Working Late a Lot

"Working Late a Lot," the eighth installment of the medical drama *The Knick*, aired on Cinemax on October 3, 2014. The episode was penned by the show's creators, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, and directed by executive producer Steven Soderbergh. It centers on Dr. John Thackery, the hospital's surgery chief, as he grapples with cocaine withdrawal after the hospital's supply runs out.

In the plot, Thackery's affair with Elkins continues, fueled by shared cocaine use. When hospital administrator Barrow informs him that a riot depleted the cocaine stock and damaged other property, Thackery panics. He presents a paper on a new hernia method co-authored with Dr. Edwards, earning applause from superiors, but feels eclipsed by rival Dr. Levi Zinberg's demonstration of an innovative intrascope. Bertram Chickering Sr. pressures Thackery to fire his son from the staff, but Thackery refuses angrily. As withdrawal sets in, Thackery grows cold toward Elkins. Sister Harriet secures a baby girl, Grace, for Dr. Gallinger, but his wife Eleanor rejects the child, fearing she might cause the baby's death. Barrow, unable to secure funds from organizations, fires two furnace-room employees to buy more cocaine. Edwards and Cornelia continue their affair while pursuing a case against Mary Mallon ("Typhoid Mary") for spreading typhoid; a court hearing rules in Mary's favor after the judge decides she is not a threat, and Chickering insults the judge following the dismissal. Mary mocks the trio upon release. Later, Mary seeks work, denying her newspaper-infamous identity. With no cocaine, Thackery ingests strychnine before surgery, but the drug impairs his performance, forcing him to hand the operation to Edwards. At an opium den, he hallucinates encountering the corpse of his colleague Christiansen.

The episode was seen by an estimated 0.349 million household viewers, with a 0.09 ratings share among adults 18–49, a slight drop from the previous episode's 0.358 million viewers and 0.12 share. Critics gave it extremely positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored a 91% approval rating from 11 reviews, with the consensus praising its shift to quieter character moments and small-scale drama. Matt Fowler of IGN rated it 8.6 out of 10, noting that Thackery's drug abuse now has real consequences. Brandon Nowalk of *The A.V.