Huck Finnigan

Portrayed by

Charlie Carver

About

Occupation

Former Head Nurse of Lucia State Hospital

Status

Deceased

Chronology
First Appearance	Last Appearance
Pilot	Mildred and Edmund

“

No patient is ever gonna go through with that treatment again. I'm not gonna watch folks gettin' tortured.

— Huck Finnigan

”

Huck Finnigan is a character in the Netflix series Ratched. He was an orderly, and later Head Nurse, at Lucia State Hospital. He is portrayed by Charlie Carver.

Biography[]

World War II[]

Huck Finnigan served in World War II, though the specifics of his service are not known.

During service, he was caught by a German Nazi soldier who put a Colt 1911 to his temple and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed, but before either Huck or the German soldier could react, a mortar hit their position, "blowing (the German Soldier) to 50 pieces". Huck survived the mortar fire, but was left with extensive burns and wounds to his left side.^[1]. The burns to the left side of his face were so severe that he lost vision in his left eye, and the burns necessitated a skin graft which was taken from his neck. His left arm and hand were also injured; his ring and pinkie fingers were severed from the knuckle down, and he had severe burns and wounds to his hand and forearm.^[2]

Lucia State Hospital[]

Some time after leaving the military and recovering from his injuries, Huck became an orderly at Lucia State Hospital under Head Nurse Betsy Bucket. In this role he assisted the nurses and doctors in the treatment of patients primarily with routine tasks such as transporting patients throughout the hospital, or helping assist with certain treatments that need extra pairs of hands, such as in the restraint of combative patients who require sedation, or lifting patients onto equipment or gurneys.

Huck first greeted Mildred Ratched on the day she attended Lucia State Hospital to try and lie her way into getting a job interview. Mildred noticed his extensive facial scarring, and was reminded of her own experiences as a war veteran acting as a nurse during the Pacific theater campaign of World War II, though she did not comment. Mildred was ultimately turned down for a job due to a lack of funding for additional nurses, and so she managed to oust Amelia Emerson from her nursing position through blackmail. Following Amelia's exit, and without being accepted for any position or being given approval to do so, Mildred began working at the hospital on a volunteer basis, working alongside Huck. On her uniform, Huck noticed she wore a U.S. Army Nurse Corps pin and realized she, too, was a veteran.^[3]

During an official visit by California governor George Wilburn and his press secretary Gwendolyn Briggs, Huck was tasked with helping to attend to patients in the main lobby. While he did so, he witnessed Father Murphy collapse, not knowing that it was because Mildred had deliberately administered blood pressure medication to him in order that the visitors and Hanover would witness her "cure" him and improve the hospital's image and funding. Based on her "heroics" she was chosen by Gov. Wilburn to appear in his publicity photos for the local paper where it was announced he would be increasing funding for the hospital, and thus Mildred was officially hired as a nurse.^[4]

Hydrotherapy[]

With increased funding for the hospital secured, Dr. Hanover, the Head Doctor and overseer of Lucia State Hospital, began trialling several pioneering new treatment methods for the psychiatric patients within the hospital. His first trial involved the introduction of lobotomy. The procedure, performed only under mild sedation instead of full anaesthesia, involved Dr. Hanover performing an excision on the head, trepanning back the skin, and then drilling through the skull and into the temporal lobe with a hand drill, with the goal of severing connections in the prefrontal cortex. He performed this treatment on several patients, including Ingrid Blix (being treated for melancholia) and Lily Cartwright (being treated for lesbianism).

