Ep 5. They Capture the Heat

In The Knick season 1 episode 5, titled "They Capture the Heat," the staff at The Knick are faced with a heatwave and are struggling to keep their patients cool. The higher-ups in the hospital are more concerned with making money by treating wealthy patients, leaving those who cannot afford treatment to suffer in the heat.

Dr. John Thackery (played by Clive Owen) continues to work on his experiments with cocaine as a possible cure for addiction, using himself as a test subject. He also takes on a challenging case of a young woman with a rare condition that causes her to grow excessive facial hair.

Meanwhile, Dr. Algernon Edwards (played by André Holland) faces discrimination from his colleagues and a particularly racist patient who refuses to let him operate on him.

As the heatwave continues, tensions rise and the doctors are pushed to their limits as they try to save their patients. The episode also sheds light on the societal inequalities present in healthcare at the time, as the wealthy are prioritized over the poor and people of color are not given equal opportunities.

Overall, "They Capture the Heat" is an intense and thought-provoking episode that delves deeper into the characters' personal struggles and the larger issues facing society at the turn of the 20th century.