Welcome back to The Knick, ladies and gentlemen. When last we met, we were introduced to Dr. John Thackery (Clive Owen), a surgery pioneer in turn-of-the-century (the 20th century) New York City. Thack – as his closer acquaintances call him – finds himself the head of the surgery staff after his mentor, Dr. Christiansen (Matt Frewer), is driven to suicide by his gruesome – and often deadly – profession. Thack isn’t as clean as he would have his co-workers and patients believe; his brilliance is driven by a dependence on cocaine, and his fragile mental state is not improved by the introduction of a black surgeon (Andre Holland’s Dr. Algernon Edwards) to his staff. For all intents and purposes, that’s The Knick.