Lily Cartwright is a character featured in the first season of Ratched. She entered Lucia State Hospital seeking treatment for her attraction to women, which threatened her marriage. She is portrayed by Annie Starke.
Biography[]
Affair[]
Richard Cartwright discovers Lily's affair
Before becoming a patient, Lily was married to a man named Richard Cartwright. During their marriage, Lily developed feelings for her female next-door neighbor, and the two engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship behind her husband's back. It is unclear whether attraction to women was a new discovery for Lily on developing her feelings for her neighbor, or if she had always been attracted to women and had married Mr. Cartwright in an attempt to bury her attraction[1].
Lily and her neighbor are interrupted by her husband
The affair was eventually found out when Richard came home earlier than expected and caught Lily and the neighbor mid-coitus on their living room sofa. After reading about Dr. Richard Hanover and the pioneering new types of treatment available at Lucia State Hospital following a highly publicized visit by Governor George Wilburn, Lily traveled to Lucia State to receive treatment for her attraction to women, which was historically known as a pathological illness. It is not known whether she self-referred to the hospital in a attempt to bury her feelings and save her marriage, or if she had been pressured by her husband to do so[1].
Lucia State Hospital[]
Lily prepped for the lobotomy procedure
At Lucia State Hospital, Lily was part of Dr. Hanover's first trial of a new technique for the treatment of mental illness: lobotomy. The technique had first been attempted in 1935 by Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz, and Dr. Hanover's goal was to refine the technique and prove its efficacy so that it could become a commonplace treatment. Lily took part in this trial alongside fellow patients Ingrid Blix (treated for melancholia), Peter (treated for daydreaming), and Len Bronley (treated for memory loss). On learning that the lobotomy treatment would be attended by members of the press, Lily became fearful, because she had hoped that she could receive her treatment discretely without anyone finding out about her sexuality. Nurse Mildred Ratched was particularly harsh with Lily, making a point of openly talking about her lesbianism in front of the other patients despite Lily's request for privacy, and insinuating that it was obvious to anybody that Lily was a lesbian "based on her facial structure"[1].
The lobotomy was performed by Dr. Hanover, assisted by Nurse Betsy Bucket, and was attended by a fairly sizeable crowd, including head of the State Detentions Bureau Secretary Randall Berglund, administrative assistant to the director of state finance Annie Hardcastle, Gwendolyn Briggs, Mildred Ratched, Dolly, and several other nurses. 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. The treatment was so graphic that several of the onlookers become visibly disgusted and nauseous, escalating until Miss Hardcastle fainted when Dr. Hanover drilled into Len's skull [1].
Hydrotherapy[]
Lily and Ingrid are interrupted by Mildred
The lobotomy was unsuccessful for Lily, Ingrid and Peter; for both Lily and Ingrid, the lobotomies only decreased their inhibitions, and thus Lily and Ingrid (who had been hiding her attraction to women for her whole life), began engaging in a sexual relationship. Lily was witnessed performing oral sex on Ingrid by Nurse Ratched, who reported what she had seen to Dr. Hanover[1].
Lily receives the new hydrotherapy treatment
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 leaving only their head unsubmerged and 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 she was unable to stand and, delirious and barely conscious, had to be carried out of the baths and back to her bed[2].
Mildred comforts Lily as she recovers
Because the treatment was effectively torture, both Mildred and Nurse Huck Finnigan 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, and was instead a type of aversion therapy, where patients - like Lily - 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, which Nurse Bucket believed, unfortunately leading to Dr. Hanover approving for future treatments three times weekly for the span of two months, and for Ingrid to receive the same hydrotherapy treatment as Lily[2].
Sabotage and Escape[]
Following Lily's "successful" hydrotherapy treatment, Lily disclosed what she experienced to Ingrid, but was so fearful of having to go back to the baths that she could no longer look Ingrid in the eye, scared that it would make her act on her attraction once more. Ingrid was scheduled to undergo her first treatment shortly after Lily, but Huck had fortunately 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[3].
The evening Mildred was orchestrating the assassination of the hitman Charles Wainwright, Huck interrupted her and disclosed that Nurse Bucket had fixed the hydrotherapy bath and intended to give Ingrid the protocol the following morning. They both quickly decided that they needed to act immediately, and hatched a plan where Huck would smuggle both Ingrid and Lily out of the hospital by car. Huck entered Lily's room, had her pack and put on a disguise, and helped her escape through a side door. They were unknowingly spotted sneaking to Huck's waiting car by Gwendolyn Briggs, who questioned Huck as to where he was taking the patient, but he bluffed and drove the car away[3].
Mildred and Lily say goodbye as Lily and Ingrid escape
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 in fact did indeed 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[3].
Following their escape, the police were notified and although Richard Cartwright was furious about Lily's disappearance, Huck assured Mildred that they had gotten away safely on the train[3].
Character Creation[]
Annie Starke was cast as Lily after executive producer (and Mildred Ratched actress) Sarah Paulson reached out to her after seeing Starke's performance in The Wife. Starke had coincidentally already auditioned for a different role in the series at the time, which Starke told The Italian Rêve that she believed "the universe was working somehow!". Starke was a longtime fan of the original One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest novel and film, and so the opportunity to work alongside Paulson, series co-creator Ryan Murphy on a project that filled in Nurse Ratched's backstory was an opportunity she felt she could not pass up.[4]
On playing Lily, Starke has said: "Some of my most beloved family members and friends are members of the LGBTQ+ community, so I put a ton of pressure on myself to do Lily Cartwright justice. Her experience on the show is a horrific snapshot of how gay people – and many people of "difference" actually – were treated not so long ago. The medical world was basically used as a weapon against those that society deemed "unworthy," and unfortunately there are still remnants of that with the practice of "gay conversion therapy." Lily is a bit of an unsung hero I think… she knows the love she feels is real and worth fighting for, despite the violence and people constantly telling her that she’s mentally ill. She’s brave as hell, simple as that."[4] "With any character I play, I try to give them a heart and soul—and with Lily especially. She’s a snapshot of how gay people were treated. It was medieval, and it wasn’t that long ago—that kind of water treatment stopped maybe 50 years ago. The cruelty that they experienced, and in some cases still do to this day, made me want to really do right by her. To be told that to experience the beautiful feelings of love makes you mentally ill, and that everything you feel is wrong… Heartbreaking isn’t a strong enough word."[5]
Appearances[]
Season One[]
Trivia[]
- Lily boards in the "Vine Room" at Lucia State Hospital.
- In S01E03: Angel of Mercy, Mildred confiscates Lily's copy of Leaves of Grass a compendium of poems by Walt Whitman which was controversial for its open discussion of sexuality. In particular, Whitman writes of his attraction to both men and women in equal terms and as equally beautiful. An example of which is his poem I Sing the Body Electric, a celebration of the human physical beauty of both sexes.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 S01E02: Ice Pick
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 S01E03: Angel of Mercy
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 S01E04: Angel of Mercy, Part II
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Italian Rêve: Interview with Annie Starke: Playing an unsung hero in 'Ratched' (OCT 24 2020)
- ↑ Yahoo! News: What It's Like to be Tortured on Ratched (SEP 22 2020)