The lobotomies Dr. Hanover had performed were unsuccessful for Lily and Ingrid; the lobotomies only decreased their inhibitions, and thus Lily and Ingrid, who were both lesbians - with Ingrid being closeted until this moment - began engaging in a sexual relationship at the hospital. Lily was witnessed performing oral sex on Ingrid by Nurse Ratched, who reported what she had seen to Dr. Hanover. In response to the failure of the lobotomies, Dr. Hanover had specialized baths installed in one of the basement rooms for a new "hot and cold" treatment which had reportedly had a good response for patients in Switzerland. Dr. Hanover allowed Nurse Bucket to take the lead in the treatment protocols for these new baths, and she followed his protocols to the letter, despite their barbaric nature. The protocol involved introducing the patient into a "balmy" 99F (37C) temperature warm bath, then sealing the patient inside the locked chamber leaving only their head unsubmerged, then increasing the temperature to scalding 117F (47C) for twenty minutes. After the twenty minutes was complete, the patient was then removed and submerged in an ice bath for five minutes. Lily was the first patient at the hospital to receive this treatment, suffering to the point of nearly passing out, only able to cope with it due to being soothed by Mildred. At the end of the treatment Lily was unable to stand and, delirious and barely conscious, having to be carried out of the baths by Mildred and Huck and back to her bed.

Because the treatment was essentially torture, both Huck and Mildred were completely appalled by having to assist in it, with Huck in particular determined that no other patient would be put through it again. The treatment did not have genuine pathological results in patients, instead acting as a type of aversion therapy, where patients are so afraid of having to go through the same treatment again that they lie and insist they are cured of their ailments. Indeed, following the treatment, Lily told Nurse Bucket that all her "sapphic ideations" had gone, and Nurse Bucket believed her, which unfortunately only lead to Dr. Hannover approving for Ingrid to receive the same hydrotherapy treatment as Lily.

Following Lily's "successful" hydrotherapy treatment, Mildred was instructed the following morning to bring Ingrid to her hydrotherapy session. Ingrid disclosed to Mildred that after her first sexual encounter with Lily, it cemented for both her and Lily that being attracted to women - and each other - was undeniably their true self. Ingrid begged for Mildred to boil her alive in the hydrotherapy bath so that she could be free from the emotional torment that denying her true self brought her - imploring that Mildred could not possibly know how it feels to endure. Mildred tried to comfort her, but had to bring Ingrid to the hydrotherapy room on Dr. Hannover's orders. Fortunately, Huck had sabotaged the pipe for the hydrotherapy bath ahead of time, blaming it on rats when questioned by Bucket, so Ingrid's hydrotherapy treatment was delayed.^[5]

Angel of Mercy[]

The same evening, Nurse Bucket informed Huck that she had had the bath repaired, and that Ingrid's hydrotherapy had been rescheduled for the following morning, and he informed Mildred when he found her in a corridor. With such a small window of opportunity to act, Huck and Mildred quickly hatched a plan to help Lily and Ingrid to escape. Huck's part in this plan involved entering Lily's room, having her pack and put on a disguise, and helping her escape through a side door and into a waiting car. He was briefly questioned by Gwendolyn Briggs as to why he was smuggling out a patient, but he dismissed her and drove the car away from her while he waited for Mildred. Meanwhile, Mildred woke Ingrid from her sleep and helped her to dress and pack, bringing her outside to Huck and Lily's awaiting car. Mildred helped Ingrid inside and gave Huck an envelope of petty cash she stole from Nurse Bucket's office, instructing him to use it to put them on whichever train was going furthest away from Lucia. Ingrid was appreciative, but asked Mildred why she had helped them; Mildred told Ingrid that despite Ingrid's earlier assertion, she did in fact understand the pain of hiding one's true self, effectively disclosing out loud for the first time that she, too, was attracted to women. Mildred and Lily touched hands through the car window before Mildred quickly fled back into the hospital before anyone noticed she was missing.

The following morning, following the escape of Lily and Ingrid, the police had been notified and although Lily's husband Mr. Cartwright was furious about Lily's disappearance, Huck assured Mildred that they had gotten away safely on the train. Huck feared that Betsy would be furious, but Mildred reassured him that she had plans for her. Huck called Mildred an angel of mercy for what she'd done for Ingrid and Lily, instantly reminding her of several suffering soldiers she had killed in acts of mercy during World War II. Mildred was very touched by Huck's sentiment, though lied and told Huck she had never heard anyone call her that before.

