Where's the Dignity?

"Where's the Dignity?" is the fourth episode of the American medical period drama *The Knick*. Written by series creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and directed by executive producer Steven Soderbergh, it first aired on Cinemax on September 5, 2014. The series takes place in early twentieth-century New York City, focusing on the staff of Knickerbocker Hospital as they contend with the era's medical limitations. The protagonist, Dr. John Thackery, leads the surgery team while managing his cocaine and opium addictions alongside his drive for medical progress and his professional reputation. In this episode, Edwards continues navigating the hospital, and Cleary is unsettled by a recent tragedy.

The episode drew an estimated 0.374 million household viewers, with a 0.13 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, a slight drop from the previous episode's 0.407 million viewers. Critics responded positively, praising Soderbergh's direction, the score, and the performances.

During a surgery, Edwards talks Gallinger through a procedure, guiding him to use a scalpel and save a patient's life, though Gallinger feels insulted. Edwards later attends an engagement party for Cornelia and her fiancé Phillip; Cornelia is unhappy about the prospect of moving to San Francisco and leaving New York. Convinced by Elkins, Thackery visits Abigail to check on her, telling her he understands why she left him but is unconvinced about the man she chose. He then goes to an opium den, unaware Elkins is following. Later, Thackery operates on a woman who performed a self-induced abortion, but she dies despite his efforts. Barrow collects a fee from the widow of a corpse he retrieved from the Knick. Shaken by the woman's death, Cleary takes Sister Harriet to a pauper's cemetery, showing her gravestones of women who died from abortions and warning her to be careful with patients' lives if she performs them.

In August 2014, Cinemax announced the episode, with Amiel and Begler writing and Soderbergh directing—their fourth writing and directing credits for the series, respectively. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode earned a 90% approval rating from 10 reviews, with the consensus calling it "another electric hour of melodrama" that solidifies character relationships and builds on previous tension.