Ratched: What Car Nurse Ratched Drives In The Show

Every color and set piece in Netflix’s Ratched was chosen intentionally — even down to Nurse Mildred Ratched’s car. Creator Ryan Murphy specifically selected colors to reflect various emotions and ideas.

Ratched is an origin story for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest‘s infamous Nurse Ratched, who originated in the Ken Kesey novel of the same name. The Netflix horror series takes place about 15 years before the events of the 1975 film. The show sees Nurse Ratched (Sarah Paulson) arriving in Northern California and seeking employment at a psychiatric hospital, where groundbreaking and horrifying experiments on the human mind have begun under the ambitious Dr. Hanover (Jon Jon Briones).

Aside from laying out the origin story of one of cinema and literature’s most famous villains, one of Ratched‘s main focuses is the atmosphere of the universe Murphy laid out. Ratched is introduced while driving a mint green Ford Coupe, which establishes the car’s importance in the show. Her car is the first example of the ongoing influence of the color green to the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel, as well as a representation of Ratched’s personality.

Nurse Ratched’s Car Represents Her Personality

Going into Ratched, Murphy deployed his understanding of what the color green represents. As Refinery 29 reported, Murphy believes green is representative of lust, envy, oppression, violence and more. Those emotions, particularly oppression and violence, are really deeply ingrained in who Nurse Ratched is as a person. So because of that, different shades of green are everywhere — the nurses’ uniforms, the walls of the hospital, accessories, and Nurse Ratched’s car. The audience is introduced to Ratched as she drives her mint green Ford Coupe, which is the first clue that this color will become a more prominent theme that speaks to a deeper level of symbolism with the character itself; her car is essentially an extension of her.

The actual car selected for Ratched is a reflection of her personality as well. She drives a car that’s very reminiscent of the time period, but it’s the mint green exterior that makes it stand out. This color was not commonly seen in cars from that specific time period. As such, it’s a good metaphor for Nurse Ratched herself. She keeps up the appearance of a nurse who just wants to help people — someone unassuming who wouldn’t necessarily pose a threat or make someone feel unsafe. But Murphy wrapping the villainous Nurse Ratched up in green signifies that there is something dark that lies beneath the surface of her outwardly pleasant exterior.

Ratched attempts to give its central character a little more depth and heart, but the audience knows she will eventually turns into the cold and heartless antagonist from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The frequent use of green is to ensure that the audience doesn’t forget where she’s headed. Introducing her in Ratched‘s pilot in a mint green car makes sure that idea is in viewers’ minds from the get-go.

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