Head Nurse[]

Huck attended a Spring Fling for the staff and patients organized by Mildred. While there, he asked her to dance with him, not realizing that Mildred and Gwendolyn had begun a relationship. She accepted his invitation and they danced together. Murderer and Lucia State Hospital patient Edmund Tolleson arrived at the dance and began dancing with Dolly. Hanover, high on prescription medications and who had been forced to attend the dance with Betsy by Mildred, reached his limit and snapped at Betsy, emotionally tearing her down. Betsy fled the room weeping, pursued by both Gwendolyn and Mildred, who helped to patch her up in the bathroom.

Mildred - who was Edmund's foster sister, and had infiltrated the hospital in order to try and save Edmund's life - returned to the dance in time for Edmund to enact what she believed was a plan for Edmund to prove he was too unstable to stand trial and thus be spared execution. Unbeknownst to Mildred, Edmund and Dolly had hatched a new plan, which they set in motion: Edmund retrieved a razor blade Mildred had hidden for him and used it to slit the throat of Harold the guard. Dolly then took Harold's gun. Hearing the screams, Gwendolyn entered the room and tried to talk Dolly down, but Dolly shot her in the chest. Seizing the opportunity, Edmund and Dolly fled, escaping the hospital. Mildred ran to Gwendolyn's side as she laid on the ground and cradled her as she began bleeding out on the floor. Edmund was later re-apprehended and brought back to the hospital, but Dolly was killed in a shootout with police.^[6]

Some time after Gwendolyn had begun her recovery, Huck interrupted Mildred during a shift at the hospital to check up on how she was feeling after the violence at the dance. Like Mildred, for Huck it had put things into perspective for him, and gave him the courage to ask Mildred out on a date. Mildred kindly turned him down, disclosing that she was coming to terms with the fact she was attracted to women. Though disappointed, Huck was respectful of her, explaining that it was not so much love that he was missing in his life, but a sense of purpose. He told her he wouldn't tell a soul about her secret, and left quickly.

Mildred and Betsy met with Doris Mayfair, a wealthy heiress whose family were the greater part of Lucia State's funding. Mildred and Betsy were able to negotiate with Doris that Dr. Hanover should be stripped of his position due to various crimes. Doris agreed Hanover should be stripped of his role, and agreed with Mildred and Betsy's suggestion that Betsy should take over the hospital in the interim. In the car, Mildred implored Betsy to promote Huck to Head Nurse, seeing an opportunity for him to have the sense of purpose he desired, and that Huck would dedicated his life to the hospital. Hanover fled the hospital with patient Charlotte Wells, with whom he had formed a strong doctor-patient relationship.

The following day, with Betsy taking the mantel as the new overseer of the hospital, she announced Huck's new role as Head Nurse, much to his surprise. He looked to Mildred, who winked at him, and he realized it was Mildred's influence that got him this new role.^[7] The date of Edmund's execution approached, and Mildred intended for Huck to assist her in humanely killing Edmund via lethal injection to save him from being executed by the barbaric method of the electric chair, but was never able to enact her plan due to the intervention of Charlotte Wells.^[1]

Charlotte Wells[]

Charlotte Wells was a self-admitted patient to Lucia State Hospital who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic Dissociative Identity Disorder by Dr. Hanover. When stressed or agitated she would switch personalities in order to protect herself. Charlotte had become Dr. Hanover's pet project after Mildred implied that if Charlotte could be cured, it would draw Governor's Wilburn's focus away from Edmund as well as bring money in to the hospital. He began a series of hypnosis sessions with Charlotte in which she disclosed she had been tortured over a nine-day period in which she was kidnapped, trapped in a closet, stripped naked, and repeatedly assaulted. Over time these hypnosis sessions reduced her general panic response, leading to fewer events of her alternate personalities taking control. Because of this marked and measurable improvement, it renewed Hanover's belief in the ability of psychiatric medicine, and Charlotte became Hanover's well-known pet project. However, after Dr. Hanover fled the hospital with Charlotte, intending to continue treating her while on the run, he made her hide in a closet. This triggered her PTSD from the assault she had experienced and she killed Dr. Hanover while being controlled by one of her alternate personalities.

