Critics praised the episode for its unflinching gore and the poetic irony of Thackery’s end. Director Steven Soderbergh’s kinetic camera work in the operating theater heightens the claustrophobia of the failed self-surgery, making it one of the most visceral sequences in modern television.
: While the Knick is physically "new" (the state-of-the-art building), the people running it are more corrupt than ever. Progress in medicine does not equal progress in human ethics. The Knick - Season 2Eps10
The episode's core revolves around attempt to perform bowel surgery on himself to treat his ischemic bowel without using general anesthesia (relying instead on local cocaine). His goal is to prove he can conquer his own physical ailments just as he sought to conquer addiction and disease. However, his precision fails; he nicks his own femoral artery and collapses. Despite the frantic efforts of his protégé, Bertie Chickering, the damage is irreversible. Critics praised the episode for its unflinching gore
Parallel to Thackery's downfall, the episode closes several major character arcs: Progress in medicine does not equal progress in human ethics
: Thackery’s death is the ultimate "Icarus" moment. His belief that he could "see" and "fix" everything—including his own internal organs—is his undoing.
: In a dark twist, Cleary confesses to the priest that he set Harriet up to be arrested so she would be forced out of the church and into a life (and business partnership) with him. Key Themes