Ep 5. The Dance

Ratched is an American psychological thriller series created by Evan Romansky and developed by Ryan Murphy. The show is based on the character Nurse Ratched from the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Ratched follows the story of Mildred Ratched (Sarah Paulson), an asylum nurse who becomes a monster by manipulating her patients and colleagues for her own personal gain.

Episode 5 of Ratched's first season is titled "The Dance." It follows up on the shocking events from the previous episode in which Dr. Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) performed a lobotomy on one of his patients, unaware that it was his own lover Gwendolyn (Cynthia Nixon) under the mask. As Mildred comforts him, Gwendolyn is rushed to emergency surgery, and it's unclear whether or not she'll make it.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hanover's mother Adelaide (Vincent D'Onofrio) has returned to the hospital and is causing chaos. She believes that her son has been replaced by an impostor and has taken to attacking the hospital staff. Hanover tries to intervene, but it's clear that Adelaide is too far gone for him to help her.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, the hospital is also hosting its annual dance that night. Mildred needs to keep up appearances and attend the event, but she's struggling to keep her composure after everything that's happened. She's also been dealing with unexpected emotions towards Gwendolyn, who she's grown close to over the past few episodes.

The dance includes a silent auction, and many of the hospital staff have donated items to be sold. Nurse Bucket (Judy Davis) puts her prized doll collection up for auction, and Nurse Ratched outbids everyone for it. Nurse Bucket is visibly upset, but Mildred tells her that she'll take good care of the dolls.

As the night progresses, tensions rise between the hospital staff. Nurse Ratched and Nurse Bucket get into a heated argument in front of everyone, and Hanover's assistant, Sharon (Sharon Stone), is clearly unhappy with her boss. Meanwhile, Hanover is struggling to keep his composure after everything that's happened with Gwendolyn.

The event takes a dark turn when Adelaide manages to get her hands on a knife and starts attacking people. Everyone scrambles to get out of her way, and Nurse Ratched ends up confronting her. Adelaide stabs Mildred in the leg, and for a moment, it seems like she might actually get the better of her. But just in time, Hanover intervenes and manages to calm his mother down.

With the dance over and everyone safe, Nurse Ratched takes some time to reflect on everything that's happened. She visits Gwendolyn in the hospital, where she's recovering from her surgery. Gwendolyn tells Mildred that she loves her, and for the first time, Nurse Ratched shows some vulnerability and reciprocates those feelings.

Overall, "The Dance" is a tense, emotional episode that showcases the complex relationships between the characters in the show. It's clear that Nurse Ratched is starting to unravel, and it remains to be seen how she'll handle everything that's happened.