After Dr. Hanover's death, Charlotte returned to Lucia State Hospital with a new alternate personality: that of Dr. Hanover himself, taking on his mannerisms and taking the baton in wanting to free Edmund so that it could be proven he could be successfully rehabilitated. Charlotte had Betsy take her to Dr. Hanover's office and instructed Betsy to go and bring Edmund to her. Instead, Betsy went and found Huck to come and assist her. While they were gone, Charlotte had retrieved a gun from one of Dr. Hanover's desk drawers. She was infuriated that Betsy had not brought Edmund to her, and pointed the gun at both of them. Huck tried to talk her down, talking to Charlotte as if she were Dr. Hanover, and assuring her that things had "not been the same at Lucia since you were here". This tactic did not work, and she became even more agitated. He told her that he wasn't afraid of her, that he'd been through worse in WWII when he'd had the German soldier's pistol against his temple. He then appealed to Charlotte herself, asking her to remember the night of the Spring Fling dance, where she'd been so happy dancing with Harold. This happy memory temporarily helped her become lucid, remembering Harold fondly, until she remembered the moment Edmund slit Harold's throat in front of her, which triggers another personality switch. While she was distracted, Betsy urged Huck to try and apprehend Charlotte, but she shot Huck dead with a single shot to the forehead. With Huck dead and the threat she posed now very tangible, Charlotte was able to use Betsy to gain access to and free Edmund, and the two fled the hospital together.^[1]

Character Creation & Development[]

Actor Charlie Carver already knew Ratched series co-creator Ryan Murphy from his time working on the 2018 Broadway production of The Boys in the Band, which Murphy later adapted into a film of the same name starring the Broadway cast, including Carver. The movie was in pre-production alongside the filming of Ratched - indeed, Carver began recording for the movie the same week that he wrapped filming on Ratched.^[3] He knew from the outset of accepting the role that his character was going to die, but was pleased that it meant that Huck would have a full and complete story. He told Gay Times: "I knew before I signed up for the job, that that was a part of it, which is kind of an exciting thing as an actor because you know on some level symbolically that the character has fulfilled their part. They've achieved something. So pulling that and working backwards in a way and trying to create the biggest arc for the character, by the time Huck passes away – I felt like he'd finally found a sense of strength and compassion and love for himself. Mildred gave him that when she insisted that he become head nurse. He died in the line of duty and that's exactly how he would've wanted to go."^[3]

Huck is partially inspired by the 1980 movie The Elephant Man, based on the true story of the life of Joseph Merrick, a 19th century man with a severe facial deformity. Like Merrick, Huck is misunderstood and underestimated by those around him, and Huck's kind and caring personality is in contrast to the fact that typically in fiction characters with deformities are villains.^[8] In preparation for the role, Carver read extensively on the topic of WW1 and WW2 veterans and their experiences of trying to return to normal civilian life; in particular those who were injured or disfigured by war injuries. He told Gay Times: "I think there was such a different expectation of war as this initiation into manhood, but also this kind of grand adventure. There was an innocence to it. The people that suffered the most coming back from this experience, other than the trauma of being exposed to so much violence, were wounded veterans. They came back and were not supported by society at large, being symbolic of that sort of failure in masculinity in some way. I read a lot about this hospital here in London that pioneered a lot of the techniques for amputees and people who needed facial reconstruction or skin grafting, and it's heartbreaking – but so sweet – to hear about the communities that formed after WW2 that were largely left out of the narrative. The consistent theme throughout all of that seems to be these young men who wanted a sense of story in their lives, and came back and felt like they had lost everything. This tenderness and sweetness, and the way they treated all of the nurses who treated them with dignity when they felt like they couldn't be seen in the world, I just found it very moving and that's where the purity of the character came from."

Prosthetics[]

Huck's prosthetic make-up was created and applied by AFX Studio, and took around four to five hours to apply to his face, left arm and hand each day. He was also fitted with a full scleral lens (a contact which covers most of the front of the eye) through which Carver could not see.^[9] A full cast of his head and neck was taken in alginate from which the SFX make-up team were able to develop his prosthesis, working alongside the Ratched creators and Carver to create the backstory for the injuries to insure they were both realistic to the type of trauma he would have experienced from the mortar shell and historically accurate to the medical techniques of the time period in his recovery.^[2]