Uhlich of Vulture offered only two stars, comparing the episode to chess pieces moving around the board and criticizing its narrative housecleaning. Mike Hale of The New York Times highlighted the dark humor of the X-ray machine subplot. The episode's 0.358 million household viewers represented a modest rise over the prior installment.

Production and Broadcast Context

Cinemax announced in August 2014 that the sixth episode of The Knick's first season would be titled "Start Calling Me Dad," crediting series creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler as writers and executive producer Steven Soderbergh as director. The assignment marked Amiel's and Begler's fifth writing credits and Soderbergh's sixth directing credit on the series, underscoring the tight creative collaboration behind the show. The episode premiered on Cinemax on September 19, 2014, continuing the series' setting in early-twentieth-century New York City at the Knickerbocker Hospital, where staff grapple against the boundaries of medical knowledge. Nielsen Media Research data showed the episode drew an estimated 0.358 million household viewers, earning a 0.11 ratings share among adults 18 to 49—a slight uptick from the previous episode's 0.322 million viewers and 0.06 demographic share. The broadcast context of a premium cable medical drama in the mid-2010s meant modest but loyal audiences, with the episode's critical acclaim arriving well after its initial air date.